Low calorie/high protein vegetarian diet?

coopersmom2006

Anyone here get at least 100 grams of protein on a vegetarian diet? What does a day of food look like if so? Hubby and I want to go meat free for a couple of weeks. Dairy and eggs are fine. Thanks all!!

Amisha136

Hi!

100grams of protein is quite a lot! But, if that's what you plan to do, there is a great vegetarian source that I like called Sun Warrior Brown Rice protein powder. You'd have to make several big shakes throughout the day but it's all protein, unlike the fats you would have to intake from the dairy and eggs to get up to 100grams per day. If you use eggs, consider going with egg whites only to avoid the excess cholesterol.

Good luck!

carld256

I've hit 100 grams of protein on occasion, but not often. If you're eating vegetarian, rather than vegan, that amount should be fairly easy to hit with eggs (or egg whites) and low-fat dairy, I would think.

angelashay42

Any particular reason you want to get 100 g? Seems like a lot. I'm a vegetarian and I eat 50 - 80g per day from cottage cheese, edamame, greek yogurt, egg whites, peanut butter, almonds, and protein bars.

MoreBean13

Anyone here get at least 100 grams of protein on a vegetarian diet? What does a day of food look like if so? Hubby and I want to go meat free for a couple of weeks. Dairy and eggs are fine. Thanks all!!

I do- ~130 g protein a day. I couldn't do it without whey (or whatever type) of protein powder. I'm sure it's mathematically possible to accumulate that much, but it would require eating cottage cheese and eggs with extra egg whites all day long- and I don't have that kind of discipline. Feel free to look at my diary if you like.

Amisha136

Also soy is low calorie and high protein. Plain tofu can be really tasty if you spray it with bragg's liquid aminos or soy sauce, coat it in nutritional yeast, and pan fry it.... almost like chicken nuggets

TwtyMami35

I am a vegetarian, but I get in an average of 40-45 g daily. Lots of egg beaters, nuts, and beans. I like brown rice with my beans. I have a smoothie on strength training days and get whey or soy protein added. A smoothie day allows me to get almost 60g of protein in. Good luck!

insyweensy

I'm vegetarian and aiming for 100g per day as well. I get pretty close, but I eat a lot of cottage cheese, greek yogurt, and whey protein shakes. Feel free to glance at my diary.

annabaeten

My favorite vegan protein powder is Life Basics Vegan Protein. It is delicious. I make it with a half a frozen banana and some unsweetened almond milk. Each scoop has 27 grams of protein and about 130 calories (might not be exact - from memory). It tastes sort of like a banana-y oatmeal cookie. It is my 3 year old daughter's favorite smoothie. She calls it her "nana smoothie."

jwoffindin

As others have mentioned - lots of protein shakes (whey) and lots of cottage cheese ! Egg whites are also good source ... but you'll be throwing a lot of yolks away to get sufficient protein. FWIW - cottage cheese is high in casein which absorbed a lot slower than the whey. Both have a high bio-availability.

Some fav snacks when not low carb - cottage cheese with either pineapple or canned beetroot.

Personally I'm trying for > 150g per day (or more on training days) as I'm trying to reduce body fat while minimizing muscle loss. My food diary is public if you want any ideas, although I have to warn it's kind of repetitive and boring !

pamfm

What is your daily calorie goal?
At around 1700, I have a hard time eating 100 grams of protein, even on days that I eat fish (a few times per week). I'm working on it though.
A lot of people recommend eggs and Greek yogurt, I'm assuming because of the calories/protein ratio... but at 6 grams each, I'd have to eat 3-4 eggs in a meal to hit my protein goals! Tempeh and seitan each have around 20 grams per serving, and are easy to use in place of meat in most meals.

Sarauk2sf

I often get to over 120g without protein powder (but I do use it to make sure I get enough protein). I drink loads of milk and eat 'fake' meat which is high in protein. Gardein products are really good, imo.

Typical day (just the food with protein):

5 cups milks - 40g
6oz greek yoghurt - 17g
Gardein 'fake' meat - 51g
2 tbsp Peanut butter - 7g
1oz nuts - 6g
2oz cheese - 12g

Total: 132g

If you need to go lower calorie, swap out the cheese and nuts with protein powder.

coopersmom2006

Thanks guys. I'm working on decreasing body fat % and building muscle. My daily calories are at 1660 (I'm not actively trying to lose any more pounds).

Sarauk2sf

Thanks guys. I'm working on decreasing body fat % and building muscle. My daily calories are at 1660 (I'm not actively trying to lose any more pounds).

It is not possible to lose body fat and build muscle at the same time. If you want to maintain the muscle and make what you have more 'defined' you should start strength training in addition to keeping your protein up. The decrease in the body fat will help in showing the muscle you do have.

ETA to be more accurate: for 1st sentence - unless you are a 'newbie' lifter or have significant amounts of body fat, and then it will only be a very small gain.

Anna800

I get anywhere from 77-84 grams of protein a day. I only have one serving of nuts because its high calories. I stopped eating yogurt because of the sugar. I like Sun Warrior vegan protein powder with almond milk.

Bentley2718

I'm nearly vegan and typically get 80-100g of protein a day. I eat a lot of tofu, tempeh, and beans. Seitan is also an option (its made from wheat protein). I also eat protein bars (cliff builder's bars) and homemade protein bars/cookies made with protein powder. A lot of people also use protein powder to make shakes, but I can't stomach them.

Also, it's a myth that you cannot build muscle and reduce body fat at the same time--you can do this. HOWEVER, muscle gains will be much slower than if you are eating a caloric deficit as opposed to a caloric surplus, or even maintenance calories.

coopersmom2006

Also, it's a myth that you cannot build muscle and reduce body fat at the same time--you can do this. HOWEVER, muscle gains will be much slower than if you are eating a caloric deficit as opposed to a caloric surplus, or even maintenance calories.

Thanks for this. Been doing a lot of reading regarding calories/muscles/reduced body fat. The whole eat more to weight less philosophy is super appealing to me!

Sarauk2sf

Also, it's a myth that you cannot build muscle and reduce body fat at the same time--you can do this. HOWEVER, muscle gains will be much slower than if you are eating a caloric deficit as opposed to a caloric surplus, or even maintenance calories.

Thanks for this. Been doing a lot of reading regarding calories/muscles/reduced body fat. The whole eat more to weight less philosophy is super appealing to me!

Sorry, but it not a myth that you cannot gain new muscle mass on a deficit (other then very small newbie gains or of you are very overweight). What will happen however, is that you can make your existing muscles more defined (neuromusclular adaptation) when you use them, giving the appearance of them being larger. Also, when you strength train you gain water in the muscles also making them appear larger.

Eating at a reasonable deficit and strength training will allow you to improve strength and 'definition' while still dropping body fat, together with all the other benefits you get, including the fact that it makes you feel like a badass :happy:

pamfm

Also, it's a myth that you cannot build muscle and reduce body fat at the same time--you can do this. HOWEVER, muscle gains will be much slower than if you are eating a caloric deficit as opposed to a caloric surplus, or even maintenance calories.

Thanks for this. Been doing a lot of reading regarding calories/muscles/reduced body fat. The whole eat more to weight less philosophy is super appealing to me!

Sorry, but it not a myth that you cannot gain new muscle mass on a deficit (other then very small newbie gains or of you are very overweight). What will happen however, is that you can make your existing muscles more defined (neuromusclular adaptation) when you use them, giving the appearance of them being larger. Also, when you strength train you gain water in the muscles also making them appear larger.

Eating at a reasonable deficit and strength training will allow you to improve strength and 'definition' while still dropping body fat, together with all the other benefits you get, including the fact that it makes you feel like a badass :happy:

But the OP said she is working on decreasing body fat PERCENTAGE, and building muscle, and that she is not actively trying to lose weight anymore. That's not impossible. If she eats at maintenance, or a small surplus, and gains muscle without gaining new fat, her body fat % will be reduced.

I also feel that it is counterproductive, and kind of arguing semantics to say that you cannot lose fat and gain muscle at the same time, with the caveats that you can if it's "newbie gains", or that it may look and feel like you've gained muscle because you've strengthened them, and the fat loss shows them off more.I understand that you're just trying to educate people, and that it can be frustrating to hear people not say what they mean when you know better, (like when my father-in-law describes all computer file transfers as "downloads") but I do think you know what they mean, and saying things like that can discourage people from lifting before they've reached goal weight, because they will think it's a waste of their time.

As for me, maybe I will make some "newbie" gains, but even if I don't, after I lose these 20 lbs of fat, and maintain and strengthen my existing muscles... yeah, I'm going to look and feel like I gained muscle, because my bf% will have gone down, and I will be stronger. And that's what a lot of people mean when they say "I want to build muscle and lose fat." You know? Semantics.

RuthieCass

Here are 2 examples of how you can get over 100 g of protein a day *without* protein powder:

EXAMPLE 1
Breakfast:
- 2 large eggs: 14 g
- 1 slice Ezekial sprouted bread: 4 g

Snack 1:
- 200 g 2% greek yoghurt: 20 g

Lunch:
-1/4 block tofu (not the recommended serving size of 1/5 block): 15 g
-2 c raw spinach: 2 g protein
-1 c cauliflower: 2 g protein

Snack 2:
- 1 1/2 c 2% milk: 12 g

Dinner:
-1/2 package or 113 g tempeh: 20 g
-1 c cooked quinoa: 9 g
-5 spears asparagus: 3 g protein

Total: 101 g protein (around 1200 calories total)


EXAMPLE 2
Breakfast:
- 2 slices Ezekial sprouted bread: 8 g
- 3 tbsp peanut butter: 15 g

Snack 1:
- 1 1/2 c 2% milk: 12 g

Lunch:
- 1/2 c soybeans: 9 g
- 2 c romaine: 2 g
- whole wheat wrap: 8 g

Snack 2:
- 10 raw almonds: 7 g

Dinner:
-1/2 c seitan: 32 g
-1 c cooked whole wheat spaghetti: 9 g
1 c broccoli: 2 g

Total: 104 (around 1450 calories total)


Your daily totals would obviously be larger as you should add some fats (another couple 100), seasonings, etc. And, of course, using protein powder makes it way easier. The one I use has ~32 g protein. :-)

lbrittenson

Thanks for all the ideas! I was just going to post on this exact topic, but saw that there was already a stream going any other sample meals, or if youve got open diarys and wouldn't mine me adding you so I can snoop at yours that would be great!