Is Eating Over 20 Grams Of Protein A “Waste”?

One of the most common questions fitness coaches get asked is “How much protein is too much?”

There is a popular myth that eating above a certain threshold for protein will be a “waste” and we should cap our protein consumption at a certain number of grams per meal.

Is this actually true?

Do we “waste” all of the protein we’ve consumed over a certain number?

If so, what is that number, and how should we split up our meals so we don’t waste any gains?

Let’s dive in and see what the research truly shows.

The Myth of The “Protein Absorption Ceiling”

When discussing myths, it’s important to understand their origin.

The “you can only absorb so much protein in one sitting” myth is one that stems from a poorly misinterpreted study that measured muscle protein synthesis rates after consuming various amounts of protein.

The study had different groups, and those groups consumed different amounts of protein (think 20 grams, 40 grams, 60 grams, etc), and then measured muscle protein synthesis after the meal was eaten.

Muscle protein synthesis is a fancy way of saying “your muscles are in an anabolic/growth state”.

Muscle protein synthesis measures the degree with which your muscles are repairing themselves, which allows for a faster rate of strength gains, and ultimately, size gains.

The study realized that the difference in protein synthesis was not statistically different between the groups, regardless of the size of the protein bolus.

And since there was no difference between 20 grams, 40 grams, 60 grams, etc, that caused everyone to start screaming “your body can only use 20 grams of protein, everything else is a waste!”

This caused bodybuilders everywhere to start waking up in the middle of the night, just to slam a protein shake and stay “anabolic”.

There’s a big issue with this takeaway from one, single study – muscle protein synthesis isn’t the only benefit of eating protein.

Protein is much more filling than the other 2 macronutrients, which helps you reduce hunger on a diet.

Protein helps you preserve muscle as well as build muscle, and not everyone has goals of being “huge”.

Protein provides a metabolic advantage over the other 2 macronutrients, and can aid in fat loss because of this (protein has a high “thermal effect” – 25% of its calories are burned off in the digestion process).

Protein is nearly impossible to convert to body fat – it can cause weight gain if eaten in excess, sure, but it will be nearly all muscle gain if protein is your main source of excess calories.

Also, it’s important to note that although the acute muscle building effects are maxed out at about 20 grams of protein, eating more than 20 grams of protein in one sitting will keep protein and essential amino acids in your system for a much longer duration.

Meaning, if you eat 20 grams of protein, you may have protein in your system for 3-4 hours.

But if you eat 100 grams of protein, you may have protein in your system for 10-12 hours. (This is just an example with arbitrary numbers.)

Plus, eating less frequently requires less planning, and can be less stressful than trying to schedule a diet with 5-6 small meals per day.

What should you do?

Just because your body doesn’t get an additional muscle building benefit if it eats more than 20 grams of protein in one sitting doesn’t mean the protein is “wasted”.

It still provides you with energy.

It still helps you feel full.

It still gives you a metabolic advantage over the other macros.

It still helps you gain more muscle overall versus the other macronutrients.

Anecdotally, lots of our coaching clients eat meals with way more than 20 grams of protein in one sitting.

Our clients have no issue with building muscle, as evidenced by the obvious results we get for them.

I personally often eat meals with 100+ grams of protein in them, and I’ve gained muscle through the years just fine.

That being said, I do suggest tailoring your meal frequency with regards to protein towards your fitness goals.

If your main goal is fat loss, disregard meal frequency entirely.

Eat however many meals per day that you prefer, and you find the most beneficial to stick to consistently (the most important part of fat loss – adherence).

Some people prefer to fast in the morning and eat just lunch and dinner, others prefer 3 “squares”, others like frequent smaller meals.

It doesn’t matter – all that matters is your overall protein and calorie consumption over the course of the day.

If your main goal is muscle gain, that changes…

Since you want to keep muscle protein synthesis elevated chronically throughout the course of the day, it’s best to split your protein up into smaller doses more frequently.

However, you don’t need to get neurotic about it and eat 10 meals of 20 grams of protein per day (that would be super annoying to try to pull off).

Your protein will be absorbed slowly throughout the day, and a 50 gram bolus of protein will last you for at least 5-6 hours or so (probably more).

If you are focusing on muscle gain, eat at least 25-50 grams of protein 3-4 times per day, depending on your overall protein goals.

​Examples:

You’re a man who eats 200 grams of protein per day.

Eating 50 grams of protein, 4 meals per day would be “optimal” (3 would likely be just fine as well).

One meal at 7-8 am, one meal at noon, one meal at 5-6 pm, and one meal at 9-10 pm would be perfect.

Let’s say you’re a woman who eats 120 grams of protein per day.

Eating 30 grams of protein, 4 meals per day would work for you (at the same times as the example above).

And of course, remember to keep your calories in line with your overall goals as well (very important).

You must be in a deficit if you want to lose fat, and you must be in a slight surplus if you’re looking to gain appreciable muscle mass.

Jason Helmes is a former Plymouth-Canton teacher who owns and operates Anyman Fitness out of his Canton home. Anyman Fitness is an online fitness coaching service that helps its clients reach their goals in a simple, straightforward manner. You can contact Jason at jason@anymanfitness.com, or visit his site here for more information.

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