Not enough protein?
SophiaJane81
Posts: 40 Member
Hi guys I am struggling with getting enough protein. I am barely making 50% of protein on some days and on those days I am starving by the time the evening has come. I am working out every day.
Any suggestions of how I can get my macros in order? High protein sources?
My diary is open and I log everyday.
Any suggestions of how I can get my macros in order? High protein sources?
My diary is open and I log everyday.
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Replies
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I have to supplement with protein shakes, which may not be something some people want to do, but I just can't afford that much meat in a day, and plant proteins just don't add up fast enough (I include them regularly, but not as a major protein source).
Personally I like to use the 1st Phorm products, after my workout I make a shake with a banana and a few frozen berries and unsweetened almond milk and that really helps bump up my protein intake for the day.0 -
I try to get to 100g a day, but rarely do that without protein powder or a bar.
I really don't want to eat meat more than once a day (just personal preference) so I try to include rolled oats, eggs, greek yogurt, lentils, and canned tuna or salmon often. That usually gets me over 80g, which I feel is respectable
And then I occasionally have a protein shake to get a day where I hit 100.
I find a cold grain & bean salad (like barley and chickpeas) with a little canned salmon and lots of veggies can be a filling lunch with a decent protein hit. Chili will do the same.2 -
I wouldn't get near enough protein if I didn't drink protein shakes. I buy a pre-made shake called Premier Protein in bulk from Costco. I think it is $25 for a 30-pack, 160 calories per shake with 30g protein, and I like the flavors enough to drink it as a dessert.
I also find that fish and chicken contain a lot of protein and not too many calories.2 -
i saw you had eggs in your diary - if you scramble them - considering adding some egg whites to bulk them up - all protein
you might consider adding some more protein at breakfast - you had some bacon listed a couple of times; maybe have some chicken tenders or similar
you have a lot of carb-items that dont' have a lot of protein to them - maybe consider subsituting them for stuff that has higher protein - i.e. instead of the fruit; have a fruit flavored greek yogurt which will give you beween 10-15g of protein4 -
What is this 500 calorie supplement you're taking that has no nutritional content listed?
Eat more meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, Greek yogurt, beans, lentils, etc...2 -
Just some examples of my go to's are Greek Yogurt (really like the fiber and protein in Dannon Oikos Triple Zero), whole eggs, egg whites, Special K Protein Cereal (2% milk), I add pulled chicken to my salads for lunch. I eat a high fiber/protein bar as well most days that's around 160 calories. Beef jerky is quick go to snack.
I eat lots of fish in the summer time, all year I eat chicken, lean cuts of beef. I will alter recipes to add in more protein as well. I made a hearty chili yesterday with loads of protein; beans are good source of protein, fiber and carbs. Lentils are good as well.
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Just from a quick glance at your diary, it does look like you have a lot of low-protein meals. Currently, it seems like a lot of your protein is coming from whole eggs and higher-calorie meats. In terms of protein per calorie, lean meats might be a better option. Many types of seafood, like tuna packed in water, are "efficient" for yielding a lot of protein for few calories. Chicken and turkey breasts are also high protein and relatively low calorie. There's also nothing wrong with having a protein shake or bar if you like the taste and want some more protein in your diet.1
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Fish
Shellfish
Venison
Rabbit
Chicken / Turkey breast
Egg white
0% Fat Greek Yoghurt
All low fat, high quality protein sources
Beef, lamb and pork products generally have more fat so it's hard to get a big enough portion without busting your calories. The lean sources will allow you to fill your protein requirement and hit calories
Protein shakes suck the big one for me bleurrghhh no matter how 'great tasting' people say they are1 -
I’m glad you wrote this post because I too am having trouble getting anywhere near my protein goal. I’m a vegetarian though but I eat healthy and have protein at every meal. I supplement occasionally with protein shakes but I worry about their effect on my kidneys. Plus it seems contrary to the tenant of MFP that you should eat healthy foods in moderation to lose weight. It seems to me that supplementing protein shouldn’t have to be a requirement in long term health.3
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I call it a win if I get 100g of protein, and my actual target is 125g/day. I have greek yogurt, cottage cheese and fruit for breakfast most days (~35 g protein). Lunch is hit/miss since breakfast can be so late, but often it's just soup (Today my soup was bean-based and had 14 g of protein.) I have (usually) lean protein meat as part of dinner (40-50 g protein in the meal), and for snacks I might have a some almonds mixed in with soy nuts (15 g protein for 14 g almonds and 30 g soy nuts) and sometimes have a protein drink (30 g) which is either pre-mixed (Premier Protein - not sure if that's available where you are) or mixed myself with protein powder, cocoa powder, and milk, or maybe a fruit-based smoothie with protein powder). My calorie target is about 1400 to create a deficit which has me losing about 2# a month.1
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You have to make protein the focus of your meal. Make sure you are getting a decent amount with each meal and snack. Then your leftover calories can be spent of fats and carbs. I usually won't eat something unless it has at least a 10:1 calorie to protein ratio.1
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nutmegoreo wrote: »
Yes to that! ^^^^^
It's not vegetarian-centric, but it helped me, as a vegetarian, get to 100g+ daily in maintenance (weight in 120s) without protein powder, bars or fake meat.
(Nothing wrong with those foods - I personally just don't find them tasty/satisfying, so mostly don't eat them.)2 -
I sit down in the morning for about 5 minutes with a cup of coffee and plan out my day. I have to start by plugging in my proteins, then fit in everything else around them. I don't eat meat so I rely a lot on things like eggs, cottage cheese, greek yogurt and protein bars, with some supplemental protein coming in from beans/legumes/grains/cheese, etc.
One thing to note: be sure to gut-check the entries in your diary. I didn't go back very far, but I saw at least one entry for Red Curry Chicken that was listed with 0g protein, so that's inaccurate. The good and bad thing about the MFP database is that it's user-edited, so not every entry is accurate.2 -
nutmegoreo wrote: »
Yes to that! ^^^^^
It's not vegetarian-centric, but it helped me, as a vegetarian, get to 100g+ daily in maintenance (weight in 120s) without protein powder, bars or fake meat.
(Nothing wrong with those foods - I personally just don't find them tasty/satisfying, so mostly don't eat them.)
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0% Dry Cottage Cheese: 22g per 1/2 cup at 110 cal.
1cup of egg whites 26g at 120 cal
Forget Greek go with Skyr yogurt .. 22g of protein per 3/4 cup
I try to hit over 200+ a day with a macro of 40/40/20.1 -
Hey there! I tend to eat a lot of lentils and beans, so I aim to focus on chilli, hummus, and baked lentils or curry. Here are two meals that I aim to have often: maple baked lentils (http://ohsheglows.com/2013/01/18/maple-baked-lentils-with-sweet-potato-healthy-comfort-food/) and 8 minute pantry dahl (http://ohsheglows.com/2017/07/21/8-minute-pantry-dal-two-ways/) and making my own tahini and hummus if I can help it. The maple baked lentils gives grams of protein and calories for every 2 cups, the dahl gives 9 grams of protein and 265 calories for every cup. I also like to make my own hummus when I have the energy.
Best of luck!1 -
Cottage cheese!1
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Two angles to consider:
1) How did you arrive at your protein goal? It may be higher than you need. What are your stats?
2) You seem to be using bad entries. 200+ calorie jerk chicken patty that only has 4 g of protein? What the heck else are they putting in it besides chicken, some spices, and a little fat? An entry for 200+ calories of curry chicken soup that has zero carbs, fats or protein? What is it, chicken-flavored alcohol?2 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »Two angles to consider:
1) How did you arrive at your protein goal? It may be higher than you need. What are your stats?
2) You seem to be using bad entries. 200+ calorie jerk chicken patty that only has 4 g of protein? What the heck else are they putting in it besides chicken, some spices, and a little fat? An entry for 200+ calories of curry chicken soup that has zero carbs, fats or protein? What is it, chicken-flavored alcohol?
Lynn my stats are 5ft2 and I weigh 183 pounds.
I went with mfp for my grams of protein. When I did do a calculation based on half my body weight it came up with 90-100g of protein. I feel great at that level.
I agree on the entries I will look into those. I will also try better protein sources.0 -
I sit down in the morning for about 5 minutes with a cup of coffee and plan out my day. I have to start by plugging in my proteins, then fit in everything else around them. I don't eat meat so I rely a lot on things like eggs, cottage cheese, greek yogurt and protein bars, with some supplemental protein coming in from beans/legumes/grains/cheese, etc.
One thing to note: be sure to gut-check the entries in your diary. I didn't go back very far, but I saw at least one entry for Red Curry Chicken that was listed with 0g protein, so that's inaccurate. The good and bad thing about the MFP database is that it's user-edited, so not every entry is accurate.
Thank you so much for your ideas. I will also check my diary entries better for accuracy. I really appreciate your feedback. X0 -
mom23mangos wrote: »You have to make protein the focus of your meal. Make sure you are getting a decent amount with each meal and snack. Then your leftover calories can be spent of fats and carbs. I usually won't eat something unless it has at least a 10:1 calorie to protein ratio.
Thank you so much that is a great way to look at it.0 -
80-90g protein will be fine for you0
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Rickster1967 wrote: »Fish
Shellfish
Venison
Rabbit
Chicken / Turkey breast
Egg white
0% Fat Greek Yoghurt
All low fat, high quality protein sources
Beef, lamb and pork products generally have more fat so it's hard to get a big enough portion without busting your calories. The lean sources will allow you to fill your protein requirement and hit calories
Protein shakes suck the big one for me bleurrghhh no matter how 'great tasting' people say they are
I am not a big protein shake fan. I have memories of eating them and puking it all up again.2 -
deannalfisher wrote: »i saw you had eggs in your diary - if you scramble them - considering adding some egg whites to bulk them up - all protein
you might consider adding some more protein at breakfast - you had some bacon listed a couple of times; maybe have some chicken tenders or similar
you have a lot of carb-items that dont' have a lot of protein to them - maybe consider subsituting them for stuff that has higher protein - i.e. instead of the fruit; have a fruit flavored greek yogurt which will give you beween 10-15g of protein
Thank you for looking into my diary and giving me constructive advice. I will add these in more x0 -
Rickster1967 wrote: »80-90g protein will be fine for you
Thank you Rickstar xx0 -
SophiaJane81 wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »Two angles to consider:
1) How did you arrive at your protein goal? It may be higher than you need. What are your stats?
2) You seem to be using bad entries. 200+ calorie jerk chicken patty that only has 4 g of protein? What the heck else are they putting in it besides chicken, some spices, and a little fat? An entry for 200+ calories of curry chicken soup that has zero carbs, fats or protein? What is it, chicken-flavored alcohol?
Lynn my stats are 5ft2 and I weigh 183 pounds.
I went with mfp for my grams of protein. When I did do a calculation based on half my body weight it came up with 90-100g of protein. I feel great at that level.
I agree on the entries I will look into those. I will also try better protein sources.
There must have been some glitch in your MFP set up, or you altered the default % for protein. MFP defaults would not give someone with your stats seeking to lose weight a protein goal that high. I think you would be fine at 90 to 100 g of protein (there are those who would disagree, who argue that government health authority recommendations that are intended to meet the needs of 90%+ of the population don't apply to people who are eating in a deficit). I also think you're getting more protein than you think because you're using erroneous database entries.0 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »SophiaJane81 wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »Two angles to consider:
1) How did you arrive at your protein goal? It may be higher than you need. What are your stats?
2) You seem to be using bad entries. 200+ calorie jerk chicken patty that only has 4 g of protein? What the heck else are they putting in it besides chicken, some spices, and a little fat? An entry for 200+ calories of curry chicken soup that has zero carbs, fats or protein? What is it, chicken-flavored alcohol?
Lynn my stats are 5ft2 and I weigh 183 pounds.
I went with mfp for my grams of protein. When I did do a calculation based on half my body weight it came up with 90-100g of protein. I feel great at that level.
I agree on the entries I will look into those. I will also try better protein sources.
There must have been some glitch in your MFP set up, or you altered the default % for protein. MFP defaults would not give someone with your stats seeking to lose weight a protein goal that high. I think you would be fine at 90 to 100 g of protein (there are those who would disagree, who argue that government health authority recommendations that are intended to meet the needs of 90%+ of the population don't apply to people who are eating in a deficit). I also think you're getting more protein than you think because you're using erroneous database entries.
Ahh I see. Thank you so much. Is it best I just input my own actual data for foods from packaging. As I often use the barcode feature?0 -
SophiaJane81 wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »SophiaJane81 wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »Two angles to consider:
1) How did you arrive at your protein goal? It may be higher than you need. What are your stats?
2) You seem to be using bad entries. 200+ calorie jerk chicken patty that only has 4 g of protein? What the heck else are they putting in it besides chicken, some spices, and a little fat? An entry for 200+ calories of curry chicken soup that has zero carbs, fats or protein? What is it, chicken-flavored alcohol?
Lynn my stats are 5ft2 and I weigh 183 pounds.
I went with mfp for my grams of protein. When I did do a calculation based on half my body weight it came up with 90-100g of protein. I feel great at that level.
I agree on the entries I will look into those. I will also try better protein sources.
There must have been some glitch in your MFP set up, or you altered the default % for protein. MFP defaults would not give someone with your stats seeking to lose weight a protein goal that high. I think you would be fine at 90 to 100 g of protein (there are those who would disagree, who argue that government health authority recommendations that are intended to meet the needs of 90%+ of the population don't apply to people who are eating in a deficit). I also think you're getting more protein than you think because you're using erroneous database entries.
Ahh I see. Thank you so much. Is it best I just input my own actual data for foods from packaging. As I often use the barcode feature?
You can use the barcode feature, but you need to check the entry that comes up against the packaging label. The data associated with the barcodes in MFP are generally user-entered, and people make mistakes. Some people only care about calories, not macros, so they bother putting any information in other than calories.2 -
I saw you mentioned you weren't a protein shake fan. That's the only way I get enough protein is a shake in the morning for breakfast - delivering about 45 g. of protein. It may have been what you used. I use the Click Espresso powder (1 serving) mixed with the Equate (Walmart) brand of whey protein (1 serving). I blend it up in about 23 ounces of water and 8 or so ice cubes and I have a great shake. I love it. Good luck!
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