How much protein can a human body assimilate in one meal?
I read somewhere the maximum is 35 grams. Is this true?

The short answer would be, "It is False." I say that because the protein requirement is lean body mass (or size, for simplicity) dependent. In PPLP, for men, it ranges from 27 to 46 grams per meal.

my brothers name is Cyrus

Dr Kwasniewski, the polish LC doctor and author of "Homo Optimus: the Optimum Diet" believes that 20g per meal or 60g per day is about the most a person could assimilate in one day. A little more if a very large person, but the general rule is 60g per day. He believes any more than that is converted to fat, since protein cannot be stored as amino acids.

I know personally, if I eat more than about 11 ounces per day, I get rebound hunger and I fail to lose weight, suggesting that my body is not able to handle any more than that.

Here's the website. It offers some insight into his plan and some interesting info homodiet.netfirms.com

wow! 60 grams/day sounds very low to me. I am certainly no expert, but before I ever read pp or pplp it was made very clear to me by midwifes and reading that at least while pregnant women should get around 100 grams/day. Now obviously, this will be different for people who are not growing a baby, but I assume that if a woman who weighs maybe 150 can assimilate that quantity to use for the baby, wouldn't a larger person need close to that amount for their own use, and thus be able to assimilate and use it for energy?

I know that I do just fine on 60 g per day, as long as my fat is VERY HIGH, along the lines of 120 to 150 g per day.

There's margin between what a person needs to maintain LBM and what they can actually eat and get away with, I'm sure.

And FWIW, my very old PP recommendation for the very original PP book from a long time ago is 60g per day. I think that the reason they have 'allowed' people to eat more protein per day with each edition of the plan, is that they know that the body can handle more than that, especially in the presence of lower fat, where some of the protein would need to be used for energy in the absence of carbs. I prefer to use fat for energy, b/c it's easier for the body to use fat for energy than to convert protein to energy.

I'm slowing working my fat percentage UP and my protein percentage DOWN. I feel better and better actually.

I have noticed lately as well that I really feel best the more fat I have. It sounds so gross (even to me, and I am the one enjoying it!) but my favorite thing in the world lately is steak fat... I try to get some decent protein first though. ;-P

I guess it depends on what you mean by "assimilate". Clearly, the body can handle more than 60 g per day, or else body builders would have to construct their workouts around this limit, instead of constructing their protein intake around their workouts.

If you mean, "how much the body will process before gluconeogenesis occurs," I don't think there's any way of measuring that. It would vary from person to person. Some people swear they get blood sugar spikes if they eat too much protein; others don't. I don't seem to.

Personally, I find it too expensive and impractical to eat much more than 90-100 g protein per day. I'm going to eat one 4-oz can of tuna or one burger patty, not 1.25 to try to get my protein up a little. It's cheaper and easier to stretch a meal with a little more fat (eg like salad dressing) than with more protein.

My $0.02.

That's exactly what I mean...and also how much could be consumed before fat is made from the resultant glucose.

Nothing I say is ever intended to be true for all people all the time.

Obviously it varies, b/c of the bodybuilding issue. But most of us aren't bodybuilders. I doubt that my size (66 inches, smallish medium frame) and activity level (nothing to light activity) that it takes any more than 60g to maintain and repair my tissues.

The Eades had been practicing bariatric medicine for at least 15 years when they wrote the first book I believe, so I'm sure the lower recommendations from that first book are just fine for me.

Plus the lower cost is an added bonus. Lots of leftovers, which is ALWAYS a bonus!

I guess I've always believed in "approximate" when it comes lots of things, and this is one of them. Some days I get more and some I get less. I figure it all balances out and it won't kill me if I'm low one day, but I just try not to go too high as well. It's just like with water and everything else. I manage what I can for the day, based on my own personal circumstances and use the guidelines to help keep me on track.

What I found with the Eadeses' guidelines is that I wasn't getting enough protein before, whereas I feel I am now. I think at some point I craved more, but felt like I couldn't or shouldn't. Whereas now that I eat in a different manner, within the PP guidelines, I'm free to enjoy more without feeling like I'm overdoing it. It was perhaps a subtle distinction and awareness, but it was enough to change my body for good...of that I'm confident. I think it's so critical to pay attention to how our bodies react to varying levels and so far mine is thriving on this range. I know too that I don't always push to get exactly the recommended amount of protein per meal as long as it's close and/or satisfying because there are other meals where I make up for it. As long as my body is reacting positively (i.e., digesting well, not feeling lethargic or overfull) that I feel like it's working fine.

Hi, Elle! Miss you!
I think that the main reason the books published later, like PPLP and the 30-day book, suggested larger quantities of protein than the original PP book is that the original book was based on some tight calculations (which threw many people off, and they stopped trying the plan before they even started). The later books are all based on estimates--PPLP of average weight/height/activity and the 30-day book of portion sizes--so they have to build in protein in the size recommendations to compensate for the people who are larger and have more LBM. A bit more protein won't hurt the people who need less, but too little protein won't help the people who need more.

My original PP plan recommendation, with measurements, was around 70g/day. The PPLP book, based on estimates for me at the same weight and height recommends closer to 120g. Wouldn't hurt me to get that, but eating too much protein for your size doesn't help, either.

That said, a LOT of people don't get enough protein, because for years there was a blanket RDA of around 50g, no matter what your size or activity level. Obviously, that was way too low for many people. Many things immediately improved for me when I consciously began aiming for between 70-80g/protein every day. YMMV.

I eat anywhere from 140-220 g a day. I have an intense weight lifting program however. How much you use to build muscle or other lean mass depends on things like existing lean mass, if you lift/exercise, and your hormonal state. If you are eating enough and lifting your body will concentrate more on building muscle and use some amount of protein you eat to do this. If you have more steroid hormones present you have more ability to use the building blocks you just ate.

Worrying about gluconeogenisis when trying to build muscle is a sure fire way to not build muscle. Worrying about it when cutting is also a surefire way to lose muscle mass. If you don't have a proper nitrogen balance you won't build or retain muscle. As long as your caloric balance is right for your goals you will not start balooning up. Just because you have glucose in your blood doesn't mean you store it as fat. Heck, having too much fat present in your diet in any case (lowcarb or not) will also cause fat gain. A lot of lowcarbers tend to think that just because they keep insulin in check they will not gain fat. This isn't the case dudes.

All my above rant about protein has more to do with those who lift also. 60-100g sounds just peachy for someone who does just some treadmill work, really light lifting, or doesn't exercise in the traditional sense. Some handle about 15g per meal and some can handle upwards of 50g.

Hi Gaelen!

Is there a BB where all the PPers from the old board hang out since it crashed? I'd love to stop by!

Elle, it's part of the Drs. Eadeses' new website.
The boards are at: http://www.proteinpower.com/forum/

Thanks all... very interesting.
So, in PPLP, the limit for protein eaten in one meal is about 46 grams.
And even though you would be VERY muscular (weightlifter/bodybuilder), eating more than 50 grams (in ONE meal) would be a waste of your money? How can we determine what our individual maximum intake of protein is?