Calorie absorption. Wishful thinking?

[BCs 1000 364]

Disclaimer - This is just a Friday night bit of fluff, not a serious nutritional question.

I have read on these forums that our bodies can only absorb a maximum amount of Protein in one hit.

So what about carbs & calories? If I ate a lot of calories in one go, would my body not be able to absorb them all? Would my body absorb less of 500 calories if I ate it in one go than if I spread it out over five days?

Or is this just wishful thinking?

I am craving a really big icecream Specifically a Baskin Robbins Rocky Road. I had one 15 years ago and all of a sudden I can't stop thinking about it. I am not even sure it still exists.

[LipstickLady 25,682]

Your body will absorb every single one of those calories. That said, I am not one that believes in total abstinence or substitution because no matter how many work around you try to eat, you will end up consuming that ice cream, too.

Go get a kiddie sized and enjoy it. Don't bring it home, don't eat it in your car, eat it at the place and eat it slowly so you actually taste it. I think half my problem with obesity was how quickly I horsed my food down. I was never satisfied because I never enjoyed it.

If you want more, it will be there next week, next month, next year. Eat a little and follow it up with a jog, a hike, a swim. Or better, exercise in advance and then treat yourself to a bit of Rocky Road.

[BCs 1000 364]

I just ran 10.5km. Surely that warrants it [emoji14]

[jane13 2,256]

@@BCs 1000 - if you just ran 10.5km, in my book, yes that warrants a kiddie size Rocky Road

[LipstickLady 25,682]

I just ran 10.5km. Surely that warrants it

Only a 10?

Ok, half a kiddie sized.

[BigViffer 3,544]

Actually, a body cannot always absorb all the calories, that's why it gets turned into fat. As for the max Protein absorption, that is a misunderstood bit of information that gets bandied around as fact. Don't worry about getting "too much" protein in at one time.

[jess9395 5,448]

Just for the record... We tend to overestimate calorie burn... Running a 10k (which is just over 6 miles) will burn about 600 calories (regardless of pace... 100 calories per mile is a good estimate... You just burn it faster if you run faster).

That said, I'm also in the moderation camp. Go for the kiddie size! Just don't get into the habit of eating whatever you want after running! I put on about 10lbs during a training cycle doing that! Took it back off, but just be careful!

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

My understanding is that anything (protein, carbs, and fat) that you eat that isn't metabolized right away is stored as fat.

[lisacaron 5,075]

So the reality is that our bodies can not and do not store Protein. It must be replenished every day. Yes there are certain amounts of Protein that the body can metabolize...those amounts are based on what your body "needs" and that can fluctuate depending on age, gender and weight etc. If there is excess that the body does not need, since the body can not store it or turn it to sugar or fat or any other element like it can with carbohydrates your body excretes the excess.

This is the main reason why our Dr.'s all focus on a high protein diet, so that we are using 100% of our intake of food as long as the protein is lean, low or no fat.

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

So the reality is that our bodies can not and do not store Protein. It must be replenished every day. Yes there are certain amounts of Protein that the body can metabolize...those amounts are based on what your body "needs" and that can fluctuate depending on age, gender and weight etc. If there is excess that the body does not need, since the body can not store it or turn it to sugar or fat or any other element like it can with carbohydrates your body excretes the excess.

This is the main reason why our Dr.'s all focus on a high protein diet, so that we are using 100% of our intake of food as long as the protein is lean, low or no fat.

Are you sure? It is my understanding that excess protein can be stored as fat. I may be wrong. I'll have to see if I can find more info.

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

According to this, the excess Protein is converted to energy (which, if I understand correctly, if not used, can be stored as fat).

http://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/diet-tips/ask-diet-doctor-eating-too-much-protein-waste

[Christinamo7 4,041]

According to this, the excess Protein is converted to energy (which, if I understand correctly, if not used, can be stored as fat).

http://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/diet-tips/ask-diet-doctor-eating-too-much-protein-waste

it feels like *everything* is stored as fat

[Renkoss 420]

I know as a diabetic that too much Protein can be converted to glucagon and stored in our bodies, hence a diabetic should typically eat moderate Protein rather than high. This of course never worked for me and is why I had gastric bypass. Many diabetics (Type 2) can eat a low carb/moderate protein/high good fat diet and lose weight and have tight control of their blood sugars. I attempted to do that for a few years, and I had to use insulin because of my extreme insulin resistance. The insulin causes a lot of fat storage around the abdominal area and why I had to have WLS.

Just my understanding of too much protein with a diabetic.

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

Just in my educated opinion, I think that as long as we aren't eating more than 30 grams at a time we should be ok. I would rather be a little over my Protein requirement than to not be getting enough protein. It is a balancing act, but I think for bariatric patients, if we don't eat more than 30 grams at a time we shouldn't be afraid of protein.

[lisacaron 5,075]

Here is an article that helps explain things the way the Dr. explained it to me.

http://www.webmd.com/men/features/benefits-Protein

There are issues with everything we do to excess. Trust me I have learned this lesson very painfully with a bought of pancreatitis in the last month.

Eating one thing to any excess is going to cause some kind of reaction, but I will say that eating more Protein is better for weight loss than eating a bag of candy ;P