I wasn't eating enough protein
quantity does matter
Good morning and happy Juneteenth.
This weekend I’m doing an online qualifier for a CrossFit competition. Getting ready to get destroyed, but I’ll do so with a glad heart and a never quit spirit.
I’ve been trying to gain muscle for too long now. I mean, I’m pretty fit. But I’m not jacked. I want to be jacked. Is that too much to ask?
This past week, I really doubled down on my protein intake. I started actually tracking how much protein I was eating each day, and I realized I wasn’t eating enough, despite thinking I was.
I’ve written a lot about protein quality, like last week’s post on David Bars. But I haven’t really written about how much protein we should actually be aiming to get. This post, honestly, is written to me more than it is to any of you.
We’re learning together.
Mainstream advice says you should aim for 0.3 grams of protein per pound. For someone like me, that works out to around 90 grams a day.
But honestly, that’s just not good advice. It’s not enough protein.
Protein is so important for a variety of reasons: Metabolism, brain power, getting jacked, etc.
I should be aiming for at least a 1:1 ratio of protein grams to pounds, which means getting up to 90% more protein than the standard recommendation. (Genuinely sorry about all these numbers. Math is such an eye sore.)
Where too much protein can become an issue for the kidneys is when you’re consuming ungodly amounts of cheap, isolated protein, aka whatever most gym bros are chugging. But it’s exceptionally hard to tax your body by eating protein-rich whole foods like steak.
So, assuming you’re eating real food, it’s silly to worry about getting too much protein. And honestly, just like me, you’re probably not getting enough.
This week, I’ve upped my protein intake to 180 grams a day by eating more eggs (please don’t remove the yolk, you fools. It’s the most nutritious part) and beef from Plainview Meat Co.
I’m feeling really great, and come to think of it, I’m not even sore, despite absolutely crushing my buddy Kevin in multiple workouts this week.
Anyway, today’s reminder is to make sure we’re getting more protein.
P.S. Don’t forget to order your 🇺🇸🧈🇺🇸✨🇺🇸 Running On Butter merch 🇺🇸🧈🇺🇸✨🇺🇸 so it arrives before the 4th of July.
My friend Megan texted me this last night:
It is OK to consume a lot of protein as long as the arachidonic acid content is not excessive. A few years ago I wrote an information sheet entitled "Consequences of feeding seeds to livestock". Here are the first three paragraphs:
(1919) “Seed mixtures, no matter how complex or what seeds they are derived from, will never induce optimal nutrition. The only successful combination of natural foods or milled products for the nutrition of an animal are combinations of seeds or other milled products with sufficient amounts of the leaves of plants.” (The Newer Knowledge of Nutrition by E.V. McCollum)
(1996) "Excessive signaling of arachidonic acid (AA) metabolites has been associated with various chronic degenerative or autoimmune diseases, and intervention with the metabolism of AA is widely employed therapeutically in these afflictions. In essence, AA is the most biologically active unsaturated fatty acid in higher animals. Its concentration in membranes and its magnitude of effects depend on its amount, or that of its precursors and analogues, in the diet. The tendency of the field of nutrition to ignore the role of dietary AA will optimistically be reversed in the future." The article also said, "The underlying rationale for this symposium is that dietary AA is perhaps the single most important nutritional determinant in regulating AA levels in Americans. This may ultimately account in part for the striking differences in chronic diseases between strict vegetarians and the bulk of the omnivorous population." (web search - Biological Effects of Arachidonic Acid: Introduction) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8642436/
(2010) Chicken meat with reduced concentration of arachidonic acid (AA) and reduced ratio between omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids has potential health benefits because a reduction in AA intake dampens prostanoid signaling, and the proportion between omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids is too high in our diet. (web search - Anna Haug Individual Variation) https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2875212/
Our daughter and her husband own a fitness gym. They gave me permission to leave copies of my information sheet at the front desk. A year later the manager provided feed back. He said that, after some discussion, he and his fellow weight lifters decided to shift their main protein source from chicken to beef and fish. All reported improved performance and less joint inflammation post workout.
Congrats on your 225 bench PR! it’s a landmark day.