130g of plant based protein per day.. possible?

j010219
j010219 Posts: 20 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Female, 36, 5'4", starting weight 135, goal weight between 120 and 125. Have always been working out, mix of strength, cardio and flexibility. My weight was nevertheless stuck between 135-137 while I was 121 before having kids 5 years ago. Decided enough was enough and even though I hate tracking food, this is what it takes to get back to a body I am comfortable with.

Started counting calories in the beginning of January and lost 3 pounds so far. Happy with my progress. I wanted to take it step by step so that it's sustainable for me. Now I have the calorie counting down, I want to start looking at my protein intake to preserve muscle mass and help with satiety. I read that about 1g of protein by pound of body weight is ideal, so I figure it's a good place to start and see where it takes me. The catch is that I will be trying to do this the meatless way.

I only eat meat/eggs on the rare occasion where we are eating at someone's place and this is what they lovingly prepared for me; but otherwise prefer plant-based foods. Gluten and dairy are off the table because severe intolerances. I am open to incorporating more eggs if it's necessary to reach my goal; but I don't enjoy meat so don't want to go that route.

So... Wondering if 130grams of plant-based protein is feasible in one day while staying under 1500 calories? If so, do you have examples of what the day would look like? Anyone with an open food diary that I could look for inspiration?

Replies

  • JessAndreia
    JessAndreia Posts: 540 Member
    Don't need that much protein (for your stats) to preserve muscle.
    It's possible, but you would have to rely on protein powders, gluten-free soy products, and legume pastas, which aren't cheap, quite a bit.
  • j010219
    j010219 Posts: 20 Member
    JessAndreia wrote: »
    Don't need that much protein (for your stats) to preserve muscle.
    It's possible, but you would have to rely on protein powders, gluten-free soy products, and legume pastas, which aren't cheap, quite a bit.
    Yup, they are definitely not cheap! I do use protein powder because I like it and it's convenient, but it has its limitations..


  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,223 Member
    For most people, 0.6-0.8g protein per pound of healthy goal weight, or 0.8-1g per pound of lean body mass, should be fine. I'm 5'5", ideally 120 but currently mid-130s, and shoot for 100g minimum daily, currently on around 1800 net calories. Most days it's more, particularly when I have ample exercise calories.

    I'm ovo-lacto veg, not WFPB, but I think I could do it without dairy (if I and my Northern European genes didn't like dairy so much ;) ). I could probably get to 130 most days, but that would be a little more difficult. Either 100 or 130, without dairy (around half my protein most days), I think I'd probably end up eating quite a bit more soy and seitan than I do now. (I eat few eggs. And I don't like protein powder, protein bars, or most fake meat products, so I don't eat them . . . there's nothing wrong with them, IMO, but I just don't find them tasty/satisfying. If you like them, they may be a help.)

    One and a half tips for getting veg protein on limited calories (OK, two, but they're related).

    1. Try to break out of the omnivore mindset of "one big protein" per meal. There's nothing wrong with major sources of veg protein: You'll need them.

    1.5. Think about getting a small amount of protein from nearly everything you eat. A gram here and a gram there, spread through your day, will add up. Getting them from various sources will help with the fact that most veg proteins are incomplete (in terms of essential amino acids). This is not super difficult: There are vegetables with protein, fruits with protein, snacks with protein, breads/grains with more protein than others, and so forth.

    The thread linked below is extremely helpful. It links to a spreadsheet that lists many, many foods by protein efficiency, most protein for fewest calories. Yes, most of the items near the top of the spreadsheet are meat/fish. Keep scrolling, and you'll find others. I got a lot of ideas from this.

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

  • LG_NZ
    LG_NZ Posts: 7 Member
    Can you get sunfed 'chicken' where you are? I know they intend to go global, but it might just be NZ/OZ for now. It's a pea protein/pumpkin based meat substitute. Has a really good texture, I think it's much better than quorn and the like. I'm not vegan or vegetarian but will buy this stuff as a tasty protein source for a change. Bit pricey though.
  • Fittreelol
    Fittreelol Posts: 2,535 Member
    chrismprice wrote: »
    You don't need that much protein to preserve muscle. Read the book Proteinaholic by Garth Davis. I have at present lost 93lbs and since I started tracking my muscle mass I have lost Zero lbs of muscle in the past 7 months. All of my loss is fat/water which is just fantastic. I eat a WFPB diet about 95% animal product free. I average about 1000-1200 calories a day, and about 30-40 grams of protein. For exercise I walk 30 mins a day (fast) and practice Yin Yoga most days. I also bicycle a few days a week when the weather is good (not winter), and of course do what ever work I just routinely do, house keeping, yard work, home renovations etc. I had to redefine my goal weight because to get to the weight I was at before I was obese I'd have to lose 12lbs of muscle or have like 5% body fat neither option has any appeal. I'm 5'6" 182 lbs today, HW was 275 lbs, goal is 140 lbs. As a side note a lot of people don't realize the body just recycles Amino Acids. When you eat in excess of your needs it makes your liver and kidneys work harder which eventually damages them.

    How are you determining that you haven't lost muscle?

    Do you have a source indicating excess protein damages the liver and kidneys in healthy individuals?
  • berube0604
    berube0604 Posts: 6 Member
    I have an open diary! I’m 28 F, current weight 178, goal of 155 (I had gotten down to 158 last year). I aim for 75+g of protein a day. The only time I can reach for upper 90s is when I eat both a protein shake and eggs (1 whole egg,3-4egg whites) and some meatless sausage (tofurkey has 15g in half a link) throughout the day. My calorie goal for the day is 1640 though.
    I follow the philosophy of you eat for the body you want. I do .5g per pound of (goal) body weight because I’m not super interested in being muscular, but tone. I do lift weights and do cardio as well.
    Also may I ask, do you care more about the weight or the inches/cms of your body? Because if you care more about the weight, then I wouldn’t recommend the 1g/lb.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    0.6-0.8g of body weight is enough protein.

    i'm 133lbs and aim for at least 100g of protein
  • j010219
    j010219 Posts: 20 Member
    berube0604 wrote: »
    I have an open diary! I’m 28 F, current weight 178, goal of 155 (I had gotten down to 158 last year). I aim for 75+g of protein a day. The only time I can reach for upper 90s is when I eat both a protein shake and eggs (1 whole egg,3-4egg whites) and some meatless sausage (tofurkey has 15g in half a link) throughout the day. My calorie goal for the day is 1640 though.
    I follow the philosophy of you eat for the body you want. I do .5g per pound of (goal) body weight because I’m not super interested in being muscular, but tone. I do lift weights and do cardio as well.
    Also may I ask, do you care more about the weight or the inches/cms of your body? Because if you care more about the weight, then I wouldn’t recommend the 1g/lb.

    I care about both weight and inches, but inches matter more. I am athletic, already muscular enough to my taste, but have fat covering my muscle and want to get rid of that - without losing too much muscle in the process (a little would be fine though).
  • j010219
    j010219 Posts: 20 Member
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    0.6-0.8g of body weight is enough protein.

    i'm 133lbs and aim for at least 100g of protein

    Yeah I think that would work better - Right now I seem to play between 55 and 90 grams per day... How do you make it to 100g?
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    j010219 wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    0.6-0.8g of body weight is enough protein.

    i'm 133lbs and aim for at least 100g of protein

    Yeah I think that would work better - Right now I seem to play between 55 and 90 grams per day... How do you make it to 100g?

    Meat
  • chunky_pinup
    chunky_pinup Posts: 758 Member
    I eat a lot of seitan (which wouldn't work if you don't do gluten) and TVP - I have TVP at almost every meal (It's actually delicious as a sweet breakfast!). I make a smoothie bowl out of Protein Nut Milk, Protein powder, and fruit and have that at some point during the day but it's the only time I use a protein powder. I eat a lot of tofu if I'm not eating a lot of seitan and average 90-110g protein a day.
    JessAndreia wrote: »
    Don't need that much protein (for your stats) to preserve muscle.
    It's possible, but you would have to rely on protein powders, gluten-free soy products, and legume pastas, which aren't cheap, quite a bit.

    I find this post to be pretty inaccurate as these are not things I rely on nor are gluten free soy products expensive. I've never had to rely on a legume pasta...and I only do a protein powder to incorporate into a tasty treat. TVP contains soy, but I can get 5 pounds of it from a bulk bin for a couple of bucks...
  • strongwouldbenice
    strongwouldbenice Posts: 153 Member
    chunky_pinup wrote: »
    I eat a lot of seitan (which wouldn't work if you don't do gluten) and TVP - I have TVP at almost every meal (It's actually delicious as a sweet breakfast!). I make a smoothie bowl out of Protein Nut Milk, Protein powder, and fruit and have that at some point during the day but it's the only time I use a protein powder. I eat a lot of tofu if I'm not eating a lot of seitan and average 90-110g protein a day.
    JessAndreia wrote: »
    Don't need that much protein (for your stats) to preserve muscle.
    It's possible, but you would have to rely on protein powders, gluten-free soy products, and legume pastas, which aren't cheap, quite a bit.

    I find this post to be pretty inaccurate as these are not things I rely on nor are gluten free soy products expensive. I've never had to rely on a legume pasta...and I only do a protein powder to incorporate into a tasty treat. TVP contains soy, but I can get 5 pounds of it from a bulk bin for a couple of bucks...

    What do you do with tvp for breakfast/to make it sweet? I've only ever used it in place of mince but I'm keen to try it other ways!
  • JessAndreia
    JessAndreia Posts: 540 Member
    edited January 2019
    chunky_pinup wrote: »
    I eat a lot of seitan (which wouldn't work if you don't do gluten) and TVP - I have TVP at almost every meal (It's actually delicious as a sweet breakfast!). I make a smoothie bowl out of Protein Nut Milk, Protein powder, and fruit and have that at some point during the day but it's the only time I use a protein powder. I eat a lot of tofu if I'm not eating a lot of seitan and average 90-110g protein a day.
    JessAndreia wrote: »
    Don't need that much protein (for your stats) to preserve muscle.
    It's possible, but you would have to rely on protein powders, gluten-free soy products, and legume pastas, which aren't cheap, quite a bit.

    I find this post to be pretty inaccurate as these are not things I rely on nor are gluten free soy products expensive. I've never had to rely on a legume pasta...and I only do a protein powder to incorporate into a tasty treat. TVP contains soy, but I can get 5 pounds of it from a bulk bin for a couple of bucks...

    When I said expensive, I was only referring to the legume pastas. At least in Canada, they cost 6 dollars for a box of a bit over 200 grams.
    I don't see how my post is "pretty inaccurate", though, since you do mention eating a lot of tofu and TVP, so yes, you are relying on soy a lot for protein. Not saying that is wrong by the way. I myself, eat soy products on a nearly daily basis.
    I mentioned the legume pastas to give her another high protein option other than just soy.

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