Answers to your most frequently asked questions about proteins.
It’s ironic that one of the nutrients most commonly associated with weight training is also one of the most misunderstood. The simple fact is that, when you train with weights, your body NEEDS protein.
Whether you get your protein in supplement form or from food, there is lots of confusion. Below are the common sense answers.
Question: How much protein does your body really need?
Answer:
The amount of protein your body needs depends on the amount of muscle you have and the type of activity you undertake. To put it simply, the more muscle you have, the more protein you need; the more frequent and the longer the activity you undertake, the more protein you need.
A lot of the scientific community seem to be anti-supplements, believing that you should get what you need from the food that you eat. On a basic level, I agree with them BUT if you are training with weights, you NEED extra protein.
As a reminder, when you train with weights, your body breaks down protein, which then needs replacing and repairing. The only way to do this is to take in more protein. That is a statement of fact.
Where there is disagreement is over the amount of protein you need to ingest, some say that you need 140 grams of protein for a 200lb person, which works at 0.7 grams per pound. Others put the figure much higher, at around 400 grams for a 200lb person – you don’t need to be a maths genius to work out that’s a staggering 2 grams per pound of bodyweight.
The solution to all of this disagreement is to find out what your personal requirement is. To do this, start with a moderate intake of about 0.7 grams per pound and monitor your results, the next week up the amount a little, and the following week up it a little more. See how you feel, see what your results are. You will know your personal requirement, which, when you think about it, is all that matters.
You may find out that you haven’t been having enough, on the other hand, you may find out you’ve been taking too much.
Question: How much protein can the body process at one time?
Answer:
Some people suggest that it’s a waste of time taking more than 30 to 40 grams at any one time because that’s all your body is able to digest and use. Thing is, I haven’t seen any compelling research studies to prove it.
Better, I think, to take a more common sense approach:
- What state is your body in? If you’ve just completed a workout, you’ll be able to take in more protein because your body needs it to repair and replace damaged muscle tissue. However, if its just a normal day, your body won’t need so much, so just take about 40 grams.
- Rather have too much, than not enough! If your body needs protein but its not available, recovery and repair will be slowed down. So, as a rule of thumb, I take about 60 grams of whey protein following a workout.
The same principle applies during the day, rather too much than not enough. Then at least, if your body needs it, its there.
- Protein, especially eaten as part of a meal, can’t be digested all at once. After all, you don’t fill your stomach for it to empty immediately, do you? In the same way, even a protein drink takes a little while to digest.
- Everybody is different! Why do some seem to need more food than others? Its because everybody’s metabolic rate is different. You have to do what’s right for you.
So, basically, 30 to 40 grams might be right, but better to have protein in your body when you need it than give your body too little to recover.
Question: Can too much protein make you fat?
Answer:
Yes! BUT eating too much of any nutrient, whether its fat, carbs or protein, can make you fat. Of the these three nutrients, protein is the LEAST likely to make you fat, because its used in actually building structures within your body.
Like everything else, common sense wins the day:
- Fact: 1 gram of protein contains 4 calories and your body uses 40% of those calories to digest it.
- So: if you eat 300 grams of protein, but your body needs only 150 grams of protein, 150 grams of protein will be surplus to requirements
- 150 grams of protein = 600 calories but 40% of those calories will be used for digestion
- 40% of 600 = 240 calories will be burned in digestion
- 360 calories surplus to requirements have been taken in
- A pound of fat = 3,500 calories
- So, a lot of extra protein will be needed to make a pound of fat
And, if you’re training hard, those extra calories will be used up anyway, so the bottom line is that you’re better off ensuring that you get enough protein when you’re training hard, so that your body can repair itself and build new muscle.
Question: Protein Supplements versus Whole Food?
Answer:
Whole Food if possible.
If you are getting enough good quality, lean protein in your diet from food and are able to put protein in your body when you need it – after a workout – you don’t need supplements.
BUT if you can’t get good quality protein into your body when it needs to renew and repair itself after a workout, YOU SHOULD SUPPLEMENT with protein.
After a workout, your body is hungry for protein and a protein supplement, in the form of a drink, is about the easiest way to get digestible protein into your system. If you were able to eat a steak immediately after your work out, it would take so long to digest that it wouldn’t be ready for your body WHEN IT NEEDS IT.
On a daily basis, its much quicker to mix and drink a protein supplement than it is to cook and eat a chicken breast! If you want to build good muscle mass, you need to keep your body constantly supplied with the protein it needs. And by far the easiest way is to take a supplement.
Even if you don’t supplement on a daily basis, you SHOULD use a protein supplement immediately after a workout if you want to maximize the benefit of that workout.
Question: Won’t taking in too much protein harm my kidneys?
Answer:
Only if you have kidney problems to start off with. There have been no studies that demonstrate protein damage to kidneys, unless there has already been kidney damage.
One of the best things you can do to maintain kidney health is to drink plenty so that the waste products flush through the system more easily. If you have protein in your urine, any reasons to be concerned about the way your body utilizes protein, or any symptoms that you think might point to damaged kidneys, you should see your physician.
Conclusion
I hope that, by reading this common sense article about proteins in your diet, you will feel more able to structure your protein consumption.
If you need any further information about protein intake or supplementation, including recommended supplements, contact me through filling out the contact form.
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