How many protein shakes a day and how much water are you downing?
i'm 185ish 3.5% bf. I try a gallon a day and 3 shakes... (60grams each) that about right? plus i eat like a horse

 

You're taking in a lot of protein that you might not really need. Might be making your kidney's work a little harder then they should be.

I am about 165. 3 shakes a day @ 40 grams each. I don't eat like a horse, but I eat a good amount.

 

i was told that to get to the weight you want, you need to eat/drink like it... that more of a myth now?

 

When it comes to protein, you're body will take what it needs from your diet and expel the rest. That will result in your liver and kidneys performing extra work.

Caloric intake is different, that's just your basic "the more calories you take in the more weight you gain"

 

http://1stholistic.com/Nutrition/hol...urn-to-fat.htm

 

^^ thanks Mod, thats a damn good read.,

 

 

I've always heard you're supposed to eat 1g of protein per pound of body weight if you're looking to gain muscle...but after reading the link above...i have no idea if i should be following that or not. I've been taking about 3-4 scoops of protein every other day (ON 100% Whey...i forget how many grams it is...i think something like 25g/scoop)

 

Thats too much IMO

 

when I first started, i would always get the green apple splatters, i still do everyonce in a while, but for the most now, i'm good... but my poor kidneys

next thread "WTB : O POSITIVE KIDNEY"

 

You might want to check that 3.5%. That's probably a little low.

 

For the normal person you want about 0.3g/lb of protein. If you're playing sports or working out hard, you want about 0.9g/lb

You're getting 1g/lb a day just from shakes nevermind whatever else you eat. I'd say you could cut-out one shake and still be getting that 1g easy

 

FWIW I prefer to get most of my protein from beef liver pills rather than shakes. Shakes I do after workouts only.

I forgot to add the shakes I'm talking about are whey protein shakes so maybe that should read I only take whey after workouts.

 

I usually drink one shake a day. Which adds an extra ~25g of protein. Other than that I get everything from the food I eat.

 

thats very low

 

That's pretty antiquated at this point. I used to live by the same law, but I only have one kidney now, so I definitely DON'T want to overwork it. Plus, I could stand to lose some weight and excess protein does turn to fat.

I'm currently 205, probably 15% bf and 50-60g from protein shakes is more than enough for me. I probably consume another 40 from food a day. I don't think more than the 100g to 120g of protein a day would do me any good in building muscle.

 

You have to understand thought that before I got into the gym stage, I was 120 soaking wet, like a stick, so anyweight i put on will be muscle. I did a lot of reading, because when I had my BF% done (had it done at a military gym) they did it 4 times because they thought the machine was off and eventually did the caliper method. Stalone in Rambo 3, was less than 2% in that movie, and several body builders also hang around the 2-5% percent.
However I do know that I get light headed doing squats, and that my recovery is much longer due to having such a low percent. My shakes are weight gainer shakes and have plenty of fat, and I eat constantly, so I get the proper intake, its just my body doesnt use it. =(

 

If you dont mind me asking, did you donate one? Have renal failure? What caused you to lose one? And does it affect your daily life outside of your diet?

Reason im asking is my cousin just donated one to an in-law.

 

I donated my left kidney in July of 2003.
I had some problems with an abdominal hernia in early 2004 because I got back to working out HARD way too early - so that set back was my fault.
I then had to have an emergency appendectomy in mid-2004 - likely from the physical stress my body was going through recovering from two major surgeries in 9 months.
So the 12 months after the surgery was pretty tough, but I'm likely an isolated case.
Now, 4 years after those instances I'm living my life completely problem-free. I'm more concerned about my weight than my kidney when it comes to my diet, I work out just as much and just as hard as I did before (training for my first marathon late 09), and I still drink like a fish on the weekends.
I get physicals yearly and my vitals are great.
Most people will fully functioning kidneys only use 10% of their capacity, so humans are way over-engineered in that regard. Many people are born with only one kidney and they never even know.

Props to your cousin for being a live donor! There aren't many out there.

 

3.5% seems a tad low....i am for 1 gram per body weight. i'm 155 lbs.

 

I highly doubt you're in the 3% range. Machines are very inaccurate and there are 5 different caliper tests. I hit 4.8% at 199lbs and could barely function in day to day life. One of the caliper testing methods showed me at 2% back then but that's not possible. In the 4% range I had nasty veins everywhere, places I never did before like my chest, stomach, and thighs. Most people cannot maintain 4% or less for any length of time without consequences.

And Stallone was not less than 2%. Don't believe everything you hear.

 

^ Yeah I got veins in my shoulders, abs, everywhere, when I do incline the big one "cubital" i think in my wrist I can feel it move, nasty.

When you say you couldnt function how do you mean, light headed? no energy? please explain.

 

Wow congrats making all those recoveries, I know its tough, I had a whole knee replaced (shratnel from a roadside bomb in afghanistan in 06) and its a long ass road to recovery. Like you I'm back in the gym 100% and what not, must be due to our youth

 

egg and cheese sandwich in morning w/ glass of milk.

and clif bar/promax bar and 1-2 glasses of chocolate milk after workout. =)

 

I guess "dumb" would best describe it. No mental power. I can maintain 8% indefinately but lower than that is only for some of the events I go to for a week at a time, no more.

 

worst post workout meal ever

 

wow, so all excess is fat????? Hard to believe.....

 

Morning - Bowl of fresh made steel cut oatmeal. I add flax seed and a tspn of brown sugar and some fake butter (the yogurt made one.)

Right before workout Isopure Protein shake (50ish grams) and currently a scoop of 5g creatine (30 day cycle on the creatine.)

Right after work out - 3 eggs

2-3 hours after work out another scoop of creatine (only doing this 2nd intake for 4 days)

Some kind of snack

Nice dinner with chicken or lean meat & steamed vegetables. Occasionaly something such as cous cous or rice, but trying to stay away from heavy carbs at night.

 

I aim for a gallon a day, I am only anal about it when using creatine. I aim for somewhere around 1g/lb of body weight. For me, that is a post-workout shake, BCAAs twice daily, and good ol' fashioned food. If I had to guess, I'd say my body fat on an average day is around 10-11%...I have been in the 7 - 7.5% range and that was hard to maintain for all of the reasons I hate cars explained. I don't compete, so I don't have a resone to punish myself...so I am good with staying around 9 - 12% generally...

 

well im not focused on bulking as im also a runner for high school

 

Newbie vote for 1g per pound you weigh.

I've been weight training very seriously for going on 7 years, during which I've stuck with that protein to weight ratio. I've seen excellent results.

In regards to the article posted about excess protein turning into fat...I've seen first hand many examples of that being false, not to mention the mountains of credible sources out there that claim the opposite as well. Sure, if you are sedentary and you get your 200g per day from red meat you'll absolutely put on fat. However if your protein sources are relatively lean and you are active (re: weight lifting) that's just not the case.

 

The old dieting paradigm stressed more protein, but there have been changes in this field since back then. Carbohydrates are just as important as protein when trying to build muscle mass. Your diet should consist MOSTLY of carbs. Don't listen to hype, fad diets, or commercial sources when they say carbs are bad. Yes they do make you fat in excess, but they are extremely necessary. You actually don't even have to increase your protein (percentage calorie intake) past the recommended amount to build muscle... just get a balanced diet which implies enough carbs.

Carbs are your main source of energy. You body will still break down protein though to make blood sugar (gluconeogenesis) if you lack carbs. This will work, but it will also increase the amount of nitrogen your kidneys have to process. Plus, when protein is used to produce blood sugar, its obviously not being used to build muscle mass like you think it is. The point is that no matter how much protein you eat, your body is not using it to its fullest potential if there are not enough carbs.

You're better off eating more rice/pasta/veggies with a SMALL amount of meat. And screw protein shakes. Your kidneys are going to disintegrate one day if you drink those.

 

^ Respectfully, I disagree completely as does most of the bodybuilding and medical community.

1. Gluconeogenesis has nothing to do with breaking down protein into sugar.
2. There is zero credible research to support the statement that protein shakes risk your kidneys (unless you already have unhealthy kidneys).

I agree that the "all carbs are bad" statement is false unless your goal is ketosis (think adkins, which I'm not a fan of), however for those who are into bodybuilding a large factor in controlling body fat is insulin levels, specifically avoiding insulin spikes. The key to that is avoiding simple carbs and instead consuming complex carbs. Oats, whole grain brown rice, whole wheat bread, sweet potatoes, etc.

I wasted the first 3 years of weight lift because I stuck to the high carb, moderate protein diet you describe. I did make some gains, but once I finally got my head around dieting and started down the path of increased lean proteins, complex carbs and healthy fats it took me to another level.

FYI...these statements come from not only experience but also from professional dietitians and doctors that I used to consult when I competed.

 

I didn't mean for these posts to sound like I was calling you stupid for drinking protein shakes... my bad.

I would agree with everything you say except for concluding that excess protein is completely safe for the kidneys, and that the moderate protein/high carbs is a waste. Maybe it isn't bad in most people, but some people have a susceptibility to protein in terms of kidney damage and they don't even know it. It doesn't mean you have 'unhealthy' kidneys.

I also agree that lean meat protein, complex carbs, and healthy fats/cholesterols is very important. I just think people should be aware that protein CAN contribute to kidney damage, and i also think that you can get protein from foods instead of supplements. Also, a balanced diet with moderate protein/high complex carbs will allow good muscle growth for most people who are just trying to stay mostly in shape with decent muscle growth.

 

Are you sure you only have 3.5% body fat. If so that is very unhealthy, actually beyond anerexic. I weigh 190 and i promise i really do have a six pack, yet i have 11% body fat, so if you have 3.5% bf you must have like a frickin 12 pack.

 

3.5%.. doubt it.. but it sounds like you need to gain some mass. you need to lose the protien shakes. eat real food. most protien shakes have less than 15 grams of carbs, with a high metabolism you need lots of carbs. Eat bread, potatoes, rice.. and lots of it. eat lots of beet for your protien. You mentioned bodybuilders sit at 3-5%... thats contest weight. 7-11% is a good number to train at. you have any questions on bodybuilding jus let me know.

 

The weight scale at the gym says im at 25% body fat! WTF? I'm 178-180lbs, and about 5'11". Does that sound right?

 

I dont have a six pack...btw.

 

How does your scale read body fat %?

 

It's not mine, but its a digital scale. I just stood up on there, it took a couple seconds to calculate my weight, and then showed my body fat % on the lower left hand corner of the screen. I have no clue how it works, or how reliable it is.