So here we are, on a low-carbohydrate way of eating, often called a "high protein diet." But once we get past the joys of induction, which for many of us includes for the first time 12-ounce Porterhouses and all the egg salad we can eat, we realize that maybe we're eating too much protein. Is there such a thing as too much? How do we know how much is enough?
Let's start by understanding the role of protein in a low carb WOE. Because we're not getting that full feeling from an excess of simple carbs, we need to retrain our bodies to get that full feeling elsewhere; this is where protein comes in. Protein gets broken down in our digestive system and produces a hormone called cholecystokinin (CCK). CCK acts like a messenger to the brain that says "Yo, we're gettin' full here."
Diana Schwarzbein illustrates this effect in The Schwarzbein Principle by asking how many hard-boiled eggs you can eat at one sitting. Generally, it is two or three, not six or ten. If you eat too many, you will end up sick to your stomach! (p125). Where we can eat a dozen bowls of cereal, we can probably only eat 4-5 links of sausage. We wind up eating less!
This is a great start, and for many of us, it's all we need. We react to the signals our body is giving us, and we start to meet our nutritional needs and lower our total food intake so that we lose weight. But for many more of us, we don't quite get the message from CCK, and we still eat too much protein. Unfortunately, there is still a limit to how much protein we SHOULD be taking in. Once we break our carb addiction, the "everything in moderation" rule applies. And this isn't just a good idea, but a biological mandate.
In The Secret to Low Carb Success, Laura Richard explains that "you need to strike a balance between taking in too little protein and taking in too much. This is because protein is converted to blood glucose by our bodies through a process known as glucogenesis. According to this theory, our bodies have the ability to create glucose from protein with an efficiency of about 50 percent. So if we consume too much protein, our bodies produce enough glucose to supply our energy needs without having to use our fat stores." (p169).
So how do we know what's the right amount? Both The Zone and Protein Power offer the following estimate: we should be consuming 0.5 to 0.9 grams of protein per pound of lean body mass, depending on our activity level.
Here's how to calculate:
1. Calculate your lean body mass.
The best way to get this figure is to get your body fat percentage (BF%) measured with calipers or a body fat analyzer (many gyms offer this service). In lieu of that, you can use an online calculator based on measurements. (Try http://he.net/~zone/prothd2.html for a fairly easy one.) Be careful about the online calculation, as it is more generalized. For example, the site referenced above calculates my BF% at 36%; a session with my trainer and that annoying pinchy thing calculated my BF% at 21.6%.
Once you have your BF%, use the following formula: Lean Body Mass (LBM) = Current weight in pounds - (Current weight x BF%)
2. Calculate your activity level.
The Eades use the following activity factor:
Sedentary = 0.5
Moderately active (40-90 minutes of exercise per week) = 0.6
Active (90-150 minutes of exercise per week) = 0.7
Very active (5+ hours of exercise per week) = 0.8
Athlete (2 hours of exercise per day) = 0.9
If you are 40% or more above your ideal weight, you must rate yourself one category higher than you actually are to account for the increased effort it takes to do normal activities.
3. Multiply your activity factor by your LBM.
This will give you the number of grams of protein you should be taking in each day to MAINTAIN your weight.
Here's how my numbers calculate out:
Protein need=(weight-(weight*BF%))*activity
My weight is 208 pounds, my BF% is 21.6%, and my activity is 0.8.
My protein need = (208-(208*.216))*.8
My protein need = (208-44.9)*.8
My protein need = (163.1)*.8
My protein need = 130 grams/day
If I want to lose weight, I do better to reduce that amount by 20% and keep to around 100 grams/day.
Be careful to not eat too little protein, however. The federal government suggests a minimum of about 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, or 0.36 grams per pound. For me, this would calculate to about 75 grams per day.
So what makes up 100 grams of protein?
Below is a list of a typical 100-grams-of-protein day for me. For more information, please refer to the USDA reference, or other food tracking program. Be sure to only count protein from meat and dairy. Do NOT count the protein from fruits and vegetables. (Fitday includes those amounts in the total, so you'll have to do some math.)
3 eggs = 6 grams of protein/egg = 18
2 ounces half-n-half = 1g/ounce = 2
1 ounce Cheddar = 7g/ounce = 7
4ounce boneless chicken breast = 7 once = 28
6 ounce steak = 8g/ounce = 48
That's 103 g/protein and about 1050 calories. I not only feel full on that (plus a ton of veggies!) but also lose weight.
I hope this helps remove some of the confusion about protein!
 | The Schwarzbein Principle: The Truth About Losing Weight, Being Healthy, and Feeling Younger author: Diana Schwarzbein,Nancy Deville asin: 1558746803 |