Thread: Occasionally not meeting protein minimum: detrimental in the long run?

How big of a deal is this, in anyone's experience? While 24 hour increments are more an instrument of convenience than necessity (in speaking of a "daily" target, when you could use a different unit of time instead), if you don't acutely get enough, say, one day of the week even if you're on track otherwise - perhaps after a particularly demanding workout, that still seems like it could be somewhat detrimental in the long run, even if you consistently meet the target on the other days.

If you visit a friend spontaneously, have to miss a meal from an anomaly, don't have access to protein-rich food etc., sometimes you're going to run up short. Does it matter that much when it's quite a bit short, even if it's fairly occasional, like every two weeks?

Surely it won't be that big of a deal, but curious if you all do find it to be more than a drop in the bucket in your experience.

This is why I stash cans of tuna, sardines and chicken in my vehicles and at work. I don't know when I'll be home on any given day, so my protein is portable. I even stash milk, Greek yogurt and eggs in the breakroom fridge at work. I bring some whey and make my own VGHP shake.

One time this fat cow lady saw me mixing it up one morning at work. She asked me if I was making ice cream. I said "No, this is protein powder, Greek yogurt, milk and raw eggs." She gave me this look like I had an arm growing out of my forehead.

Better to miss a workout than a meal…

Yeah, so far, my performance has not been notably impeded, and is in fact beyond what I tend to work with on a deficit, overall. Don't seem to be losing visible mass, either. Still probably best to err on the side of caution with this sort of thing though, knowing that it is possible to loss hard-won mass by carelessly fasting.

Originally Posted by coachcalande

Better to miss a workout than a meal…

I couldn't do the "6 snacks a day" approach to fat loss, I don't think. Concentrating my calories is much easier for me psychologically, and if I ate ad libidum multiple times a day, I would undo all of my progress.

Originally Posted by EliKoehn

Yeah, so far, my performance has not been notably impeded, and is in fact beyond what I tend to work with on a deficit, overall. Don't seem to be losing visible mass, either. Still probably best to err on the side of caution with this sort of thing though, knowing that it is possible to loss hard-won mass by carelessly fasting.



I couldn't do the "6 snacks a day" approach to fat loss, I don't think. Concentrating my calories is much easier for me psychologically, and if I ate ad libidum multiple times a day, I would undo all of my progress.

I forgot you were reducing…Im thinking bulking and gaining size and strength all of the time so put the premium on availability of nutrition.

Depends. Are you contest prepping? And if so how many weeks out? If not contest prepping it won’t really matter.

Originally Posted by coachcalande

I forgot you were reducing…Im thinking bulking and gaining size and strength all of the time so put the premium on availability of nutrition.

Yeah, I prefer that too, but at some point it's beneficial to trim down and get rid of anything north of 20%, as that doesn't do anyone any favors... I certainly have more of a "be big and strong" mentality than worrying about fine definition, as impressive as that is for those who have worked hard enough for it.

Originally Posted by desslok

Depends. Are you contest prepping? And if so how many weeks out? If not contest prepping it won’t really matter.

No, I'd like to compete in powerlifting next year, possibly, if I can get to 3/4/5 at slightly lower than my current weight. Competitive bodybuilding is not really that appealing to me, and I'd have to lose a lot more weight for it.

Of course, if you do lose muscle, that's bad even if you're not competing in the sport, no?