[Blondie160]

Ive been using protein shakes as meal replacements for the last week (just breakfast and along with a small lunch) but sometimes i have a 3rd one in the afternoon to kill my cravings, each one has 35g of protein in them, am i consuming too much?? I didnt actually think I could be doing my body some harm!!

[JayEll]

Too much protein isn't good long term, but how much is too much depends on who you ask. Some sources say protein shouldn't exceed 30% of daily calories, but obviously that's a matter of how many calories total you are eating. Personally, I try to aim for 100 grams a day. I rarely reach it, though. That's more than 30% of my diet, but the program I follow is a low calorie, supplemented diet.

Jay

[SCraver]

I am not totally sure how much is too much = but I do know that protein from a shake is different that protein from food. Too much protein from shakes will hurt your kidneys. My suggestion would be to consult your Dr or a nutritionist about how much protein from shakes is ok for you - OR - switch your afternoon shake with a snack that includes some protein and carbs to it: ie. apple & cheese stick; yogurt; even a mini meal of a piece of chicken and some veggies; fruit and LF cottage cheese; Apple with peanut butter; celery with PB; etc.

It is my understanding (don't quote me on this) that it is much harder to get protein poisoning from actual food sources.

[Esofia]

Why is protein from a shake more likely to be stressful than protein from food? Is it because it's more concentrated, or because it's in liquid form, or something else?

This might be a good post for the meal replacement subforum, as I imagine a lot of people there have done something similar.

[JayEll]

I can't find anything reputable about protein poisoning--just a lot of anecdotal web stories. The actual medical websites like Mayo Clinic say that high protein diets are safe for three to four months for weight loss. (They don't define high protein, however.) It's important to not rely only on protein for your calories, though--you should have a balance of protein, carb, and fat.

I do have intolerance to soy protein isolate and other protein isolates. This is like an allergy, but with the difference that I can eat protein-isolate foods (like protein shakes, bars) on occasion without any problems, but if I eat them too frequently, I have a reaction, mostly mouth swelling and rawness. I don't have a problem with whole soy foods or with protein from regular foods.

If you are concerned, limit your use of the shakes. I'd think that 70 to 105 grams of protein a day, all from shakes, might be too much if that's all you're eating. What program are you following?

Doctors generally know very little about nutrition, so you are better off asking a Registered Dietitian or nutrition specialist these questions.

Jay

[tuende]

The trainer I just started working with told me to aim for 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass. We figured out my lean body mass to be about 110 lbs and it is SO hard for me to get that much protein in when I'm cutting calories and don't love eating meat, but I do my best. Of course, this advice was for building muscle/losing fat. I've also heard of other ways to calculate your protein needs (again, in the realm of building muscle/losing fat)- I think one was something like 1.6 grams per KG of body weight...but don't quote me on that . I'm sure if you googled it, you could find a way to figure out how much protein you need.

In general, I like to get my nutrients from 'real food' but I do supplement with whey protein sometimes. I probably wouldn't worry about it unless you're doing it long term, but like other posters have said, maybe cut back on the shakes and look for some other foods that you enjoy, that satisfy you and that keep the cravings at bay.

[ringmaster]

For a meal replacement casein protein is a bit better than the whey. Whey digests faster (with 1-2 hours) and is more for recovering after working out. casein is a slower release protein and takes 3-4 hours to digest and will keep you fuller longer.

you could also find a protein shake with a little less protein if you are concerned about it - mines has 24g - some have more or less.