Not hitting protein goals?

appalachian_gigi

Hello! I'm trying to lose 100+ pounds and I feel like I've been doing ok-ish... My big problem is hitting protein goals. Are there any suggestions of how to boost up what I'm eating to give me more protein? I'm on the go a lot and need to have fast options but fast options tend to be mostly grains. Thanks!

kommodevaran

Think "pyramid". Try to eat more (more often and/or more of your calories) at home, or just have more protein with your sit down meals: Meat, fish, cheese, milk, yogurt - grains add some protein too, just limit the typical snack foods like cookies, bars, candy, soda. Build your dinners up with protein food (meat, fish, eggs or beans), starch (grains and tubers), vegs, and then add on dairy, fruit, nuts - and the occasional treat.

concordancia

First, what are your protein goas? Are you using the MFP defaults? If not, are you sure you have realistic goals?

Assuming you do:
Hard boiled eggs (you can even purchase ones that are already boiled and peeled)
Nuts
Peanut butter
Protein sticks -like slim Jim's, but there are some with more protein, less fat. I have had some amazing ones with ostrich meat
Protein bars
Protein shakes
Greek yogurt (I like it plain for breakfast)
Cottage cheese (amazing with salsa Verde)
Toasted chickpeas or soy nuts

And those are just my grab and go options!

jocelynmoore08

I have a relatively high protein goal and have trouble hitting it as well (160 g). My go-to foods that I eat daily or at least multiple times a week are: chicken breast/pork tenderloin (grill this on Sunday and have it in the fridge all week), eggs/egg whites, protein bars and protein shakes (lower carb options). I do end up eating a LOT of chicken or lean meat. I usually eat a 6 oz serving with my lunches and dinners. Even with that, I have to supplement with protein shakes at least one per day (30 g protein per scoop).
I have a pretty low fat goal too (36 g) so I have to be very careful about too much fat with my protein sources.

RadishEater

If you have a refrigerator to store your food, greek yogurt/cottage cheese/turkey summer sausage are great snacks. I batch prep meals with meat in them on weekends and bring them in tupperware but also they require refrigeration.

If you need things that don't need refrigeration, I usually go with a dried fruit and nut mix + protein bar, however those can be a bit high in calories. Or you could look into jerky.

maybe1pe

When I need protein quickly I go for.

Hard boiled eggs
tuna (the ones that come in pouches are easy to take to work just need a fork)
cottage cheese
yogurt
protein bars
protein shakes
chicken (always have some cooked up to throw on salads or a sandwich)
pork loin
turkey breast
string cheese
jerky

inertiastrength

What are your protein goals in grams? If you're obese there's a good chance if you follow the .8-1g/lb guidelines you have a ridiculously high number that is overkill

inertiastrength

nvm, just saw your diary is public. More chicken, greek yogurt, coldcuts, shakes, low fat cheese, milk

ritzvin

PinkPaperHeart3 wrote: »

Hello! I'm trying to lose 100+ pounds and I feel like I've been doing ok-ish... My big problem is hitting protein goals. Are there any suggestions of how to boost up what I'm eating to give me more protein? I'm on the go a lot and need to have fast options but fast options tend to be mostly grains. Thanks!

Fast no-prep protein options:
* Protein bars/protein-added food bars
* cottage cheese
* greek yogurt
* peanut butter (ETA: note: does have more fat than protein)
* lower fat cheeses
* lunch meat (potentially more fat than protein)

Fast-ish minimal prep protein options:
* hard-boiled eggs (note: whole egg is ~45% fat versus protein )
* Salmon (wrapped in wax paper first) microwaves fairly decently for me, especially if you add some seasonings/teriyaki sauce. Better if pre-seared for a bit first though (I do a bunch at once when I have time then toss in fridge to microwave later).
* Frozen shrimp thawed/warmed in microwave.
* Pre-cooked ham (there are some fairly lean ones) - slice and bag for later. Also better if pre-seared for a bit.

Less Fast, but quite do-able if done in bulk, then refrigerated for the week:
* Chicken/pork chops/beef cuts/.. (pre-sear/mostly cook in pan). will need microwave later
* Chicken/pork - instant pot/slow cooker... make pulled chicken, either with BBQ sauce to microwave later, or plain or with hot sauce to have cold.

huskydoo

Everyone has given great suggestions but as the OP has said they need something quick because they are on the go.

My suggestion is a good quality protein bar or protein powder shake to supplement. There are several out there that are low calorie and high protein. Some good choices for vegans too.

It’s quick. Don’t need refrigeration or lug a cooler every where you go

Jermanator

What I have found is that if I start with some sort of lean protein for a meal, then add on vegetables and go sparing with the starches and high carb stuff, I do pretty well with my protein.

Francl27

Nut and nut butters are bad sources of protein.

Think string cheese, Greek yogurt, fish, lean meats. Look for low carb tortillas because they typically have 10g of protein too.

goatg

I'm struggling with that too...

I've started adding a little extra collagen to my shakes and eating lean chicken breast. That really helps.

appalachian_gigi

Thank to everyone for the awesome suggestions! While today I bombed on my diet, I did load up at the grocery store with greek yogurt, chicken, lean meats, string cheese, and bunches of eggs. I already have some deer jerky, and I'll definitely start throwing that in my lunch box from now on.

1houndgal

I like all the protein sources people have shared.

I just want to add canned wild salmon (bumblebees brand). And turkey breast (Winco store deli has them rotisserie cooked, And affordable). Costco rotissere chicken is good also.

goatg

1houndgal wrote: »

I just want to add canned wild salmon (bumblebees brand).

I was reading about omegas the other day. Did you know that canned tuna loses most of its omega content? Amazingly, searing salmon has the same effect.

AnnPT77

This thread is great for calorie-efficient protein sources, too - lots of them:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10247171/carbs-and-fats-are-cheap-heres-a-guide-to-getting-your-proteins-worth-fiber-also

appalachian_gigi

AnnPT77 wrote: »

This thread is great for calorie-efficient protein sources, too - lots of them:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10247171/carbs-and-fats-are-cheap-heres-a-guide-to-getting-your-proteins-worth-fiber-also

That's awesome! thank you!

Jermanator

PinkPaperHeart3 wrote: »

Thank to everyone for the awesome suggestions! While today I bombed on my diet, I did load up at the grocery store with greek yogurt, chicken, lean meats, string cheese, and bunches of eggs. I already have some deer jerky, and I'll definitely start throwing that in my lunch box from now on.

If you are referring to what you ate on Saturday as "bombing" I think you did great! You got some good protein in there... fruits, vegetables... plus a bit of a treat and stayed within your goal. There is no point in going to extremes because it will lead to abandoning your diet. If you stay within your goals day in and day out, you will reach your longer term goals eventually. Consistency is going to be the key and you can't be consistent starving yourself.

Just a couple minor tricks I picked up-- the mayo you had... light mayonnaise is almost as good and is only 35 calories a tablespoon. If you like scrambled eggs or omelets, Egg Beaters (or a similar generic product) has only 25 calories per "egg" vs. 70 for a regular egg. An entire can of tuna in water (100 calories) with a tablespoon of dill relish (0 calories) a tablespoon of Hellman's Light Mayonnaise (35 calories) on an Ole Xtreme Wellness tortilla (50 calories) gives you a whopping 26 grams of protein and 11 grams of fiber for a cost of only 185 calories.