JayLoss

Protein (My take)

Posted on 13. Feb, 2010 by Jay in Food

Since I started working out with a body builder friend a few months ago protein has been something that has been pushed on me. I was told that I should start drinking a protein shake daily to help build muscle.

And since I just started working out with a personal trainer a few days ago, again protein is being pushed on me, this time almost doubling my current protein intake of around 100 grams per day to 200 grams a day.

I did notice when I drank protein shakes after workouts I would gain muscle quickly, so I trust my body builder friend and trainer to know what they’re talking about, but as the person I am, I like to do research.

This is what I learned:

How much protein should you have in a day?

According to a few sources it’s your weight (for example my weight of 235) divided by two, minus 10.

So that would be ((235/2)-10)=107.5 grams

So I should be consuming 107.5 grams of protein a day to promote a healthy .. uh protein intake.

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I found this an interesting read from doing my research:

How many amino acids do you need?
Your body needs all the amino acids. Depending on amino acid composition, proteins are either “complete” or “incomplete.” This is the real difference between the vegetable and animal protein sources. Animal protein has the complete profile of all the amino acids. Beef, chicken, veal, lamb, port, fish, eggs, are all complete proteins. Eggs are the most ideal protein — and the standard to which others are measured regarding “usability” by the body.

Vegetable proteins are typically “incomplete,” meaning there are either missing amino acids or too few of them to maintain the body’s total needs. Vegetable proteins come from nuts, seeds, and legumes. Vegetable proteins need to be combined, but not necessarily eaten together, to make sure all amino acid needs are met. Vegetarians must use “complementary” vegetable proteins together to make a single complete protein source. For example, they need to eat beans with rice, a rice cake with peanut butter, or hummus, which is made with chick peas and sesame paste. Soy is a great low fat source of protein. Most protein bars use soy protein, casein or whey as their base. All are complete proteins. The same is true for protein powders.

What happens if we don’t eat enough protein?

Unlike fat and glucose, our body has little capacity to store protein. If we were to stop eating protein, our body would start to break down muscle for its needs within a day or so.

List of High Protein Foods

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Building Muscle?

From my research it shows that an increase of protein can promote muscle growth.

Endurance exercisers should increase protein to 1.2 to 1.4 grams per kilogram of body weight per day.

Heavy Strength training should increase protein to 1.7 to 1.8 grams per kg per day.

One kilogram is equivalent to 1,000 grams or 2.2 pounds; the mass of a liter of water.

235 lb / 2.2 = 106.594 kg

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Another interesting read:

Can one take in too much protein?

The typical American diet, as we said earlier, is already providing plenty of protein. There is no value in adding even more protein to that amount, since protein cannot be stored in the body and the excess is eliminated in urine and feces.

When people start consuming too much protein (over 2.0 g/kg/d), the extra protein can become a stressful stimulus for the kidney. This is even more of a concern as we get older and our organs are less efficient and effective.

Very high levels of dietary protein have also been correlated with increased urinary calcium excretion. The loss of calcium through urine could potentially be harmful for bone turnover, with the added risk of osteoporosis. Finally, protein requires vitamin B6 in order to be metabolized and ultimately utilized in the body. Very high levels of dietary protein increase the requirement for this B vitamin.

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So what did I learn?

I learned that an increase of protein has more positive outcomes then bad, thus should be utilized as a tool for building muscle and losing weight. Some cautions are to make sure not to exceed 2.0 grams per kg of weight, drink plenty of water (twice as much as you usually do if you can). Probably don’t drink diuretics like tea which I’m doing now (I love my tea though).

I also learned that my trainers recommendation of 220 grams of protein per day is very high. I’m not sure if I heard him right though, so I’ll have to confirm this with him later. At the moment I’m not getting anywhere close to 220 grams per day. I’m more likely at 150 grams per day which is pretty much were I need to be to help build muscle and lose weight.

Another thing I learned was protein was good for maintaining your blood sugar level, thus you’re not as hungry as much during the day. So it’s filling and makes it where you can diet a little easier. Which is awesome.

Before today I didn’t know a lot about protein intake, all I looked at before was calories. I find that as I watch my calorie intake I’m automatically gravitating towards protein because it truly makes me feel full and not want to eat as much.

I probably got something wrong in my research, don’t stone me to death if you feel what I found is different then what you’re used to. I’m learning.

Cheers,

JayLoss
Current Weight: 235

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