Some weightlifting books I’ve read say the human body can only digest 30 grams of protean every three hours. A friend of mine maintains it’s only 30 grams a day. So…I figured someone here knows the straightdope.
I was told by a weightlifter that to add a good deal of muscle mass, you have to eat 1 gram of protein daily for each pound of body weight. This doesn’t seem unreasonable as for me 180gr. * 4 cal/gr(constant for protein) = only 720 calories or about 25% of my total daily calorie intake.
I have also heard that proteins are easy to digest, and it is the leafy and grainy things that give us trouble, so although I can’t give you a definitive answer, I would say that your friend’s story is unlikely.