Too much protein?

[cmoney]

Is too much protein a problem for anyone here? I've been having a lot of GI issues lately (gassy, bloating, not the best BMs in the world).     I'm not currently doing CBL.   I'm a pretty overweight guy (~235, I'd guess in the 25-30% BF% range). I probably take in ~270g of protein a day. I suspect this may be too much, especially with ~125g of it being protein powder (I've used both ON whey and ON egg protein, pretty much the same results). 

I'm trying to up my fiber, and it's helping, and I have a couple other hypotheses about the culprit (dairy, coffee... if it's coffee I will be extremely upset).  Yesterday I cut out the powder entirely. Still a little gassy/bloated but I will give it some more time.  I will also be scheduling an appointment with a gastroenterologist.

But I was wondering if anyone has had similar issues and might know a thing or two about ideal protein amounts.

[Trevorxgage]

Sweet Jesus.
No wonder you are having GI issues.
That's way to much protein.

Most people say 1g per lb BW but even that can be to much.
I'm 190-ish 13-14% BF and take 130-160g on any given day
and I only use protein powder PWO.

You are also very likely getting some insulin spikes from all the protein which
if any of it is pre-workout is not good and will hinder results.

I'd say aim for... 160-200g, mostly from whole food sources.

When I did the 1g per lbs thing I had the same problem, I felt like total crap.

[Big Tex]

Dairy?...possibly lactose intolerant? I am, and get that way if I drink a small cup of skim milk! Now yes that is honestly too much protein sir. Since you're doing CBL, what is your main goal? Also purchased the book yet? I'm sure since you mentioned how you're an "over-weight guy" I'm sure you're doing Strength Accumulation. Now ever thought of lowering the protein a bit? What we're shooting for is 50:50 in grams for fats and proteins. If anything keeping fats higher than protein, during the low-carb portion of the day, after lifting heavy, then back loading, keep fats low. And if anything don't over do the protein. Personally if you're trying to lose weight/fat, try a run of CNS for a while then switch to CBL again. You'll probably drop far fast so you can get back to CBL quickly. That's just an opinion sir. Hope this helps.

[cheesemuffler]

Hey cmoney - so what protocol you currently following? CNS? A little bit of everything

I'm 6'2", ~235lbs, ~22%BF following CNS - I'm seeing reasonable results with daily macros around: P140 F170 C10 - weight coming down slowly, numbers still going up in the gym.

In the case of CNS, the high levels of fat are muscle-sparing, so you don't seem to need as much protein as you think to keep things moving in the right direction.

Re your GI issues - all of those that you've mentioned can cause those issues. Also, fibre can cause those issues too! (If I eat a bowl of Bran Flakes - stand back!) The best thing you can try is systematically eliminating things for 3-4 days at a time and see what happens.

Best of luck!

[Big Tex]

Hey cmoney - so what protocol you currently following? CNS? A little bit of everything

I'm 6'2", ~235lbs, ~22%BF following CNS - I'm seeing reasonable results with daily macros around: P140 F170 C10 - weight coming down slowly, numbers still going up in the gym.

In the case of CNS, the high levels of fat are muscle-sparing, so you don't seem to need as much protein as you think to keep things moving in the right direction.

Re your GI issues - all of those that you've mentioned can cause those issues. Also, fibre can cause those issues too! (If I eat a bowl of Bran Flakes - stand back!) The best thing you can try is systematically eliminating things for 3-4 days at a time and see what happens.

Best of luck!

Hahaha! XD

[ibobland08]

I would try cutting down the protein.  I am 170 lbs and before I started CBL I was consuming 240 grams of protein each day and I was having the same problems you describe.  I now consume around 200 grams a day.  Just a slight decrease might fix your problem.  Kiefer reccomends 1.3 g/lb as the max benefit your body, any protein after that will just be turned into glucose.  I also found that eliminating whole grains helped a lot.

[Dmunnee]

Ya I really doubt you'd need much more than 150ish grams protein to retain what you have, so twice that is certainly going to impede progress.

[NewJenn]

Hi there, I thought I would also chime in with my experiences. Before I did CNS I had been "Clean eating" for quite some time, but also having stomach issues. I thought something else was going on because my diet was very clean, however I found that even oatmeal(old fashioned or steel cut, no mater what brand) was causing alot of stomach acid and flatulence. This all went away instantly when I went on CNS, the carbs, no matter how clean and healthy were bothering my system.

[cmoney]

I've never felt lactose "intolerant", as in, I can eat some and be OK. Ice cream, cheese, etc has never been a problem. But occasionally too much can make me a bit gassy.  It tends to be milk/cream products.   I notice after my morning coffee with cream a bit of gas.

I currently run 5/3/1. For weight loss, I've had good success in the past with high protein/moderate carbs/low fat.  Hence what I'm doing now.  I do have the CBL book, I've been reading it, but I haven't digested it all (no pun intended).  It is compelling, though, and I may consider it soon.  However, I also am a believer that when it comes to diet, compliance is king.  I've done low carb before and it's a nightmare.  Feel like shit, shitty breath, low energy, and worst of all, weak in the gym.  Perhaps it's a mental barrier, but if I'm always going to feel like that doing low carb, it's not worth it.

I think I'll lower the protein and up the fats a bit for now, and see how that goes.  That's always the pain in the ass with GI issues.. a lot of trial and error is needed.

Re: NewJenn,

I highly doubt it's the carbs in my case.  The days I tend to feel best are Sundays, which for me is a bit of a cheat day, which for me means no protein powder, smaller protein intake in general, and more carbs and fat. 

[Trevorxgage]

If you do low carb you HAVE to do high fat otherwise you WILL feel like crap.
You need your fats 60-70% of your calories so that you will use ketones for energy.
It might take a few days to switch but once you do most people feel awesome and strong as an ox when it happens.

[gary]

Your protein intake looks fine. If anything you are probably not taking in enough. The GI issues could be related to anything. For me stress is usually the culprit. As a medical professional I feel confident in saying, do not get medical advice online. Most of these morons do not have a clue as evidenced by some of the responses.

[ibobland08]

Your protein intake looks fine. If anything you are probably not taking in enough. The GI issues could be related to anything. For me stress is usually the culprit. As a medical professional I feel confident in saying, do not get medical advice online. Most of these morons do not have a clue as evidenced by some of the responses.

No one on here is giving medical advice.  We are just sharing our experiences.  You don't need to call people morons either.

[Big Tex]

Your protein intake looks fine. If anything you are probably not taking in enough. The GI issues could be related to anything. For me stress is usually the culprit. As a medical professional I feel confident in saying, do not get medical advice online. Most of these morons do not have a clue as evidenced by some of the responses.

You might want to watch you say and how you say it. Like what iboland said, just sharing experiences. So if you know something about this diet program better than the rest of then share it does criticize those are trying to help.

[Trevorxgage]

Your protein intake looks fine. If anything you are probably not taking in enough. The GI issues could be related to anything. For me stress is usually the culprit. As a medical professional I feel confident in saying, do not get medical advice online. Most of these morons do not have a clue as evidenced by some of the responses.

I agree man, no need to call people morons, that's just uncalled for.
Either way, it doesn't change the fact that excess protein is not needed by the body and can cause GI upset in many people.

[gary]

OP, You mentioned CBL so I am going to give you the information straight from the book CBL1.0 in regards to protein intake and back loading.  You look @ the chart and you pick a desired weight. Let's use 220lbs for you; Losing 20lbs of fat and gaining 5lbs of muscle seems a reasonable goal. Anyway, the chart says your intake should be 154- 275gms per day. The book specifically states, "To gain mass or lean down, use the high end of the protein scale...." That is 275gms a day. This is straight from Kiefer's mouth not something I pulled out of my ass to sound smart. For people have the reaction of, oh MY GOD that is too much protein, is ridiculous. It is not going to turn into glucose or give you GI problems @ the number.

 I am using CBL and it works. Shell out the $90 so you do not get 1/2 ass answers. In regards to your GI issues, I doubt is directly related to protein intake but your GI guy will give some educated advice on that. Take in more water usually helps gets things going. Good luck