Protein: How much is too much?

Hey all!

Have you ever done something you love so much, got stressed about it and felt like you had to do it so much that it wasn’t fun anymore? Ha. That’s what I’ve been feeling lately, hence why I haven’t blogged the past few days.  I sort of burnt myself out and needed a break!

Since I started lifting hard on top of work and blogging every night, my days have been jam packed, I haven’t been getting enough sleep, and I still haven’t been getting everything done I want/need to get done, and Erik and I haven’t been spending as much time together as we need. My evenings after work consist of two hours working out, then making dinner, and  then blogging and after all that, it’s already past my bedtime.

I really wasn’t thinking because sleep is even more important right now, as I’m exerting myself even more in the gym than my body is used to.

But, lifting and blogging are both things I love to do so of course I won’t be stopping them. I just need to figure out a better way of going about them. Therefore, I probably won’t be posting quite as often, as I don’t want to feel pressed to blog every single day (in fact, I’m not sure why I felt that way in the first place??)  I decided I’d rather have more quality posts not as often anyways … and this way I can breath more!  I’m sure you all understand ; ).
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Moving on ….  RE my last post …

Glad you found my current figure competition diet interesting ; )  And thanks for all your input!

A few questions came up along the way and I thought I’d post the answers for all to see:

Thankfully, somehow I don’t find it that hard to add foods and eat more. Honestly, I just love food and I love to eat it! Ha. If anything, I’ve always had problems eating too much food. And that’s a perk I find to eating clean. I’m able to eat more of it without gaining weight. If I ate a lot of “junk food” I’d be in trouble because I’m horrible at eating “junk food” in moderation. It’s sort of all or or nothing kind of thing for me. While some people can eat whatever they want in moderation and still maintain a healthy weight, I cannot! If I’m eating cookies, I don’t just want one! My body type gains easily and my appetite wants a lot of food ; )

As far as working out is concerned, yes, I do work out everyday but for the bulking phase, I have decreased my cardio significantly. I’m currently just doing 15 minutes of low intensity cardio before and after my lifting session. So far, I have no stomach complaints ; ) Other than feeling really full at times, everything is in order. With a high protein diet, I drinking plenty of water! However, with large amount of water consumption, I’m thankful for a job that allows me to easily use the restroom often! ;)

I find the easiest way to get in protein is meat. I eat a lot of chicken breasts and lean ground turkey. I plan on incorporating more fish into my diet as well. In most other meatless meals, there will likely be eggs or protein powder involved.

Last but not least … the issue of protein. How much is too much??

 
And anonymous responded with:

After reading both of these responses, it caused me to do some research of my own and I found this topic of protein can be very controversial. One article in particular that I found interesting was this one, called “High protein diets affect on muscle gain and weight loss” by Paul Johnson

Here is an excerpt from it that I found interesting:

The part most interesting to me is that half of the Polish powerlifters, when doubling their protein intake past the recommended daily allowance, were still not getting an adequate amount and still has a negative nitrogen balance.

All in all, it’s evident that bodybuilders, powerlifters, and other high intensity athletes do consume large amounts of protein, way more than the recommended daily amount.  And for those athletes, large amounts of protein are essential to achieve certain size/strength goals.

This is all very interesting to me because I’m currently consuming a little less than 1.5 grams protein per pound, which is definitely higher than the recommended amount. However, through research and looking at others experience and education, I don’t believe this amount is unhealthy due to the amount I workout, how hard I workout, and what I want to achieve.

And bottom line, I trust my husband (aka my trainer) because he has both done bodybuilding and trained athletes and I trust his judgment! : )

I’ll end with one more excerpt from “High protein diets affect on muscle gain and weight loss”:

The answer to a near optimum amount for muscle gains, yet still also being a healthy amount for the kidneys and liver, is probably somewhere in around the 1.5 grams per pound mark.

Hope all this wasn’t too boring and long! ; )

Any more thoughts on protein??

P.S. Have a fantastic weekend!! :D