Help! Vegetarian who cannot meet her protein goal

AleciaG724

I can meet my protein number most days, but not if I work out hard. I add pea protein powder & PB2 (powdered peanut butter) to smoothies or yogurt with berries. I also have Pro7 which is a whey protein supplement, but I prefer to try & get if from real food. All above suggestions are great, but it's difficult to meet the goal with just food while on a calorie restriction... I figure better to get the protein any way I can until I meet my weight goal. This way I am building muscle to help burn the calories and not losing lean muscle mass along with the fat. I was told that women can't absorb more than 20g of protein at a time, so try to add the supplements between meals, at least two hours apart. I was told to have three protein shakes a day between meals, with 1/3 scoop each time, otherwise we will just be peeing it out...

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lithezebra

If your goal is to eat 40/30/30, then you need to eat some foods that get significantly more than 40% of their calories from protein. That isn't easy to do on a vegetarian diet without using protein powders. Even nonfat milk gets less than half of its calories from protein, and eggs get close to half of their calories from protein. Seitan, which is wheat gluten, seems to be about half protein too. If you need to eat 40% protein, you probably need supplements, unless everything you eat is a high protein vegetarian food.

ChickenmommaMich

Well it seems that protein powders/shakes may be just the thing to get closer to my protein goal. Do you eat/drink them as a meal replacement, with meals or as snacks?

ewrob

How much protein do you think you need?
Why?

I've been reading the boards a lot and used a few TDEE calculators. A few mentions eating as many grams of protein for every pound you weigh. Currently I have my protein set at 40% with Carbs and Fat both set at 30%

I've been asking for an explanation on why so much protein is needed in one's diet and have yet to come across the answer. I am a vegan and I eat 30 to 50 grams of protein per day. I am also fairly active, spending around 10 hours a week cycling. Do we really know that we need more protein? If so, I do not understand why at this time.

scottaworley

Well it seems that protein powders/shakes may be just the thing to get closer to my protein goal. Do you eat/drink them as a meal replacement, with meals or as snacks?

ANYTIME except for as a meal replacement. Ideally post-workout.

scottaworley

How much protein do you think you need?
Why?

I've been reading the boards a lot and used a few TDEE calculators. A few mentions eating as many grams of protein for every pound you weigh. Currently I have my protein set at 40% with Carbs and Fat both set at 30%

I've been asking for an explanation on why so much protein is needed in one's diet and have yet to come across the answer. I am a vegan and I eat 30 to 50 grams of protein per day. I am also fairly active, spending around 10 hours a week cycling. Do we really know that we need more protein? If so, I do not understand why at this time.

Protein is important because:
- Its amino acids are essential for tissue growth and repair. This includes your liver, kidneys, and heart.
- It is anabolic. You can not build or preserve muscle without adequate protein.
How much protein do you need? Protein's anabolic response is capped at around 40g per meal. However, as discussed earlier, more than 40g is not wasted. It is used to support the health of your organs.

euge777

Hello, buy a protein supplement. MetRx, All American EFX, Cytosports, Twinlabs, BSN, all good supplement brands.

230137isntmyweight

It's .8 -1 per pound of lean mass. So if you weigh 165lbs not all of that needs to be fed protein. Figure out your body fat percentage and subtract that from your total weight.

marilou0511

Good to know. Thanks everyone.

Ophidion

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/926789-protein-sources

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

OwneyB

I use phood, it's a vegan meal replacement shake. I get it from veganessentials.com. You can also try millet it's a high protein grain. Do you like tofu, miso, temphe, or beans?

helpfit101

How about high protein non-fat non-sugar milk powder. I found some for people recovering from burns. It's cheap here. You can mix it through oats (tastes so so) or greek yoghurt (tastes good).

I also use it to mix with cocoa powder, almond milk, oats, peanut butter and put it in the fridge and then later take it out as a healthy high-protein and high-good-fats snack.

castelluzzo99

Without reading all the responses, I would say first, what is your goal? Unless you are exercising intensely (like heavy lifting or maybe Insanity-level cardio), you probably don't need more than 15% protein. Seriously. Protein is overrated around here. (I'm vegetarian too.)

That said, the days I go over my protein goal without trying are usually the days I ate beans or lentils. Both are high in protein. Eat them with a grain and you'll be good to go. You know, rice and beans, lentil patty on bread, chili and cornbread.

castelluzzo99

Well it seems that protein powders/shakes may be just the thing to get closer to my protein goal. Do you eat/drink them as a meal replacement, with meals or as snacks?

Because I am doing Insanity, and therefore figure I need some extra protein (or at least need to make my minimum goal on workout days), I am using some whey protein I bought at Costco. I use half a scoop with either yogurt or soymilk (I can't stand plain cow's milk) and a banana, blended in my Magic Bullet. It is quick and easy and gives me something to get my muscles fed while I shower and get breakfast going. On days I don't work out, I skip it. And today, having done just the fit test, I just drank the protein mixed with water. Oh, I do add some water to the shake to make it drinkable instead of thick to eat with a spoon.

If you really decide you need so much protein (and 40% is way too high--it's not healthy, IMO), you could add the protein powder to whatever you can put it in. Bake it in muffins or bread, add it to yogurt, drink it straight with your meal instead of whatever other drink you'd eat.

But do google "dangers of high protein diet" and at least familiarize yourself with the risks!

enchantedgardener

I'm not a vegetarian, but I too do have trouble meeting my protein goal without occasionally using protein powders.

Vega One is a great product and is completely vegan. It was created with the aim of being as 'natural' as a dietary supplement can be. Expensive, though. I only use it when I don't have time to eat a proper meal. It is enriched with vitamins and minerals as well. Contains no soy, no artificial flavors, no sweeteners or sugar (contains stevia).

I also really like Whey Gourmet Naturelle Vanilla Bean protein powder. It's made from whey (dairy), which makes it a fairly inexpensive high protein source. No artificial flavors or sweeteners. It is sweetened with cane juice (sugar) but only a small amount per serving.

jjrichard83

How much protein do you think you need?
Why?

I've been reading the boards a lot and used a few TDEE calculators. A few mentions eating as many grams of protein for every pound you weigh. Currently I have my protein set at 40% with Carbs and Fat both set at 30%

Well that is wrong info. Sadly it's been repeated so many times that many believe it to be true... Honestly .5g per lb. would be okay. Even the Strength and Conditioning Association who give info to Olympic lifters suggest .4-.8g per lb. that .8 is for elite athletes.

20% is most likely enough protein even with a good weight routine.

Kittyvicious1

MILK

Maidofmer

nuts, nut butters

Yogi_Carl

How much protein do you think you need?
Why?

I've been reading the boards a lot and used a few TDEE calculators. A few mentions eating as many grams of protein for every pound you weigh. Currently I have my protein set at 40% with Carbs and Fat both set at 30%

Well that is wrong info. Sadly it's been repeated so many times that many believe it to be true... Honestly .5g per lb. would be okay. Even the Strength and Conditioning Association who give info to Olympic lifters suggest .4-.8g per lb. that .8 is for elite athletes.

20% is most likely enough protein even with a good weight routine.

Thanks for this. Good sense.

paulperryman

Whey is dairy based (the stuff they skim off the top when making cheese and butter) or Soy protein is completely plant based

ChickenmommaMich

Thanks for all the advice and suggestions. I think I will lower my protein to 20% (which will be much more attainable) and use all the great ideas mentioned here to reach that. Any suggestions on what to set fat and carbs to now? I always end up having very high carb numbers, but a lot of my carb come from fruits and vegetables.

neandermagnon

Eat more felafel and hummus... and beans generally. Kidney beans are full of protein, much more than you'd think.

lenoresaari

bump; thanks for the idea about cottage cheese and greek yogurt. I cant tolerate beans so it makes it difficult and I really dislike meat and eggs even though I eat them for convenience

darkguardian419

Eat more eggs. I eat a 7 eggwhite omelet with mushrooms and onions and I'll get around 25g of protein from that with 150 calories or so.

russellbrand69

I posted this before, but topics move so fast I think it's OK to post it again:

I've started adding organic soya beans to my lunch salad. 125g cooked is loads, tasty and really filling - 190 calories and 17.5g protein. They taste like edamame, pretty much, but they aren't the same bright green colour, but a delicate, pale green.

I got the 500g packet of dried soya beans, soaked them overnight, then simmered them in water till they were cooked, but with a teeny bit of bite - it took about 2 1/2 hours I think.
That was a load of hassle BUT, when they were cooked, drained and cold, I weighed them out into individual 125g bags and froze them - I think it made about 10 bags! Now I take a bag with me to work, and microwave them and add to my salad.

cateyedkp

It's already been mentioned before, but I'll throw it in again for good measure. Beans on salad are my new favorite thing since switching to a mostly vegan diet (from lacto-ovo vegetarian). On days when I work out particularly hard, I'll put an entire can of chickpeas or butter beans on my salad. So good, so filling, and lots of protein for the calories.

BrainyBurro

Thanks for all the advice and suggestions. I think I will lower my protein to 20% (which will be much more attainable) and use all the great ideas mentioned here to reach that. Any suggestions on what to set fat and carbs to now? I always end up having very high carb numbers, but a lot of my carb come from fruits and vegetables.

that's basically cheating though... don't set your macros to reflect what you currently eat, set them to reflect what your body actually needs.

here's a rule of thumb for protein... 0.8g/lb of LBM

if you weigh 150lbs and have a BF% of 25%, then your LBM is 112.5 and your protein goal would be 90g per day.

generally speaking, that's needed for muscle growth (on a surplus) or retention (on a deficit). it's not that hard to get 90g of protein a day. it's only about 360 calories in the protein. you just have to eat some high protein foods a couple of times a day.

habibti

Check out the Garden of Life brand - Raw Meal and Raw Protein shake mixes. I have both, I like the vanilla Raw Meal best, but just a warning, they do not taste "yummy" like Muscle Milk or others. They are thick and a bit gritty (because of the all the sprouted grains, I think!) I use a blender bottle and mix 1 scoop (half serving) with 8 oz. almond milk. I can't make a whole serving at once, I can't drink 16 oz fast enough before it becomes too thick for me! My friend likes to use an immersion blender to make it a finer consistency and adds a banana. And a side note, I'm pregnant right now and my midwife recommended Raw Meal/Raw Protein as a safe protein shake supplement to up my protein intake since I'm a veggie too

laserturkey

I rely a lot on Greek yogurt, but I also eat a fair amount of tofu. Lentils are another biggie for me. I've also found I like Quest protein bars in the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough flavor. I have one of those almost every day for 21 grams of protein that tastes like a dessert. Adding peanut or chickpea flour also gives a little protein boost to recipes.

laserturkey

I have protein set to 25%, fat to 35%, and carbs to 40%.