I was wondering if there is a maximum amount of protein the body can handle at one time? I was not able to find a more recent thread than 2001 on the subject. I understand that everyone varies in the amount of protein they can handle, so have there been any recent studies on this subject?
I wish to know because if I eat 16oz of 93/7 Ground Beef that is a total of 92g of protein. This substitues a large portion of my daily protein intake and if my body can’t handle it I need to know so I can increase the amount of protein in the rest of the diet.
This is usually my second to last meal of the day. My last meal is just a protein shake before bed. I do not seem to be having any extra bowel movements in a day since increasing my protein intake. So I am guessing that my body can handle the amount of protein intake. Thanks for any help yall can give!
Off hand I cannot tell you what the exact amount/time is for the human body’s protein assimilation, though I believe I have a book at home that mentions this. I’ll post tonight when I check later tonight after I get home, though I think it’s around 30-45g/hr or something like that. Don’t flame me if I’m wrong as I read that like a year ago.
this is an issue that has been debated for quite sometime. i dont think that anyone really has a definitive answer because there are too many individual factors. i.e. lifestyle, time of day, training style, metabolism, % of lean body mass, etc.
bottom line is try to get in at least 1 gram per lb, and preferably 1.5 grams per lb of body mass per day. divide that up into 6-8 meals per day, and you should be fine.
The “traditional” view pegs it at 30-40 grams in one sitting. However, if you read the diets of a lot of the guys who post on here (and elsewhere)you’ll see that 50, 60 or even 70 grams can be typical. I’ve read before that up to 30% of your daily intake should be within 3 hours of your workout, but 90 grams at once for a guy of your size is probably a bit much simply in terms of meal patterning if nothing else.
I’m with P-Dog. There are so many variables between people and how much protein they can handle. For instance, a 5 ft, 100 lbs female gymnist’s protein assimilation is more than likely going to be much different than a 6 ft, 220 lbs baseball player. And I do agree that eating 92 grams of protein in one sitting is a bit detrimental. You have to remember that eating too much protein in one sitting can cause your body to release glucagon, which is insulin’s antagonist…meaning it causes you to release glucose, rather than allowing insulin to shuttle it to your muscles. So, in terms of post workout nutrition…you dont want to eat too much protein in one sitting. P-Dog was right on the money when he said you should getting atleast 1.5 grams per lb of lean body mass in a day…and divide that up between 6-7 meals. That would be your best bet. If all is “dialed in”…you should be getting anywheres from 30-50 grams of protein per meal. Hope that helps…Tony G
i am making the assumption that this makes your diet pretty lop sided, meaning you are probably have no protein in some of your meal and heaps in others,
Or you are eating a shite load of protein. Assuming six meals a day, which is pretty standard round here, 6 x 92 = 552g of protein, thats well over double the traditonal high end recommendations (3 x body weight in kg) your is 7.6 times you weight in kg.
Check your diet and try to even things out. An even split of protein over all meal is a good start and go from there.
At the very least follow Cy Willson’s recommendation of how to lay out your protien consumption over an entire day. Possibly Cy would like to comment? I seem to remember him recommending a large amount of protien (like 2/3’s of the day) in and around the time you workout. But I could be wrong. I’m tired let Cy explain it better. Ciao.
Dont worry too much abou t it. Truth is, nobody seems to know for sure exactly how much protein your body is able to process in one sitting.
Just focus on the basics. Have a minimum of 160 g/lb body weight and ALWAYS divide it over the 5-6 meals you have in one day. That makes for just under 30g protein every meal. See, eating 92 g protein in one meal only to deprive yourself of enough protein in another meal is counterproductive. Also, I would bet your body does not process more than half of those 92 g protein at the most - which means your wasting precious protein and money.
Maybe we’re getting confused. Are we talking about SYNTHESISING the PROTEIN into muscle or PROCESSING the FOOD for metabolic expenditure ? You don’t mention if you have any other food w/ your beef. Maybe you’re processing the excess protein calories (if there are any) for your energy requirements? Probably wrong, but it would explain your lack o’ crap. Just a thought.
Look, no one knows what the “upper limit” is, or even IF there’s an upper limit. So don’t worry about that. I eat about 50g per serving (6 times a day) at a BW of about 180 pounds and can process it just fine.
However, you seem to be a bit unclear about the role of protein in the diet. The whole point is to take in some protein about every three hours or so to avoid going catabolic. If you’re eating 90+g at a sitting, then you’re undoubtedly cheating yourself somewhere else. Eat a decent amount (30g or above in your case) six times a day and you’ll have that base covered. But every meal should have some protein in it, not just one or two.
I average around 30g or more on an average meal. I was just wondering if the excess protein in any certain meal would not be absorbed. I just find that I am very hungry after lifting and that eating a 12-16oz steak just happens to have this much protein in it. It is not replacing the protein in my other 5-6 meals a day.
Then I wouldn’t worry Junior. A bit of extra protien shouldn’t be an issue. I mean all the math for calculating macro nutrient profiles doesn’t have to be followed to the gram. Ciao.
