Not enough protein?
 

Ever since I became a vegetarian (still eat dairy), weight loss has slowed to a crawl.:( My excersising has increased quite a bit and I am eating enough calories to compensate but I read somewhere that lack of protein will slow weight loss anyway. How many grams a day do I need? And can you get it without meat?
help!

If you're still eating dairy, that's a good thing, because dairy has protein. Milk, cheese, eggs, etc. Eggs are an excellent source. There's also cottage cheese, that's got a good amount of protein as well.

Other sources are nuts and beans. Peanut butter and also some types of vegetables.

You might also want to try soy products. I eat "meatless" chicken nuggets and burgers all the time, that are made from soy and vegetable protein. Some of the brands out there are pretty yummy, you just have to experiment to find the ones you like.

I'm personally not vegetarian, but I don't eat much red meat. I eat mostly chicken and fish. I pick the soy products because they're lower in fat and better for you than red meat.

Protein
 

Unless you are eating only vegetables, it's doubtful that you are not getting enough protein. I did a very quick research and you need around 70 grams a day.

What you must do as a vegetarian is make sure you eat a varied array of foods: seeds, nuts, whole grains, etc.

You also need to make sure you are getting all your vitamins and an adequate number of calories.

Another reason the weight loss is slower is that you are getting closer to your goal weight.

Good luck.

This may help you

Protein does not build muscle! Excess protein is converted to fat, not muscle, and the by-product of broken-down protein -- urea --
must be excreted in the urine. hence too much protein can lead to increased urination and dehydration. Most proteins -- hamburger,
cheese, and eggs -- also tend to be high in fat and can (not always but can) increase the chance of long-term healthy problems like
heart disease and cancer.

Athletes require more protein than their sedentary counterparts because it is needed to repair war and tear the well-trained muscles
undergo during a workout.

The average person needs about .8 grams of protein per kilogram or .4 grams of protein per pound.

Protein powders do not give an extra edge in building muscles -- muscles grow by being used or trained with resistance exercises like
weight training.

Filling up to too much protein is easy to do when taking or using protein supplements and the excess will be converted to fat. Amino
acid supplements or enzyme pills are no better. The are broken down in the digestive tract and absorbed similarly to protein. Since
amino acids compete for carriers to be absorbed into the blood, overdoing one type of amino acids can lead to problems longer term by
causing a deficiency in absorption of other amino acids.

I think she was just concerned that her weight loss may be slowing down due to a reduced intake of protein. That I don't know. I don't think that would have anything to do with it, although eating enough protein DOES help in preventing muscle loss along with fat. If you don't eat enough protein, you could lose muscle as well. But then I'm no expert. I just know the best thing to do is balance your foods, making sure you get enough of particular nutrients but not overdoing it. Your body needs protein, yes. But overloading yourself with it isn't necessary.

Also, protein shakes would be a good idea for those who don't get enough protein from their diet alone.

Are you overdoing the cheese? Low-fat cottage cheese and skim mozzarella are fine in moderation, but I'm pretty sure cutting dramatically back on my cheese and egg consumption has helped immensely in weight loss and just overall feeling better. As a vegetarian from an omnivorous family I was mostly replacing meat with cheese and eggs, and that’s not healthy. Now that I’m heading towards a more vegan diet I’m getting a lot of my proteins from leaner vegetable sources, like beans and legumes and soy products, both imitation meat and diary. Hope that helps.

I'm a firm believer in eating more protein than is conventionally recommended. Protein has satiety value. That means it leaves you filling full. I'm also a firm believer in protein powder as a low calorie, low fat source. I use whey and soy.

Yes, but be careful with TOO much. Too much protein overworks the kidneys.

There's really no value in adding even more protein to the RDA, since protein cannot be stored in the body and the excess is eliminated in urine and feces.

Even with something 'good', there is a such thing as too much.

The trick is ... I can't find anyone who will tell me how much is too much. Has anyone ever found that written down somewhere by a reputable source?

I've looked and the only thing I've found, so far, is this...

How much protein do we need? Most Americans get more than enough protein in their daily diets. The average adult needs 8 grams of protein per 20 pounds of body weight. This equates to 45 to 70 grams of protein daily for most adult females and males, respectively. Yet, we generally consume twice that much.

Digesting lots of protein takes calcium. Eating a high protein diet for a few weeks will not affect your bone strength. However, eating a high protein diet for a long time may increase the risk of weakening bone. High protein diets should be used with caution, if at all. If you are overweight you do not necessarily need more protein. Some athletes feel they will perform better and increase their muscle mass if they follow a high protein diet. However, this has not been proven in scientific studies.

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.

Very high levels of dietary protein have also been correlated with increased urinary calcium excretion. The loss of calcium through urine could potentially be harmful for bone turnover, with the added risk of osteoporosis. Finally, protein requires vitamin B6 in order to be metabolized and ultimately utilized in the body. Very high levels of dietary protein increase the requirement for this B vitamin.

Actually, protein intakes above 20% are not recommended based on current research, even for weight lifters. High protein intakes stress your kidneys and do not result in greater muscle gain.

I haven't found anything yet that tells you how much is too much.

Also, here's a link that may help a little. Hope the link is okay to post.

http://www.bodybuildingforyou.com/ar...ch-protein.htm

Food For Thought?
 

There have been some recent studies in the news that suggest that a higher protein diet is better for fat loss. For example:

You can read the complete article here. Somewhere in my messy file cabinet I've got some other articles. :p

That study focused on 125 grams of protein per day for its higher protein level. Interestingly, for the past five years I've regularly eaten between 120 and 150 grams of protein/day -- works for me!! (keep in mind that I lift weights and do a lot of exercise) :D

I average between 50-65 grams of protein per day. Not because I'm trying to eat that exact amount, that's just the way it ends up. Sometimes it's a little more than that, maybe up to 70-75 grams. So according to the RDA, I'm getting what my body needs. I honestly think anymore than that would be overkill.

I'm not disputing the fact that excess protein doesn't help with weight loss. It's very possible that it does. And someone with normal functioning kidneys shouldn't have to worry about the excess because what isn't used is expelled through normal bodily functions. But as we age we're not able to handle an over-abundance of proteins like we could when we were younger.

I did find somewhere that 2.5% of the general population cannot tolerate more than 70 gms per day. I assumed that was folks with impaired kidney function already.

"The average person needs about .8 grams of protein per kilogram or .4 grams of protein per pound."

is what the average person needs. It does come from a reputable source. I got it from a textbook from my studies for Reg.Dietcian/Cert.Nutritionist.

i`m vegetarian also and finding it very difficult to get enough protien as well. a couple of things i have found that have a good amount of protien so far, without a ton of fat and calories is, soy milk regular has 5g per serving and fat free has 3. yogurt mountain high brand has 11g protien per cup, and also the meat substitutes like smart ground. it looks like ground beef, but its fat free and has 9g per serving. also, bagels have 7g per bagel, which surprised me. i am gonna go get a protien powder also, so that i can ensure i am getting enough, because it is a real struggle for me.


meagan

WOW you have no idea protein do you???? I would advise anyone here if they want health advice search an online MD web site do not ask people here who have NO IDEA about the topic at hand. Nothign like getting health advice from people who are unhealthy. no offense

I would just like to comment on the "most proteins - hamburger, cheese and eggs" statement...

I don't think anyone who was seriously considering their health would think of a hamburger as a protein portion. Cheese IS high in fat, and relatively low in protein and also would never be considered a protein portion by bodybuilders/athletes. While eggs are high in fat, it is good fat and you can get eggs that have lots of healthy Omega 3s in. However, the protein in the eggs is found in the egg white, which has very little fat.

So "most proteins" ie, fish, chicken, cottage cheese, egg whites, lean pork, lean steak are actually low in fat, and higher in protein than say, a hamburger ;)

While I agree that muscles grow by being used - acutally by being torn. The protein helps repair these micro tears in the muscles. This new tissue that is used to repair the muscles is built using ... duh duh duh... protein.

Extra protein will ONLY be converted into fat if you are taking in MORE CALORIES THAN YOU USE. If someone uses 2000kcals a day, but eats 1800kcals of protein they will not put on fat. They might have other health issues due to lack of vitamins and minerals and essential fatty acids, but the protein won't be converted to fat! Even if you do take in more calories than you use, out of the macronutrients (protein, fat and carbs) fat is the nutrient that is most easily stored as fat, then the carbs are stored then protein. The body finds it very hard to metabolise protein and to store it as fat.

Meg's study looks increadibly interesting and is from a reputable source. Read the article in full, it's very interesting.

Oh and another lovely reputable source on more of the science behind protein is "Sports Nutrition" by Anita Bean. She explains it so much more eloquently than I ever could!

I also think we need to leave some leeway around the term "average person" seeing as how most of the folks responding to this thread exercise and/or lift weights.

:yes:

Even the US government - which is about as mainstream and conventional as you can get - recommends between 10% and 35% of calories to come from protein for weight loss:

Dietary Guidellines for Americans 2005

On a 1500 calorie day diet, that would translate to between 38 and 131 grams of protein per day. What that's telling us is there this isn't any one right number for how much protein to eat -- that there's a large range in which we can all experiment and find out what works best for our exercise and food preferences.

Many members here at 3FC (including me) have found a lot of success eating in the higher protein range, especially those who exercise. Nevertheless, it's clear that there isn't any 'one size fits all' right number when it comes to protein. But it certainly isn't wrong or dangerous to eat in the higher range. :)

Okay, soooo... what exactly about her post are you disputing?

Just curious.

That's what she said, sweetie.

"Most proteins -- hamburger,
cheese, and eggs -- also tend to be high in fat and can (not always but can) increase the chance of long-term healthy problems like heart disease and cancer."

Even with weight training unless you are trying to look like a body builder (and most women can't look like a male body builder without the use of steriods and drugs) the addition of the protein a day is not that much. Again this is what I have learned my classes working towards my degree.

On a varried vegetarian diet it should be quiet easy to get enough protien while still watching calories and fat. Tofu, soy products, beans, lentils, and whole grains are just a few things that should be part of a healthy veg*n diet.

Perhaps if kookiemonster gave us an idea of what kind of foods they are eating in an average day we would have a better idea of the situation?