How do you get enough protein in your low carb?

xASHYxSMASHYx

Ok, so I am on a moderately low carb diet as recommended by my doctor. When calculating my macros, I keep getting that I need 142 grams of protein per day. That is on a 1400 calorie diet. I seriously can't figure out how it's possible to get that much protein crammed into that amount of calories. Yea sure if I drank five protein shakes per day with 27 grams of protein each then I would be okay but that would blow 1000 calories right there, and I wouldn't be able to enjoy my food. I like eating healthy sources of protein like Chicken, Nuts, Peanut Butter etc... but the protein amounts never come close at the end of the day and in order to get close I would have to go way over my calories, so it defeats the purpose. I am really frustrated by this, I need some advice on how other people deal with this please I would really appreciate it

dinosnopro

tuna
eggs
chicken
beef
pork

there are probably more that I am forgetting. What numbers are you trying to get to as far as fats and carbs?

Emagali74

chicken, fat free greek yogurt, eggs, turkey, salmon, low fat cottage cheese,

If you add me as a friend take a look at my diary, Im not sure how much protein I get in a day but normally im in the red on the protein and have carbs and fats well under......
And recently I am maintaining so calories are around 1600 but if you go back to before christmas I hovered around 1300/1400 daily.... its easy to get lots of protein in...

Emma x

priscilla82c

Chlorella is the richest source of protein on the planet. It averages around 1 calorie per 3 grams of protein. You can purchase it at GNC or any vitamin shop. Good Luck!

Lukazetta

Egg whites and lean meats (not pork). Make sure you also get enough fiber.

Good luck!

snookumss

I eat 125g of protein a day, with 100g of carbs, 60 fats. You can check out my diary

Kymmu

As everyone has already said, it's easy..... also, add some whey protein isolate to your diet if you are lacking.

Makaio14

Bump :glasses:

ablykins

Egg whites, whitefish, chicken, lowfat turkey, low calore protein powders (I use IsoPure and PureTrim to ensure I get both whey and plant based protein). Quest protein bars are also a great option- they are delicious (really feels like a dessert) and you can get plenty of fiber (usually about 18 g) and protein (20g per bar) for under 200 calories and under 3 sugars. Tofu can also be a great source- just watch out for processed stuff that may be loaded with sodium.

lady_in_weighting

phD diet whey bars are a good source of protein 24g per bar, 17g carbs and only 181 kcals :]
i bought some last week, they dont taste great but they are a good protein boost!

Tiff587

I'm doing the same thing, although I'm currently on 1200 cals. I do tend to have 1 or maybe 2 protein shakes a day, especially if I have trained. Feel free to add me if you want to look at someone else's diary with similar goals.

I tend to eat a lot of;
Chicken
Tuna
Turkey

Also my choc protein power really curbs my sweet tooth and makes it easy to get protein in first thing.

:flowerforyou:

CaseRat

Chlorella is the richest source of protein on the planet. It averages around 1 calorie per 3 grams of protein. You can purchase it at GNC or any vitamin shop. Good Luck!

1 gram of protein contains around 4 calories... 3 grams of chlorella cannot physically be 1 calorie.

However, agreed with everyone else: Chicken, tuna, egg whites, turkey, fat-free (and low sugar) yoghurt are good ways to start.

millikenhomeschool

That is a lot of protein. I had been told that with exercise, I should strive for 75 to 100 grams of protein. 100+ would be for larger men who exercise.

xASHYxSMASHYx

That is a lot of protein. I had been told that with exercise, I should strive for 75 to 100 grams of protein. 100+ would be for larger men who exercise.

Thank you, I thought it seemed really high. Nobody else has really said how much protein they are eating per day. I know what sources to get protein from, but thought those numbers seemed too high for my calorie range. I might bring it down between 75 and 100. Thanks for the helpful answer

xASHYxSMASHYx

Thanks Tiff I will send you one. I would love to see what someone else is doing to get those numbers

xASHYxSMASHYx

tuna
eggs
chicken
beef
pork

there are probably more that I am forgetting. What numbers are you trying to get to as far as fats and carbs?

my carbs are set to 89, and my fat at 55. That's per the calculator I used for my macros.

LabRat529

That is a lot of protein. I had been told that with exercise, I should strive for 75 to 100 grams of protein. 100+ would be for larger men who exercise.

Thank you, I thought it seemed really high. Nobody else has really said how much protein they are eating per day. I know what sources to get protein from, but thought those numbers seemed too high for my calorie range. I might bring it down between 75 and 100. Thanks for the helpful answer

A lot of people suggest 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass as a good place to start when trying to figure out 'how much', which means for someone like me with 113 lbs of lean body weight (calculated by subtracting my estimated body fat percentage in lbs from my total weight)... I should be eating 113 grams of protein, give or take.

jeepwidow01

Ok, so I am on a moderately low carb diet as recommended by my doctor. When calculating my macros, I keep getting that I need 142 grams of protein per day. That is on a 1400 calorie diet. I seriously can't figure out how it's possible to get that much protein crammed into that amount of calories. Yea sure if I drank five protein shakes per day with 27 grams of protein each then I would be okay but that would blow 1000 calories right there, and I wouldn't be able to enjoy my food. I like eating healthy sources of protein like Chicken, Nuts, Peanut Butter etc... but the protein amounts never come close at the end of the day and in order to get close I would have to go way over my calories, so it defeats the purpose. I am really frustrated by this, I need some advice on how other people deal with this please I would really appreciate it

Check out this link. Hope it helps

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/nutrition/a/protein.htm

dinosnopro

tuna
eggs
chicken
beef
pork

there are probably more that I am forgetting. What numbers are you trying to get to as far as fats and carbs?

my carbs are set to 89, and my fat at 55. That's per the calculator I used for my macros.

doing the math on your macros, if you hit them all spot on its around 1419 calories. If you workout then you will have some wiggle room.

raitch

I try to shoot for 100g of protein a day and under 100g of carbs (ideally 50g of carbs but that's rough!). I do sometimes have a protein shake for breakfast or if I'm hungry between meals but most of my protein comes from greek yogurt, chicken, and deli turkey. I don't eat eggs or seafood other than tuna, which makes it a little rougher If I eat 3 solid meals a day though, I find that the 100g sort of happens on its own.

I'd try upping the portion of whatever protein you're eating at each meal to start- just an ounce or two makes a big difference!

cbroadberry

Hiya, feel free to add me. I try to eat 119 grams of protein per day. Ignore my last weeks diary though as I did not log. (my first week off since I started on MFP) Please also ignore todays protein in take as I did not shop at the weekend so I have nothing in lol!

I usually eat a lot of tuna, chicken, low fat cottage cheese, eggs, but do not use any protein shakes/bars etc so if you were looking mostly for those I will prob not be of much use.

sgoldman328

What's already been said: Eggs, chicken, Lean ground turkey, non-fat Greek Yogurt, tuna, cottage cheese, string cheese, and protein shakes.


I'm a big fan of the Atkins Advantage shakes -- Low carb, high protein, and delicious


http://collegecookingandironchefamerica.blogspot.com/

JenAiMarres

Obviously u can't only have protein shakes but they will seriously help with your intake...without them I could never reach my protein goal! Try to incorporate them into your day.. I like to have one first thing in the morning and another after working out...I look forward to my shakes more than my regular food now!! U can also make protein bars out of your protein powder for significantly less carbs than store bought bars!

Good luck!!

StrongGwen

liquid pasturized egg whites in a carton ( I find it at walmart) instead of breaking whole eggs & throwing away the yolk. No taste or texture, so add to almost anything. 3 TBS = 5 g protein.
How about that protein water powder by Special K? I think it adds 10 g protein & 5 g of fiber, just add it to the water you need to drink anyway.

Jade17694

How do you actually work out how much you're entitled to? What are macros? MFP have given me more carbs than protein.... so confused after reading this topic!

AdAstra47

I try to eat my body weight in protein per day. Doctor's orders, since I have a carbohydrate-intolerant metabolism, I need to get around 60% of my calories from protein. I started out at over 300 lb, so I was eating over 300g per day, or around 50g 6x per day. Now I'm down to 240g per day. I've done this for over a year, so it's not that difficult any more.

I have hypoglycemia, so I try to eat every three hours throughout the day. Even if you're not hypoglycemic, if you split it up like this, it's easier to get all the protein in without getting too full at any one sitting.

I usually put a scoop of protein powder in my drink with every meal or snack. That helps. Also, try to stick with veggies that are higher in protein such as mushrooms and spinach. Every little bit helps. I snack on higher-protein things like pork rinds, cheese cubes, beef jerky and hard-boiled eggs. Hard-boiled eggs are my go-to convenience food, I'll boil a dozen each weekend & eat a couple every day throughout the week.

For lunches at work, I bring cream of salmon soup, spinach quiche, meatloaf, or homemade chili (I make it without beans, add diced mushrooms, and double the meat). At home for supper, my favorite is a chicken breast, sliced open with a wedge of laughing cow cheese spread inside, then closed up again and wrapped in a slice of bacon and grilled. Any grilled or baked meat (steak, salmon, fish filet, shrimp kabobs, pork chops, tuna steak, chicken breasts) is good. When I'm in a hurry & don't have time to cook, frozen buffalo wings are good to microwave quickly. Or I'll get grilled chicken at KFC, or even get a couple of McDonald's burgers (order them without ketchup / mustard / mayonnaise, it's less messy) and eat them without the buns. It's just a matter of finding what works with your lifestyle.

Good luck to you!

xASHYxSMASHYx

Ok, so I am on a moderately low carb diet as recommended by my doctor. When calculating my macros, I keep getting that I need 142 grams of protein per day. That is on a 1400 calorie diet. I seriously can't figure out how it's possible to get that much protein crammed into that amount of calories. Yea sure if I drank five protein shakes per day with 27 grams of protein each then I would be okay but that would blow 1000 calories right there, and I wouldn't be able to enjoy my food. I like eating healthy sources of protein like Chicken, Nuts, Peanut Butter etc... but the protein amounts never come close at the end of the day and in order to get close I would have to go way over my calories, so it defeats the purpose. I am really frustrated by this, I need some advice on how other people deal with this please I would really appreciate it

Check out this link. Hope it helps

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/nutrition/a/protein.htm

Thank you so much for that link! According to that it's less than half my original number, a much more attainable goal for me. Thank you

xASHYxSMASHYx

Thanks for all the suggestions. I think the general consensus is I will probably have to have at least a couple protein shakes, or bars in order to achieve it. I was hoping I wouldn't... but I am going to cut down the number still to a more achievable goal and start there. I will get some of the protein shakes/ bars suggested and try those out

raven56706

i've been wondering this too

RunnerBlonde808

If you would like to add me as a friend and check out my diary you are more than welcome. I eat at my lean body mass (104 pounds) or higher a day in protein. It's really not hard. And I'm low carb (20-25 net carb per day).

I eat a lot of chicken, eggs, usually 1 protein shake per day with 25 or more protein. I also have some great low carb muffin and bread recipes with flaxseed that have protein.

It's really not hard. I average around 1500 calories per day depending on how hard my workouts are for the day.

Fiber is where I tend to fall short on my low carb diet. But the flax seed bread and muffin recipes help me out with that and I take a fiber supplement now.

BruteSquad

140 grams of protein (or carbs) = 560 calories.

My goal weight is 300 lbs (that was where I was competing in judo and jiu-jitsu). With 40%/40%/20% balance of Protein/Carb/Fat that is 275 grams of protein a day for me. (That is 1100 calories of protein)

I have trouble meeting my goal of protein without protein powder. (even with a 2750 calorie goal) I put a scoop in my morning coffee, and if necessary, I will have a scoop in the blender with water and ice. The trick is to find a powder that has low carbs. I use bodyfortress, it has few carbs and is not expensive.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that egg whites are your friend. As well as fish, chicken, and venison if you can come by it