Protein

Nightmare_Queen88

So first off my name is Mary. I'm 5'6, my SW: 268 CW: 201 GW: 130. My macros are 131g - Protein 131g - Carbs 50g - Fat. I can't seem to hit my protein goal without going over everything else. I really want to hit that one more than the other ones, but I'd rather not go over them. Its difficult. If you need a basic idea of what I eat on a daily basis feel free to peek at my diary. My protein levels usually fall around 100g. I'm pretty sure I need more than that. So any advice I can get would be greatly appreciated.

LazSommer

No, you don't. 100g is enough for you, hit your calorie goals.

capaul42

I like to aim for a minimum of 100g protein. Don't really track anything else. If I'm over, which I usually am on fats, I don't worry about it as long as my calorie goal is good.

SueInAz

As long as you're coming close to your calorie goal I wouldn't worry about the fat or carb macros. What you're eating isn't nearly as important as how much. Since you want to get enough protein, too, just focus on calories and protein.

Is there a reason you are trying to eat more protein? Are you strength training?

BusyRaeNOTBusty

Where did those Macros come from?

kshama2001

My body is happy with 40-45% carbs, 25-30% protein, and 30% fat, which I seem to hit pretty easily with just focusing on getting adequate protein with each meal other than my bedtime snack.

tryett

In going through your diary you typically have a couple hundred calories a day left not including excercise calories. I did notice that you use a lot of non fat and lite products. If you are concerned with not meeting your fat macro I would substitute some full fat products for those. One thing to note is that a lot of manufacturers will put additional sugar in lite and non fat products to make them taste better.

tryett

SueInAz wrote: »

As long as you're coming close to your calorie goal I wouldn't worry about the fat or carb macros. What you're eating isn't nearly as important as how much. Since you want to get enough protein, too, just focus on calories and protein.

Is there a reason you are trying to eat more protein? Are you strength training?

I could be wrong but I think the OP is concerned with preserving muscle while losing weight.

BrettWithPKU

Nightmare_Queen88 wrote: »

So first off my name is Mary. I'm 5'6, my SW: 268 CW: 201 GW: 130. My macros are 131g - Protein 131g - Carbs 50g - Fat. I can't seem to hit my protein goal without going over everything else. I really want to hit that one more than the other ones, but I'd rather not go over them. Its difficult. If you need a basic idea of what I eat on a daily basis feel free to peek at my diary. My protein levels usually fall around 100g. I'm pretty sure I need more than that. So any advice I can get would be greatly appreciated.

There's a book by Dr. Daniel Amen titled Change Your Brain, Change Your Body, that references a scientific study that put obese people in groups where each group dieted on a different balance of macronutrients. And they found that there's no significant difference whatsoever in weight loss success, based on macros.

In general, you should certainly try to get enough protein, but there's no need to overdo it. Because your present primary focus is weight loss (I assume, as opposed to body building), the recommendation for an "average adult" is fine, which is 0.8 grams per kg body weight.

That's about 73g protein.

cee134

The minimum protein goal you need is based on (.36 x body weight). You need 73 g a day minimum. You should be fine at 100 g a day.

lemurcat12

LazSommer wrote: »

No, you don't. 100g is enough for you, hit your calorie goals.

This. A good rule of thumb for protein at a deficit and when exercising is .65-.85 g/lb of goal weight to minimize the loss of muscle. I use .8 (that's 100 g for me, as I'm 125, which is a nice easy number), but 100 g works with your stats too.

Vegplotter

The advice on protein is based on what the 90th percentile person in a western country eats. Most people eat too much protein, so a lot of the advice is skewed. Having said that I'm an advocate of BALANCE. But if you're eating 10% protein that's fine.
Your hair will dull, your nails go brittle and you won't poo if you aren't getting enough protein. So it's pretty easy to spot the symptoms.
People who are overweight don't need to worry about loss of muscle mass (as long as they are averagely active). The body uses up fat before it starts raiding muscle or bone. (These old myths keep surfacing)
I've been eating about 43g - 50g protein right through my most low calorie diet days to no ill effect. (I don't eat a lot of meat anyway.)

VioletRojo

I treat protein and fat macros as minimums, and protein is the only one I strive to meet. Once I've met those two, carbs will fall where ever they fall.

AnnPT77

VioletRojo wrote: »

I treat protein and fat macros as minimums, and protein is the only one I strive to meet. Once I've met those two, carbs will fall where ever they fall.

Me, too. (Well, though protein is #1, I'm maybe a little more focused on the fat than that, to get around .35g/pound of goal weight, much of it from healthy sources)

At 5'5", 120 (and vegetarian, if that matters) I'm trying for 100g (without protein powder, bars, or fake meat) in maintenance, but usually getting more. 100g should be reasonably OK for you, IMO.

But if you want more, consider the thread below. It has a spreadsheet that lists foods (all types, not just meats/fish) by their protein's calorie efficiency, i.e., in order by most protein per calorie of the food. Find things you like on that list, and eat them instead of something else you're currently eating.

Carbs and Fats are cheap. Here's a Guide to getting your PROTEIN's worth. Fiber also...

cee134

lemurcat12 wrote: »

This. A good rule of thumb for protein at a deficit and when exercising is .65-.85 g/lb of goal weight to minimize the loss of muscle. I use .8 (that's 100 g for me, as I'm 125, which is a nice easy number), but 100 g works with your stats too.

This is not always true.

In athletes trying to lose weight, higher protein intakes can help maintain muscle mass during gradual weight loss over a couple of weeks. In non-athlete overweight adults, however, higher protein intake (0.8 grams per pound vs. 0.4 grams per pound) didn’t prevent muscle loss during a weight-loss diet where they reduced calories by 25 percent for three months.

The differences in these results suggests eating more protein may be better for athletes than for ordinary people.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26471344

lemurcat12

cee134 wrote: »

lemurcat12 wrote: »

This. A good rule of thumb for protein at a deficit and when exercising is .65-.85 g/lb of goal weight to minimize the loss of muscle. I use .8 (that's 100 g for me, as I'm 125, which is a nice easy number), but 100 g works with your stats too.

This is not always true.

In athletes trying to lose weight, higher protein intakes can help maintain muscle mass during gradual weight loss over a couple of weeks. In non-athlete overweight adults, however, higher protein intake (0.8 grams per pound vs. 0.4 grams per pound) didn’t prevent muscle loss during a weight-loss diet where they reduced calories by 25 percent for three months.

The differences in these results suggests eating more protein may be better for athletes than for ordinary people.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26471344

I've seen a few studies to the contrary -- for example, untrained men, obese, higher protein, no loss of muscle mass. They were not just eating more protein but also working out, however.

Here is a discussion of some studies that support the benefits of more protein, I may post more later if I remember to look for them: http://examine.com/nutrition/how-does-protein-affect-weight-loss/

AnnPT77

cee134 wrote: »

lemurcat12 wrote: »

This. A good rule of thumb for protein at a deficit and when exercising is .65-.85 g/lb of goal weight to minimize the loss of muscle. I use .8 (that's 100 g for me, as I'm 125, which is a nice easy number), but 100 g works with your stats too.

This is not always true.

In athletes trying to lose weight, higher protein intakes can help maintain muscle mass during gradual weight loss over a couple of weeks. In non-athlete overweight adults, however, higher protein intake (0.8 grams per pound vs. 0.4 grams per pound) didn’t prevent muscle loss during a weight-loss diet where they reduced calories by 25 percent for three months.

The differences in these results suggests eating more protein may be better for athletes than for ordinary people.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26471344

To my mind, the crucial thought is that these amounts of protein are not harmful to a generally healthy person, and - according to some research - may be helpful.

Personally, I can't think of a reason I need to restrict protein lower than .6-.8g per pound of goal weight, and it's easy enough to get that - even as a vegetarian - even while in calorie deficit. (I think I could do it as a vegan, too, if that were necessary, FWIW.)

CasperNaegle

I eat a lot of really lean proteins to get my amounts. 96/4 ground beef, chicken, 97% fat free ham, hard boiled egg whites, white fish, protein shakes (whey protein mix). Then I work on fats and carbs alone, but can usually hit my protein mark without going over on the others. I eat around 200 grams of protein a day.

angelaypolite

I get alot of my protein in by having a protein shake for breakfast. I buy the Premier Protein (already made in the bottle) protein shake. They have different flavors, and they are all 160 Calories/5g Carb/3g Fat/30g Protein/2g Fiber/1g Sugar, for 11oz bottle. I buy them at WalMart .

Nightmare_Queen88

Yes I'm trying to preserve muscle and from what I've been told 100g is too low for me. I'm not really strength training. I go for walks/jog 3x a week and do jillian Michaels beginners shred twice a week which does use dumbbells but I wouldn't call it strength training at all. I do plan on adding strength training to my routine eventually to help with lose skin.

kshama2001

Nightmare_Queen88 wrote: »

Yes I'm trying to preserve muscle and from what I've been told 100g is too low for me. I'm not really strength training. I go for walks/jog 3x a week and do jillian Michaels beginners shred twice a week which does use dumbbells but I wouldn't call it strength training at all. I do plan on adding strength training to my routine eventually to help with lose skin.

Who told you 100 g was too low and on what were they basing this?

I would think strength training would be every bit as useful for preserving muscle.