Meeting protein goals without exceeding carb and fats limit

azharam
azharam Posts: 1
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi,

I have only recently started counting my macros and I've noticed that it is very hard for me to meet my protein goal for the day without somehow exceeding my carb and fat limits. It is especially hard not to exceed my carb limit. I don't think I eat a lot of grains, and I feel it is important for me to get enough carbs for my workouts. Any tips on boosting protein while avoiding carbs?

Replies

  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
    mostly you will need to increase meat (especially lean like chicken and tuna) and cheese in your diet
    nuts have some protein but they up your fats by a good bit if you are already good in that category
    eggs (or egg whites if you don't need the extra fat)
  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
    Or try really complex cabs (quinoa, amaranth) that have a lot of protein. For lunch, I'll often have: 1/2 cup quinoa, 1/4 cup peas, 1/4 endamame, 3 oz salmon (I rotate this protein).

    Dinner can be 1/4 cup quinoa, 1 cup spinach, 1 cup egg whites (I need texture in my egg whites). :)
  • Jgal8123
    Jgal8123 Posts: 1,378 Member
    Whey protein - There are several low or zero carb options on the market.
  • toddis
    toddis Posts: 941 Member
    Meat, fish, eggs. Make it the primary focus of your meals.
  • HappyStack
    HappyStack Posts: 802 Member
    As long as you're within your calorie goal for the day, hitting your protein goal and exceeding carbs and fats on the way won't matter. I can't see your diary, so I don't know if this is the case.

    Order of priority is overall cals, protein, fat then carbs.

    If you're going over your calorie goal, look at your sources of protein. Are they breaded? battered? padded out with rusk/oats/other source of carbs? are they fatty cuts or portions?
  • beaches61
    beaches61 Posts: 154 Member
    You need to have protein-rich foods as the centerpiece of every meal. That means breakfast, too, sometimes people eat a lot of carbs for breakfast. Eggs, yogurts, not cereals and bread.

    For sides to your meals, think about veggies instead of carbs like pasta and rolls so you can use your calories for protein.

    Larger servings of lean meats for lunch and dinner will have more protein. For example, 6 or 7 or 8 ounches of lean grilled chicken instead of 3 ounces. Think about protein for snacks, too, string cheese, protein bars, cottage cheese.

    Also, go easy on sweets. You can have a treat, I do, you just need to choose it wisely. And, one or maybe two small treats, not four or five.
  • omatga
    omatga Posts: 56 Member
    I'm a 114 lb female who workouts 6 days a week so I shoot for 113 grams of protein per day and I also have carb and fat target I shoot for. It can be done but it is hard to get that much protein without going over on the other two. I agree with some of the others on here - you want protein in every meal and it can't always be fatty protein like nuts, beef, etc. Chicken, white fish, and unless you want chicken in every meal, you are probably going to have to consider some protein shakes of some sort.
  • arl1286
    arl1286 Posts: 276 Member
    Or don't worry about it. Macronutrients mean nothing for weight loss.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Or don't worry about it. Macronutrients mean nothing for weight loss.

    Not true. Protein matters if you want to lose fat and not too much muscle.
  • TheBaconMan
    TheBaconMan Posts: 2
    Un-processed chicken will make it easy. Almost all chicken nuggets and chicken fingers you can buy have 10-15g of fat and 15-20g of protein per serving, as well as 200-300 cals. 3 oz of regular grilled chicken is about 24g protein, 3g of fat and 110 cals.
  • ell_v131
    ell_v131 Posts: 349 Member
    What is your protein goal? If it's the default mfp goal, that is still too low. You should aim for about 1gram/ pound of bodyweight. Once you have reached your protein goal, doesn't matter if you went over carbs or fats, as long as you stayed within your calories. Mind you, if you want to lose weight, macros don't matter. You will lose weight as long as you are in caloric deficit. If you want to lose fat while not losing much muscle, you will watch mainly your protein intake and partake in some form of resistance training. This way your body will look much better, leaner and firmer when you reach your goal.

    Lean meat such as chicken and Turkey, fish like salmon, sea bass, lean pork and beef are great sources of protein, along with egg whites. I also use protein shakes to help me reach my goal if I am missing some

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