Total newbie and confused about protien

dpwdash

I am started this on Monday and I am confused, so here is my plan let me know what you think...Thanks in advance for the help.

I am 38 yo, 200+#'s, workout currently 5 days a week. 3 Days jogging 30 - 60 minutes, with cross training, with body weight only, 2 days a week. I have being doing this for about 4 months. I did cross training for over a year before I added the jogging. I plan on lifting in the evenings (after a lunch time run).
My concern is this what is up with the protein shake/snack? Does this shake replace a meal or is this in addition to regular meals? Should I just find a way to add this into my calories for the day as determined by my fitness pal?

Ladies, thanks for your help and support this board has been a world of encouragement.

sleepyjen

I'm new, too, but I'm just having a cheese stick, handful of nuts, or luna bar after working out. My friend who's a trainer wigged out about the 150g protein suggestion for someone not doing long bulking routines because too much excess protein can be tough on kidneys. I'm more or less just eating more calories and adding a little more protein. I save my cardio for alternate days (so I lift Su/Tu/Fri this week, and had good intentions for walking MWTh). Chaos ensued so I didn't get to take those walks (can't run because of injury, booooooo), but you get the idea.

dpwdash

Thanks for the input.
How long have you been following the program? Are you enjoying it?

sleepyjen

I've done three workouts and so far, so good! My whole body ached after the first two but today (day after #3) I'm feeling pretty good! When it gets tough, I just repeat a mantra to myself about getting stronger doing it.

jamifishie

Your body needs protein in order to repair build the muscles that you're working in the gym. Increasing your protein intake is absolutely essential to seeing aesthetic results.

My protein shakes are 180 calories and they have 26 grams of protein. That's using EAS whey protein powder and 30 calorie almond milk, mixed with ice.

You could probably fit that into your calorie goals. But I always recommend checking your Total Daily Energy Expenditure to find out what that calorie goal should be -- use a calculator like this one: http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/, set your activity to reflect all of your workouts, and subtract from there. Do not track your activity into MFP and eat those calories back! My Fitness Pal is notorious for overestimating the amount of calories burned and underestimating how many calories you should be getting in the first place.

If you're not doing the recommended .8 grams of protein per pound of body weight, at least make sure you're getting a good balance of fats, carbs, and protein -- i do 30% fats, 30% protein, 40% carbs.

Hope this helps! I'm a little more than halfway through stage 5 and have seen great results!

jamifishie

Also -- if you do calculate your TDEE through a calculator like the one I linked, it will likely give you a higher calorie goal than MFP recommends. Don't be freaked out. Your body needs the right fuel to support your activity!

sleepyjen

There's also a handy spreadsheet that I used to calculate my calorie intake; I only wear my HRM now to monitor heart rate for cardio and for the stopwatch between sets. I found the spreadsheet on here somewhere.

http://maggiewang.com/2008/05/20/new-rules-of-lifting-for-women-diet-calculator-and-workout-logs

I'm fairly small (just under 5') and 136.5 pounds, and I've been consuming anywhere between 50 and 85 grams of protein a day, depending on what I'm eating (I eat a lot of vegetarian meals). I'm way below the .8/lb but figure I'll see how it goes at this level.