Too Much Protein?
 

I've been following the points plus system but have stalled out for the last two weeks.

I decided for fun (I have an odd idea of what's fun :D) I put my information into myfitnesspal to see what the daily food log had to say, and while I am staying within the points, my protein intake is over double, yet my carbs, fat and calories are waaaay under.

Has anyone found too much protein to be a problem?

Too much of anything is not 'good'. Our body needs a balance of healthy fat/protein/complex carbs
What your body doesnt use for muscle repair.etc it will expell out of the body. The only true concern is ketosis from not getting in enough carbs.

It's a little hard to give advice without you giving some numbers. What is your eating plan? Are you trying to eat a lot of protein and it just surprised you that the calculator pegged it as too high?

I wouldn't be concerned about eating a lot of protein as I would be about eating too little of everything else. That you said your calories are low is concerning. I am doing low-carb, so if I were in your situation I would add fat to get my calories up into a reasonable range - but without knowing your eating plan it's hard to say what you should change.

I thought about adding the numbers after the initial post. My primary goal is eating healthier (and losing weight), I'm not really focused on eating less carbs or more protein.

Breakfast: 2 egg whites, cheese, turkey bacon sandwich on whole wheat bread.

Lunch: 3oz of seasoned pulled pork, cheese, lettuce, onion sandwich on whole wheat bread

Dinner: Chicken breast (est 6oz), sauteed zucchini in butter flavored spray

Snack: Whole green bell pepper

I'm trying to keep it well rounded. I also take a multivitamin and calcium to make sure I get in my nutrients.

Calories
Rec:1220
Act:959

Carbs
Rec:168
Act:44

Fat
Rec:41
Act:35

Protein
Rec:46
Act:125

Thanks for taking the time to look at this. I was reading a thread earlier about how people thing that something is healthy when it's not...maybe I'm having that problem right now.

That protein looks totally fine to me (though adding some healthy fat calories would be a good idea, and maybe more veggies!).

Myfitnesspal defaults to a high carb, low protein macronutrient breakdown so you might want to adjust it to better suit your goals. A widely touted breakdown is 40% carb and 30% protein and fat. If you make that change, are you closer to where myfitnesspal thinks you should be?

Am I reading your chart correctly: you're eating under 1,000 calories daily and weigh 225 pounds? No wonder you've stalled! Sorry, I don't follow WW PP but I'd be flabbergasted if you could be successful in dropping your desired 55 pounds on such a limited-calorie plan. I mean, I consumed 1200 calories daily - your apparent recommended amount - when trying to get from the 140s into the 130s...I just worry for you that the math won't work out in your favor.
Have you considered using some points to consume more nutrient-dense foods? Doing so would not only stoke your metabolism with more calories but would also serve to balance out your fats carbs a bit more.

Actually your food breakdown looks pretty good to me if you are going for that "balanced" approach. If this sample is typical of every day, I might just say add in a bit more fruit and vegetables (go for vibrant color) to increase your overall calories. Two other quick fixes to add more fat would be to eat whole eggs instead of egg whites and use olive oil when you sautee instead of the spray.

I am actually wondering if your counting is correct... perhaps you are eating a little more than you added up? I just quickly looked up the carb content of whole wheat bread and got about 11 g per slice, which would add to 44 g without even including the carbs in the bell pepper, onion, and zucchini, which with my off-the-top estimate of serving sizes might be around 17 g. For protein I'm pegging you at a bit lower than 125 g though without serving sizes for some items I could definitely be off. Be sure you are weighing your food at the right time to match with your nutrition data - meat loses a lot of water during cooking.

Also, if I'm reading your post correctly that the website recommends 46 g of protein per day, I think that is quite low. 125 g on my diet is maybe a bit on the high side but I try to get above 80 g/day. Again this will depend on your eating plan.

As for having an eating plan, I think it is helpful to get more specific than "healthy," as you said. I started off calorie-counting only and then after doing research decided to control my carbs (primarily sugar) which has worked really well for me. I think you should do some research and experimentation on your own to figure out what you should try. As evidenced by this site, people achieve weight-loss through many different methods. And definitely listen to your body!

You sure aren't following the WW Points Plus plan. You are not getting in your daily points or the 9 good health guidelines. I see no fruit, good oils or dairy. The program works when you do it correctly. What you are doing will end up slowing your metabolism.

Thanks everyone for your replies!

That is a typical day (I don't vary too much) I will try to add in more veggies, but wow, I'm pretty full after dinner. Yesterday after eating pretty much the same menu I only had 4 points left.

The bread is the low cal whole wheat. I've used myfitnesspal's nutrition information to add to my daily menu. I just double checked the protein and 46 is what they recommend, which is why I thought I was way too high.

QuilterInVa - I cannot afford to do the exact system and am trying to follow the basic guidelines. I know the program works when you do it correctly, I did the old system. I didn't say it didn't work, I am trying to find out what I'm doing wrong, trying to make it work for me the best I know how. If you have any helpful, constructive criticism, for someone who is trying to figure out how to lose weight and keep it off, I welcome it with open arms.

MyfitnessPal is great because it has a lot of the foods entered in - BUT - the calorie calculations are completely unreasonable.

Your protein intake is fine. IMO your overall calorie intake is too low, you could add another 30-40g essential fats to that plan and feel better!

So, after logging my evening drinks I think I found my problem! It's not that I am consuming too few calories, I was consuming too many (and going over my suggested allowance of) empty calories. Thank you everyone for your advice!!!

I ate more veggies and calculated the possibility of having an apple for dessert. Once I entered in my alcohol consumption it put me way over. Turns out I need to put down the beer and pick up an apple for this to work. It really was an eye opener to realize how many empty calories I was drinking at night.

Two weeks is nothing for the scale to be stuck and the reason is stuck is not because you're not losing fat due to too few calories. Our bodies are not capable of slowing down our metabolisms that much.

Are your calories too few? Depends on what you're eating and how do you feel? If you feel ok and you're getting plenty of veggies than I wouldn't worry about it. If you're hungry - eat more. Assuming your body is functioning correctly it will definately let you know that it isn't getting enough calories.

Too much protein? No. If you were consuming double that amount than it might be too much.

That's not many calories to be getting from food, and that's a very high amount of animal foods and very little veg (and no fruit). Is it possible to reduce your drinking so that you're getting a much higher proportion of your calories from food, and shift your diet around a bit so that you're getting a higher number of calories from food and a healthier balance of foods?

The WW program is for 2-3 servings of dairy, 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables, 6+ ounces of protein, 2 t. olive or canola oil, and whole grains. Light bread is not whole grain. Check the ingredients on the label and the first should be 100% whole grain and you can actually see flecks of the grain. Other choices are brown rice, bulgar, quinoa, wheat berries. You aren't eating enough for your current weight, but if you feel okay and get in all the above + 8 glasses of liquids (non alcoholic) + exercise at least 5 days a week, that is fine and it will work for you. Sugar alcohols can sure play havoc with out plans, can't they.

I redid my menu for today, eliminated all alcohol, added in two apples, a bit more veggies, and a tiny bit of canola oil (didn't have any olive), which puts me 54 calories under today's goal!

I have a feeling I'm going to be over stuffed by the end of the day :dizzy: