Getting enough protein without shakes ?

chrisredmayne

Any tips on this ? I've been trying to get over 100 a day but sometimes I'm falling really short... mainly eating a lot of chicken and cheese to be honest! Trying to get more fish too, some salmon prawns and tuna...

Any other top tips ? Did a shop this week and was looking for protein and ending up buying some high protein crisp snack things and some yoghurt too!

Panini911

100 a day seems high. what are your stats (age, gender, height)?

i don't have shakes. i eat lean meats, eggs, tuna, jerky, greek yogurt and home made protein bars (which I love and are a desssert). this gets me to 90 most days.

chrisredmayne

Panini911 wrote: »

100 a day seems high. what are your stats (age, gender, height)?

i don't have shakes. i eat lean meats, eggs, tuna, jerky, greek yogurt and home made protein bars (which I love and are a desssert). this gets me to 90 most days.

35 male, 6ft, 11stone 10! I set my profile up to just maintain weight, been trying to get eggs too but I normally have breakfast at work so miss out on that opportunity!

goldthistime

I’ve been buying egg white protein bars lately, (instead of the soy puff variety), and find them delightful. I’m thinking I can take a cue from that and add egg whites into my diet generally.

I know you said “without shakes” but I use a half serving of protein powder in my shake, and change up the source: whey, pumpkin seed, pea, hemp.

Also low fat cottage cheese is an amazing source. I sometimes add it to my veggie stir fries or eggs as well as eating it with fruit.

Panini911

chrisredmayne wrote: »

Panini911 wrote: »

100 a day seems high. what are your stats (age, gender, height)?

i don't have shakes. i eat lean meats, eggs, tuna, jerky, greek yogurt and home made protein bars (which I love and are a desssert). this gets me to 90 most days.

35 male, 6ft, 11stone 10! I set my profile up to just maintain weight, been trying to get eggs too but I normally have breakfast at work so miss out on that opportunity!

ok that makes more sense for protein.as a much taller and male human you will have more calories to play with than me so if i can hit that in 1400 calories you should have no problem with ... i'm thinking over 2000 for you!

I eat my eggs for lunch, you can replace that with another protein. I can even hit 80+ when eating a vegetarian dinner. (my breakfast is steel cut oats, not my biggest protein meal)

oh i also add protein rich cereal in my greek yogurt (this is a snack) so it boosts my protein intake a little (again you'll be able to eat a bigger portion making even more protein rich).

shaf238

Chicken, greek yoghurt, cheese, tuna, protein-based snacks (brownies, cookies, porridge etc), quorn, beans - take your pick!

cmriverside

100 Foods list (Protein)

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10244142/list-of-foods-with-highest-protein-calorie-percentage/p1

Buff_Man

Aim for 30g each meal then the rest with yoghurt, nuts etc.

brittanystebbins95

Tuna tuna tuna! Walmart sells little flavored packs from Bumblebee. My favorite is Chipotle. 70 calories and 15g of protein. Greek yogurt and cottage cheese are other things that have REALLY high protein content for the amount of calories.
Cottage cheese is nice because you can eat it plain, with crackers, with chili powder on it is AMAZING, and if you put fruit or a tiny bit of jam in it, it tastes a little like cheesecake.

sardelsa

Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs and egg whites, canned tuna, fish, shrimp, pork, beef, deli meats, beef jerky

slbbw

Everything above. You can also choose higher protein vegetables and grains. Quinoa is decent in protein, brocolli has a good bit of protein, especially for the calories. For example a meal containing 2 cups of broccoli, 1/2 cup of quinoa and 3oz of chicken is just under 300 calories, and has 31 g of protein. 9 of those are from the broccoli and quinoa.

I like oatmeal in the morning and I mix in 4oz of scrambled eggwhites usually with a bit of cheese and I can get 21g of protein for 260 calories.

Make sure all your non "protein" items contain a good amount of protein and you should be good. I was regularly getting 120g of protein on about 1400 calories. It was not very exciting but it worked for the short term. At 1700 calories and 105g target I can hit that goal most days without trying.

shaf238

I was meant to ask earlier, is there any particular reason you asked for suggestions not including protein shakes?

elliej

Looking at your diary you rely a lot on grab and go food and you're mostly snacking on fruit - which is not necessarily bad but as you've noticed not so focused on protein. Try to swap some of the fruit out with protein rich snacks like nuts or combine the two (apple sliced and peanut butter is the bomb), and pre-prepare stuff at home to take with you. Leftovers may work better for lunch than a sandwich etc. as you can ensure a bumped up protein content.

For example I love pea or lentil flour pasta - lots of protein pay out there and you can have it with another protein rather than just sauce. Little swaps like this can add up quite quickly. Sainsbury's red lentil penne has 12g protein per 100g compared to their normal penne which is 5g protein per 100g.

Also, as a direct replacement for protein powder, you could try silken tofu (asian food aisle) to bulk up smoothies, sauces etc. It's basically tasteless and blends to a smooth consistency.

deannalfisher

what is your goal amount of protein per day?

AnnPT77

I think protein shakes are yucky. (There's nothing wrong with them objectively, I just don't personally find them tasty or satisfying.) So I don't drink them, nor do I eat protein bars. And I'm vegetarian (ovo lacto).

I get 100g of protein every day, from food, without meat or fish. It should be very doable, when you do eat those protein-rich foods.

Others have suggested specific foods. I'm going to suggest a process, instead.

I'm going to assume you're logging your food here, or planning to do so. Once you have a day or few logged, take a look at your food diary. Look for foods that have contributed a good-sized chunk of calories, but not much protein (or other nutrition you need) or satiation. You're trying to find the foods that (relatively speaking) "cost" more calories than they're worth, to you personally. Plan to reduce or eliminate those foods. This frees up some calories.

Next, find some things you personally enjoy eating, that make a better contribution to your protein goals (and, ideally, are at least as tasty, satisfying, and otherwise nutritious as the ones you reduce, if not more so). Add those things to your eating, using those freed-up calories to "afford" them.

Integrate those changes into your eating, then reassess: Just keep repeating this "review and adjust" process** until your eating is giving you a personalized, optimum combination of nutrition, tastiness, satiation, energy, and all-around dietary happiness.

This is a good source for protein ideas:

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

One thing that's great about it, is that it includes veggies with protein, fruit with protein, etc., so maybe some things you wouldn't have thought of on your own. Of course, fish/seafood and meat are still top options for highest protein per calorie, and it's good to eat "complete proteins" (those, plus soy, quinoa, and some others), but little bits from varied sources will add up, and contribute usefully to your protein goal.

** There's a more detailed thread here about using this kind of "gradual remodeling" approach to develop your own eating plan:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10636388/free-customized-personal-weight-loss-eating-plan-not-spam-or-mlm

Best wishes for much success!