Can you only digest 40 grams of protein every 3 hours?

Can you only digest 40 grams of protein every 3 hours? from Hybrid Performance Method on Vimeo.

Can you only digest 40 grams of protein every 3 hours?

There are many fitness myths passed down in this industry, one of them is the idea that you need to dose protein imperfect 20-40 gram doses and spread them perfectly evenly throughout the day... 

And if you eat any more than that your body can't absorb it.  Or it's going to turn into fat or something else like that. 

News flash, all calories turn to fat... if you consume more than you expend. 

Another common misconception is that if you go too long without eating, you’ll immediately going catabolic and start losing all of your hard-earned gains. 

In reality only about 10% of the protein that you consume goes actually to muscle synthesis. 

We obviously need protein to gain muscle preserve myself and to help us feel satiated. 

The recommendation  for people who participate in resistance training is 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight per day. 

If you're not in a calorie deficit that recommendation might even be higher.

Some have proposed an upper limit of around 3 per kilogram of body weight but it's hard to get down that much protein unless you enjoy forcing yourself 16 oz ribeye or supplementing with protein powder all day long. 

Spreading out your daily consumption evenly throughout the day, what it does is, it makes it easier to get more protein in. 

For dieter's it helps him with society and it to preserve muscle 

For gainers it helps them build more muscle mass. 

So they take away here is, don't obsess about some invisible protein threshold. 

You won’t shrink between meals. 

Most whole food protein sources take a while to fully digest, meaning that if you eat an adequate amount of protein throughout the day the timing won’t make much of a difference in terms of body composition. 

The big thing to focus on is a progressive resistance training program and the right calorie balance, matching your daily activity relative to the calorie level that supports your individual goal and adequate protein throughout the day. 

When we have those three down, the rest is a matter of personal preference and really not worth obsessing over.  

-Stefi

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