The concept behind the idea of eating extra protein for building muscle seems to make sense. After all, muscles are made up of protein. It would only make sense that if you’re trying to build muscle, you’ll need extra protein. But will eating more protein help you to gain muscle?
In reality, taking in more protein to gain muscle is a misconception. With the popularity of keto diets and other protein-heavy diet plans, that may seem hard to believe. But there are three things to keep in mind when trying to figure the proper amount of protein you should have in your diet. Those are how much protein your body can process at one time, what happens when you eat too much protein, and overall calories.
If you are counting calories, then lets assume that you increase the amount of protein in your diet, while keeping the same overall calorie count. Because your body has to work much harder to break down protein for your body to use, you won’t necessarily be adding muscle mass. But you’ll put other systems in your body under additional stress.
And if you’re not watching your calories, and you just add extra protein to your diet, your body will take what it can’t use, and more than likely store it as fat – even if you add additional muscle mass. Which is more than likely counterproductive to your diet goals.
If you swap carbs for protein, your body still needs fuel for energy. And your body may fight you. That’s because a diet in which protein makes up more than 30% of your caloric intake causes a buildup of toxic ketones. So-called ketogenic diets can thrust your kidneys into overdrive in order to flush these ketones from your body. As your kidneys rid your body of these toxic ketones, you can lose a significant amount of water, which puts you at risk of dehydration, particularly if you exercise heavily. (So, if you do up your protein a bit during a meal or tow, make sure you’re also drinking plenty of water!)
This water loss then shows up as weight loss. So you start thinking that you’ve lost some weight while you’ve added muscle. That sounds great. But along with losing water, you are actually loosing muscle mass and bone calcium. The dehydration also strains your kidneys and your heart.
How Much Protein Do I Need?
It’s actually pretty simple. You should shoot for .36 grams of protein for every pound of body weight you have. Someone that is around 170 lbs of body weight, should shoot for about 61 grams of protein per day. And, if you also shoot to make those protein calories about 15-20% of your overall daily calorie intake.
If you stay around those amounts, your body will get enough protein for proper functioning and muscle growth, without creating other problems. Getting a balanced diet that’s rich in healthy vegetables, fruits, grains, lean meats, fish, and complex carbohydrates, combined with a proper amount of healthy cardio and strength training exercises, is the best way to stay fit and healthy!
At Fitness 4 Home Superstore, we carry a wide range of the industry’s top cardio equipment, strength training equipment, and fitness accessories to assist your fitness and health goals. Stop into any of our three Phoenix area locations to find the best equipment for your fitness goals!
