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I'm generally against counting calories, grams of this or that or calculating various ratios. I figure that if I compose meals based on nutrient density, toxin load, satiety, and of course taste, it will all take care of itself. The result has been that I have felt great all the time without any problems.

That being said, I've been reading various proponents of an ancestral diet advocate what seemed like really low protein intakes. I decided to count up the number of grams of protein that I ate yesterday and I came up with the following:

6 scrambled eggs: 42g
1 sweet potato: ~4g
2 lbs of lamb (raw weight): 160g (!)
1/4 lb lamb liver: 23g

229g...yikes.

Now, if I were taking protein supplements or something I could just cut them out and it'd be a done deal, but this is real food here. I'm trying to wrap my mind around the simultaneous advocating of both an ancestral/paleo-type diet and a low meat intake. I don't think you can logically have it both ways. I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility that my ancestors would have eaten 2.5lbs of animal in a day. I'm not force-feeding myself at all, I'm just eating whole food 3x a day when I get hungry.

I keep reading that fat is never toxic but there's a pretty low threshold at which protein becomes toxic. So...do people eat a stick of butter for lunch or something? Yesterday was by no means meat-heavy for me; it was right about average. How could someone have a paleo-ish diet and not eat that much meat?

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I run between 100-150g daily (240# age 52 male) – Dave S. Mar 29 2011 at 18:46
i avg about 220 to 250 – The Quilt Mar 30 2011 at 1:03
Whoa, Dr. K! Do you advocate more than the generally agreed upon 1g per pound of bodyweight? I lift weights, and I'm trying to gain muscle, so on workout days I try to exceed that by at least 1.25-1.5g/lb. I weigh 133 now, so today, for example, I fasted til 6, went to the gym then came home and ate. I made 1lb of steak, 2 large sweet potatoes mashed and 3 cups of kale, give or take, with bacon grease. Then a shake before bed of 2 raw eggs and 30grams of whey powder for a total of about 150g. I want to avoid being catabolic at any time, so should I eat that much protein on rest days too? – Futureboy Mar 30 2011 at 4:08

18 Answers

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I had 66g via 2 liters of milk.

I've gone as high as 200-250g with red meat and eggs combo. Personally I think it's a mistake to eat that much protein as it creates skewed amino acid profile if your not eating other things besides muscles. Even then muscle meat compared to things like eggs and milk is sub par in my opinion.

I'm a professional athlete, I train run over 2-3 hours a day and additionally do hi weight low rep weight training. I can say for certain that I always feel best when I keep my protein down and keep the quality up.

Danny Roddy, the dude who wrote the healthy hair diet ebook, just wrote a post with some of Ray Peats ideas about tryptophan. Ray Peat gives me a hard on.

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ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3374178 – Edward J. Edmonds Mar 29 2011 at 19:19
Hey, nice to see another endurance athlete here! :-) – Sean Mar 29 2011 at 21:18
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i usually have between 130 and 170 grams of protein a day. yesterday it came from eggs, grassfed beef steak, bacon, and some ground deer meat. maybe a total of 1-1.5 lbs of meat and 4 eggs. im 5'6, 140lbs, athletic build.... my average ratio is 60% fat, 25% protein, 15% carb.... this seems to work really well for me.

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i'm 5'5 150 and hitting around the same numbers. Were you always naturally lean? – hemanvt Mar 29 2011 at 20:56
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yeah i've always been fairly lean except a little carb belly pouch (which melted away after going paleo), and a 6 month period in 2008 where i drank a lot of beer and gained about 30 lbs. i was around 168! – Seth Mar 29 2011 at 22:26
I'm a chick and hitting the same numbers, my fat is just melting away! :) – Oranges13 Mar 30 2011 at 1:11
Seth, I'm the same way. Always been pretty skinny, but 10 years of beer and sh***y food hit me right in the gut, which completely feel right off of me when I went Paleo. – Futureboy Mar 30 2011 at 4:15
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I'm at 50-70 grams per day, being a male at a bodyweight of 165.

In days of yore, when intensely bodybuilding and deadlifting 400+ pounds, I was at 180-200 grams.

But this seems more natural to me. I don't usually feel like gorging on meat in lieu of gorging on fat. I'd rather eat a ton of butter and cream and some fruit and tubers than lots of muscle meat.

And the Jaminets, Peter from Hyperlipid, and others advocate a lower protein intake. I believe part of the reason is the body's limited capacity above 200 grams to eliminate nitrogenous waste products efficiently. Also, your body (read: liver) does not absolutely love using protein for fuel, and I cannot see cavemen eating tons every single day of the year.

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Another way to approach the protein issue: we have not historically had huge bodies, as that is a disadvantage for certain tasks as well as for maintenance during lean times. Everything I've seen points to at least a good chunk of dietary intake from plant sources (tubers and some fruit?). Maybe people would eat a lot of meat when it was around and would resort to plants when it wasn't. Regardless. a steady source of supermarket meat was not on the menu. While historical accuracy is not the ultimate goal here, it just seems so much more natural, personally, to eat a mix of things. – Kamal Mar 30 2011 at 3:09
after many years of Atkins, I am working on turning my diet this way. the fear of the carbs is still there however! – texasleah Mar 30 2011 at 15:15
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1 lb ground beef: 80 g

Two chicken legs and thighs: 92 g

1 can coconut milk 14 g

186 grams total. (From nutritiondata.self.com)

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Is that high or low? I dunno. – Carl_Stawicki Mar 29 2011 at 18:07
That sounds completely normal to me, but I've seen recommendations for 50g in a day...seems ridiculous. – Travis Culp Mar 29 2011 at 18:39
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Lamb 30 Fish 20 Gelatin 30 Vegetables 10

90g

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You ask how you could eat paleo and not eat as much meat. Two things come to mind.

Try falling back onto other high fat, non meat options. Macadamia nuts are the first thing that comes to mind, but other appropriate cheeses, oils, and tallows could also work.

Try to eat more greens and cruciferous vegetables. They provide a nice vehicle for the delivery of those other fats listed above (butter loves brocolli).

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Travis, I have noticed similar issues. When I eat as much meat as I want, or feel like I need, it's clearly more than most recommendations whether it be the PHD, OD, what have you. I have tried the higer fat (over 200g), lower protein route (say 75-125g) only to feel weaker, slower and notice an increase in fat gain. When I go medium fat (50 - 150g) high protein, I feel stronger, more alert and have more energy.

I am 28 (M) Athletic build. Play soccer 2 times a week, heavy weights 3 times a week. 20-30 min walk daily.

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Yeah, I can't really see myself ever going against what makes me feel right in favor of something that is supposedly healthier but makes me feel worse. – Travis Culp Mar 29 2011 at 19:07
Thinking a little more, might this be another argument in favor of ruminent meats and offal over fish / poultry. Most fish / shellfish that I've come across is very high protein and little to no fat (also less calorically dense) – Todd Mar 29 2011 at 21:57
Todd, I am with you on the fish/poultry thought. If I eat more than 5 oz lean protein I feel like I have a rock in my stomach for about 12 hours, and almost a heartburn like tightness. But if I eat fattier meat this does not happen. – texasleah Mar 30 2011 at 15:21
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I have been averaging 60 g per day over the last six weeks.

Started tracking my food in fiday pretty closely as I am trying to lose 10-15ish pounds while improving body composition.

This is putting me at 67f-18p-15c for ratios. I plan on sticking with that for another six weeks and then dropping to to 50g protein if I don't see any progress. I find it unlikely that small change will make a difference, but that would be the lowest range of protein for me that I have seen recommended. That should end up about a 65f-15p-20c ratio

I like to eat a lot of protein, and I can easily eat more than I need at one sitting. I have followed a higher protein diet for the most part for many years, so I am experimenting with lower protein to see if it makes a difference. Coming from an Atkin's type diet for many years this all seems like a bunch of micro management to me but I am keeping an open mind. Not tracking anything and eating all of the bunless burgers I wanted stopped working for me a while back :)

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stats: 39yo 5'4" 145lbs avg 1300-1600 calories/day – texasleah Mar 29 2011 at 19:17
Do you ever feel like my alter ego/evil twin texasleah? Heh. Or maybe I'm the evil twin? ;) I'm 39, 5'2" and 136/140lbs eating 1300ish calories per day. – sherpamelissa Mar 29 2011 at 22:38
I think I am just your evil stalker LOL, I have never tracked food or calories before now. Dealing with this weight loss stall I decided I had better get some data to work with and begin tracking my food to see if I could figure out what was going on. I had no idea where to begin, so I just copied you :) – texasleah Mar 30 2011 at 15:07
I am at last seeing some improvement in muscle definition, but I have not moved the scale at all. I won't look at my measurements again until Friday April 1st, and I will also chk body fat % that day too. My clothes are only slightly looser, really not much difference at all, but I am happier with the way my arms are firming up. I am such an easy gainer, that if I eat poorly for even one day it will stall me out for about 3 weeks! I am so ready to be in maintenance mode like you! – texasleah Mar 30 2011 at 15:11
LOL! I don't think so, it makes sense to use me as a starting point, all our stats are so close! It's very cool to get to see arm definition! My arms/collar bones are two of my favorite features. I am also a super easy gainer. Sucks to be us. :p How much more are you trying to lose? – sherpamelissa Mar 30 2011 at 17:17
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I probably have between 140-200g in a given day, I'm going to try to track a week, never done it before, but it'll give me a better idea of portions. I'm REALLY trying to stay under 1.5lbs of meat in a day(not counting eggs). Food is catching up to me though, haven't been able to run due to a knee injury, yet I haven't scaled back the calories.

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Wow, that is a ton of protein Travis. I usually only get about 100-130 grams daily, and yes sometimes I have to eat fat straight out of the jar to keep calories up. Most bloggers suggest to limit protein for longevity.

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According to Fitday, I ate 213.6 g yesterday. My average over the last 2 months is 210.9 g per day. I too just eat 2 or 3 times per day, when I'm hungry. I'm also active with running, lifting weights, chasing my kids around, and household chores.

This is working for me and I'm unlikely to change it. I consume adequate amounts of fat too. I'm 5'10" and currently 187 pounds.

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I personally aim for about 0.5g/lb bodyweight a day (70g-ish). On the weekends I try to get majority of my protein from gelatinous bone broths.

Could be a placebo effect from the Danny Roddy/Perfect Health Diet stuff I've been reading, but I tend to feel slightly "off" when I get over 100g/day protein from solely muscle meats for several days in a row.

I go for the absolute fattiest cuts of meat, and get a lot of my calories from coconut products, macadamia nuts, and butter. I'm also a moderate carb kinda guy, so that fills out calories too.

I'd say go for whatever makes you feel good. The possibility of slightly increased longevity on restricted protein is probably not worth the decrease in quality of life by avoiding adequate amounts of tasty meat that make you feel good and healthy.

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I feel good with a 60/25/15 balance of fat/protein/carb :) – Oranges13 Mar 30 2011 at 1:10
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I am currently averaging about 50/80 grams of protein per day, which is about 15/20% of my intake.

This is low for me, but I've been improvising lunch a lot with coconut based trail mix and melon/berries just because it's quick.

I am not liking the affect of lower protein, I used to average 75/100 grams and I think it just works better for me. It gives me more energy and makes me feel stronger than when I eat more fat. I am trying to make time for eating a good lunch due to the difference I am noticing with lower protein.

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Same thing for my n=1. More fat less protein = slower, weaker feeling. More protein, less fat = feel like superman. – Todd Mar 29 2011 at 22:01
Are you lowering your protein purposely or does it just happen? – Yoannah_offca Mar 29 2011 at 22:13
No, Yoannah as I mentioned, I just end up grabbing easy food that doesn't need cooking for lunch despite having delicious premade meals in my fridge at work. Some days I'm just so busy that getting up and warming it seems to be too big of a task. Sad, I know, so I'm making an effort to get up and make my lunch now. – sherpamelissa Mar 29 2011 at 22:37
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I never count, but I do have very meat-heavy days... I guess I should eat more "fillers" like veggies and eggs (lower protein). I often eat a pound of beef at one meal, with beef franks for breakfast. I guess that's what's good about IF and skipping meals ;-) But I do feel good, my muscles grew, and I lost some in my waist...

Can we "see" that we eat too much protein? Or is the possible damage hidden and can only be realized in years to come?

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I think the idea is that we heavy meat eaters are producing far more toxic ammonia and putting internal stresses on our bodies more than the average person. In theory, excess protein is converted into fat eventually, but the satiety is so great that I kind of think it's unlikely to make a negative impact. – Travis Culp Mar 29 2011 at 22:22
The meat I eat is often really fat, I don't eat chicken breast by itself, but rather ground regular beef cooked in coconut oil. So maybe that's a bit better? Now I feel bad about my dinner of full beef meat... ;-) – Yoannah_offca Mar 29 2011 at 22:28
I have meat-heavy days, too. I have no idea how much protein I consume, I just make protein & veggies the go-to foods when I feel hungry. I usually have an egg or two for breakfast and a shake with spinach, fruit & a little coconut milk. Lunch is left over dinner and a big salad. Dinner is protein & veggies of some sort. I just eat till I'm done, then I quit. Today I was hungry for lunch & ate some really meaty ribs, no veggie. It was Flintstone's style yummy!! – squintgirl Mar 30 2011 at 0:47
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I had ~100g of protein, that is the value I actually normally go for.

Evidence is very mixed on the "how much protein is good..." (unless your in kidney failure, etc). So I try to stick with what I think is reasonable someone would get eating fatty meat without going overboard on having the body generate glucose from protein. Seems to help avoid off BO as well.

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I would say I'm averaging about 100g of both protein and fat and 50g of carbs daily :)

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That would be 400 calories of protein, about 800 of fat, and 200 carbs. Might want to check to see that your not under eating. – Turnkey Mar 30 2011 at 4:06
@Turnkey if fatsecret is accurate I'm hitting 16-1700 calories daily which is where I wish to be. Lost ~7 pounds last week, though so far this week no movement. – Oranges13 Mar 30 2011 at 12:28
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Here are numbers from today counting back through 3/1 in terms of g/day protein consumed (for a nursing mother):

132 ~ 167 ~ 86 ~ 137 ~ 85 ~ 123 ~ 104 ~ 130 ~ 173 ~109 ~104 ~ 128 ~ 115 ~ 164 ~ 132 ~ 120 ~ 112 ~ 120 ~ 156

Protein is about 20% give or take of my daily calories.

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I wouldnt bother counting how much protein you wat unless you can apply it to something. From what I learned and have read is that a person should eat based on their goal weight of lean tissue. My goal lean tissue is 150-160 lbs so I eat just under 200g a day. based on my diet I shoud be around 176lbs with approx 10% bf or less.

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