I think I am getting too much protein!!!!!!

I never thought I would post this.  I think I am getting too much protein in a day.  I am in love with Fage 2% which has 17 grams of protein and 130 calories.  I bet I eat 2-3 of them a day.  As well as a protein bar in the morning and the various protein I get in my meals.  I wonder if this could be why I'm not losing???  I know the extra protein has calories but I guess I had the mind set that if it is protein it is free game!!!    Not to mention the stress that Fage is putting on my pocketbook at 1.79 a cup!!!    It fills me up but of course I don't listen to my body and I still eat even though I am satisfied!!!    Oh my....just wish I didn't love food so much.  I can stay away from Junk.  I just eat too much of the good stuff.  Guess it could be worse.  Anything could be worse!!! 

Rachel, read this article on protein and you will see, it's not a good thing to consume too much. When I was still doing 80 grams of prostat after I should have cut back on it, the nutritionist gave me down the road about using that much when I was eating regular food. He said it wasn't a good idea to continue adding that much protein to my diet. So I started reading up on it and found this article.Mary

Find out how consuming too much protein can harm your body.

By Miriam Nelson WebMD Feature

Reviewed By Gary Vogin

Seems like everyone at the gym is doing it: filling up on protein to bulk up those biceps. But it's a misconception. Eating extra protein actually doesn't do much toward boosting your muscle mass and strength.

In fact, medical research shows that consuming too much protein -- more than 30% of your total daily caloric intake -- could actually harm your body, says protein expert Gail Butterfield, PhD, RD, director of Nutrition Studies at the Palo Alto Veterans' Administration Medical Center and nutrition lecturer at Stanford University.

She says that a diet containing excess protein can have the following adverse effects:

• Adding more protein but not more calories or exercise to your diet won't help you build more muscle mass, but it may put your other bodily systems under stress.
• Eating more protein and increasing total caloric intake while maintaining the same exercise level will build an equal amount of additional fat and muscle mass, according to a study published in 1992 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Too Much Protein

So think twice when you consider sacrificing the carbohydrates for a protein-dominant diet, Butterfield says. Drastically cutting carbohydrates from your diet may force your body to fight back.

She says that's because a diet in which protein makes up more than 30% of your caloric intake causes a buildup of toxic ketones. So-called ketogenic diets can thrust your kidneys into overdrive in order to flush these ketones from your body. As your kidneys rid your body of these toxic ketones, you can lose a significant amount of water, which puts you at risk of dehydration, particularly if you exercise heavily.

Tha****er loss often shows up on the scale as weight loss. But along with losing water, you lose muscle mass and bone calcium. The dehydration also strains your kidneys and puts stress on your heart.

And dehydration from a ketogenic diet can make you feel weak and dizzy, give you bad breath, or lead to other problems.

How Much Protein Do I Need?

The amount of protein you require depends on your weight and your daily caloric intake. Most Americans consume more than enough protein in their daily diets. A few specific groups of people are at risk for being protein-deficient, including elderly women and people with illnesses or eating disorders. A protein deficiency is defined as eating 50% to 75% of the recommended amount of daily protein, Butterfield explains.

Ideally, you should consume 0.36 grams of protein for every pound of body weight, according to recommended daily allowances (RDA) set by the Food and Nutrition Board. So if you weigh 170 pounds, you need about 61 grams of protein each day.

Protein should also make up approximately 15% of your total daily caloric intake, also according to the RDA. In a diet of 1,800 calories a day, for example, about 270 of those calories should come from protein.

It's Essential

Although limiting protein intake is important, you should also realize that protein is essential to our bodies' normal functions. It assists in synthesizing enzymes and hormones, maintaining fluid balance, and regulating such vital functions as building antibodies against infection, blood clotting, and scar formation.

Protein is also a building block for our muscles, bones, cartilage, skin, hair, and blood. Protein-rich foods include meat, cheese, milk, fish, and eggs. For vegetarians, protein can be found in soy products such as tofu as well as in combinations of foods, such as rice or corn with beans.

Whether you are an avid strength trainer, a marathon runner, or just an average exerciser, a balanced diet that is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, fish, and complex carbohydrates is what nutritionists recommend.

Reviewed by Gary D. Vogin, MD, May 29, 2002.

 

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Last Editorial Review: 1/30/2005 10:56:15 PM

 

Rachel, I have seen several posts in the past about Fage but I don't know what it is. Is it a protein drink? Where do you find it?

I don't think it's the high amount of protein more more or less too much cals and carbs...  how many carbs are in the Fage? if you add those and the calories up just alone the Fage is almost your daily total of cals a day... maybe try takeing the Fage and putting into smaller containers and eat one 1/2 at one sitting and then the other 1/2 at another one... if you're comsuming too much proteins then I think you would be showing some sign of that in your pee-pee...  (or that's what my PCP tells me) he said signs to look for would be like unrinay (sp?) infection even though there isn't one.. or a total UTI ... don't know if I'm making sense or not, but try adding up your cals and carbs ... I use fitday.com to do my totals... I do good to get in 40 grams of protein a day and between 500 to 800 cals a day... but I do go without eatting alot is why my cals are so low... *sighs* I just don't have time to eat working in a plant... wished I had a desk job but I'm a machine operator and we get so dirty and those machines stinks so bad, you would get sick just trying to eat....  I do get in about 100 to 150 oz's of fluids though... *lol* I'm gonna float away one of these days... oh yeah 6 to 8 more weeks of trainning and then I'll be places on the 2nd or 3 rd shift and will be going back to cleaning my houses.... good luck sweetie, on finding an answer for this... Stephie

Hey Rachel! Maybe you should check in with Michelle or the other Nut.  As long as there is food to eat there will be debates over what is the best diet.    You could be eating junk instead of protein and fruit.  I think protein and fruit are the better choices.