CommunityBrowse groupsBlogEtiquetteInvite Your friendsSuccess Stories

Lounge
Community 


HOW MUCH PROTEIN IN A DAY

How much protein are we suppose to have in a day? I have been doing weight watchers and I am not sure how much to too much protein. I usually have about 3-4 oz at lunch and about 4-5 oz at dinner. Is that too much?
Thanks for the reply


Wed. Apr 25, 1:34pm

Add comment  
Probably too much - aim for 3-4 oz/day

The US RDA is .8 g protein per kilogram (2.2 pounds) of body weight for a normal person.

175 pound person = 80 kilograms x .8 = 64 g of protein needed
64g = 2.25 oz.

Another way to calculate is by calories. On a 1500 calorie diet, if about 30 percent of your calories come from protein, that's 450 calories from protein. Protein has 4 calories per gram.

450 calories = 112 grams of protein = 4 oz

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.

80 kg x 2 g protein/kg = 160 g = 5.6 oz

Wednesday, April 25, 2007, 1:52 PM

Add comment
Just saying one gram per pound of bodyweight is easier, and certainly isn't bad for you.

Wednesday, April 25, 2007, 2:40 PM

Add comment
How much potein

Is there even one study out there that shows that healthy people with healthy kidneys have kidney stress from eating too much protein? Since farming didn't start untill about 10,000 years ago, did the ice-age man have kidney stress?

Wednesday, April 25, 2007, 3:58 PM

Add comment
jeez...i am eating way to much. i am eating almost double of what i should. my problem is that i get really hungry and a shakey feeling if i dont eat enough meat, then i pig out on junk food to satisfy the hunger .thank you all for your response.

Wednesday, April 25, 2007, 5:28 PM

Add comment
1g per pound is for men trying to build muscle, not for women trying to lose weight.

When I followed The Zone guidelines of 30% of calories (110g protein for 1500 cals/day), I stopped losing after the initial 15 lbs. Then I switched to a more mainstream guideline of 20% of my caloric intake. At 1500 calories a day, this translates to 6oz meat or cheese (42g protein) because meeting my requirements for dairy/milk adds another 12g and there's always a little protein in starches and veggies. The weight started coming off again.

Wednesday, April 25, 2007, 5:35 PM

Add comment
I'm a diabetic and even the classes say that I should eat 3-4 oz lean protein a meal. So I usually eat 9-10 oz a day. They say if you do a lot of strength training that you should consume more then that. I have read a lot and I've never read anywhere that people should only eat 3-4 oz a day. That seems crazy to me. It seems crazy to me also that the pyramid guide says we should eat so many carbs.

Wednesday, April 25, 2007, 6:03 PM

Add comment
i just found out that you should have 40-45 grams of protein a day. 3 oz of chicken has 21 grams

Wednesday, April 25, 2007, 7:09 PM

Add comment
7:09 - that's a minimum, not an ideal.

6:03 - respectfully, we are not all diabetics. Different rules apply. And the new pyramid recommends 6 servings of starches (about 500 calories), at least half of which should come from whole grains. Adding 3 servings of fruit (180 calories) and 3 servings of veggies (60 carb calories, 15 protein calories) gives you about 50% of your calories (again, assuming 1500/day) from carbohydrates...very different from the "old pyramid" which was more like 70%. Have a look at www.mypyramid.gov.

3:58 - the kidney-protein problem only becomes a problem for healthy people if they don't drink plenty of water to fuel the conversion process. It can also be a problem if you take meds that tax the kidneys and liver (like Lamisil - which I mention because I wouldn't classify someone with a cruddy toenail as "unhealthy", but that drug is tough on the organs).

1:52 - problem with your calculation. One ounce of meat (28g) has 6-8g protein, the rest is basically fat and water. So 112g protein = 16 oz. meat.

I also understand that the body doesn't benefit from consuming more than 28g of protein (4 oz. meat) in a meal, but I'm not aware that eating a 16 oz. steak (110g protein) will actually hurt you. Well, I suppose it could hurt your next rendez-vous with the scale.

Wednesday, April 25, 2007, 7:41 PM

Add comment
whoops, did the numbers wrong...

Above poster is right - I did the ounces to gram calculation wrong before -

64 g of protein is 9 ounces, not 2.25 as I listed before

Wednesday, April 25, 2007, 7:41 PM

Add comment
thanks so much for all the info 741. i think i need to look into it more, prediabetic

Friday, April 27, 2007, 6:28 PM

Add comment
two quick points- there is a lot of protein in vegetables, and if you have type 2 diabetes you need to consume a high level of plants in your diet to help reverse and get off the meds.

This is a link to a summary of recent research

Link

Friday, April 10, 2009, 8:05 AM

Add comment
i must disagree with your statement "there is alot of protein in vegetables". certain vegetables (certain plants, that are not considered "vegetables" by diabetes educators), such as quinoa, shell beans, soy, legumes, etc are a good source of protein. however, the statement implies there is "alot" of protein in what most lay people consider to be vegetables, such as green beans, broccoli, carrots, asparagus, peppers, etc. most vegetables contain little or no protein. i'm not saying they're not healthy, they certainly are, being low in calories and high in fiber, vitamins, & minerals. These foods also contain varying degrees of carbohydrates, which diabetics must eat in controlled amounts. best? look it up!

Link

Tuesday, June 15, 2010, 2:47 PM

Add comment








Related Content:

How To Lose Weight- The Basics
Weight Watchers Points System
The Fat Smash Diet
The Eat To Live Diet
The Beck Diet Solution
How To Get The Motivation To Lose Weight

 

How To Be Successful Using PEERtrainer

How To Burn Fat
Online Weight Loss Support- How It Works
Does Green Tea Help You Lose Weight?
Tips On Using PEERtrainer
Visit The PEERtrainer Community
Diet and Fitness Resources

Fitness

Weight Watchers Meetings
Learning To Inspire Others: You Already Are
Writing Down Your Daily Workouts
Spending Money On A Personal Trainer?
How I Became A Marathon Runner

 

Preventive Health

How To Prevent Injuries During Your Workout
Flu Season: Should You Take The Flu Shot?
Are You Really Ready To Start PEERtrainer?
Super Foods That Can Boost Your Energy
Reversing Disease Through Nutrition

New Diet and Fitness Articles:

Weight Watchers Points Plus
How To Adjust Your Body To Exercise
New: Weight Watchers Momentum Program
New: PEERtrainer Blog Archive
Review Of The New Weight Watchers Momentum Program
 

Weight Loss Motivation by Joshua Wayne:

Why Simple Goal Setting Is Not Enough
How To Delay Short Term Gratification
How To Stay Motivated
How To Exercise With A Busy Schedule

Real World Nutrition and Fitness Questions

Can Weight Lifting Help You Lose Weight?
Are Protein Drinks Safe?
Nutrition As Medicine?
 

Everyday Weight Loss Tips

How To Eat Healthy At A Party
How To Eat Out And Still Lose Weight
The Three Bite Rule
Tips On How To Stop A Binge