Hey all!

I was looking at John's Food log and noticed that his Protein Supplementation is 0 - 2 scoops a day.

Well, I've been using protein supplements since Feb. I drink 2 - 3 shakes a day equating to 50 - 75 gms protein and 300 cals a day via shakes.

Am I over supplementing, or should I worry about that? I've heard stuff about kidneys, etc. I'm wondering about long term protein supplementing. BAD or NO problem. I get about 150 - 200 gms protein via food per day, but @ 155 lbs give or take I try to push it to 250 - 300 gms.

Thanks!

I've experimented with protein intakes from 120g to over 300g per day and to be honest I never could tell the difference. Your experiences may differ but I think alot of it is just protein companies selling product. The only reason why I've used more than one shake per day was on a calorie deficit where it's hard to meet the protein requirements without going over the calorie limit.

Kidney health is a lot like racecar driving. Your kidneys are powerful machines that are reliable and flexible, and they can handle all sorts of extreme situations. You can push your kidneys really hard, and as long as everything's working smoothly, it'll be a comfy ride.

But if something small goes wrong with your kidneys while you're pushing them really hard, the equivalent of a loose screw or a jammed gear in a tight turn at 200 mph, you can expect to crash, burn, and suffer major damage.

Eating a very large quantity of protein (which is what you are doing), is like putting the pedal to the metal. It's not dangerous unless you have some sort of unrelated kidney problem.

If you do have a kidney problem, however, it's been found that consuming large quantities of protein tends to make it much, much worse very quickly. Proteins are large, complicated molecules, and trying to force them through a kidney that's having trouble sort of rips a hole through the kidney (not exactly, but you can think of it like that). The more protein you eat, the faster your kidneys can deteriorate, until you hit the wall and need dialysis or a transplant.

People with kidney problems are generally advised to keep their protein consumption way down. People at risk for kidney problems are generally advised not to overdo it. People with functional kidneys can eat all the protein they want and not worry about it.

I suspect you probably don't have to worry about it. You should be thinking "is all this protein doing me any good compared to how much I pay for it?" rather than "is all this protein going to kill me?" For someone even remotely healthy, the latter is just hypochondria.

In my eyes, you should try getting as much as you possibly can from real food. I can't back it up by any facts, but to me it's common sense.

What's more important, at 155 lbs, you don't need as much as 300 grams of protein a day. I rarely eat above 250, and I'm 260 lbs. You would probably not notice any difference at all if you cut it in half or even to a third. I would rather use the protein shakes as JMR says, if you by any reason need a few extra calories, a little extra protein, but don't want to add fat to your day (most of my protein sources also contain fat).

I always read that you want a pre-workout and a post-workout shake. Right there is 50 gms and 200 cals. I'm currently in the middle of a bulk cycle. I had been doing 1-2 shakes (25-50 gms) when I was cutting.

I workout in the evenings, so I get those two shakes. I take another with bfast.

I prefer real food. I use a shake after my workout and that's about it. I've never used one before. Real food an hour and a half before your workout with a good mixture of carbs and protein works good for me. I have used shakes for breakfest for convenience but I end up starving an hour later.

I currently use 2 shakes a day. Beverly Ultra Size (kinda expensive though). Sometimes a Muscle Milk although I've heard their labels are not so accurate (damn they taste good though!).

I do it for convienence though. The fact of the matter is I am too lazy to make 6 meals a day. :)

I always read that you want a pre-workout and a post-workout shake.
Most of the information you hear about protein will probably originate from protein shake producing companies. Yes, you do get results with protein shakes before and after workout, why wouldn't you with all that energy? You don't have to have that much protein though, that's the truth.

Most of the information you hear about protein will probably originate from protein shake producing companies. Yes, you do get results with protein shakes before and after workout, why wouldn't you with all that energy? You don't have to have that much protein though, that's the truth.

Your body is looking for aminos during training, not the protein itself(which is the source of the aminos) If you've eaten a protein rich meal within a couple of hours of your w/o...a pre w/o shake really isn't necessary. The problem comes when you've got somebody that's dieting(incorrectly?)...and their body may be starving for the necessary aminos when it comes time to train.

Thanks all!

I'm going to finish this week out on my current intake, then next week I am going to cut back to 2 shakes. AM with breakfast and post-workout in the PM. My dinners are always balanced with protein and carbs with my workouts about 2 hours post-dinner. I usually hit the cottage cheese right before bed too.