…But that’s just not true. Protein isn’t the holy grail of nutrition. Sure it’s needed for muscle building and life, but you don’t need nearly as much as you’re told to eat in fitness magazines.
Here’s something that you probably don’t know about protein:
a) Eating excessive amounts of protein overloads your liver, allowing ammonia and other toxic substances to build up in your bloodstream. This leads to hepatic encephalopathy, a condition highly linked to a decline in brain, nervous, and hormone system function.
b) Some believe that your should scatter your protein intake thorough your day so you can absorb it all. However this study found out that it didn’t matter in terms of protein synthesis or muscle degradation if you ate all of your daily protein in one meal, or in four meals. (this debunks the myths of maximal protein absorption, and once again points home for intermittent fasting).
c) In this study the researchers found out that diet high in protein and fiber decreased testosterone levels (food for thought as testosterone is the number one hormone for people lifting weights).
d) Most of the protein powders sold are denatured and extremely low in terms of quality and absorption.
e) People who have high levels of testosterone and growth hormone can also utilize much more protein than people who don’t, as HGH and T will both increase protein synthesis in the muscle.
d) People under high stress (high cortisol) can’t utilize protein that well as their bodies are constantly in this catabolic state, which means that a huge portion of protein consumed under stress will never be used by your muscles.
WHAT IS THE OPTIMAL AMOUNT OF PROTEIN TO CONSUMEb) Some believe that your should scatter your protein intake thorough your day so you can absorb it all. However this study found out that it didn’t matter in terms of protein synthesis or muscle degradation if you ate all of your daily protein in one meal, or in four meals. (this debunks the myths of maximal protein absorption, and once again points home for intermittent fasting).
c) In this study the researchers found out that diet high in protein and fiber decreased testosterone levels (food for thought as testosterone is the number one hormone for people lifting weights).
d) Most of the protein powders sold are denatured and extremely low in terms of quality and absorption.
e) People who have high levels of testosterone and growth hormone can also utilize much more protein than people who don’t, as HGH and T will both increase protein synthesis in the muscle.
d) People under high stress (high cortisol) can’t utilize protein that well as their bodies are constantly in this catabolic state, which means that a huge portion of protein consumed under stress will never be used by your muscles.
The optimal number is extremely hard to predict as it comes down to various factors, such as:
1. How muscular you are. The more meat you pack, the more amino-acids your body uses to maintain those muscles, your amino-acids also have more space to be “stored” if you’re muscular.
2. How old are you. According to this study, the older you get, the more protein your body needs to maintain muscle.
3. Are you a couch potato. The more you move the more protein you need. At least according to this study, and all the laws of common sense.
4. How high are your testosterone and growth hormone levels. As mentioned earlier, if you have high T and HGH then you also can utilize more protein as you also have increased rate of protein synthesis in the muscle.
5. Do you even lift. If you don’t lift any weights then obviously you don’t need as much protein as a guy who lifts regularly.
So those are the 5 factors that make it impossible to conclude a certain amount of protein to eat. As it would never fit everyone…
…But there’s also few guide lines and examples that you could follow:
1. Brad Pilon, the inventor of Eat Stop Eat, and the demigod of intermittent fasting, says that the optimal amount for everyone regardless of their shape and size will fall somewhere in between 70-120 grams of protein a day. (Brad worked in the core of one of the worlds largest supplement companies and has honors degree in nutrition, so he knows stuff).
2. I as a 6’0 feet (183 cm) tall and at a weight of 202 lbs (92 kg) lift 5-6 times a week and am very active. I’m also quite young (21) and I have very high levels of testosterone and growth hormone in my system, I’m also very muscular. In terms of those measurements and information. I have found that the optimal amount of protein for me is somewhere between 100-120 grams a day.
CONCLUSION
So as you can see the optimal number of grams is extremely hard to conclude, but this post should give you some insights on how to tweak it for your own needs.
NOTE: Always remember that the numbers you find in muscle building magazines are way over exaggerated, as they sell protein powders on those very same magazines, and the magazines are 99% of the time owned by supplement companies. Therefore if they can make people believe that they need huge amounts of protein, they will also sell huge amounts of protein.
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