Sport Too much protein?

Sport Fitness
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stacy1377

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Is it possible that eating an abundance of protein could actually cause weight gain even if I'm eating below maintenance? I know that of course you can only lose weight if you have a caloric deficit, but I eat pretty clean and can't seem to get any weight off!


Thanks!
Height: 5'6"
Age: 28
CW: 146
GW: 135
 
Sure. Too much of anything is not good. You need to post specifics of your daily menu and exercise routine. Then we can provide more detailed answers.
 
My diet/workout

Okay, here's what a typical day looks like for me:

1: 4 egg whites, 1/2 c oats
2: 1/2 c cottage cheese w/fruit or a little yogurt mixed in
3: chicken breast w/salad
4: apple w/pb or a protein shake w/milk
5: chicken or turkey w/green veggie

I've been letting up on the weights quite a bit because I was putting on a lot of muscle ( I know, I know, muscle is good) and not liking the look. So, I've been doing SS cardio about 2-3 times a week and HIIT 2 times a week. I've been doing some circuit training with light weights 2-3 times per week and try to hit my abs every other day.

Thanks for your help in advance!
Stacy
 
Your diet doesn't look bad, although it doesn't look very much. You're probably eating too far below maintainance, even. I'd add some more starchy carbs.
 
Im still confused. How do you know you're adding muscle and not fat? Also, what do you mean you "don't like the look" when it couldn't be possible for you to be defined at the height/weight you specified.

Are you losing inches? What's your body fat reading? What's SS cardio stand for?

It should be fairly easy for you to see a reduction in fat loss given your height/weight. Do you take medications? Sometimes that can prevent weight loss.

Sorry if I sound confused or am confusing you. I just feel like I am missing something :)
 
I know I must be adding both fat and muscle when I gain. My body looks better without clothes, but my old clothes are fitting tight on my thighs and butt. (does that make sense?) My upper body is pretty toned, but my legs just seem to get bulky the more weight I do.
SS cardio is steady state cardio.
Not sure what my body fat is. My scale says 21%, but I know those aren't the most accurate.


Thx,
Stacy
 
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Okay, so you're not sure what you're adding or losing. And you say your clothes are fitting tighter. I'll be honest if you don't mind :eek:

It could be anything. You don't really provide a detailed workout plan or how long you've been doing it etc. Sometimes when we first start working out we can gain a bit of weight. Maybe that's it. I don't know.

You could be eating too little. You don't mention how many calories you're taking in. Eating too little and working out can cause the body to gain weight. Maybe that's it. I don't know :)

It could be that you are working out too much. Sounds like you have 5 days of cardio and 2-3 days of weights. Not sure what sort of exercises or reps or sets though. Maybe that's it....

21% body fat- what sort of scale are you using? One you hold in your hands or one you stand on?

How long have you been working out before you changed things? I always recommend people stick to one fitness program/way of eating for a month. Then re-evaluate things and tweak from there.

Sorry if I can't give you a straight forward answer... it's just that there are quite a few possibilities. Are you getting your period soon? That causes the weight to rise.

My basic advice is to get a good strength training routine and menu. Get one designed for you and your goals. Then stick with it for a month and re-evaluate. Otherwise you're just shooting in the dark with half-information and guessing.

You'll end up growing frustrated (you may already be there) and wanting to give up.
 
Lynn,

Thanks so much for your detailed response. Sometimes my posts are a little wacky if my 4 year old is jumping on me whild I'm typing!:p

Well, I'm quite confused about what I'm doing wrong and yes, I am frustrated. For my workout, I was doing pyramid training 12, 10, 8, 6, 12 reps and then immediately 12 reps on another machine working the same body part. It's the Body for Life weight training program if you're familiar with that.

As far as my diet, I'll be the first to admit that while my intentions are good, I mess up quite a bit. I try to stick to around 1600 calories and keep it high in protein and low in carbs for the most part. Fit day says my average calories for the past month is 1564 and I log every day. I tried carb cycling for a very short time (like a week) and went overboard on the high days.

I measured my body fat on a scale that you stand on. I really don't look like I weigh 145. I look athletic according to others and wear a size 6 in pants. I've always weighed more than others my same size, so I do take that into account.

I hope this information is clear. Thanks again for taking the time to help!
 
stacy1377 said:
Is it possible that eating an abundance of protein could actually cause weight gain even if I'm eating below maintenance?
Click to expand...

If you have a deficit than no protein wont cause you to gain weight. Weight is from an excess of calories (3500 kcal=1lb), but exercise could cause you to gain some muscle, which could cause a small gain in weight.
 
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