Is too much protein a bad thing?

Question

i have been recently eating a protein bar everyday. and my friend who runs on the XC team with me (who is the #1 boy on the team, i am the #1 girl) is drinking a special protein drink. my coach recommend me drink a protein drink, but eating a protein bar and drinking a protein drink a day a little too much protein for a girl, well let alone anyone? or should i just stick to the drink, except after a race, where i would eat both to replenish my mussels. but i am an avid runner, and more muscular than most girls. what do you think? my parents are not athletes at all, and have no clue, and i don't want to go to my coach, knowing she will tell me the wrong thing. she has been known to do so. thanks!

Answer 1

It's not a bad thing, per se. It depends on what you consider to be a negative consequence. Contrary to one of the answers, unused protein does not simply pass through your system in the form of excrement (pee and/or p**p). The majority of unused protein is stored as fat.

When you consume protein, your digestive system converts protein into smaller chains of amino acids called polypeptides, and then into individual amino acids that are directed to various parts of your body via your blood that need them. When there are amino acids that are left over that you body can't use, the "deamination" process begins. As amino acids "sit around" being unused, they begin to break down into ammonia, a toxic substance. Your liver gets rid of this toxic substance by converting it into urea, the main component of urine (pee). The majority of unused amino acids are stored as fat.

Long story made short: if you eat more protein than your body needs, it gets converted into fat, which may be a bad thing if you are trying to stay lean. You need to find a good balance by paying attention to your own body. Do you feel excessively tired and experience severe muscle fatigue long after training? (Keep in mind that you are bound to be tired to a degree, so I'm talking about serious fatigue.) Are your muscles taking longer to recover from your last workout? Is your running performance suffering? Are you losing weight? Is your muscle tone decreasing? If you answer yes to most of these questions, then you may need more protein in your diet and the drink/bar combo may be a good idea.

It is also key to consume supplementary protein at the right times. There is a "window of opportunity" of about 2 hours post workout that you should be getting in your supplementary protein AND COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES (the bar or drink, plus some whole grains, pasta rice, etc.). It is during this time that your muscles need the protein and carbs the most to recover from the stress you just put them through. During exercise, you have actually damaged your muscle fibers and you need to repair them with protein (amino acids) and carbohydrates. Many studies show that once you get outside of that 2 hour window, you have lost the opportunity to best help your muscles recover by ingesting supplements.

Sometimes performance can be affected by common sense stuff like dehydration. Make sure you're getting plenty of water (16-24 ozs per hour during runs) and lots more on your down time.

The worst that can happen is that you start gaining weight and peeing a lot more (it will smell worse, too, as ammonia is pretty pungent). If this happens, dial your protein consumption back and you'll be good to go.

Good luck.

Answer 2

i never found protein bar do anything for me but then i never ate them hahahahaa

But my friend a fellow runner drinks the shakes and i havnt really seen any improvment.

i Would just stick to eating healthy and drinking water...

Answer 3

one bar and one drink isn't gonna hurt you everything your body doesn't use will just go on through if you know what i mean. the problem with taking more then your body needs is its really hard for your body to convert protein to energy so you also need alot of carbohydrates. to know how much you need you need to know how big you are what body type you have and stuff like that so we don't really have enough info for that if that was your question.

hope that helps good luck!