Protein

[Vanilla Mandingo]

Another beginners question for you guys. I currently split my protein up getting 30 grams times six meals daily. I want to up the protein at each meal. I don't want to piss extra protein down the toilet though. Does anyone know of data indicating how much protein that one can absorb at a time? I imagine the amount is higher when on cycle. Your thoughts guys?

 

[PUGS]

I have always just followed the 1g per pound of bodyweight. So my weight divided by six and thats my protein macros. But as for your question to any proof of how much your body can actually absorb at any given time. Im interested to see what people say.

 

[Vanilla Mandingo]

Are we the only ones wondering this. I know that there are some really experienced guys here. Please give me your thoughts on this. Phil? Anyone?

 

[S2N]

Your body will use whatever you give it. If you eat extra fat or carbs you dont piss it out. Stick with whole food and forget that whey crap and you will see a linear gain in results to protein eaten

 

[TheOtherOne55]

How much do you weigh? and why do you even care if you are pissing out extra protein? just eat a lot of it and your body will use what it needs and do whatever with the rest...there is no magic number or magic formula

its like asking what is the exact amount of calories the body needs to grow...there is no number...your best bet is to be OVER that number rather then under the number for protein

 

[Borussa]

30-60grams, but there are some factors to consider, age, body weight, training intensity and even good old genetics. Every one is slightly different and for this reason you should experiment a bit. I always shoot for the best amount of protein absorption. 1-1.5g protein ppbw. Most importantly get the majority of your protein from whole foods.

 

[osiris]

There are sooooo many differing opinion this subject matter and i wont give you a scientific argument one way or the other. Here is what i have noticed that if i take my protein consistently above 400 grams, all the way to 500 sometimes, i get better more consistent results. I find my body takes on a different look also.

This is all so subjective. Here is what i would suggest. Add some protein at half the meals, something as simple as a few grams of BCAA's with each meal. Gauge your results, then if they are favorable, increase the protein. Then when you stop getting results add the bcaa's back in on top of the extra protein.

This sport is all about learning what works for you.

 

[AJW91]

There's absolutely no reason to think that you can only absorb 30g of protein per meal. That's a myth made up by supplement companies and backed up by bad science. Check out the link in my signature entitled "Diet Myths Debunked, by Martin Berkhan." You might also want to check out this article by Alan Aragon: Is there a limit to how much protein the body can use in a single meal? | Wannabebig

The ONLY study that showed some limit to how much protein can be absorbed post-meal was a study that compared the 5-hour response between two servings of lean beef, one serving with 30g of protein and the other with 90g of protein. The study found that the 90g of lean beef protein caused no increase in protein synthesis over the 30g of lean beef protein. Sounds legit, right?

WRONG. The researchers didn't consider the fact that maybe, just maybe, it takes longer than 5 hours to digest 90g of protein than it does 30g of protein.

Here's the nail in the coffin: Splanchnic and leg substrate exchange after ingest... [Diabetes. 1999] - PubMed result

After 5 hours the digestion of a pizza was incomplete. Now consider this: If it takes longer than 5 hours to digest a highly refined food like a pizza, then don't you think that any study that measures the 5-hour response of a whole food like lean beef is deeply flawed? Wouldn't it be more accurate if such studies measured response over longer periods of time, like 8 or 10 or more hours?

The fact of the matter is that your body can digest more than 30g of protein per meal, it just takes a little while longer to digest the extra protein. And a corollary fact is that you do not need to eat every 2, 3, 4, or even 5 hours. If you have some brown rice mixed with beef and eggs, cottage cheese, and a glass of milk you will have a steady supply of amino acids for at least 8 hours, probably more. So if you choose to consume more than 30g of protein per meal, don't sweat it, your body will still manage to digest and absorb it.

Don't think your body is stupid. For 99% of human history, mankind wasn't able to eat 3-4 times a day, let alone 6-8 times a day. The human body evolved to absorb every last calorie and gram of protein. If it didn't, then our ancestors would've all died out from malnourishment and starvation.

 

[liftalot79]

I try to do atleast 1.5Grams per Body Weight

I think 1 gram can probably maintain what muscle you have if your a Beginner and don't want to grow. I have been told by many that i should be 2grams per BW. So i'm not sure what the answer is but I would think you can go 50grams instead of 30

 

[AJW91]

Here's a good article you should read: **broken link removed**

A relevant quote from it:

strength/power athletes should aim for 1.5 g/lb protein per day (again, this is about 3.3 g/kg for the metrically inclined). So for a 200 lb strength/power athlete, that’s 300 grams of protein per day. For a 300 lber, that’s 450 grams per day. If you’re Jeff Lewis, I imagine your protein requirements are basically ‘All of it’ or perhaps ‘A cow’. Per day.

Since most strength/power athletes have plenty high caloric requirements, this will still leave plenty of room for the other macros and, if nothing else, will ensure that protein intake is not limiting in any way. I’d note that female athletes often restrict calories heavily (for both good and bad reasons) and it is possible for them to get into situations where protein ends up making up damn near all of their daily food intake. There is some evidence that female athletes can get by with less protein but I’m not going to get into that here; perhaps a later article for Elite Fitness can address that.

I’d add that athletes who are using anabolics may wish to take this even higher, 2 g/lb (4.4 g/kg) or possibly higher. Again, very little research here.

 

[LIFTW8S]

I've heard so many people say differently on this topic,and read just about the same. The general consensus that I've come across was 50grams of protein was about the average your body could absorb in one meal (without the rest going to waste).

 

[Vanilla Mandingo]

This is great info guys! I appreciate the help from all of you.

 

[maldorf]

I've heard so many people say differently on this topic,and read just about the same. The general consensus that I've come across was 50grams of protein was about the average your body could absorb in one meal (without the rest going to waste).

NOthing really goes to waste for the most part though. If you take in too much protein all it does is go towards building up a nice spare tire on you. Protein can be converted to glucose through gluconeogenesis, so you can use it for fuel as well. It can also be converted to fat and stored as bodyfat. I wish you could just pee all the extra out in the toilet instead of having onto most of it!

 

[S2N]

NOthing really goes to waste for the most part though. If you take in too much protein all it does is go towards building up a nice spare tire on you. Protein can be converted to glucose through gluconeogenesis, so you can use it for fuel as well. It can also be converted to fat and stored as bodyfat. I wish you could just pee all the extra out in the toilet instead of having onto most of it!

Research would suggest that about 10% of protein is converted anyway reguardless of intake