• HEALTH & RECOVERY
    Welcome Guest
    Posting Rules Bluelight Rules Thread Directory 1 Thread Directory 2
    Mindfulness Links Addiction & Mind
    Sober Living Partner Program (SLiPP)
  • H&R Moderators: VerbalTruist | cdin | Lil'LinaptkSix

Protein overdose or not enough?

D

deadendgame

Bluelighter
Joined
Jul 23, 2014
Messages
356
So I'm new to working out and I'm not sure exactly how much protein I should be taking in. I drank a 42 g protein shake immediately after my workout then another one 2 hours later. then a bit of shrimp and then another protein shake (20). then a footlong chicken sub then another protein shake (36) then another (20). I don't know if I took in too much or too little protein. I can definitely feel my muscles getting bigger. I figure if I take in too much, no harm, I'll just be a little fat. But if I take in too little, my muscles will atrophy. And I got to figure out how to supply my muscles with protein tomorrow. Am I worrying too much about my protein?
 
Sounds like you're relying too much on shakes and not enough on whole food. Don't neglect carbs and healthy fats either. Do a little dietary research, the info is out there. Shakes are fine but they should be an addition to an otherwise healthy protein rich diet, not the other way around.
 
As said above, I think you really need to crack onto some basic diet research. There are tons of free basic high-protein diet plans if you google. You can't really 'overdose' on protein, but try to get more from whole food sources (fish, chicken, lentils, beef etc), as well as lots of fruit, veggies, and good oils (nuts, avocado, fish oil etc).
 
i bought ten beef steaks. about to eat those tomorrow after my workout. will be tweaked out on preworkout supplements of course to maximize my workout
 
well, there is another reason. i have some appetite problems and have trouble digesting food. that's why i drink so many protein shakes. does it really matter where your protein comes from? protein is protein
 
deadendgame said:
well, there is another reason. i have some appetite problems and have trouble digesting food. that's why i drink so many protein shakes. does it really matter where your protein comes from? protein is protein
Click to expand...

Protein isn't just 'protein' in the same way that table sugar isn't just 'carbs' - some are better sources than others. In fact protein is considerably more complex as it contains a large number of different amino acids, and ideally you want protein sources that provide high levels of all the essential amino acids and especially leucine (which is a directly anabolic amino acid).

While protein shakes (which are usually whey) do contain a good proportion of the essential aminos and leucine, they digest so quickly that much of the protein is turned into simple sugars and causes an insulin spike. Thus you attain a high level of amino acids in the blood stream for only a short timescale, while tending to increase fat deposition thanks to the insulin spike, and then lethargy and lower energy levels after.

On the other hand solid protein sources like chicken, beef and fish, while also having a good ratio of amino acids, take much longer to digest, releasing a slow steady stream of amino acids into the bloodstream and so extending the duration of protein synthesis in the muscles.

If you're struggling to eat more - and believe me, that's a very common complaint in people who've just started doing this - just go slowly, gradually increasing the size of your portions to start with, and then introducing a whole extra meal or two as the body slowly gets used to the increased food intake over the coming weeks and months.
 
can i just put my food in the blender and divide it up into 6 portions which i'll drink every two hours. What is the difference between doing this and actually eating the food? I don't have time to sit down and eat 6 meals a day. Shit man. My AST, ALT, and BUN levels must be off the charts!
 
You don't need a lot more that 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily, even if you're bodybuilding.
 
deadendgame said:
can i just put my food in the blender and divide it up into 6 portions which i'll drink every two hours. What is the difference between doing this and actually eating the food? I don't have time to sit down and eat 6 meals a day. Shit man. My AST, ALT, and BUN levels must be off the charts!
Click to expand...

Your liver values won't be affected at all, no need to panic.

You can do that with your food if you want, but that's pretty extreme.

Why don't you just start by having larger protein portions in your normal 3 meals? You know, 4 eggs instead of 2. 6oz of chicken instead of 4oz. And so on.

Then you can gradually keep increasing the size of those portions over the months if your weight isn't going up.

Over time you can then add a 4th meal if you want. But there's no requirement to eat 6 meals - I don't and I'm a big guy. I also don't have protein shakes, but just because I'd rather eat something tasty and real that doesn't cause gastro discomfort.
 
Unless you have kidney problems, you're not going to overdose on protien, though you may find yourself constipated if you keep your levels high. If you consistently consume high levels of protien you may develope kidney problems, but that's not going to happen over night. Ideally, you should be getting protien from whole food sources and it should be paired with healthy fats and some carbs. Healthy fats are essential to hormone synthesis along with other functions which are necessary for muscle growth so don't skip the fat.

You can calculate your present lean body mass and figure out the amount of protien you need from that, and also the number of calories you need to consume to build muscle. There is not strict rule about when you eat or how many meals you eat during the day, so if six is unrealistic to you figure out what is realistic. If time is an issue for you consider prepping meals for the week on Sunday so you have them ready during the week and you don't have to rely on so many shakes. You can cook in bulk and freeze it. Don't forget nuts and legumes are also great protien sources which also make great snacks. I make my own protien powder and use it for shakes and protien bars - it takes 10 minutes and it tastes amazing, and it comes from whole food sources so I know its bioavailable.

I think it's really important that you research metabolism and nutrition so you can bulk safely. Also research your protien powder as there are some excellent blends, there are useless nonbioavailable blends, and then there are some with very questionable ingredients. It's worth paying the extra money to get quality useable safe protien. If you're going to be consuming large quantities of protien make sure you drink a lot of water.

ETA:

- here's a link regarding protien powders. I highly recommend Garden of Life as they make quality bioavailable products. Their protien powders have also been rigorously tested for confirm the ingredients used and also for contaminants and they consistently get the highest ratings.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/best-organic-protein-supplements.html

- here's a link speaking about the quality of protien you need for muscle growth, the different types of protien, and the timing of when it should be ingested.

http://www.muscleforlife.com/how-much-protein-build-muscle/
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top