Quote Originally Posted by waderow View Post
why, what could happen if you eat 130 grams of protein?
Probably nothing, maybe constipation though. What I was trying to get at is it would be preferable to eat smaller amounts of protein more frequently.

I'm sure 5151 will argue this but eating 6 small meals is beneficial compared to 3 large meals. For starters. Large meals slow digestion. Also if you think about it. Food can only be absorbed through the walls of your intestines. There are also various transporters for different macronutrients but a smaller volume of food mixes better with the gastrointestinal juices and is more readily broken down and absorbed. So if you were to eat 6 meals containing 30g of protein (assuming the total volume is comparitively small) vs 1 meal containing 180g of protein. There is a good chance your body would be able to more readily utilize the protein from the smaller meals.

Now, getting back to the maximum protein per meal issue. As was previously mentioned, the body can adapt to intake and demand. So it is very likely that the intestines of a bodybuilder are capable of absorbing more protein than an average person. I guess a lot of it would depend on the source of the protein. 130g of whey protein would be much easier to digest and absorb than the large amount of meat you would need to yield the same amount of protein. Also the total volume of the meal is a factor, as is the fat content and the amount of fiber is also important.

So maybe it would work ok although the other thing you have to think about is daily protein requirement. (I can already tell 5151 is going to have a field day with this.) I've done some research previously. From what I gathered for a high-level natural athlete you need approximately 2g/kg of lean mass/day. So 1g/lb of lean mass is a safe estimate. So lets use Jonnyo as an example 240lbs 10%bf = 216g/day. The issue of course is that studies are not done using competitive bodybuilders. However, the discrepancy between what science believes is necessary to maintain a positive nitrogen balance and what someone eats in a day is quite large. So do you really need 130g of protein in one meal and can your body effectively utilize it? Maybe, but I wouldn't do it.