What to eat to up daily protein intake

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Jamesb2405
Jamesb2405 Posts: 19 Member
in Food and Nutrition
HI all,

I have recently upped my protein intake to 120G daily as I have started weight training. I've never really tracked it before as I've never been interested in building muscle, however once I did saw I was only really having between 50-70G.

I am finding it difficult to hit the 120G, apart from eating the obvious meats. What sort of snacks or meal ideas do people use to up their intake?

Thanks in advance, James

Replies

  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
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    Eggs/egg whites
    Yoghurt.
    Protein powder (I like it in yoghurt. Or in protein pancakes)
    Seafood.
  • Lillymoo01
    Lillymoo01 Posts: 2,865 Member
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    I add a scoop of protein powder to my bowl of porridge in the morning. Greek yoghurt is also another great source of protein.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    If you think of eggs, fish and seafood as "meat", then the not-so-obvious sources are dairy, beans and pulses, nuts and seeds, grains, and even vegetables - it adds up and unless your calorie target is very low, you should easily be able to hit it with just food (if you prefer that over supplements).
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
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    I eat 145g a day / non-meat options include Greek yogurt, bolthouse protein plus shakes, various grains/pasta (7-9g per serving with 40-45g carbs) are
  • skelterhelter
    skelterhelter Posts: 803 Member
    edited July 2018
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    Cottage cheese. I have it almost every morning with some fresh fruit. I get the no salt added kind (I don't like the salty taste of the regular variety) and add zero calorie sweetener and fresh blueberries, mangoes, cantaloupe, strawberries, etc. A half cup serving is super filling and packed with protein. You could add some nut butter to maximize your protein, but I've never tried it that way before.
  • fb47
    fb47 Posts: 1,058 Member
    edited July 2018
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    Jamesb2405 wrote: »
    HI all,

    I have recently upped my protein intake to 120G daily as I have started weight training. I've never really tracked it before as I've never been interested in building muscle, however once I did saw I was only really having between 50-70G.

    I am finding it difficult to hit the 120G, apart from eating the obvious meats. What sort of snacks or meal ideas do people use to up their intake?

    Thanks in advance, James

    I usually have two snacks that consists of cottage cheese and the other Greek yogurt, since I eat 2 servings of each, that's about 25+ g of protein per snack. Lunch is always some sort of meat, it could be deli, chicken, whatever....sometimes I alternate with fish/seafood. The already cooked shrimps is my favorite since you can eat it cold with a cocktail sauce, no preperations needed.

    As for breakfast, there are so many choices, eggs (or egg whites if I am cutting), protein shake with cereals or even oatmeal with protein powder (or powdered peanut butter) with fruits.
  • 100_PROOF_
    100_PROOF_ Posts: 1,168 Member
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    Protein powder, protein bars
  • Neiross1
    Neiross1 Posts: 42 Member
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    Cottage cheese
    Beans
    Spinage
    Mushrooms
    Greek Yogurt
    Costco kirkland protein bars
    Tuna in a can/ package with spices, no more then twice a week.
    Chicken in a can
    Chicken sausage
    Chicken burgers
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    I've been snacking on lupin beans lately. They're a traditional snack here, but I didn't know they were so great for protein. Had them once and logged them, and I was shocked. One of the few protein foods I like. They're basically finger food, usually eaten boiled and salted. Better protein ratio than most protein bars.

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  • rose2_0
    rose2_0 Posts: 150 Member
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    Will never understand this difficulty. I'm 5'4" woman and I can get 160 easily in a deficit.

    Eat...the protein. You'll have to sacrifice some carbs or fat to do so.
  • OHFlamingo
    OHFlamingo Posts: 239 Member
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    I seldom eat meat, and find I get terribly hungry without enough protein. I do eat other protein sources, but I find if I make myself a delicious fruit, almond milk, and protein powder smoothie for lunch, I can easily meet my protein goals fpr the day, plus I am not hungry at all until dinnertime. Works for me!
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,759 Member
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    The thread below is an excellent resource . . . it links to a spreadsheet that lists many, many foods by protein efficiency (most protein for fewest calories). Find things you like on the list, eat more of those, and less of something else.

    Also, think in terms of adding bits of protein in many roles in your eating. It's a good idea (especially for omnivores) to center each meal on a major protein source, but you can also augment that by choosing veggies, sides, breads, snacks and even fruits that have a little protein, rather than those with none. Some of those are incomplete (in terms of essential amino acids), but by eating a variety of different types, the amino acids balance out a bit. Those small amounts of protein throughout your day will add up.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10247171/carbs-and-fats-are-cheap-heres-a-guide-to-getting-your-proteins-worth-fiber-also
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    rose2_0 wrote: »
    Will never understand this difficulty. I'm 5'4" woman and I can get 160 easily in a deficit.

    Eat...the protein. You'll have to sacrifice some carbs or fat to do so.

    The difficulty for me is that this would leave very few calories for foods that actually taste good. That's why I get half of that and that's as high (or only slightly higher) as I would sustainably go.
  • rose2_0
    rose2_0 Posts: 150 Member
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    amusedmonkey wrote: »
    rose2_0 wrote: »
    Will never understand this difficulty. I'm 5'4" woman and I can get 160 easily in a deficit.

    Eat...the protein. You'll have to sacrifice some carbs or fat to do so.

    The difficulty for me is that this would leave very few calories for foods that actually taste good. That's why I get half of that and that's as high (or only slightly higher) as I would sustainably go.

    Hm...I guess it's really important to me and I happen to really like my foods. When I don't track (like now), I'm sure my protein intake is closer to 115 just because yeah...carbs are good.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    rose2_0 wrote: »
    amusedmonkey wrote: »
    rose2_0 wrote: »
    Will never understand this difficulty. I'm 5'4" woman and I can get 160 easily in a deficit.

    Eat...the protein. You'll have to sacrifice some carbs or fat to do so.

    The difficulty for me is that this would leave very few calories for foods that actually taste good. That's why I get half of that and that's as high (or only slightly higher) as I would sustainably go.

    Hm...I guess it's really important to me and I happen to really like my foods. When I don't track (like now), I'm sure my protein intake is closer to 115 just because yeah...carbs are good.

    Yeah, I only like beans but the protein comes with a calorie penalty so trying to go high would mean eating nothing but beans. I eat chicken, but it gets old really fast and too much of it hurts my stomach, I get bored of fish even faster (it's funny, it tastes good one day but if I have it again in the same week it tastes bad). I hate meat unless it's processed beyond recognition which means high in fat, I hate sea food, tofu is expensive, I've been able to find seitan only twice in the past 7 years, I'm can't tolerate eggs well and get stomach upset if I have them more than 1-2 times a week, low fat dairy is nearly nonexistent, it's too expensive to have protein powder several times a day, you get the idea.

    I have taste and availability issues and if I attempt a high protein diet I wouldn't last a week no matter how important it is to me - swallowing most of your calories with your nose closed is no way to live, even temporarily.
  • rose2_0
    rose2_0 Posts: 150 Member
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    amusedmonkey wrote: »
    rose2_0 wrote: »
    amusedmonkey wrote: »
    rose2_0 wrote: »
    Will never understand this difficulty. I'm 5'4" woman and I can get 160 easily in a deficit.

    Eat...the protein. You'll have to sacrifice some carbs or fat to do so.

    The difficulty for me is that this would leave very few calories for foods that actually taste good. That's why I get half of that and that's as high (or only slightly higher) as I would sustainably go.

    Hm...I guess it's really important to me and I happen to really like my foods. When I don't track (like now), I'm sure my protein intake is closer to 115 just because yeah...carbs are good.

    Yeah, I only like beans but the protein comes with a calorie penalty so trying to go high would mean eating nothing but beans. I eat chicken, but it gets old really fast and too much of it hurts my stomach, I get bored of fish even faster (it's funny, it tastes good one day but if I have it again in the same week it tastes bad). I hate meat unless it's processed beyond recognition which means high in fat, I hate sea food, tofu is expensive, I've been able to find seitan only twice in the past 7 years, I'm can't tolerate eggs well and get stomach upset if I have them more than 1-2 times a week, low fat dairy is nearly nonexistent, it's too expensive to have protein powder several times a day, you get the idea.

    I have taste and availability issues and if I attempt a high protein diet I wouldn't last a week no matter how important it is to me - swallowing most of your calories with your nose closed is no way to live, even temporarily.

    Oooh. Yeah. No. Live your life!

    I heart my muscles/physique AND meat lol. All the meat and fat free yogurt.

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