Is there a such thing as too much protein?

[CPru]

I just bought a 10 lb bag of the optimum whey protein and i wanna take as much as i can. i only weigh 160 and ive read that you should take around 1.5 grams for each lb you weigh. could i take more than that if i wanted and would it make a difference?

[jblaze4lif]

go up to like 320 grams protein a day if you want, dont get it all from shakes though .... 3 shakes the most.

[nikokai]

more than 2 grams per pound for most people would be too much

[dave_p_91902]

1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight (or roughly twice the RDA) is considered "safe" by most food science professionals... including Dr. Peter Lemon who is pretty much the "World Expert" on protein metabolism.
(Being a Dietician myself I pretty much agree with that.)

[wild1poet2]

I just bought a 10 lb bag of the optimum whey protein and i wanna take as much as i can. i only weigh 160 and ive read that you should take around 1.5 grams for each lb you weigh. could i take more than that if i wanted and would it make a difference?

you should google this becuz there's some interesting stuff on this issue. From what I glean, it is unclear if excess protein is harmful to the kidneys which have to rid the body of excess nitrogen. Clearly if you have renal impairment, excess protein is harmful but the issue is less clear in a healthy athlete. Also, I believe the 1.5 to 2 gram guideline is per kg of bodyweight not pound. Basically divide your weight in pounds by 2.2 to get kg. Athletes, especially runners and other endurance athletes have been shown to require more protein. Studies involving resistance exercise have been less definitive but I personally think it is reasonable to infer a greater requirement. Also I seem to recall some studies which implied that protein ingestion in excess of 2.8grams per kg would be excessive.

At 160 pounds ingesting a lot of protein won't help you unless you are doing some training. I personally think the protein shake before you go to sleep is most useful to reduce catabolic effects at night. Too much protein taken at one time won't get digested efficiently, so spread it out every couple hours.
I take more after heavy compound workouts like deads or squats when my body seems naturally to more hungry.

not to hijack your thread....but how does a gorilla get and maintain so much mass on a diet that seems to be mostly plant based? we got to get some of them plants...LOL

[le.goon]

interesting point on the gorrilla issue...never thought of it like that. Simply genetics ? and i'm sure there is some berry that is high in protien.

[nikokai]

1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight (or roughly twice the RDA) is considered "safe" by most food science professionals... including Dr. Peter Lemon who is pretty much the "World Expert" on protein metabolism.
(Being a Dietician myself I pretty much agree with that.)

1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight

- Seems a little on the low side. Based on that formula that would mean a 200 pound bodybuilder would require 136 grams of protein.

[Bernie Lomax]

I don't think I've heard much about "1.5 g/kilogram of bodyweight". I've heard more suggesting to consume 1 - 1.5 g/lb of bodyweight, lean mass that is.

More importantly, though, you should be worried about how it fits into your macro nutrient ratios; fats, carbs, protein in relation to each other. Put together a diet that matches your goals. Check out the Nutrition section; good information there.

[bruce_leet19]

Bernie is right. Protein is not some magic nutrient. It has to work with carbs and fats too, which requires a solid nutrition plan.

That being said, you will know exactly how much protein you need when you figure out what your macro nutrient ratios should be.

[bhall99]

u would stick to about 1.5 2 grams per lb of bodyweight.. stay to abotu 3 protein shakes and 3 whole food meals consisting of at least 30 grams of preteon lean chicken beef etc..

[bigdane55]

1.5g-2g of protein per lb. should be enough for you to see good gains.

[jsweetness]

u would stick to about 1.5 2 grams per lb of bodyweight.. stay to abotu 3 protein shakes and 3 whole food meals consisting of at least 30 grams of preteon lean chicken beef etc..

if you mean 3 double scoop shakes thats a little to much supplemented protein. id say 100g of supplemented protein is ok, but try and get the other 150-250g from food sources.

[Denzelfan]

I just bought a 10 lb bag of the optimum whey protein and i wanna take as much as i can. i only weigh 160 and ive read that you should take around 1.5 grams for each lb you weigh. could i take more than that if i wanted and would it make a difference?

too much will be stored as fat. 1.5 gram per body weight is perfect in my opinion. Consume about 200 grams a day and you'll be fine.

[jsweetness]

too much will be stored as fat. 1.5 gram per body weight is perfect in my opinion. Consume about 200 grams a day and you'll be fine.

thats also a widely argued subject. last i read the body CAN store protein as fat, but it takes up to much energy so it passes excess protein through the kidneys and into the toilet, hence the reason people say excess protein puts stress on the kidneys.

[Cobra008]

I'd say 1 - 1.5 grams per lb. of body weight...2g at the MOST...personally I aim for around 1.5

some people say too much protein is hard on your kidneys, etc, I believe my reserach has found this to be true..
also, if your not getting enough carbs your body will go into ketosis, and your body won't burn fat, etc...something else I hear quite often...but then how do people go on low/no carb diets/cycles and get such good results

also some say your body can only digest 35g of protein in one sitting (30-45 minute period of time?)...I think this is a little low, especially for a male athlete, I would guess the number is closer to 50g.

and if your on a supplement like e-bol (ecdy) or any other substance that increases your protein synthesis you can obviously use more protein efficiently.

[jsweetness]

ok so i wasnt going to argue with 1.5g per kg of body weight....until i realized how many kg's i weighed. according to that i need ~160g of protein...thats way low. usually if i get less than 225g my muscle soreness takes 3-5 days to subside. if i take in 250+ i only stay sore for 2-3 days.

[Vigor]

I believe the main concern is how much of the same type of protein and how much at one sitting.

The best thing is to get a variety of different types of protein and you should spread it out to 5-6 meals per day for ideal absorbtion.

I think (Don't quote me on this) that your body can only use x amount of protein in one sitting. Meaning if you consume 100 grams of protein in 1 meal some will be not utilized.