Too Much Protein?

I am 6 years post op and getting back on track after gaining a few pounds.  I am really pushing my protein and today took in 159 grams of protein.  Has anyone been warned about too much protein?

I am using my fitness pal and I was 89 grams over in protein and 124 grams under for my carbs.  Wondering what others are doing here and how we should be balancing. Any feedback is appreciated!
Melissa
 

Too much protein is hard on the kidneys and RNYers are already prone to kidney stones for a variety of reasons.  159g of protein is twice what is usually recommended for RNYers.  I'm just curious about why you would want to get in so much protein.  Eating a protein-forward diet is one thing (and helps keep the calories down), but eating extra protein just for the sake of eating protein is just adding extra calories. 

When you say you are 124g "under" for your carbs, what does that mean?  How many carbs did you eat?  We do need some carbs for our bodies to function properly.

Ironically, a diet that is high in protein and too low in carbs is a "double whammy" as far as increasing the chances for developing kidney stones.

 

Lora

Hi Laura,

thank you for the response.  I have been focusing on the protein since it is more satisfying. I am not as hungry and focusing on a low carb diet to help keep calories down.  I have not been eating it just for the sake of eating it, but for snacks or something in between meals when I am hungry I have been having a protein drink.

My diet goal is 174 carbs daily, today I only ate 50g. Maybe I need to balance it out more with some healthy carbs with fruits and veggies.  I've just been really careful with focusing on protein rather than carbs.  I really hadn't been paying attention to how much protein I was consuming until today.  My focus really has been watching my calories.  When I saw how much I took in today and recently I thought I would ask :)

You adjust the myfitness pall goals for you specifically on the website. I found out that while losing weight - proteins + fat + some non-starch carbs worked best for me.
My daily goal was 100-150 gr of proteins 55-70 gr of fats and 60-80 carbs. That worked best fort me for 1000- 1200 cal per day..

That's a bit much for your current weight. If  you are trying to build muscle, bodybuilders use 0.8 grams per pound of body weight. But that's to gain muscle. For where you are and what you want to do, I would think around 80g would be a good target. For women fats are very important for weight loss because they balance hormones plus they are the fuel you will want to feed your body instead of carbs.

Thank you for the reply,  I hadn't thought of that.  I was more worried about calories in vs. calories out and keeping carbs down.  I will re-evaluate my diet :)

 

Thanks again!

I can confirm with the other posts especially just seeing my nutritionist this week. They recommend 60g for women and 80g for men and those are just averages. It goes without saying that getting the protein in isn't an issue for you. If trying to lose weight is your goal, perhaps you need to turn up the intensity of your workouts? 

Just a thought :)

~ Mark

If you are always hungry and looking for something to eat, it is probably head hunger and it might be time to sit down with a therapist to deal with those issues. Then go back to your NUT and review your food log and make the necessary changes. Good luck!

Melissa just out of curiosity when did you start with your back on track protein and what kind of proteins are you eating??  Whenever I get back on track the first few days are an adjustment and I am extra hungry but the additional protein naturally start suppressing my appetite by day 3.   60 grams would be minimum goal not a max.   You do want to split it up because our bodies only absorb so much at each meal.  

 

After my first year or so while I was struggling I saw more and more advice from folks about upping the protein to this level. I dont know what is right for everyone, but I actively tried to hit 100 grams per day and saw nada for loss. When I went back to the maintenance diet I was given I confirmed it was showing me 70-80 grams. I started following the plan and lost. Made an appointment with my NUT, who said "silly boy" that is the maintenance diet, if you are trying to lose try a balanced WLS diet and target a min of 60 grams, but dont try to go higher right now. When I followed the advice, along with exercise I continued to lose. Bumps in the road to be sure and I am not at goal yet, but since then I have lost about 65 more lbs. Now these numbers probably dont apply to you, as I weigh at least 80lbs more and am a male. I guess my point is I was convinced I needed to eat much much more than I currently do and it prevented me from losing.