I can't get my protein up

nxd10

I'm trying to keep my carbs under 40%, because that is important for my maintenance. Easiest way to do that is to up my protein and to some extent fat. But I'm having an awful time. I've been trying for 3 weeks.

I have eggs and fruit or plain yogurt and granola with fruit for breakfast.
I usually have some kind of meat with a salad for lunch. I use a teaspoon of dressing or straight vinegar.
I have your basic lean meat (chicken/fish/pork tenderloin) and two veggies for dinner
I'll have a 1/4 cup of ice cream and maybe some plain whole milk kefir for a snack. Sometimes I have a boiled egg or some cashews.

Not even close on protein - 20% maybe. My son is on a very strict low tyramine/histamine diet so I can't add tofu or cold cuts - two of my old staples. The only thing I have with straight sugar in it is coffee once a day and the ice cream. I feel perplexed. Just eating large amounts of meat and skimping on vegetables doesn't seem to be the healthy option. Anything with eggs or dairy adds more carbs relative to protein.

I've been maintaining for 3 years and I know my net calories are around 1780. I can do that easily, but I'm having a really hard time with macros.

SherryTeach

If you are able to maintain easily, as you say, why do you think your protein macro should be higher than 20%? That is what my protein is set to and I've maintained fine on that too.

livingleanlivingclean

Eat more protein... Not sure how you aren't getting a decent amount if you are eating it at 3 meals, unless you're eating miniscule amounts.

Try eggs with vegies instead of fruit, if you're getting enough fat from other things use a mix of whole eggs and whites.

Choose less carb dense vegies, then you get the volume without the carbs.

If you're still struggling, consider getting a protein powder. You could mix it with yoghurt (buy a natural one for lower sugar if you don't already) or drink it as a shake.

dopeysmelly

I would first double-check that you are using the USDA database entries for what you are already eating as much as possible. There's a surprising amount of protein in vegetables, for example, that might not turn up in your diary, even though you are eating it.

Other than that, greek/strained yogurt is great for a protein boost - you can play with the fat content to get the carb ratio you want. Seeds and nuts have protein as well as fat, and increasing your fish intake will probably give you more protein for your calories than meat (although that depends on cut/species and method of cooking).

You might also consider having a snack of a high-protein food your son can't eat at a time when he's not around (depending on age etc.). Maybe keep some soybeans/tofu etc. in a separate food box in the fridge if you're worried about contamination?

nxd10

Sherry - I mostly feel I need to drop by carbs below 40%, not raise protein. I come from a family of diabetics. I am not pre-diabetic (only one of 5 sibs not to be), but I would like to keep my carbs on the lower side. And I know that I have a lot of flexibility in my calories if my carbs are lower, but have to be very careful if they go over 50%. Other people say they don't have to do that. I do.

Adding fat can make that easy to do, but my protein always lags. My veg choices are mostly low carb - spinach, collards, etc. But anything not green is high in carbs (eggplant, squash, yams). I eat noodles OR rice OR potatoes maybe twice a week and not in large quantities. Rarely eat bread. So I'm also just intellectually curious - people say they eat very high protein diet. I cannot make that happen.

Livinglean - Well, eating several eggs a day, yogurt, nuts, and meat at 2 meals a day sounds like eating protein to me. I looked up high protein food - yep, eat everything except tofu every day. But lunch protein is 1-3 oz (4 if I get a burger). Typical meat serving at dinner is 3 oz of pork or fish or 6 oz of chicken. Veggies have about the same protein as fruit. It just looks so odd to me that it tells me my Red Mill granola has as much protein as my yogurt or my cabbage has as much as my eggs. Maybe I just do not understand nutritional information.

Dopeysmelly (interesting choice of name), I have been wondering about the accuracy of macros in the database. I'm not worried about contamination and I do eat what he can't at breakfast and lunch - he can't eat cheese or beans for example. (He is on a low tyramine and histamine diet for severe chronic migraines.) But we all eat dinner together.

It may just be hopeless. I love vegetables. I easily gave up bread, but sorry, I don't think a piece of fruit a day is excessive. My weight is maintaining fine. I'm more worried about nutrition. If vegans and vegetarians can do it, I'm sure I'll live too.

EvanKeel

I had some canned mackerel today for breakfast. It might be kind of an acquired taste, but it was high in both protein and fat.

AliceDark

Some of it may be the specific brands/types of foods you're choosing. For example, plain greek yogurt can be high in protein, but some of the flavored types of regular (non-greek) yogurt don't have much protein at all. Next time you're at the grocery store, spend some time looking at the nutritional information for some different yogurts -- there's a ton of variation there. Also, I have no idea why people are still recommending nuts as a good protein source. Nuts are a good fat source, but they have a relatively small amount of protein when compared with total calories.

Are you opposed to using a protein powder or bars? Beyond that, you could try things like cottage cheese or canned tuna/chicken to get some additional protein.

FWIW, I average 120g of vegetarian protein per day. You can feel free to take a peek at my diary for ideas if you'd like.

CSARdiver

Simple baked chicken is my go to for protein. Also sub in tuna, beef, pork, game meat, etc. Greek yogurt & eggs. My wife turned me on to the carton of egg whites and I add that to one beaten egg for an omelet with leafy greens and pepper for a good tasty protein fix. For weekdays I sub in a protein bar for breakfast (~20g). My diary is open if you care to review and get some ideas.

FitForL1fe

protein shakes

PneumaVision

Protein powder with nonfat milk and frozen berries. Hard boil a dozen eggs and throw out the yolks, dice the whites up with diced boiled chicken breasts,and moisten with nonfat Italian salad dressing.

iwantmydenimback

1oz of lunchmeat is basically pointless. you need several 4+ oz servings of meat a day if you want your protein to be anything significant. i eat 1-2 eggs, 150g chicken, 4+oz fish, yogurt, and high protein bread just about every day.

you're either going to have to supplement with protein powder or re-assess your macros. the math is simple. if you feel you must keep your carbs below 40%, then you have 60% of calories to make up with protein or fat. if you can't get your protein up, then you need to up your fat intake to compensate.

Abby2205

What's wrong with 20% protein? I'm eating 40/40/20 because that's how I like to eat. Having said that, though, are you sure you are entering items with the correct protein? I just entered something similar to what you say you eat:
3 large eggs
3/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt (I like nonfat)
30 g almonds
6 oz raw chicken breast
4 oz 90% lean ground beef

And it added up to 100 grams of protein. Then you will also have smaller amounts from the rest of your diet and it sounds perfectly fine.

PeachyPlum

Are you sure you're logging everything correctly and using accurate entries?

I have a similar number of calories to work with and eat similar foods, but frequently go way over on my protein by dinner time, and then end up eating giant bowls of steamed veggies to get my fiber caught up.

tomatoey

EvanKeel wrote: »

I had some canned mackerel today for breakfast. It might be kind of an acquired taste, but it was high in both protein and fat.

See also smoked mackerel on toast with eggs, and Korean-style grilled mackerel
http://www.koreanbapsang.com/2010/08/godengeo-gui-grilled-mackerel.html

I'm tweaking my macros (and portions) a bit lately, not seeing so much success satiety-wise with smaller meals/protein-food sizes. Someone else in another thread mentioned preferring 3 squares with 8 oz of protein each, and thinking about it, I think I like that best too, personally. Will test it out too.

nxd10

Abby2205 wrote: »

What's wrong with 20% protein? I'm eating 40/40/20 because that's how I like to eat. Having said that, though, are you sure you are entering items with the correct protein? I just entered something similar to what you say you eat:
3 large eggs
3/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt (I like nonfat)
30 g almonds
6 oz raw chicken breast
4 oz 90% lean ground beef

And it added up to 100 grams of protein. Then you will also have smaller amounts from the rest of your diet and it sounds perfectly fine.

That has got to be twice my calories if I added vegetables. I think I'm just going to suck up the low protein life. I love my veggies and my plain yogurt.

Yes, I am positive I am logging accurately. I've logged everything for 3 years. But I do eat small quantities - 1/4 cup of yogurt and 1/4 cup granola. Two eggs (not 3). Sorry, 1-2 oz of roast beef is plenty for me in a rollup for lunch. 4 oz of tenderloin is a lot. 6 oz of chicken breast is more than plenty.

Protein powder is not worth it to me.

---

From all of this I'm basically taking that if I want to eat more protein and stick to my calories I should make that the priority, drop all carbs (the calorie dense item in my diet), and fill in with green vegetables. I will think on this.

vypressme

It looks like you are having protein with most meals, but very little in quantity -3 to 6 oz is not a lot. By the looks of it, you simply prefer veggies over meat. So how about some higher protein beans/seeds? There's quinoa, chia, lentils, etc.

You can make a quiche with all your favorite veggies, beans (the darker the better), eggs and tofu too.

Also, yes - dairy adds more carbs - but not as much as fruit, veg, and ice cream and it would be difficult to find a natural source of only one macro.

Cottage cheese usually has more protein than yogurt. You can try switching from time to time.

Another idea - who said your macros should be the same every day? Unless that's how you prefer it, you could do say a lower carb day, and get in that protein. (LE - without having to give up your favorite foods all the time)

Where there's a will, there's a way

mattyc772014

Cod fish too....its great in shakes. jk Seriously cod fish...add lots of lime, little cayenne and some avocado after its cooked. You can eat alot of it too so you will be filled up.

nxd10

I do it by the week, but yeah, never hit it. We have dropped cheese from our daily diet because my son can't eat it, but tuna and fish could definitely get added in more. I have LOTS of eggs - we raise chickens - and have been snacking on boiled eggs. But I hate to throw out the yolks (waste of food!). So I add protein, but relatively more fat so it doesn't help my percentages.

I should get back to more beans. Another favorite food son can't eat. But he can eat quinoa - and I love it.

Protein was one of my big surprises when I started logging. So filling for so few calories.

canadjineh

Too much protein will still be stored as fat, btw. Full fat cheese has zero -1 carb usually (it's the low fat versions that have added carbs). Quest bars have a high protein to carb ratio since there is a lot of fibre in the bars which equates to a lower net carb count. Choose vegetable that have higher fibre counts like avocados (technically a fruit), zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, green onions, etc. Remember that a lot of the measurements for the meats are raw weights which cook down, so 6 oz of chicken or beef isn't quite as big as you think it might be. I am on a low carb ketogenic style diet for maintenance and it works fine this past year, but I do eat a fair bit of healthy fats in my meals.

RaspberryTickleChicken

Can I ask why you're wanting to up your protein intake? (just curious)