I used to often put the hammer down on as much protein as possible. It wasn’t necessarily as part of a strategy, just doing what my appetite was telling me to do. Multiple steaks or chicken breasts per meal as able, and all you can eat steak buffets on sundays, double scoop protein shakes usually 2x per day regularly, etc.
It worked pretty well.
Yeah I understand! My go-to steaks are the biggest ribeyes available and I can eat a days worth of beef as brisket in a sitting. Maybe a week’s worth.
I’m glad to know science is confirming all that protein isn’t wasted.
It’s always fun when research catches up to observation
Yeah, I think we’re creatures of feast and famine, as many are. Not much goes to waste in the human body. It is extraordinarily efficient.
Like you mentioned, newer research suggests the body can handle and benefit from larger protein doses over an extended period, so the old “20–30g per sitting” rule might be outdated. Also 6-8 meals is kinda crazy so yeah I would say give 3 meals a shot. I’d just make sure each meal includes high-quality protein (whole food + shake is a solid combo), and that your overall calories are on point. Definitely worth experimenting if it fits your lifestyle and training goals.
Yeah, this was the problem though. The adage was 25g as an upper limit for absorption from what I recall, and 1 gram per pound was considered low. If you were a bigger guy you had to eat one million times. Otherwise you were either missing macros or not utilizing them.
I should’ve specified meals/snacks/supplements. Powders came in handy, which of course was propagated by the industry.
The last week has been great though. 3x per day, whole food with a 50g shake. Every meal feels like a cheat meal lol. Full sized anyways, even if nutritious.
I usually landed on 4-5 meals and then shakes between, including pre-bed, but am banking on the 12 hour window from dinner to breakfast. Still curious how the anabolic window wanes over the 12 hour period however. Slow and steady, big anabolic surge with a quick drop-off and then steady decline to baseline et cetera.
If I were totally onboard with the 12-hour anabolic window, I would assume that it acted like a half-life curve. There is no way that I would assume the window was wide open for 12 hours and then quickly close.
My approach to taking AAS was to flatten the curve. I considered protein likewise.
By chance, did you read my write-up regarding my experience with Vince Gironda’s Maximum Definition Diet?
I have not
I ate that way for about 6 weeks, and am back to eating that way now that I’ve returned from vacation. 2 meals a day, with breakfast clocking in at about 1400 calories and 127g of protein and dinner around the same. During that time my lifts continued to go up while I leaned out and lost some bodyweight.
I’m actually eating leaner right now, since I’m trying to dry out after my vacation, but that means protein is even higher while fats are lower. This morning would be about 147g of protein.
That’s awesome! Would you say the body weight tracked as primarily fat loss, considering the relatively long time between protein re-feeds?
Based on my leanness improving while my lifts continued to climb up: absolutely. I reached a similar bodyweight last year with far more frequent protein feedings of lesser magnitude (40g every 3ish hours) and was far stringier and weaker at that time.
And given how low I keep carbs in general, it’s easier to write-out losses as a result of water weight/glycogen.
I hear nothing but positive outcomes from people that push more than the “science based” .8 grams or whatever it is
I could be mistaken, and the subject has been wayyyyy over written about, but I think that the sciency stuff was based on “optimal” ← my favorite word to hate. Which is to say that the peak absorption/anabolicness was what ever they said, and beyond that was diminishing return. So if the upper limit was say, 40 grams, and you ate 60, you’d still get the full benefit of the 40 grams, but not the same level of anabolism. We’ll also break down the proteins to use for glucose in gluconeogenesis, neurotransmitters, and all kinds other stuff.
So this is where I wish I could find more info.
The study showing no upper limit discusses an anabolic window of 12 hours after ingesting 100 grams, but does not share a comparison to breaking the intake up in smaller bites over those same 12 hours.
I’m sure there is some magic in the frequency rub.