Food Rant: Protein vs Carbs...Carbs are winning

Josalinn

First this isn't a post about a "low carb diet" that I am trying to follow or anything. I am trying to get between 90g and 125g of protein a day and stay at about 1350 calories per day. I haven't been exercising super hard because I still feel weak from my bronchitis (yay) so I don't feel the need to eat back exercise calories at the moment.

Currently getting in about 60g protein. That said, I have basically cut out bread and pasta, except for what is in my canned soup and my corn muffin that I eat with my chili. But even the chili has more carbs than protein in it! I mean come on! Its chili! Its supposed to be all kings of protein!

I eat a ton of veggies, and guess what they are mostly carbs. I feel like fruit should be a "no-no" food because of the carbs in it, and I know that is ludicrous because fruit is good for you!

But looking at my diary the most carbtastic thing is apple in my salad, so as soon as the apples are gone, I guess I'm going to replace the 70 calories of apple with 80 calories of steak for a whooping 20g protein. And as soon as my soup is all gone I guess I can just eat half a chicken breast. (80 calories of steak is about 1 oz) Or maybe I should ditch the grapes and all their antioxidants since they are about 70 calories and have only 1g protein to an apples 3.

Beans don't cut it because they have carbs associated with them, but at the same point I feel sad thinking that I have to just eat fistfuls of meat.

And today I did better with getting protein in and I'm over my calorie goal. It's like can't win why even bother. I still am bothering but I am super frustrated.:explode:

_John_

if it were me, I'd actually get the protein you want from the fat in your diet.

For macro sake I'd replace the eggs with egg whites/pasturized eggs, or try to use less salad dressing.

I'd try to add chicken or fish or shellfish to a salad or eaten alone.

I'd also eat berries (raspberries, strawberries, or blackberries in particular) rather than apples and grapes and bananas. They they have more fiber and nutrition per calorie than the other fruits (not that the others are "bad"). This may save you a few g of carbs and still give you as much or more nutrition.

IMHO, you eat plenty of fat, and "borrowing" 10-12 g of fat to get you 25-30g of protein would get you close to where you want to be. Nixing one tablespoon of olive oil (which offers little nutrition) wouldn't negatively affect your diet all that much since you still eat over 30% fat without it in there.

I suggested swapping out the eggs to whites, but I could understand not doing that as those yolks have some nutrition you may need.

Those are just some of my thoughts.

djshari

I don't think you should worry so much about the carbs in fruits and veggies unless you are watching your blood sugar. It's really the processed carbs that you want to keep to a minimum.

JoRocka

I"m not sure I understand the question.

lkplibra

Looking at Wednesday's meal plan, I would suggest substituting the 1 tablespoon of olive oil in your breakfast for a nonstick cooking spray (pam). Take those 119 calories and add a hard boiled egg to your lunch for 80 calories and give you 6 more grams of protein. Not that 6 g of protein will reach your protein goal, but little changes help.

echofm1

Are you lactose intolerant? If not, I'd suggest more dairy. It's how I get most of my protein, since I'm not a big fan of nuts or beans. Greek yogurt in particular is a great source. For the plain yogurt I got last week, there was 12g of protein, 3.5 carbs and about 70 calories. Cheese and cottage cheese are good options too. You can get full fat or non-fat/low-fat for most of them, depending on how close you come to your fat macro.

P.S. I usually mix in a T of sugar free jam and half a T of honey with my Greek yogurt. I'm not a fan of eating it plain, though I know some do.

Jewlz280

I agree with that you could easily switch out some fat. Put that olive oil in a Misto and add another egg or egg whites. At lunch, drop the walnuts and add 4oz or so of chicken breast or canned tuna. Instead of soup for your snack, you could have half a cup of greek yogurt with fresh berries and a drizzle of honey, or some sort of protein shake. It IS hard getting in more protein the lower your cals are, but it can be done if you make some wise food choices. Just takes time and research. You'll get there with some simple changes! Good luck!

Jewlz280

Are you lactose intolerant? If not, I'd suggest more dairy. It's how I get most of my protein, since I'm not a big fan of nuts or beans. Greek yogurt in particular is a great source. For the plain yogurt I got last week, there was 12g of protein, 3.5 carbs and about 70 calories. Cheese and cottage cheese are good options too. You can get full fat or non-fat/low-fat for most of them, depending on how close you come to your fat macro.

P.S. I usually mix in a T of sugar free jam and half a T of honey with my Greek yogurt. I'm not a fan of eating it plain, though I know some do.

Dairy is mostly fat. She could eat more solid protein and get better numbers than she could from dairy. The yogurt idea is good, but the regular ones don't have as much protein, so try to stick more to Greek -- which shouldn't bother anyone with lactose issues since it is 'sour' so the lactase has mostly been eaten up. It's VERY low. Nuts and beans are also mostly carbs/fat. If she needs to up protein while her fat is already really good, she needs to sub some fat out for better protein sources.

Francl27

I feel your pain. I don't really eat fruit much anymore for that reason... protein. And I've been under protein and over on carbs later too (I use 40% carb 30% protein). Sometimes it's just not worth the aggravation.

echofm1

Are you lactose intolerant? If not, I'd suggest more dairy. It's how I get most of my protein, since I'm not a big fan of nuts or beans. Greek yogurt in particular is a great source. For the plain yogurt I got last week, there was 12g of protein, 3.5 carbs and about 70 calories. Cheese and cottage cheese are good options too. You can get full fat or non-fat/low-fat for most of them, depending on how close you come to your fat macro.

P.S. I usually mix in a T of sugar free jam and half a T of honey with my Greek yogurt. I'm not a fan of eating it plain, though I know some do.

Dairy is mostly fat. She could eat more solid protein and get better numbers than she could from dairy. The yogurt idea is good, but the regular ones don't have as much protein, so try to stick more to Greek -- which shouldn't bother anyone with lactose issues since it is 'sour' so the lactase has mostly been eaten up. It's VERY low. Nuts and beans are also mostly carbs/fat. If she needs to up protein while her fat is already really good, she needs to sub some fat out for better protein sources.

If you get full-fat dairy products, yes, it is mostly fat. Just like you can get skim milk though, you can get low-fat cottage cheese and regular cheese too, or light yogurt. The low-fat cottage cheese in my fridge right now has 6g carbs, 1g fat, and 13g protein in half a cup, for 80 calories. I don't buy low-fat cheese generally. The Greek yogurt is definitely going to be better on a protein/carb ratio than regular yogurt though, that's for sure.

judyde

I feel your pain! I always thought I was a meat lover until I started tracking my macros here and people started pointing out that I was low on protein. And that was when I had my macros at the MFP default, which is 55c/30f/15p. I upped it to 25% protein based on suggestions so I don't lose lean body mass, and I struggle to get to that every day. My goal is 1400 calories which is only a deficit of 300 calories a day. I do eat back my exercise calories, but I have trouble fitting in exercise with a desk job. I do tend to get exercise on the weekends and eat more then.

I tend to have oatmeal for breakfast (fills me up more than eggs and bacon!) - only 4 g of protein.
I often have yogurt and some cheese at lunch.- decent protein but not a lot
Meat and veggies for dinner. - this is most of my protein. But if I have pizza/pasta for dinner, I won't meet my protein goal.

I've started eating a lot of those Dannon Light & Fit 80 cal 2x protein Greek yogurts with 12 grams of protein. I'll often have one as a snack.

Good luck! I will be following this thread for ideas.

Jewlz280

Are you lactose intolerant? If not, I'd suggest more dairy. It's how I get most of my protein, since I'm not a big fan of nuts or beans. Greek yogurt in particular is a great source. For the plain yogurt I got last week, there was 12g of protein, 3.5 carbs and about 70 calories. Cheese and cottage cheese are good options too. You can get full fat or non-fat/low-fat for most of them, depending on how close you come to your fat macro.

P.S. I usually mix in a T of sugar free jam and half a T of honey with my Greek yogurt. I'm not a fan of eating it plain, though I know some do.

Dairy is mostly fat. She could eat more solid protein and get better numbers than she could from dairy. The yogurt idea is good, but the regular ones don't have as much protein, so try to stick more to Greek -- which shouldn't bother anyone with lactose issues since it is 'sour' so the lactase has mostly been eaten up. It's VERY low. Nuts and beans are also mostly carbs/fat. If she needs to up protein while her fat is already really good, she needs to sub some fat out for better protein sources.

If you get full-fat dairy products, yes, it is mostly fat. Just like you can get skim milk though, you can get low-fat cottage cheese and regular cheese too, or light yogurt. The low-fat cottage cheese in my fridge right now has 6g carbs, 1g fat, and 13g protein in half a cup, for 80 calories. I don't buy low-fat cheese generally. The Greek yogurt is definitely going to be better on a protein/carb ratio than regular yogurt though, that's for sure.

Yeah... but cottage cheese is a freak of nature! LOL It's different from other cheeses, though. Kinda along the same lines as the yogurt. But I agree on the fat thing. But man... low fat usually equals blech to me! LOL Geez... now I wish I had some cottage cheese....

Rocbola

Ugg. What's with all the posters saying they are struggling to get enough protein? You guys are being sold a bill of goods.

You ever wonder WHY everyone has a sweet tooth? We are natural fruit eaters. Why would someone try and shove down some meat when you'd rather eat your natural food? Protein? When was the last time you met someone with protein deficiency? Eat the fruits, vegetables, seeds nuts and beans and you'll get enough protein.

fitandfortyish

First this isn't a post about a "low carb diet" that I am trying to follow or anything. I am trying to get between 90g and 125g of protein a day and stay at about 1350 calories per day. I haven't been exercising super hard because I still feel weak from my bronchitis (yay) so I don't feel the need to eat back exercise calories at the moment.

Currently getting in about 60g protein. That said, I have basically cut out bread and pasta, except for what is in my canned soup and my corn muffin that I eat with my chili. But even the chili has more carbs than protein in it! I mean come on! Its chili! Its supposed to be all kings of protein!

I eat a ton of veggies, and guess what they are mostly carbs. I feel like fruit should be a "no-no" food because of the carbs in it, and I know that is ludicrous because fruit is good for you!

But looking at my diary the most carbtastic thing is apple in my salad, so as soon as the apples are gone, I guess I'm going to replace the 70 calories of apple with 80 calories of steak for a whooping 20g protein. And as soon as my soup is all gone I guess I can just eat half a chicken breast. (80 calories of steak is about 1 oz) Or maybe I should ditch the grapes and all their antioxidants since they are about 70 calories and have only 1g protein to an apples 3.

Beans don't cut it because they have carbs associated with them, but at the same point I feel sad thinking that I have to just eat fistfuls of meat.

And today I did better with getting protein in and I'm over my calorie goal. It's like can't win why even bother. I still am bothering but I am super frustrated.:explode:

I hear ya sistah! I have the SAME issues/problems. Trying to keep carbs at or below 100 grams, calories are about 1470/day and I cannot even come close to the whatever protein macro is! Seriously eyeballing protein shakes.... :grumble:

zivasak

Why replacing calories from carbs with calories from protein? I would increase the fat (the other source of energy) with good sources (avocado, olive oil, nuts, hard paste cheese, butter). I looked at your diary for Wednesday and your protein ratio is quite high.

JoJo__Fit

WHY????

no fruit, no bread, no pasta ??? WHY are you doing that to yourself?

I can't get past that

Josalinn

Looking at Wednesday's meal plan, I would suggest substituting the 1 tablespoon of olive oil in your breakfast for a nonstick cooking spray (pam). Take those 119 calories and add a hard boiled egg to your lunch for 80 calories and give you 6 more grams of protein. Not that 6 g of protein will reach your protein goal, but little changes help.

Yeah I actually went out last night and bought non-stick spray. I don't like the misto because it gets all gunky and I personally think the oil goes rancid more quickly in the spray.

As for the suggestion of no oil on the spinach salad, its there for a reason. Raw spinach needs to be eaten with fat in order to absorb vitamins A and K.

WHY????

no fruit, no bread, no pasta ??? WHY are you doing that to yourself?

I can't get past that

I'm not really dumping all these things, I just feel like I need to in order to stay in calorie goal.

Why replacing calories from carbs with calories from protein? I would increase the fat (the other source of energy) with good sources (avocado, olive oil, nuts, hard paste cheese, butter). I looked at your diary for Wednesday and your protein ratio is quite high.

I lift weights. And since I am eating at a deficit in order to loose weight, the additional protein helps maintain muscle health. I need to be getting in about 90 to 125 grams a day.


My over all complaint was more that carbs are so much more readily available and in delicious things. Protein is harder to come buy. When I was at the store yesterday, I looked at the meat and it is just so expensive! Eggs are cheep but the thought of eating 4 eggs a day is a bit daunting.