How to up protein intake without overdoing calories?
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nicholelwolfe88 wrote: »Tacklewasher wrote: »Might not be the answer you want, but if I'm low on my protein for a day, I will grab a protein shake.
The one I use is 35g of protein for 150 cals. So only 10 cals doesn't come from the protein itself.
But this is not a daily thing for me, just when I see I'm not going to hit my numbers.
What is your protein goal and how close to you get to it?
My protein goal is 166 grams which is 1g protein per pound of body weight (at the moment). I know that number will continue to change as I progress, but that's where I'm at right now. Yesterday, my protein intake tallied up to 76g with most of that coming from chicken breast, lean ground beef, string cheese, low fat deli ham, and peanut butter. I think if I learn how to substitute some carbs (like whole wheat pasta, rice, and bread) for some protein sources I'd be in good shape as my carb intake was a little higher than my goal. Amazing how carbs add up so quickly!!!! I'm a big pasta and bread lover. I've already tried substituting quinoa for brown rice, and I know zoodles and spaghetti squash are good pasta alternatives. Are there any other substitutes for starchy carbs? And calorie-wise, my goal is to stay between 1800-1900 per day because I do workout for about an hour 3-5 times per week. Plus, I hate feeling hungry and I'm afraid if I start out lower than that right off the bat, I will feel hungry all the time and...yeah, that never works IMO.
You don't really need protein to maintain body fat, only to maintain lean tissue. So protein goal can be based on lean body mass (LBM), or some estimating formula to approximate that. It shouldn't need to be a lot bigger when at a higher weight, as one's lean mass isn't changing that much.
I'm a person who thinks we need substantially more than the USDA/WHO recommended amounts of protein when we're in calorie deficit, when we do regular vigorous exercise that will require muscle repair, and as we age. So, during weight loss, I tried for 0.6-0.8g per pound of goal weight, a conservative estimator for 1g/pound of LBM.
There's nothing wrong with a healthy person getting more protein than the body requires, but if it's a struggle to get that much, a bit less might be OK in your case. I've seen quite a few sites (especially those whose target audience is mainly fit people) just give goals in terms of "body weight" (or LBM), but I think that's because they assume their readers are already fairly lean.0 -
nicholelwolfe88 wrote: »If you are eating meat choose lean meats: shrimp, tuna, chicken, lean ground/deli turkey, 90% lean ground beef, white fish, etc.
Have a protein bar or protein shake, with not many add ins. Just some almond milk and the scoop of protein.
0% greek yogurt.
Other than Muscle Milk (which is so yummy! but I hear has a lot of additives...???) I haven't found a protein powder that I like on it's own. I'm a fan of making power smoothies (haven't had protein powder to add in yet...any suggestions???) post-workout which consist of berries, banana, spinach, chia seeds, almond or coconut milk (and right now I throw in peanut butter for some protein).
Quest protein powder and BSN syntha-6 are my favorite. Sometimes it's not about being the most yummy. Add almond milk and some stevia, or 0 calorie flavor drops from My Protein (I used toffee and peanut butter), or a few grams of berries.
Your post workout shake is fat and carbs. Peanut butter is not a GREAT protein source because it is very calorie dense and doesn't have that much protein.0 -
166 grams is way more than you need. Half of that is plenty. 76 grams sounds excellent. You don't have to replace starch - you want carbs to make up almost half of your calories, so you just adjust your portions. But don't be afraid of fat; you can reduce carbs and increase fat if you prefer the fattier (and tastier) meat and dairy, but it sounds like you'll miss grains, so stick to what works for you.nicholelwolfe88 wrote: »Tacklewasher wrote: »Might not be the answer you want, but if I'm low on my protein for a day, I will grab a protein shake.
The one I use is 35g of protein for 150 cals. So only 10 cals doesn't come from the protein itself.
But this is not a daily thing for me, just when I see I'm not going to hit my numbers.
What is your protein goal and how close to you get to it?
My protein goal is 166 grams which is 1g protein per pound of body weight (at the moment). I know that number will continue to change as I progress, but that's where I'm at right now. Yesterday, my protein intake tallied up to 76g with most of that coming from chicken breast, lean ground beef, string cheese, low fat deli ham, and peanut butter. I think if I learn how to substitute some carbs (like whole wheat pasta, rice, and bread) for some protein sources I'd be in good shape as my carb intake was a little higher than my goal. Amazing how carbs add up so quickly!!!! I'm a big pasta and bread lover. I've already tried substituting quinoa for brown rice, and I know zoodles and spaghetti squash are good pasta alternatives. Are there any other substitutes for starchy carbs? And calorie-wise, my goal is to stay between 1800-1900 per day because I do workout for about an hour 3-5 times per week. Plus, I hate feeling hungry and I'm afraid if I start out lower than that right off the bat, I will feel hungry all the time and...yeah, that never works IMO.0 -
Well, that's helpful! So, as long as I'm hitting around the 100g mark for protein I'm in good shape? Well 76g is still a bit shy of even the 0.6 mark, so...sub out some carbs for protein basically, right?1
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I agree with needing less protein, but I think about 76 would be better. I'd shoot for 130 but definitely at least .6g per pound of body weight. Take a look at your diary and see where you'd feel comfortable dropping a few carbs. It's different for everyone. I like to drop fruit and grains and keep in sugar and a dessert
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Whey protein mixed with unsweetened coconut milk is my go-to morning drink. Lately, have have been rocking TRUProteins Clean. Whey. 96 calories for 20 gms; 67 calories for 12 oz; about an inch of ripe banana (if you can't stand it plain) adds about 40 additional calories. (200 calories). 3 hard boiled eggs offer up 18 grams of protein and 234 calories. Here are some other ideas: http://www.bodybuilding.com/content/ultimate-list-40-high-protein-foods.html0
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Enough protein is important, but it's not one of those things that are "the more, the better" (almost nothing is). You need a lot of other nutrients too. Just for reference - I weighed more than you when I started losing weight, and I have stuck to around 70 grams. If you naturally gravitate towards a protein heavy diet - fine, if not, don't struggle to go higher than what you need. You are actually overdoing proteins.0
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I always played it safe and kept protein high, but when I was in the 160s I didn't match a gram per lb of weight because it's just not quite necessary and harder to hit. In the 130s I try to though. It's because I am concerned about muscle mass retention and physique. I weigh 143 in my profile pic. I don't think I'd look like this if I lost a lot of muscle along the way.0
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If you are eating meat choose lean meats: shrimp, tuna, chicken, lean ground/deli turkey, 90% lean ground beef, white fish, etc.
Have a protein bar or protein shake, with not many add ins. Just some almond milk and the scoop of protein.
0% greek yogurt.Oh and egg whites. Nothing wrong with the full egg but you can really save calories and get some volume out of egg whites, plus you can break up your macros and add some avocado for the fat that would have been in the egg...or bacon. Or a treat later in the day.
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Not sure if this has been mentioned yet (quick skim reading), but you may not want to rely on nuts for protein if you're looking for lower calorie options. Nuts are better for your fat macro.
Go for lower fat/no fat dairy, protein bars, quark, lean meat, jerky, seafood, canned tuna.1 -
Cottage cheese is a great source3
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nicholelwolfe88 wrote: »Well, that's helpful! So, as long as I'm hitting around the 100g mark for protein I'm in good shape? Well 76g is still a bit shy of even the 0.6 mark, so...sub out some carbs for protein basically, right?
Sure. I go for 100g daily in maintenance, at 5'5" and weight in 120s.
I'm one that said 0.6-0.8g/pound of goal weight earlier . . . I'd point out that exactly how much per pound is a matter of great dispute here and everywhere. For women roughly our size, you'll see everything from the 40g region, to well over 100, even when we're talking goal weight in pounds as the base. It's practically a religious war.
Many people would say 76g is fine for you. Notice that pretty much everyone here is saying 166 is overkill.
The 0.6-0.8g/goal-pound is what I use after reading a bunch of research papers, and wanting to be conservative, especially as a vegetarian (some of my protein sources are lower-quality, in terms of essential amino acids), and in light of the fact that I'm a li'l ol' lady who's ill advised to lose muscle mass if it's avoidable - demonically hard/slow to gain back at my age (61 y/o), and one of the things that stands between me and a permanent move to assisted living.
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this is what works for me, 1 gram of protein for every pound of lean body mass, 20 % and up to 30 % of your calories come from fat, and the rest of your remaining calories you fill in with carbs0
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nicholelwolfe88 wrote: »I started tracking my macros recently and am realizing that my protein intake is not up to par, even when I am consciously making an effort to eat more protein-rich foods (meats, beans, nuts, dairy, eggs, etc.) How do I up my protein intake without going overboard on calories? Anyone know of some good sources of high protein that's lower calorie?
Minimize the fat content or the carb content..........
Nuts = more fat than protein.
Dairy - choose low(er) fat. Greek yogurt is a great choice.
Beans = protein + carbs. Fiberous and very good for you, but maybe use a mixture of meat + beans.
For eggs - use a mix of whole eggs + egg whites0 -
Eat less of other things? Alternatively Choose leaner portions of meat, supplement with whey or casein and eat egg whites.0
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RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »Cottage cheese is a great source
Bleh. Another thing I don't like. But this isn't about me.
I aim for 100g minimum and try to get to 125g. But I'm a lot bigger than you and that may be at the low end for me.0 -
I agree with needing less protein, but I think about 76 would be better. I'd shoot for 130 but definitely at least .6g per pound of body weight. Take a look at your diary and see where you'd feel comfortable dropping a few carbs. It's different for everyone. I like to drop fruit and grains and keep in sugar and a dessert
I think the opposite approach would work better for me. The only place I crave sugar is in my morning coffee really. Can't seem to kick the sugar and creamer in my coffee. (But only one cup a day, soooo...not that bad.)0 -
Whey protein mixed with unsweetened coconut milk is my go-to morning drink. Lately, have have been rocking TRUProteins Clean. Whey. 96 calories for 20 gms; 67 calories for 12 oz; about an inch of ripe banana (if you can't stand it plain) adds about 40 additional calories. (200 calories). 3 hard boiled eggs offer up 18 grams of protein and 234 calories. Here are some other ideas: http://www.bodybuilding.com/content/ultimate-list-40-high-protein-foods.html
Thanks for the tip. Coconut milk is my new favorite. I'll probably add the banana, just because they're delicious and I doubt I'll take to it plain. I love my fruit.0 -
cerise_noir wrote: »Not sure if this has been mentioned yet (quick skim reading), but you may not want to rely on nuts for protein if you're looking for lower calorie options. Nuts are better for your fat macro.
Go for lower fat/no fat dairy, protein bars, quark, lean meat, jerky, seafood, canned tuna.
I usually steer clear of protein bars and jerky because I have to watch my sodium intake. I have high blood pressure and my doc recommended lowering my sodium. And what is quark?0 -
"Meats, beans, nuts, dairy, eggs" are not created equally. I mentally put beans and dairy in the carb category, and nuts and whole eggs in the fat category. It's a perk that they contain protein, but when I'm trying to hit my protein goal, I go directly to meat and egg whites.
You might find that replacing carb calories for protein calories makes you feel less hungry, and it might even make you crave carbs less. Good luck!1
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