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How do you get enough protein?

Old 10-16-20, 09:00 AM
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rsbob 
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How do you get enough protein?

All endurance sports require a regular intake of protein for muscle and general health. What do you eat to make sure you are getting enough?
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Old 10-16-20, 09:10 AM
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Good diet of animal and vegetable protein but I always have a whey protein shake after riding or gym classes.

There is really no practical substitute for whey protein. I use Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard, which you can buy anywhere and is proven pure and reliable.

Think of a whey protein shake as essentially the same nutrition as true ricotta cheese.
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Old 10-16-20, 09:20 AM
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If you are weightlifting quite a bit, you may need to ensure adequate protein intake. Cycling doesn't really stress muscles enough to require more protein than most of us will get from our normal diets.
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Old 10-16-20, 09:28 AM
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food
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Old 10-16-20, 09:31 AM
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If you are building muscle, one gram of protein per pound of muscle weight (not body weight). People are generally only able to absorb 20-25 grams of protein at a time, so the formula is to eat 20 grams of protein every 2 to 2.5 hours. It is better to get your protein from real food (chicken, fish, etc...) vs. pills/supplements or shakes. Your body absorbs real food much better. If you have taken heavy supplements before and noticed your urine is a different color or smell, that's your body getting rid of what it cannot absorb as waste. One multi-vitamin/mineral tablet is sufficient in conjunction with a well balanced diet.
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Old 10-16-20, 09:36 AM
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Originally Posted by REDMASTA
food
I was gonna go with 'roadkill'.
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Old 10-16-20, 09:50 AM
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Sardine?


(Seriously. I usually make myself a sardine sandwich after big Sunday rides)
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Old 10-16-20, 09:56 AM
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Originally Posted by Notso_fastLane
I was gonna go with 'roadkill'.
You beat me to it.
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Old 10-16-20, 09:56 AM
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@REDMASTA stole my answer, generally ... I was going to say "Eating." He wins, and bravo.

Second would be "Easily."

Last I checked, an active 200-lb adult male needs 60-70 grams of protein .... a few cups of yogurt, a few peanut-butter sandwiches, a burger, a big bowl of rice and beans ....
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Old 10-16-20, 10:19 AM
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I just keep my mouth open while riding and suck in all the bugs. Flies and other winged insects are high in protein. Gotta watch out for those big clumsy Scarab beetles, they can knock a tooth out. They're also a little too crunchy and bits get stuck in my teeth. I just wash out those bits & pieces with some water from a garden hose!).

Other than that just regular foods, Regardless of all the marketing pseudo-science advertising that supplement manufacturers put out you really don't need a lot of extra protein if you're a recreational rider (I bet most pros don't either).
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Old 10-16-20, 10:23 AM
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Originally Posted by jadocs
If you are building muscle, one gram of protein per pound of muscle weight (not body weight). People are generally only able to absorb 20-25 grams of protein at a time, so the formula is to eat 20 grams of protein every 2 to 2.5 hours. It is better to get your protein from real food (chicken, fish, etc...) vs. pills/supplements or shakes. Your body absorbs real food much better. If you have taken heavy supplements before and noticed your urine is a different color or smell, that's your body getting rid of what it cannot absorb as waste. One multi-vitamin/mineral tablet is sufficient in conjunction with a well balanced diet.
Much of what you said is scientifically false. For one whey protein is real food. It is just mechanically filtered and dried liquid whey. The degree of filtering makes one more digestible than another.There is nothing artificial about it. Second, nutrients that have been treated with an enzyme or hydrolyzed are far easier to digest than "real food".

I am not suggesting that people avoid a balanced diet but I have not found an adequate substitute for a high quality whey protein shake. My fitness routine may be more intense that average.
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Old 10-16-20, 10:53 AM
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To not get enough protein in the day you really have to try hard. You would have to eat junk and I don't mean potato chips and peanut and chocolate bars, I mean stuff that is completely nutritionally devoid and only that. Most people eat more than enough protein in a day just eating, You can get enough protein from a russet potato. I think the whole protein thing is way overblown. I don't think it is a bad thing to eat protein but to make such a fuss is a bit silly.
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Old 10-16-20, 11:10 AM
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We’re having lamb chops tonight. I sous vide them for a few hours then throw them on a hot grill before serving.
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Old 10-16-20, 11:11 AM
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Originally Posted by Mulberry20
I am not suggesting that people avoid a balanced diet but I have not found an adequate substitute for a high quality whey protein shake. My fitness routine may be more intense that average.
LOL, lots of things can substitute for whey protein! Having protein and carbs from a meal trickling into your system *during* a workout is far superior to rushing to get them in afterward.

I know your jug of overpriced whey protein disagrees with me, but it's true.
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Old 10-16-20, 12:00 PM
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When I raced 40+ years ago, I read the Rodale Press book "Food For Fitness". It stressed that protein needs were barely higher for endurance athletes that a resting person except during early season muscle buildup and not all that much higher even then. Also that we Americans eat way too much protein as a matter of course. That excess protein requires additional blood flow focus to provide the needed oxygen to process it. So while doing the additional digesting, the muscles that also need oxygen to recover from training effort have to wait until that protein is processed. (Without that extra digesting to do, I slept better too, also improving muscle recovery.)

I'd have to pull out the book to confirm the numbers but I recall that as a 150 pound athlete, I needed about 2 ounces of incomplete protein, a requirement very easily met just eating enough good whole food to maintain a calorie balance. I stayed away from concentrated "proteins" in packages and still do. I've gone non-dairy (and wish I'd made that jump 40 years ago). I do eat 2-4 eggs a week, simply because I like those breakfasts, and eat a can of fish most nights for the high quality omega 3 and because I like fish and I feel good after eating it. (But if I eat late, I skip the fish to improve sleep.)
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Old 10-16-20, 12:15 PM
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I don’t.

I have an absolutely horrible diet and I’m vegetarian. When I tried keeping track of my protein intake, I was lucky to get 20g a day from just “food”. I weighed 145lbs at that point and wasn’t even cycling. I was trying to strength train in the gym LOL.

I could maybe get up to 50-60 if I shoveled food/supplements down my throat until it wouldn’t stay down. But that wasn’t really sustainable for me.
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Old 10-16-20, 02:15 PM
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Originally Posted by rsbob
All endurance sports require a regular intake of protein for muscle and general health. What do you eat to make sure you are getting enough?
I get all the protein I need from eating real food. This includes: meat, eggs, yogurt and milk. I also lift weights and I find that a diet high in animal products will provide all the protein that your body needs to recover and maintain muscle. There is no need for any supplements. Only vegetarians and other fad dieters are at the risk of being protein deficient.
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Old 10-16-20, 02:23 PM
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Originally Posted by Mulberry20

I am not suggesting that people avoid a balanced diet but I have not found an adequate substitute for a high quality whey protein shake. My fitness routine may be more intense that average.
I have found a perfect substitute for whey protein powder. It's called " real food " and includes animal products such as various types of meat, fish, eggs, yogurt and milk...and I guarantee you that my personal fitness routine is very intense and I find no problem with recovery by eating normal food...Protein powders are unnecessary.
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Old 10-16-20, 02:27 PM
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Old 10-16-20, 02:28 PM
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Originally Posted by veganbikes
To not get enough protein in the day you really have to try hard. You would have to eat junk and I don't mean potato chips and peanut and chocolate bars, I mean stuff that is completely nutritionally devoid and only that. Most people eat more than enough protein in a day just eating, You can get enough protein from a russet potato. I think the whole protein thing is way overblown. I don't think it is a bad thing to eat protein but to make such a fuss is a bit silly.
I think the "Are You Getting Enough Protein?" scam comes from the same place as "Are You Getting Enough Iron?" or "Are You Getting Enough Calcium?" scams. You can do this same thing with anything the body needs, from water, to vitamins, to sex.

I've obsessed over protein too like everyone else, and firmly believe it's yet another GNC (R.I.P.) inspired scam to get people to buy various supplements, which they never needed in the first place. Eat as well as you can, and take note of the foods that feel healthiest to you, and cut out the stuff that does not agree with you. For me, that's currently a non-meat, whole grain, fruit, vegetable, and yogurt diet, but YMMV, especially depending on age and activity level.
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Old 10-16-20, 02:29 PM
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Originally Posted by veganbikes
I think the whole protein thing is way overblown. I don't think it is a bad thing to eat protein but to make such a fuss is a bit silly.
That's how supplement companies make money. They convince people that protein powders are a necessity and people believe that nonsense and spend money on something that they don't need.
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Old 10-16-20, 02:31 PM
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Tasty animals.
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Old 10-16-20, 02:31 PM
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Originally Posted by veganbikes
You can get enough protein from a russet potato..

Enough protein for what? There's only about 5 grams of protein in a russett. You're right if you eat about 10-15 potatoes a day, but I ain't doing that.
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Old 10-16-20, 02:35 PM
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Originally Posted by Lemond1985
I think the "Are You Getting Enough Protein?" scam comes from the same place as "Are You Getting Enough Iron?" or "Are You Getting Enough Calcium?" scams. You can do this same thing with anything the body needs, from water, to vitamins, to sex.

I've obsessed over protein too like everyone else, and firmly believe it's yet another GNC (R.I.P.) inspired scam to get people to buy various supplements, which they never needed in the first place. Eat as well as you can, and take note of the foods that feel healthiest to you, and cut out the stuff that does not agree with you. For me, that's currently a non-meat, whole grain, fruit, vegetable, and yogurt diet, but YMMV, especially depending on age and activity level.
Originally Posted by wolfchild
That's how supplement companies make money. They convince people that protein powders are a necessity and people believe that nonsense and spend money on something that they don't need.
It is all scams. Gotta eat plenty of powder though, powder makes the world go round.
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Old 10-16-20, 02:36 PM
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Originally Posted by Mulberry20

There is really no practical substitute for whey protein. .
How did people get enough protein before protein supplements were invented ??
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