Qustion about protein digestion and quantity

muscledoc1 · Mar 30, 2008

Was wondering as far as protein requirements,i know we need(for muscle growth)-at least 1.5-2grams per pound,so my question is if for example a persons LBM is 220lbs. he would need about 440grams a day,now splitting it into meals,lets say at least 7 a day it would come out to at least 60grams or more per meal.as far as i know,the body(on average)can digest anywhere between 30-35 maybe 40grams(depends on the individual)of protein per meal.also dont forget the fact that some of the proteins are from foods that takes the body several hours to digest-so can anyone explain that to me?-THANKS.

inoverdrive · Mar 30, 2008

Ive wondered about this to.

db006 · Mar 30, 2008

im not sure about how much per meal, but i did hear trop say that only about 10 grams a day actually builds tissue...

BB4LIFE · Mar 30, 2008

The thing is people get pretty anal about things, and yes this sport will make you do that and at times you have to do that. But unless your dieting for a show keep at basic. It also depends on your body type and many other factors on how much protein you need or can digest. So stay to the basic 1-2 grams per lb of body weight. and plan it out for the day. eat your 3 or 4 meals with 30g of proetin in them then use a fast acting proetin such as a whey protein that stays active for 2-3 hours in the body and use the longer release ones at night b4 bed or first in the morning. To be honest with you i would eat that little extra protein through food even if you body can't use it at least its there instead of not being there to be used...

muscledoc1 · Mar 30, 2008

BB4LIFE said:
The thing is people get pretty anal about things, and yes this sport will make you do that and at times you have to do that. But unless your dieting for a show keep at basic. It also depends on your body type and many other factors on how much protein you need or can digest. So stay to the basic 1-2 grams per lb of body weight. and plan it out for the day. eat your 3 or 4 meals with 30g of proetin in them then use a fast acting proetin such as a whey protein that stays active for 2-3 hours in the body and use the longer release ones at night b4 bed or first in the morning. To be honest with you i would eat that little extra protein through food even if you body can't use it at least its there instead of not being there to be used...

I AGREE,BUT WOULDNT OUR BODY WILL TURN IT INTO FAT?(EVEN THOUGH ITS NOT A CARB).

OuchThatHurts · Mar 30, 2008

I used to really exhaust myself focusing on exactly what you're asking. I'm starting to think the idea of 400, 500, or 600 gms of protein per day is getting somewhat outdated. At least it is for me. It might be important if you're on a carb restriction but probably not even then. What's been doing well for me is just making sure I get a constant supply of quality protein all day long and I worry less about the exact amounts - eating high protein meals when I'm hungry and sipping on a whey shake between meals. Some really like sipping on LBA's (Hernon swears by them).

I truly believe the quality of the protein you're eating is really most important of all and second, making sure that you get a constant influx all day long. Timing your micronutrients is important too.

I've actually lowered my protein intake recently and have focused more on the above - high quality macros all day long and adding micronutrients at specific times like in the morning, pre, and post workout. I eat when I'm hungry and when I'm not, I don't.

Time will tell but one thing for sure is that I got rid of that bloated belly I had all the time with all that damn protein and calories. I'm just not going to bulk for a while (maybe never again). I want to stay thick and even get thicker but like being leaner and tighter.

dragonfire101 · Mar 30, 2008

I rather sip on LBAs and BCAAs and just have a couple shakes instead of mega dosing protein shakes. My stomach just can't handle it even with digestive enzymes. If I do have shakes I can't have as much of whole food because I end up malabsorbing food.

buselmo · Mar 30, 2008

muscledoc1 said:
Was wondering as far as protein requirements,i know we need(for muscle growth)-at least 1.5-2grams per pound,so my question is if for example a persons LBM is 220lbs. he would need about 440grams a day,now splitting it into meals,lets say at least 7 a day it would come out to at least 60grams or more per meal.as far as i know,the body(on average)can digest anywhere between 30-35 maybe 40grams(depends on the individual)of protein per meal.also dont forget the fact that some of the proteins are from foods that takes the body several hours to digest-so can anyone explain that to me?-THANKS.

eat 440 grams of protein, and don't eat any carbs... at the end of the day, measure your blood glucose levels... then tell me if you really need that much without wasting half of it to gluconogenesis... eat carbs with that amount... and see how bloated you get, and how much fecal matter comes out...

talk to phil bro... really... I listened to him... then i stopped listening and thought i should slam down the protein... did that for 2 months... 400-450 grams of protein, 250 grams of carbs, and 100 grams of fat... did not look, feel, or perform very well... went back crying to phil (he's used to my annoying nagging... i hope

) and am now at around 250-300 grams of protein, not feeling bloated or uncomfortable at all, losing fat, gaining strength, and my weight hasn't changed...

as db said... i wouldn't be surprised if only 10 grams of protein would build tissue. and judging from dave's physique and his progress... i would take his word for it

BigNJ · Mar 30, 2008

For muscle growth assuming you are meeting your daily caloric intake and assuming your carbohydrate intake is sufficient, you only need around 1 gram per pound of protein. Forget about the 2grams per pound as any extra protein above that will increase amino acid oxidation.

The body recycles it's own protein as well, and can synthesize it's own none essential amino acids, so the main concern is supplying the body with essential amino acids from our diets.

1 gram/pound assuming you are meeting your caloric intake is sufficient for positive nitrogen balance.

muscledoc1 · Mar 30, 2008

VERY INTERESTING REPLIES.....THANK YOU ALL!

td1111 · Mar 31, 2008

Muscle is about 80% water, so it makes sense that you can pack on pounds of muscle with seemingly less grams of protein.

I've only been able to comfortably take in 1-1.5 grams per lb of bodyweight while bulking(250-300gr), and am still gaining very well. Eating more just makes makes my gut bloated.