Trouble Meeting Protein Macros

357girl

Hi All, I've been doing Keto two weeks and am down 10 pounds. I really started for health reasons and I'm feeling so much better than I was! Friends have told me I seem more like myself lately

The thing is, I'm supposed to be at 1180cal, 15-20g carbs, 92g fat, 72g protein but I have yet to meet my protein goals. I hover around 50g. I've always been a light eater, I just can't eat that much food at once without feeling sick. Anyone have any resources or information about not eating the full allotment of protein on Keto? THANKS!

Sunny_Bunny_

Are you adding fat to drinks or on your plate? If so, stop so that it doesn’t fill you up before you eat enough protein. 50g is incredibly low and you really should consider that 72g an absolute minimum.
Protein is the only goal. Not fat or carbs.
Eat meat before anything else to ensure you get enough each meal before you're too full.
You can eat leaner meat which help you get more protein per volume too.

__Roxy__

I agree with Sunny Bunny; make protein a priority. 72g is low, protein is important for muscle preservation during weight loss. You may want to go for 100g+ if you are exercising. In the meantime, make protein your focus and then fill up on fats if you're still hungry. It might feel challenging at first but you'll adapt quickly!!

kpk54

Given you have some "health reasons" for eating keto, your protein amount might best be based on something other than my opinion.

Here's a link of several individual's suggestions. I'm not partial to any of them except I do like the chart by Westman, Phinney and Volek since it presents an incredibly broad range and is based on height in 1 inch heels. Using height at least eliminates the confusion so often created/miscalculated when using terms like LBM versus ideal weight versus current weight versus kilograms versus pounds.

https://www.ketogenic-diet-resource.com/daily-protein-requirement.html

I base my intake on several things:
1) my age (a senior)
2) my activity level
3) some strength training
4) my calorie intake (not hypo caloric)
5) and a few other things that often get debated.

Personal preference in food comes into play. I get protein from many things: fish, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, broccoli, asparagus, green beans, meat, etc. Since I don't strive for ketosis, I'm not opposed occasional legumes and lentils. The latter 2 would be kinda difficult to include and keep your carbs to 15-20.

Cheesy567

Greek yogurt is pretty high protein if you can fit it in with your carb goals too. I snack on cut-up chicken and rolled up lunch meat to help meet my 150gm protein goal daily.

Try increasing your protein by a bit to start with. If the jump from 50 to 72 seems insurmountable, then make your goal for this week to be 55, for next week to be 60, etc.

Try focusing on adding one high protein snack to your plan each day, in addition to your regular meals.