Not enough protein and calories/ too many carbs

Jacwhite22

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Avoid most protein "bars" since they aren't great and often have tons of carbs and sugar but buying yourself some good protein powder is well worth it! I've used and liked isopure nature's best (100% whey) and trutein (mix of whey, egg and casein protein). I don't know shakeology well but most pre made shakes are lacking too.
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Try this shake is great since it's low calories low carbs zero sugar. You can buy at Costco for about $28 for 24.
Calories: 100g, Carbs: 4g, Protein 15g, Sugar: 0g

http://fatsecret.com/calories-nutrition/muscle-milk/light-chocolate-milk-shake

I don't like muscle milk...20% of the calories in that shake come from fat which is totally unnecessary and it's pretty high in sodium.

Isopure: http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2134405

for *1* scoop:

110 cals, 1/2 g fat, 1.5 g carbs, 25 g protein, 160 mg sodium

Trutein: http://truscience.com/trutein.html

115 cals, 1.5 g fat, 5 g carbs, 23 protein, 45 sodium

This. I personally prefer optimum nutrition gold standard but any of these have better macros than the muscle milk

Jacwhite22

Oh....and ditch the shakeoloogy unless you just like spending money

secretlobster

Oh....and ditch the shakeoloogy unless you just like spending money

This. It's a waste.

You can make your own shakes for a fraction of the price of any shake program. Muscle milk is only worthwhile if you literally don't have the 5 minutes a day it takes to make your own shake (and it better be because you're spending this time swimming in your pool full of gold coins)

chuisle

Oh....and ditch the shakeoloogy unless you just like spending money

This. It's a waste.

You can make your own shakes for a fraction of the price of any shake program. Muscle milk is only worthwhile if you literally don't have the 5 minutes a day it takes to make your own shake (and it better be because you're spending this time swimming in your pool full of gold coins)

HA! Yes.

And on protein - to each their own but be smart and look at macros and reviews online.

BuckeyeLife

Almond or Coconut Milk

Almond milk is not a good source of protein...you are better off with skim milk unless you have a lactose intolerance.

I was referring to what I used, I don't use milks for protein, only for smoothie consistency.

suelegal

I was diagnosed with a carbohydrate-intolerant metabolism, so I keep my carbs under 30g per day and get most of my energy from protein & fat. My ratio is something like 5% carbs, 60% protein, 35% fat. I've been steadily losing weight on this for about 15 months now.

My tips, from my more than a year of experience:
1. Watch the carb count on your veggies & fruits. Fruits have a lot of sugar, so plan ahead & eat them very sparingly. Choose green leafy veggies and ones that also have protein, like spinach and mushrooms. Substitute cauliflower instead of starchy, high-carb veggies like potatoes.
2. Cut way down on grains. And remember that corn is a grain, not a veggie. Corn & grains are what we feed the cattle to make them fat. That should tell you something. I know many of us were raised that way, but you do NOT need some kind of bread at every meal. And you can use finely chopped cauliflower as a substitute for rice, too.
3. Eggs are wonderful. Hard-boiled eggs are the best convenience food & quick snack ever. Throw an egg or two into your casseroles for a little extra protein.
4. Protein shakes are a must, but be careful: I'd never use Shakeology, they have WAY too many carbs. A lot of so-called "protein" drinks really have more carbs than protein. I only use 0-carb brands like Syntrax Nectar.
5. If you're not that into meat, don't forget about chicken & fish & shrimp. Those are also low-carb high-protein choices.
6. Cheese! There are a million different kinds of cheeses with different flavors. Try them out, eat cubes or sticks as snacks, add shredded cheeses to casseroles & recipes for a little extra protein.
7. Greek yogurt: it has more protein than regular yogurt. But make sure you get the plain kind, because the flavorings they use add a lot of carbs. To add flavor, I mix a half package of crystal light drink mix per 1 cup of yogurt, and then you can have the flavor without the sugar & carbs. Or you can use 1/2 a scoop of chocolate protein powder.

Hope this helps! Good luck to you!

Unless you are indeed "carbohydrate-intolerant" too please don't watch your carbs from fruits or veggies - eat as many and as much as you like essentially - and understand that whole grains are an excellent and important energy source, especially if you're active.

Grains as they are processed these days are crap and NOT an excellent carb source. All the advertising about "whole grains" is just that,.. advertising. There is no requirement that they tell the truth and they don't. (Don't believe me? Check out the FDA suit against Activia. Dannon was fined for saying it helps digestion, and yet they still say that in their ads, don't they). Low carb diets are not bad, non grain diets won't hurt you and you can get more than enough carbs from other sources - vegetables especially! Fresh, fresh frozen are best, as they will supply the movst vitamins and minerals. Be careful about overcooking or you lose the nutrients.

Jacwhite22

Grains as they are processed these days are crap and NOT an excellent carb source. All the advertising about "whole grains" is just that,.. advertising. There is no requirement that they tell the truth and they don't. (Don't believe me? Check out the FDA suit against Activia. Dannon was fined for saying it helps digestion, and yet they still say that in their ads, don't they). Low carb diets are not bad, non grain diets won't hurt you and you can get more than enough carbs from other sources - vegetables especially! Fresh, fresh frozen are best, as they will supply the movst vitamins and minerals. Be careful about overcooking or you lose the nutrients.

Evil Carbs

AdAstra47

Unless you are indeed "carbohydrate-intolerant" too please don't watch your carbs from fruits or veggies - eat as many and as much as you like essentially - and understand that whole grains are an excellent and important energy source, especially if you're active.

The original poster was asking how to cut down on her carbs & up her protein in a healthy way. If she's really trying to lower her carbs, she DOES need to watch her veggie & fruit intake. That doesn't necessarily mean not eating them. That's not what I said, at all.
But it does mean being aware that some veggies & fruits have higher carb counts & more sugar than others. If you're concerned about carbs (and she said she was), you can eat three times as much spinach, mushrooms, asparagus or cauliflower than you can eat of higher-carb veggies like potatoes or carrots.

And, no, the idea that you must get your energy from carbs is a misconception. You can also get energy from protein & fat. That's what "calories" are, essentially, is a measure of potential energy. If you couldn't get energy from protein & fat, they wouldn't have calories! As I said, I've been eating fewer than 30g carbs every day for the past 15 months and I have plenty of energy.

AdAstra47

I just sent this in an email to some friends, so I thought I'd copy it here for you too. Ways to use protein powder & get more low-carb protein in your diet:


Here are a few of my recipes for making stuff with protein powder, when I get tired of just drinking it.

On cold mornings when you want hot cereal:
1.5 scoops chocolate powder, 1 tsp cinnamon, ½ cup cream or water, mix well. Nuke for 30 seconds, stir, then nuke again 15-30 seconds. Bits will start to get solid. Break up & mix well with a fork until it’s the consistency of Malt-o-Meal, and eat.

chocolate muffin:
In a coffee cup: 1 scoop chocolate protein powder, ½ tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp baking powder, mix well. Add one egg and about 1 tablespoon of butter or peanut butter. Mix well. Should be the consistency of brownie batter; may need to add a little water. Make sure it doesn’t fill more than half the mug, because it expands as it cooks.
Nuke for approximately 1 minute. Let it cool slightly, and it should slide right out of the mug. Best when eaten warm.

Pancakes: Use the recipe above, but double it, use vanilla powder instead of chocolate, and add ½ cup water. Instead of nuking it, fry it up in a skillet like normal pancake batter. Serve with low-carb syrup or fruit spread. Or use as the “bread” in a sausage-egg sandwich.

Fudgesicles: I freeze these in those plastic popsicle molds, or sometimes I just refrigerate or freeze them in small portions for when I get chocolate cravings. I like to use leftover plastic jello cups, they’re just the right size for a snack like this.
In blender, combine ½ cup whipping cream and 2 scoops chocolate protein powder. Optional: add a little 0-carb chocolate sauce, or a couple teaspoons each of unsweetened cocoa powder and Splenda. But you can just use the protein powder alone. Blend until it is thoroughly mixed and starts to get solid.
Soften an 8-oz package of cream cheese & blend it in too. Pour into the molds & refrigerate or freeze. Serves about 6, each serving has only 2 carbs and 11g protein.

Jello dessert: Make up a package of sugar-free jello of your choice, per package directions. In blender, mix 1 scoop vanilla protein powder per 1 cup whipping cream. When it is whipped & solid, spread on top of the jello.

Chai tea: for cold mornings when you want a warm caffeinated drink: I have a couple of giant novelty coffee mugs, you’d probably halve this recipe for a normal cup.
Fill mug with 16 oz water. Nuke for 2 minutes.
Add 2 scoops instant coffee, 1.5 scoops of vanilla powder, 1 tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp nutmeg and mix well. Nuke for one more minute, stir again & enjoy.

Flavored yogurt: I mix about ½ scoop of powder per 1 cup plain Greek yogurt. Any flavor works, but I especially like chocolate or fuzzy navel. Crystal light works, too, about half a package of any flavor per 1 cup yogurt, but it doesn’t give you the extra protein.

Good luck to you. Hope some of this is helpful!

amoeni1

Thanks for the recipes, I will definitely be giving them a try!