Protein and Sugar questions....

crownedether

i'm sure you get asked this a lot... but the 40/40/30 split on macros seems pretty popular around here an i am just wondering... how on earth can i eat that much protein? i am honestly at a loss. i am already adding in more protein-rich breakfast cereal and greek yogurt.... and i eat reasonable amounts of peanut butter and nuts. but what else?

i don't like cooking meat because i am afraid i will accidentally kill myself, but i can do it if i have to. i just need ideas on how to start.

i am open to most foods so just throw anything out there... i don't want to resort to protein supplements since i'm only doing body weight exercises... seems unnecessary.

the other thing is... i am constantly over on sugar. today for breakfast i had a yogurt and some grape nuts cereal and i am already over on my sugar... i didn't even eat any fruit yet! is this something i need to worry about?

thanks for answering these questions for the thousandth time :P

yarwell

you lost me at 40/40/30 - that adds up to 110 ?

laurelobrien

Steak, chicken breasts, pork loins... you gotta eat meat, with protein consumption being your goal. Peanut butter and nuts have almost no protein, same with yogurt, compared to meat. When I was consuming 120g a day I also had a protein shake.

crownedether

you lost me at 40/40/30 - that adds up to 110 ?

I like eating so much it defies reason!

crownedether

Steak, chicken breasts, pork loins... you gotta eat meat, with protein consumption being your goal. Peanut butter and nuts have almost no protein, same with yogurt, compared to meat. When I was consuming 120g a day I also had a protein shake.

Cool thanks... Gonna have to face my fear I guess

ItsCasey

I used to eat 200 g per day easily without protein shakes. But I was eating a ton of meat ... steak, turkey, chicken, pork, lots of tuna. A ton of eggs and egg whites. It's really easy to do if you're willing to eat lots of meat and eggs.

Nut butters have a fair amount of protein, but they're also high in fat, which is going to cut into your calories, so nuts and nut products are not the most efficient protein source if you're in a calorie deficit.

Greek yogurt is a fine protein source, much more so than regular yogurt.

Other dairy products like cheeses, sour cream, milk, etc., are good sources, but, as with nuts, pay attention to the fat content.

If you don't like to eat meat, you may have to supplement with a protein powder.

As for the sugar question, don't worry about it as long as you are staying within your daily carb and calorie goals.

A_Warrior_Princess

Ok, I eat yogurt, cottage cheese, string cheese, lean meats etc.. for extra protein as well as protein shakes on occasion. Does anyone know a way to see the macros via a graph in MFP? I can see the graph showing the macros I am eating while viewing via my phone but no on the computer...any ideas?

mom2dzbnwe

Yep, meat is the answer...I'm not a big meat eater, either. Not because of any ethical reasons...I just really don't like it all that much. Dannon light & fit greek yogurt has 12 g of Protein and no fat and only 80 cals, so it's a go-to for me. I have added cottage cheese and string cheese in too to get some extra protein. Beans are good too.
As for sugar, I almost ALWAYS go way over, but I don't worry too much about it. I'm having excellent weight-loss results, and most of my sugar is coming from fruit/dairy, and I'm almost always under my calorie goal, so...meh
Obviously, none of this is "scientific" but what works for me...
Best of luck!

pchesnut

I eat cottage cheese, greek yogurt, quinoa, lentils, and lots of fish. I can usually hit my protein without a problem and not a lot of meat.

gowrirao81

Plain yoghurt (without the added sugars if you are worried sugar intake), cottage cheese, mushrooms (only "veggie" with equal amounts of protein and carb per serve), most lentils (I try to soak dry ones overnight and cook with them as I don't like the sodium in the canned varieties), eggs (egg-whites are even better if you only want protein) are some standard items in my food diary.

Heaps of meat-free protein options if you go specifically looking for it ... chicken does make it incredibly easy if you can manage to learn to cook it. It's pretty hard to kill yourself from poor cooking I think! Goodluck!

Madame_Goldbricker

Go with Soy or Quorn to up your protein if you aren't a meat fan.

sympha01

It's summer (and hot!) and I get you that cooking can be a moderate pain in the neck. I'm no vegetarian but I often still go days without even realizing I haven't had meat in a while. (I only get 15% - 20% of my calories from protein by the way).

Tinned sardines. They don't require cooking. (Though they can be lovely tossed in a saute pan with just the oil in the can or a tsp of oil if they were water packed and some lemon juice and garlic). And they have calcium. And they are both sustainable (eco-friendly) and low in mercury!

Eggs. Boiled or poached don't require any oil, and boiled ones in particular have little cleanup hassle. Boiled ones are nice on top of a salad. And you know, super cheap eats!

And while the protein from nuts, beans and legumes is not as dense as in meat as some people have commented, that's no reason to put your nose up at these protein sources either. It's non trivial: they are protein-y.

Low fat dairy. String cheese, feta, a glass of milk, that yogurt you were talking about. Protein from these sources adds up.

And if cooking is really your issue with meat, you can always buy pre-roasted chicken or turkey breast, or get a rotisserie chicken now and then. I went through a phase years ago where I just absolutely fiended for turkey ham, though for no reason in particular I'm less keen on it these days.