Total Noob Seeks Help Meeting Carb/Protein Goals On Meal Plan

Amber_Dawnn

I've made up a meal plan that I'm planning to follow 3 weeks a month the problem is I'm 64grams OVER on Carbs (130 goal) and 27 Grams short on Protein (98 goal) and just a tad over my 1300 calorie goal this says it totals 1450.

The Plan Is:
Breakfast: 2 Eggs, 1 Toast with TBSP Peanut Butter, Med Banana & Mixed Berry Ice "Smoothie".
Lunch: 1/2 Cup Beans & 1/2 Cup Rice cooked in Chicken broth with 25Grams Cherry Tomatoes
Dinner: 70 Grams Spaghetti with Homemade Beef Marinara Sauce & a Baked Potato
Snack: 1/3 Cup Cottage Cheese

I have no food restrictions so is there anything here you would swap out or even remove totally for something else to add protein and take away carbs?

Any input is welcome even if it's telling me this is a horrible meal plan it's likely not the best but I'm only able to work on roughly $100 a month lol

lemurcat2

Unrelated to the macro issue, I personally would add more veg, as I only see the tomatoes. You could add a variety of veg to the spaghetti sauce or work in a salad.

If the thing you want to change is less carbs and more protein, the thing to do is increase protein sources (the meat is easiest) and reduce carbs. I am a huge fan of beans and they supply fiber as well as protein, carbs, and nutrients, so I'd leave lunch and change up dinner. 70 g of spaghetti (if that's uncooked) is more than I normally use (I tend to go with the 56 g/2 oz or less), but more significantly pasta plus a baked potato at the same meal is a lot of carbs when you have a calorie limit as low as you do. I'd alternate them (as potatoes are great) and add more meat (leaner beef if possible, if you aren't using that) and veg to the sauce (which would likely be tasty on the potato).

I'd also think about using some different meats -- you can make a tasty sauce with chicken or turkey too -- or just creating 2 set dinners to start with (chicken, baked potato, veg, is a nice combo).

Since you said you'd welcome any input, I also would recommend a more varied diet, as that makes it more likely to meet overall nutrients. For me that mostly means changing up dinner. I think of dinner as a template of protein, non starchy veg, starch (pasta, potato, corn, rice, etc.) and it's really very simple to work within that and would allow for more variety, not eating red meat as your meat source every day, and also buying whatever is on special.

cmriverside

Yeah, so look at your food diary and figure out where you can cut back on carbs. Grains are really calorie and carb heavy, so I try to limit them when I'm cutting calories. When I was last losing weight, I cut my grains to one serving per day. That way I had room for more fruit and vegetables.

My goal on lowered calories is: 4-6 servings of fruit or vegetables per day. I count potatoes, root vegetables, squash and beans as vegetables, some people don't since they are so starchy. I make sure to eat leafy greens or cruciferous vegetables on most days.

Two servings of protein. So eggs for breakfast and a lean meat serving (three ounces) for dinner.

Then it's one serving of dairy and one serving of fat per day. On 1300, I didn't really have room for more than that.

Why are you set at such low calories? Do you have over 50 pounds to lose?

Amber_Dawnn

cmriverside wrote: »

Why are you set at such low calories? Do you have over 50 pounds to lose?

I'm only 5 feet tall but almost 160 pounds I'm trying to lose one pound a week. My Dr told me I should aim for 130 to start and stretch goals for 120 to 110 for my perfect weight. I also have a very low activity level I don't work and after a year of spending most of my time in bed or a chair, I can't rely on exercising to burn many calories.

I would like to eat meat more it just doesn't fit in the budget so much some times.
Maybe I could swap out the Rice at lunch for some cheap frozen and steamed veggies to add in more nutrients and take out some carbs.

quiksylver296

All of what @lemurcat2 said.

I would drop either the potato or the pasta at dinner, to drop carbs. You could add some protein powder to your morning shake to add protein.

Amber_Dawnn

lemurcat2 wrote: »

Unrelated to the macro issue, I personally would add more veg, as I only see the tomatoes. You could add a variety of veg to the spaghetti sauce or work in a salad.

If the thing you want to change is less carbs and more protein, the thing to do is increase protein sources (the meat is easiest) and reduce carbs. I am a huge fan of beans and they supply fiber as well as protein, carbs, and nutrients, so I'd leave lunch and change up dinner. 70 g of spaghetti (if that's uncooked) is more than I normally use (I tend to go with the 56 g/2 oz or less), but more significantly pasta plus a baked potato at the same meal is a lot of carbs when you have a calorie limit as low as you do. I'd alternate them (as potatoes are great) and add more meat (leaner beef if possible, if you aren't using that) and veg to the sauce (which would likely be tasty on the potato).

The Sauce is full of veggies and a pound of meat I make a big batch and freeze it. But I agree with changing up the pasta AND potato I was thinking that might be a bit overkill.
I'm also on the lookout for markdown meat to add in as well I keep about $15 in swing budget every month for that.

Maybe changing out the rice at lunch for some Veggies would be better as well?

apullum

Amber_Dawnn wrote: »

cmriverside wrote: »

Why are you set at such low calories? Do you have over 50 pounds to lose?

I'm only 5 feet tall but almost 160 pounds I'm trying to lose one pound a week. My Dr told me I should aim for 130 to start and stretch goals for 120 to 110 for my perfect weight. I also have a very low activity level I don't work and after a year of spending most of my time in bed or a chair, I can't rely on exercising to burn many calories.

I would like to eat meat more it just doesn't fit in the budget so much some times.
Maybe I could swap out the Rice at lunch for some cheap frozen and steamed veggies to add in more nutrients and take out some carbs.

Why does your doctor think 110-120 is your "perfect" weight? The optimal BMI range for someone who is 5'0" starts at 127.

You should be able to sustain a 1 lb/week pace of loss safely, but that doesn't mean you have to target a 1 lb/week pace. You can drop down to 0.5 lb/week, lose more slowly, but get more calories to eat. Just be aware that at a small deficit, many people have to weigh and log all their food very accurately to avoid wiping out that deficit with small logging errors.

Exercise is not required to lose weight, and if you set MFP to sedentary, then you will lose weight without exercising. However, exercise is good for health and fitness. It's not clear from your post whether you are unable to do any exercise at all due to medical reasons, or if you simply haven't been exercising. If it's the latter, and you want to exercise, then there's no time like the present. Check with your doctor to make sure there are no medical restrictions on your exercise.

cdudley628

One thing could be to remove the toast from breakfast and put protein powder in your "smoothie" (not sure why it's in quotes). I also think your dinner is probably the biggest carb bomb. Try replacing the baked potato or the pasta for more meat. Or lessen the amount of pasta and add more meat.

But also, don't feel like you need to stick to a meal plan if you want other food. This could cause burnout. I personally just plan out my day the night before and take into account what I have in the house and what I've been wanting to eat, then I add it to my food diary and do some tweaking to make it fit my macro goals.

We have similar stats, I'm 5'2" and started at 165 pounds. I currently eat just under 1400 calories a day. My protein goal is smaller than yours, I aim for a minimum of 69 grams a day. This is in line with the recommendation of having your protein goal be .6 or .8 multiplied by your goal weight (mine is .6*115). Is there a reason you feel like you need to hit 98 grams of protein a day? Lowering your protein goal slightly can take some pressure off.

Pipsqueak1965

110-120 sounds a pretty fair range for someone of that height. The 'healthy' BMI range is from 96-27.

Amber_Dawnn

cdudley628 wrote: »

One thing could be to remove the toast from breakfast and put protein powder in your "smoothie" (not sure why it's in quotes). I also think your dinner is probably the biggest carb bomb. Try replacing the baked potato or the pasta for more meat. Or lessen the amount of pasta and add more meat.

Is there a reason you feel like you need to hit 98 grams of protein a day? Lowering your protein goal slightly can take some pressure off.

I can see able removing the Toast for breakfast and adding the Peanutbutter to the "Smoothies" and I have it in quotes because most people connect smoothies with adding milk or yogurt but I'd just be adding ice & water.
Protein powder is expensive and I did play with the idea I wouldn't need to use a full recommended scoop tho I could use half a scoop.
I have a higher protein goal because I'm trying to build some muscle mass. Maybe it is too high considering how little I'm able to exercise or lift at the moment.

quiksylver296

Amber_Dawnn wrote: »

cdudley628 wrote: »

One thing could be to remove the toast from breakfast and put protein powder in your "smoothie" (not sure why it's in quotes). I also think your dinner is probably the biggest carb bomb. Try replacing the baked potato or the pasta for more meat. Or lessen the amount of pasta and add more meat.

Is there a reason you feel like you need to hit 98 grams of protein a day? Lowering your protein goal slightly can take some pressure off.

I can see able removing the Toast for breakfast and adding the Peanutbutter to the "Smoothies" and I have it in quotes because most people connect smoothies with adding milk or yogurt but I'd just be adding ice & water.
Protein powder is expensive and I did play with the idea I wouldn't need to use a full recommended scoop tho I could use half a scoop.
I have a higher protein goal because I'm trying to build some muscle mass. Maybe it is too high considering how little I'm able to exercise or lift at the moment.

How high is it?

lemurcat2

Amber_Dawnn wrote: »

I can see able removing the Toast for breakfast and adding the Peanutbutter to the "Smoothies" and I have it in quotes because most people connect smoothies with adding milk or yogurt but I'd just be adding ice & water.

Adding greek yogurt would actually add some protein.

What I would say is just experiment with cutting down on the portions of some of the starchy carbs (or just try my suggestion of alternating the pasta and the potato to start). If the lunch rice is 1/2 cup pre cooked that's certainly a place to cut down, and even if not cutting down on it if it does not affect your satiety or enjoyment of the meal, and adding in more veg there isn't a bad idea.

I don't think 98 g is super high for 1300 cal, but at your height it is likely a little more than you need, even for muscle maintenance at a deficit. (It's similar to what I aimed for when losing, but I'm 5'3.)

Amber_Dawnn

quiksylver296 wrote: »

How high is it?

Aiming for 98ish grams a day but only getting about 15 mins of HIIT exercise. 10 Squats 2 times a day and 5 mins of arm motions with 2-pound dumbbells 2 times a day. I'm VERY tired after that's why I'm boosting my protein to help gain muscle mass.

AnnPT77

Amber_Dawnn wrote: »

lemurcat2 wrote: »

Unrelated to the macro issue, I personally would add more veg, as I only see the tomatoes. You could add a variety of veg to the spaghetti sauce or work in a salad.

If the thing you want to change is less carbs and more protein, the thing to do is increase protein sources (the meat is easiest) and reduce carbs. I am a huge fan of beans and they supply fiber as well as protein, carbs, and nutrients, so I'd leave lunch and change up dinner. 70 g of spaghetti (if that's uncooked) is more than I normally use (I tend to go with the 56 g/2 oz or less), but more significantly pasta plus a baked potato at the same meal is a lot of carbs when you have a calorie limit as low as you do. I'd alternate them (as potatoes are great) and add more meat (leaner beef if possible, if you aren't using that) and veg to the sauce (which would likely be tasty on the potato).

The Sauce is full of veggies and a pound of meat I make a big batch and freeze it. But I agree with changing up the pasta AND potato I was thinking that might be a bit overkill.
I'm also on the lookout for markdown meat to add in as well I keep about $15 in swing budget every month for that.

Maybe changing out the rice at lunch for some Veggies would be better as well?

You may not like this, and I'm sure some other readers won't , but another option would be to experiment with chickpea pasta (now quite widely available here because gluten free) or chickpea "rice", which has around twice the protein of the wheat products, for about the same calories. It's still not a huge amount, but if you really enjoy those sides, it might be worth a try.

I find the chickpea pasta (the chickpea rice is really just chickpea orzo IMO) to be a little flatter tasting than wheat pasta, but of similar texture. You've mentioned that your sauce is rich, so this might be an acceptable sub, for you.

I think some of the other strategies mentioned could be higher-yield for your goals, but I thought I'd mention this one in case rice/pasta are especially desirable to you.

apullum

Amber_Dawnn wrote: »

quiksylver296 wrote: »

How high is it?

Aiming for 98ish grams a day but only getting about 15 mins of HIIT exercise. 10 Squats 2 times a day and 5 mins of arm motions with 2-pound dumbbells 2 times a day. I'm VERY tired after that's why I'm boosting my protein to help gain muscle mass.

Boosting protein is not necessarily going to make you less tired after a workout. Fatigue is caused by all kinds of things, and your protein target isn't actually low. I did the math and you're currently targeting 30% protein. (Protein is 4 calories per gram; 98 grams * 4 = 392 calories of protein out of your 1300 calorie goal, which is roughly 30%). You probably don't need that much. The default on MFP is 20%, which is fine for most people unless they have a clear reason to eat more.

I would guess that your fatigue is more likely due to something else, such as simply starting an exercise routine when you're not used to any exercise at all. You may be doing too much too soon. If you're doing two 15 minute sessions a day, start with one; if you're doing one a day, try every other day. It takes time to work up to more intense exercise.

It's also not clear what your fitness goals are. If you want to gain muscle, 20 squats a day and 5 minutes of arm curls with a small weight is a starting point. On its own, it's not going to do a lot unless you use it as the basis to increase your strength training. If you want to build strength, I would strongly encourage following a structured strength training plan once you have established the basic fitness to do so: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

Having said that, you're not going to gain a huge amount of muscle in a calorie deficit. You may gain some, but you're largely trying to maintain the muscle mass you have during the fat loss process.