Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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I stopped measuring my food because it was getting annoying - but now I feel like I'm eating way too much protein. I calculate that I'm suppose to eat about 70 grams per day but that leaves me feeling still hungry. Sometime I eat about 70g of protein a meal- I am constantly craving chicken so that is what I eat the most. I go to CrossFit 5-6 times a week I am trying to lean out and drop my body fat/ so my body comp is better.
Any suggestions as to how to do this? Am I eating too much protein?

I am about 5'11 female And 175lbs.

edit: too nla

edited Feb 13 2012 at 16:10

Nance
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asked Feb 13 2012 at 16:04

Wakegrl
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Wakegrl, one ounce of cooked meat is 6-7 grams of protein. There are many views as to how much protein a person needs. It is a subject of much discussion. The folks at the Dirty Carnivores Forum have some good info on this: forum.dirtycarnivore.com/index.php – PaleoGran Feb 13 2012 at 16:12

Franz · Answer 1 · 2012-03-26 19:30:30Z UTC

Wait, why are you hitting CrossFit 5-6 days a week? 5-6 days of CrossFit is too much!! Keeping your body in an elevated stress level will work against you. Remove a couple of days for CrossFit and go on some long walks, or practice yoga, or better yet go play! The weight will come off on its own, increasing the amount strenuous activity will only lead to problems. To maintain that energy expenditure you will have to take down quite a bit of food, not to mention you are never going to allow your muscles to repair from the previous workout (bad news!). I'd say slow down a bit, limit you strenuous activity to no more than 4 days (2-3 ideal) and fill those other days with either some high intensity sprints of some sort and lots of leisurely walking and moving about. Don't fight your body to lose weight.

Nance · Answer 2 · 2012-02-13 16:09:16Z UTC

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My first question would be, are you measuring the protein weight of the chicken or the total weight? Most meat includes some fat, so you have to eat more to reach the protein goal.

Now, I think you have mis-calculated somewhere. I am 5'4" and I calculated my desired lean mass is around 99 pounds (more right now, but I'm working on that.) So, at about 1g per pound I need between 80 and 100g of protein.

I used the HealthStatus Lean Body Mass Calculator.

answered Feb 13 2012 at 16:09

Nance
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	Thanks I thought I was miscalculating but wasn't sure I'll recalculate - thanks – Wakegrl Feb 13 2012 at 16:35
	I thought it was about .8 gram of protein per kilogram, which is 2.2 lbs? This is the number I see over and over in the wild, though I often see it confused with a gram per pound. At healthcalculators.org/calculators/protein.asp, I come up with no more than 80 g per day for light activity at 5'10". – January Feb 15 2012 at 5:07
	Cross Fit 5-6 days per week would not be light activity! I think that's the difference. "Light" activity would be more like walking around and mild physical tasks. The more you do, the more protein you need. Sedentary folks like me could do fine with .5-.8 but I think you'd need at least 1g. Weightlifters can need up to 5g per lb of lean mass. – Nance Feb 15 2012 at 15:48
	HealthStatus says your lean mass is between 118 and 122; even at .8g you'd need 94-100g. – Nance Feb 15 2012 at 15:54
	Sorry; I meant light activity for me at 5'10"! But I looked over at lowcarbdiets.about.com; they say "The standard method used by nutritionists to estimate our minimum daily protein requirement is to multiply the body weight in kilograms by .8, or weight in pounds by .37. This is the number of grams of protein that should be the daily minimum. According to this method, a person weighing 150 lbs. should eat 55 grams of protein per day, a 200-pound person should get 74 grams, and a 250-pound person should eat 92 grams." So that's minimum. – January Feb 16 2012 at 21:38

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Lindsay · Answer 3 · 2012-03-26 18:58:21Z UTC

You say you're craving chicken and craving more protein in general? Am I understanding this correctly? If you're cross-fitting, you're body is going to need high quality protein to rebuild the muscles you're busting through and creating.

If you're not feeling full after you eat... I have to ask -- are you eating enough carbs to fuel your activity, and how much fat are you eating? Fat is what will make you feel fuller, longer.

Protein too much or not enough?

3 Answers