Getting enough protien

sunyarora96
sunyarora96 Posts: 1 Member
in Introduce Yourself

Hi my goal is more protein , any suggestions for getting my counts up

Replies

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 38,381 Community Helper

    Some ideas that helped me:

    1. Use your food diary. Log what you eat now, look for foods that "cost" relatively many calories, don't have much protein, and aren't important to you for other reasons (like satiety, nutrition, energy, even general happiness). Reduce those (frequency or portion size) to free up calories. Use those calories to add foods you enjoy eating that have at least some protein.
    2. Try to get at least one good protein source in each meal (of course). But also think about ways to add little bits of extra protein through the day from sides, beverages, snacks, even some seasonings. Those smaller amounts through the day can add up.
    3. Take a look at the thread linked below to identify foods you like eating that may make a contribution to protein intake. It links to a spreadsheet that links many, many foods in order by most protein for fewest calories.
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10247171/carbs-and-fats-are-cheap-heres-a-guide-to-getting-your-proteins-worth-fiber-also

    If you need it, there's nothing wrong IMO with protein powder or protein bars. Even if you prefer to get your protein from regular food (as I do), those things can help while figuring out a well-rounded, enjoyable set of food sources. That said, increasing protein isn't a thing that needs to be fixed instantly: You can chip away at it gradually. Even in the long run, it doesn't need to be exactly exact: Pretty good on average over a small number of days should work out fine.

    Personally, I have a daily protein minimum goal, aim to hit that the overwhelming majority of days. Most days I exceed it. When I was first losing weight, I did the steps above, focusing on changing my routine day-in, day-out eating patterns in ways that would get me adequate protein without micromanaging every individual day. That doesn't mean eating exactly the same foods every day, but more like having a range of common meal patterns that I can mix and match depending on my mood, that will add up to reasonable overall nutrition.

    Best wishes!

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