Taking too much protein?

SDunne4

Hi all, just a quick question, i have been taking protein for the past two weeks and i have been noticing that if i take it after nine in the night i find that i need to get up during the night to go to the toilet (urinate ). Is this normal??

I lift weights three times a week, and take protein all week. I take a scoop at breakfast one in the evening and one at night (around nine). When i do the weights i take 2 scoops after a workout as well as the one in the morning and in the evening.

Thanks

Dragan

It could be nothing to do with taking protein. If you drink the same amount of water as your currently drinking of your shake then you will need to go to to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

Nothing you can really do about it except not have the shake, which i personally would not agree with.

g'em

protein rocks.

but apart from that, first off, you need to figure out exactly how much protein you actually need in your diet, and not just whack the scoops in the shaker thinking 'ah, that looks about right'. Non-strength-trainers i.e. those so-called 'normal' people out there need about 0.75g/ kg body weight/ day. Strength trainers need anything fom 1.2-1.8g/kg body weight/ day. Now, some people have said anything up to 2g/kg bw/day is fine, but tbh, it's been found that anything over 1.8g/kg bw/day is just excess- it will not get used (if anyone wants the ref, I have it).

And that's where your *ahem* urinary issue comes in. Protein gets broken down into its constituents amino acids in our body. Unlike fats and carbs, the other two of the macronutrient triangle, protein can't get stored much in the body other than as muscle fibre, so the waste is simply flushed out. So, if you're taking protein last hting at night, and then needing to pee a few hours later, that's more than likely all it is, especially if you drink it with water, as it'll have been absorbed v quickly.

Of course, if you normally don't drink anything before bed and now all of a sudden are drinking 0.5L before hitting hte hay, that's a good reason for it too!

joejoem

SDunne4 wrote:

Hi all, just a quick question, i have been taking protein for the past two weeks and i have been noticing that if i take it after nine in the night i find that i need to get up during the night to go to the toilet (urinate ). Is this normal??

I lift weights three times a week, and take protein all week. I take a scoop at breakfast one in the evening and one at night (around nine). When i do the weights i take 2 scoops after a workout as well as the one in the morning and in the evening.

Thanks

Chances are you have increased your water consumption too right? I get it aswell, especially on gym nights. Its basically because of all the extra fluid in your body. Your body needs to get rid of it, and the waste formed from your dinner and your shake.

For instance, I went to bed at around 12am last night, but my legs were twitching from the gym so I couldnt sleep till 1am, tehn I was awake at 5 to go pee. Nothing you can do about it really, I usually go to the toilet just before I go to sleep and force out whatever I can.

SDunne4

Thanks G'em and Dragon, i will try taking the protein early and if that doesn't work i'll try reducing the amount i am taking. I am working on building muscle, i am fairly big and don't need to gain weight just turn what i have into muscle. I am watching what i am eating and taking protein shake and of course working out ever second night with a two day rest at the weekend.

joejoem

SDunne4 wrote:

Thanks G'em and Dragon, i will try taking the protein early and if that doesn't work i'll try reducing the amount i am taking. I am working on building muscle, i am fairly big and don't need to gain weight just turn what i have into muscle. I am watching what i am eating and taking protein shake and of course working out ever second night with a two day rest at the weekend.

Then your looking to loose weight and gain muscle. Weight is not muscle, its fat. You need to use teh fat as energy to build muscle.

t-ha

joejoem wrote:

Then your looking to loose weight and gain muscle. Weight is not muscle, its fat. You need to use teh fat as energy to build muscle.

Yeah just to elaborate on this, although fats, carbs and proteins are generally of a pretty similar structure, proteins contain nitrogen which fat doesn't. Your body can manufacture alot of it's own proteins but it needs a postive nitrogen balance to do it (need to eat protein).

joejoem

t-ha wrote:

Yeah just to elaborate on this, although fats, carbs and proteins are generally of a pretty similar structure, proteins contain nitrogen which fat doesn't. Your body can manufacture alot of it's own proteins but it needs a postive nitrogen balance to do it (need to eat protein).

There was another thread started on it, the subject of excersise in the mornings was brought up.


http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054886851