# weightliftin' and protean

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weightliftin-and-protean/62735>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 20, 2001, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weightliftin-and-protean/62735 "2001-04-20T23:42:47Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Occam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Occam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Occam)\
**Post date:** [April 20, 2001, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weightliftin-and-protean/62735/1 "2001-04-20T23:42:47Z")

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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.

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**Author:** ![excitableboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c4cdca/32.png) [@excitableboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excitableboy)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2001, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weightliftin-and-protean/62735/2 "2001-04-21T06:37:18Z")

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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.