I have been on a new weight-gaining/bodybuilding diet. I am 6' and 150 pounds, and I have been eating a 3200-calorie diet, 25% protein, 25% fat, 50% carbs.
After a month, I started having dull pains in my kidneys on (let's call it) Day 1. By day 3 and 4, I was feeling somewhat better (I had also not ingested that much protein). Day 6 I got this pain in my foot that I think was gout. On Day 7, I ate a lot of protein again (not as much as I had had earlier, though), and on Day 8 (and part of Day 9), my kidneys hurt again.
OK, so I'm pretty sure that my 200+ grams of protein a day were related to the kidney pain/gout. (Unfortunately, much fitness/nutrition advice out there is bad - I have since read from a doctor and others who say my protein intake should be around 140 grams a day, tops).
Fair enough.
I'm on a low-ish protein diet (~50g a day, or so) for a little while.
Question is, how long would it take for my kidneys to be fine again? I want to boost my protein again to 140, but I don't want to strain them if they aren't fully healed yet.
Animal protein is very hard on the kidneys. If the mainstay of your protein intake is by way of animal protein, I would say, that at 200 g a day of protein, you are putting a lot of strain on your kidneys! The human body was not made to process that much! You are a very thin person, as I am, and there is no amount of protein that will change that. At most, you only need about .5gm of protein per pound of body weight. Any more is simply wasted and a strain on the kidneys. You are not going to build any more muscle than if you were to drop your protein by over 50 percent-this is scientific-medical fact. The quality of protein is what is important, not the quantity. I would suggest you lower animal protein and concentrate on pre-assimilated protein, like whey.
Last edited by Deanne1962; 10-18-2012 at 12:52 AM.
