Question about amount of protein intake.

Over the past week I have noticed an extreme change in my diet. I am not meaningfully doing a low carb diet, but I've noticed that my carbohydrate intake has been severely reduced. Today for instance after breakfast, lunch and some snacks my total counts are:

479 CALORIES, 26.6 G FAT, 8.8 G CARBS, 55.1 G PROTEIN

My question is, is consuming such a greater percentage of protein in my diet healthy? I know that protein is good, but how much is too much? I don't feel tired or worn out at all from the lack of carbs, but I'm just curious really :) Any insight?

I copied and pasted a sample of my meals today (so far).

Thanks!

1 large scrambled egg with 1 tablespoon milk--
80 calories, 5 g fat, 1.2 g carbs, 7.1 g protein

2 slices bacon--
87 calories, 6.7 g fat, 0.2 g carbs, 5.9 g protein

Large glass of water

TOTAL: 167 CALORIES, 11.7 G FAT, 1.4 G CARBS, 13 G PROTEIN

Snack:

2 sticks string cheese--
160 calories, 12 g fat, 1 g carbs, 14 g protein

2 oz pizza sauce—
20 calories, 1 g fat, 2 g carbs, 0.5 g protein

Jell-O, strawberry low calorie, sugar free—
10 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g carbs, 1 g protein

TOTAL: 190 CALORIES, 13 G FAT, 3 G CARBS, 15.5 G PROTEIN

Lunch:

½ chicken breast chunks—
100 calories, 1.5 g fat, 0 carbs, 23 g protein

2 c shredded lettuce—
16 calories, 0.3 g fat, 3.1 g carbs, 1.2 g protein

½ c cucumber—
7 calories, 0.1 g fat, 1.3 g carbs, 0.4 g protein

Few drops of dressing on lettuce/cucumber

TOTAL: 122 calories, 1.9 g fat, 4.4 g carbs, 24.6 g protein

TOTALS BEFORE DINNER:
479 CALORIES, 26.6 G FAT, 8.8 G CARBS, 55.1 G PROTEIN

Fri. Jul 21, 6:09pm

The problem I see with your intake is a lack of fiber -- you got maybe 2-3g in all that. This is why so many Atkins dieters suffer frequent constipation - no high-fiber foods like wholegrains, fruits (apples 5g, oranges 3g), and nutrient-rich veggies (lettuce and cukes are, like, 95% water).

The average American gets 10-12g fiber a day, while the RDA is double that. At least get as much as the average joe who eats Cap'n Crunch and Doritos all day! Low-carb options...Boca burgers have 15g protein and 4g fiber (plus an additional 5g carbs), and many of the low-carb drink-shakes have 3-4g fiber.

And if you have a challenging athletic event, you've got to include serious carbohydrates for 1-2 days beforehand or else (a) your endurance will suffer, and (b) you stand a good chance of getting sick to your stomach...protein is more difficult to digest and stays in your system longer.

Friday, July 21, 2006, 9:08 PM

atkins is not for me

No i don't believe its good. TO even have a fighting chance with this diet you have to drink a lot to be able to help your liver metabolise all the protein. You need water for this process. Also you need vitamins so a multivitamin pill everyday would help and like the last post said fiber. You have to get it in there somehow. Oh i almost forgot your kidneys could receive a lot of damage also because it has to work overtime with all the excess waste products that is introduced from the breakdown by the liver.Urea is a waste product from protein that isn't use by the body and must be excreted. I just keep thinking of reasons not to do it. Well, heres another one. For some reason your body goes through a change that makes you smell funny, This transition is called ketosis and it switches your body from using carbs to using fat as an energy source. If you eat more than 60 grams of carbs you may keep from undergoing this transition. Good luck on whatever you decide.

Manurse

Saturday, July 22, 2006, 1:06 AM

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