# How much protein can you absorb in one meal?



## Jedd (Mar 17, 2011)

A lot of people who are bulking are eating meals containing more than 40g of protein - in some cases 50 or 60g.

I heard that the body can only absorb so much protein in one sitting (one meal). Is this true, and how much is it??

The whey protein I take advises that it is taken in 35g portions - which contains approx 25g of protein. If the body could absorb a lot more for the purpose of building muscle, would the manufacturers of whey protein not advise users to take bigger portions?

It would be interesting to hear some opinions on this this. From a personal perspective I hate the idea of eating more protein than my body can use. Is it better to spread the protein over more meals through the day?


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## MRSTRONG (Apr 18, 2009)

depends on if a person uses aas ...


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## dr gonzo (Oct 8, 2011)

ewen said:


> depends on if a person uses aas ...


 Say you did then how much mate coz i was wondering the same thing.


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## 1010AD (May 30, 2009)

I hear this all the time that your body can't absorb more than 30g protein in one sitting but I've not read any solid evidence on this and it is a subject that get talked about a lot, I would like to read some new evidence on this as most of what i've herd was written some time ago


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## Trevor McDonald (Mar 30, 2010)

I'm guessing post workout you could probably consume more of the higher limit as well?

I've always had 40g pre workout and post on upper body days and 50g pre and post on back + leg days.


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## dr gonzo (Oct 8, 2011)

1010AD said:


> I hear this all the time that your body can't absorb more than 30g protein in one sitting but I've not read any solid evidence on this and it is a subject that get talked about a lot, I would like to read some new evidence on this as most of what i've herd was written some time ago


 Yea i heard around 30-40g protein per meal but i see people with like 50g of protein per meal and if you need like 300g protein its alot of meals at 30g a pop isnt it?


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## dr gonzo (Oct 8, 2011)

Mey said:


> I'm guessing post workout you could probably consume more of the higher limit as well?
> 
> I've always had 40g pre workout and post on upper body days and 50g pre and post on back + leg days.


 Should be having more carbs rather than protein for workout m8


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## MRSTRONG (Apr 18, 2009)

im not sure on exact amounts i think its around 46g that i read although if it takes 4 hours to digest the average meal that has 60g of protein and you dont poo or pee for 5 hours then where does the excess go ?

does it turn to fat ?


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## MRSTRONG (Apr 18, 2009)

dr gonzo said:


> Yea i heard around 30-40g protein per meal but i see people with like 50g of protein per meal and if you need like 300g protein its alot of meals at 30g a pop isnt it?


m8 i try and hit 370g of protein due to my training so breaking that into 30g meals would kill me lol


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## C.Hill (Nov 21, 2010)

I consume roughly 500g protein ed and a couple of meals have 80g each, just fit it with your macros and get it in!


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## MRSTRONG (Apr 18, 2009)

C.Hill said:


> I consume roughly 500g protein ed and a couple of meals have 80g each, just fit it with your macros and get it in!


500 ? but your only 12 stone ....


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## C.Hill (Nov 21, 2010)

ewen said:


> 500 ? but your only 12 stone ....


14.5 you Cnut lol need a new avi really it's a year old now lol


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## Muscle (Oct 10, 2010)

C.Hill said:


> 14.5 you Cnut lol need a new avi really it's a year old now lol


How much did you weigh in the avi?


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## Dux (Nov 29, 2011)

I can't remember the last time I didn't double scoop my shakes.


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## MRSTRONG (Apr 18, 2009)

C.Hill said:


> 14.5 you Cnut lol need a new avi really it's a year old now lol


haha i take it you do low carb high protein ?

but still 14.5 and 500g :lol:


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## C.Hill (Nov 21, 2010)

Muscle said:


> How much did you weigh in the avi?


About 13 I think, bodyfat levels have hardly changed, if anything a bit leaner.


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## Readyandwaiting (Mar 20, 2011)

i used to have about 60g per meal.

The bigger I got the more I felt I needed due to hunger pangs for protein if you know the feeling


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## C.Hill (Nov 21, 2010)

ewen said:


> haha i take it you do low carb high protein ?
> 
> but still 14.5 and 500g :lol:


Nah it's a protocol that ausbuilt follows, I'm trying it for a few months, about 10 weeks in and it is hard to keep drinking shakes with every meal every 2 hours every day but results are impressive!


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## Muscle (Oct 10, 2010)

C.Hill said:


> Nah it's a protocol that ausbuilt follows, I'm trying it for a few months, about 10 weeks in and it is hard to keep drinking shakes with every meal every 2 hours every day but results are impressive!


Do you have a journal mate? You should log it


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## C.Hill (Nov 21, 2010)

Muscle said:


> Do you have a journal mate? You should log it


I haven't mate, may do one in new year, need a kick up the **** at the moment!


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## MRSTRONG (Apr 18, 2009)

C.Hill said:


> Nah it's a protocol that ausbuilt follows, I'm trying it for a few months, about 10 weeks in and it is hard to keep drinking shakes with every meal every 2 hours every day but results are impressive!


thought he did 500g of protein and no more than 70g of carbs ?

plus he weighs 105kg


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## C.Hill (Nov 21, 2010)

ewen said:


> thought he did 500g of protein and no more than 70g of carbs ?
> 
> plus he weighs 105kg


Yes that's right.

Yes he does.


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## Readyandwaiting (Mar 20, 2011)

500 g for 14.5 stone is excessive to shyt IMO.

You're a brave man.

When I was 18 stone I was getting about no more than that a day and that was TOP end.

DAMMMMMMMMMMMMN.

But I ain't gonna h8 if it's working in a positive and productive way then fine


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## MRSTRONG (Apr 18, 2009)

C.Hill said:


> Yes that's right.
> 
> Yes he does.


so high protein low carb like i said then lol .

so these results what are they ?


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## Muscle (Oct 10, 2010)

If he isn't gaining fat I don't see the problem in him eating 500g of protein. I thought ausbuilt only has 50g of carbs lol.


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## C.Hill (Nov 21, 2010)

ewen said:


> so high protein low carb like i said then lol .
> 
> so these results what are they ?


Very good mate!

Was tired first few days but i got used to it.

I followed it alongside test p/tren a/t3 cycle, very pleased, increased muscle mass, decreased fat.

I haven't got measurements or anything like that lol


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## Cowley (Aug 24, 2010)

Its depending on your size and your body weight tbh.. If you look at Ronnie Coleman's macros you will see what i mean lol, and yeah ewen is right aswell


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## Muscle (Oct 10, 2010)

ausbuilt said:


> Competition dieting is rather an individual matter as far as success goes. Generally, if one is in a calorie deficit, while maintaing a very high protein content and taking anabolics, that person will lose minimal muscle if any at all while losing a great deal of bodyfat.
> 
> Add to that combo fat burning aids, and one can achieve stage shape very quickly.
> 
> ...


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## Sureno (Feb 8, 2011)

I used to be on the school of thought the body only absorbs X amount per sitting but thinking about it, it seems illogical, firstly what determines a sitting? Your body continually produces digestive juices so why wouldn't the protein get absorbed? I do believe once you have perhaps hit your required amount for the day and for the body to recover the excess protein may be discarded, the more protein the more your body remains in positive nitrogen balance, with the aid of aas and even thy meds the sky is the limit to protein turnover, iv started a new diet high in protein 500g avg carbs 300g- and little fat, so a lot of protein shakes with and In between meals


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## Sureno (Feb 8, 2011)

Muscle said:


> Muscle


Ha!!! This is what I'm doing!!! Good stuff


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## dr gonzo (Oct 8, 2011)

ewen said:


> m8 i try and hit 370g of protein due to my training so breaking that into 30g meals would kill me lol


 how much do you normally have in one meal pal


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## Muscle (Oct 10, 2010)

ausbuilt said:


> 1. the majority of the cals are protein-youre shooting for about 500g of protein, thats 2000cal... 2. you end up at 50g of carbs-day thats 200cal 3. 30g of fats 270 cals.
> 
> Here's the thing. When dieting, your body first uses carbs for energy (breaks carbs down to glucose),when there's not enough glucose, it goes to convert protein (i.e breaks down protein to aminos, and converts aminos to glucose- called gluconeogenesis) for energy...when there is not enough protein in the diet, this comes from muscle.. finally, fats are broken into glycerol (which also undergoes gluconeogenesis) and last of all, free fatty acids are converted to ketones and burnt for energy.
> 
> ...


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## C.Hill (Nov 21, 2010)

^that's the one


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## weeman (Sep 6, 2007)

its an irrelevant question that no one will ever properly be able to answer due to infinite varibales,which all change again as soon as you bring aas into the equation.

Think of how long your intestine is and then ask yourself really are you gnr keep on kidding yourself that your only gnr absorb 30g prot at a time?

In offseason and for first several weeks of prep i eat about 400g prot and carbs a day,i have about 100g prot and 100g carbs with each meal,50g from meat and 50 g from slow release shake,my body will be absorbing protein all day,again people over thinking things,just get it in and stop over complicating it,your body is an incredible machine.


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## Sureno (Feb 8, 2011)

Muscle your reading the same book as me lol this is the route I'm going

Down, high dose aas 3g ew, T3/4 and clen. With the diet I hope to gain muscle and lose fat


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## MRSTRONG (Apr 18, 2009)

dr gonzo said:


> how much do you normally have in one meal pal


min of 50 g .

i eat 7-8 times a day as im a big hungry fuker lol


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## MRSTRONG (Apr 18, 2009)

Sureno said:


> Muscle your reading the same book as me lol this is the route I'm going
> 
> Down, high dose aas 3g ew, T3/4 and clen. With the diet I hope to gain muscle and lose fat


high hopes for building muscle then :lol:


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## MRSTRONG (Apr 18, 2009)

weeman said:



> its an irrelevant question that no one will ever properly be able to answer due to infinite varibales,which all change again as soon as you bring aas into the equation.
> 
> Think of how long your intestine is and then ask yourself really are you gnr keep on kidding yourself that your only gnr absorb 30g prot at a time?
> 
> In offseason and for first several weeks of prep i eat about 400g prot and carbs a day,i have about 100g prot and 100g carbs with each meal,50g from meat and 50 g from slow release shake,my body will be absorbing protein all day,again people over thinking things,just get it in and stop over complicating it,your body is an incredible machine.


this is the exact thinking i follow im not sure how long the intestines are but damn sure its long enough to absorbs 100+ grams of protein .

i think of this , fat people are fat from eating 100`s of g of carbs day in day out but get fat so why would our bodies absorb more carbs than protein when carbs are not essential but protein is ..

afterall protein is the building blocks of life .


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## bdcc (Aug 15, 2011)

If anyone has a definitive answer I will rep them.

The highest I have heard is hard training athletes still being in negative nitrogen balance at 2g/lb bodyweight but going into positive nitrogen balance at 2.2g/lb bodyweight.

I have never been able to find the study though so this post is fairly worthless lol.


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## musio (Jan 25, 2008)

It depends on the person. A short skinny guy will absorb less than a large built tall fella.


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## Fatstuff (Mar 2, 2010)

Lol you can only digest a certain amount of whey on an empty stomach before it gets metabolised by the liver if u eat whey only and nothing with it, as this is rarely the case, that is a moot point. But any other type of protein or whey on a non empty stomach will just sit in the gut waiting to be digested! It takes hours to digest a meal, it won't have digested before your next meal.


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## Jedd (Mar 17, 2011)

If the protein supplement companies suggest portions of 35g of whey - containing 25g of protein - there must be a reason. Its in their interest to encourage us to drink as much whey as possible, yet they only advise a portion which provides 25g prot. Some people on here are consuming 300+g of protein per day. That's the equivalent of 12 shakes! If that level of protein intake was required to build muscle, surely the protein manufacturers would advise you drink bigger portions to supplement your real food.

Yes you can overthink these things, but its healthy to question whether we need so much protein - especially when a proportion of it comes from powder that is processed...

Don't get me wrong, I don't know the answer, I'm not saying people are wrong to eat so much protein, just putting it out there as there seems to be different opinions.


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## MRSTRONG (Apr 18, 2009)

Jedd said:


> If the protein supplement companies suggest portions of 35g of whey - containing 25g of protein - there must be a reason. Its in their interest to encourage us to drink as much whey as possible, yet they only advise a portion which provides 25g prot. Some people on here are consuming 300+g of protein per day. That's the equivalent of 12 shakes! If that level of protein intake was required to build muscle, surely the protein manufacturers would advise you drink bigger portions to supplement your real food.
> 
> Yes you can overthink these things, but its healthy to question whether we need so much protein - especially when a proportion of it comes from powder that is processed...
> 
> Don't get me wrong, I don't know the answer, I'm not saying people are wrong to eat so much protein, just putting it out there as there seems to be different opinions.


your right that a company says take 1 30 g serving containg x amount of protein however it normally says take 1-2 servings with milk 3-4 times a day or atleast every tub ive had says this ...


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## weeman (Sep 6, 2007)

musio said:


> It depends on the person. A short skinny guy will absorb less than a large built tall fella.


explain lee priest then,or kevin english,flex lewis etc etc etc,exactly,your post doesnt make sense.


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## MRSTRONG (Apr 18, 2009)

weeman said:


> explain lee priest then,or kevin english,flex lewis etc etc etc,exactly,your post doesnt make sense.


theyve got that extended intestine thing going on :whistling:


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## weeman (Sep 6, 2007)

ewen said:


> theyve got that extended intestine thing going on :whistling:


 :lol: :lol: and thus answers the mystery of their bumbags,thats where they keep it :lol: :lol:


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## bayman (Feb 27, 2010)

The bro-science is storng in this thread!

I've answered this question multiple times on here before, but the answer is: *Your body will absorb all the protein you throw at it.*

Large servings of wholefood protein (meat, fish, eggs etc) just sit in the gut until completely digested. A process known as the "illeal brake" slows the transit of large boluses of food to ensure complete digestion and absorbtion. It doesn't make sense from an evolutionary perspective for us to waste food, especially when it might have been scarce in the past.

Once the protein has been absorbed as amino acids and peptides, it'll get used for various metabolic processes, including building new tissue etc. Proteins that are absorbed pretty quickly (such as whey) may up blood amino levels to a point where they are excess to needs, in this case the body just burns them off for energy. Excess protein will get used for energy, and if this exceeds energy requirements stored as fat. However, protein is rarely stored directly as fat, and what tends to happen is upped protein oxidation results in carbs and fats getting stored instead.

Whey is absorbed at around 10g per hour.

Caesin is absorbed at around 4-6g per hour.

Wholefood proteins are even slower.


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## Fatstuff (Mar 2, 2010)

Bayman u are bloody late, u need to be on the ball - who else can debunk the myths to your extent lol - I'm surprised this never turned into a 60 page debate like before lol, that was an epic thread!!!!! Good to see u around again


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## Ste7n (Jul 12, 2011)

Another thing to throw into the melting pot, how do prisoners who train, and some come out very big compared to when they went in, when they wouldn't be able to get a high protein diet, even if they were taking gear..? I can see if taking aas up to 500g could be beneficial, but i don't see how some cons come out fcuking huge..?


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## Fatstuff (Mar 2, 2010)

SouthPaw said:


> Another thing to throw into the melting pot, how do prisoners who train, and some come out very big compared to when they went in, when they wouldn't be able to get a high protein diet, even if they were taking gear..? I can see if taking aas up to 500g could be beneficial, but i don't see how some cons come out fcuking huge..?


They are allowed protein powder and all sorts inside mate, don't be fooled that they are living on gruel!!!!


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## Breda (May 2, 2011)

SouthPaw said:


> Another thing to throw into the melting pot, how do prisoners who train, and some come out very big compared to when they went in, when they wouldn't be able to get a high protein diet, even if they were taking gear..? I can see if taking aas up to 500g could be beneficial, but i don't see how some cons come out fcuking huge..?


They eat train and sleep and fcuk all else perfect conditions for muscle growth


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