Eat more protein and less carbs

jonesin_am

Okay, I have been trying to eat more protein and less carbs and am finding it virtually impossible. I don't eat a lot of bread or grains and never knew that so many fruits and veggies had so many carbs in them.

What do you all eat that's high in protein without eating high amounts of carbs? Do carbs from fruits and veggies count...I mean noone ever got fat from eating too much fruits and veggies, right?

I eat a lot of chicken, cottage cheese w/o salt, almonds...but still not eating enough protein. Can someone give me some ideas of what they eat please?

Rocbola

Okay, I have been trying to eat more protein and less carbs and am finding it virtually impossible. I don't eat a lot of bread or grains and never knew that so many fruits and veggies had so many carbs in them.

That's because the human body is a carb burner, not a protein burner! Unless you are a body builder, or you eat exclusively processed foods, you don't need to worry about increasing your protein. Sufficient amounts of protein are found in fruits and veggies.

Eat all the fruits and veggies you want!!! You will NOT get fat from a variety of high water content, high nutrient content, high fiber content, low calorie density, fruit and veg.

ibach08

Tell us a little bit more about what/how much you eat or open up your diary. It is really hard to tell what to do differently if we don't know if you for example think that 2 oz of chicken is a lot!

And yes, all carbs count. Even those from vegggies. But how low do you want to go?

For protein, try tuna in a can. 1 can have about 20 grams of protein! Yummy:)

jonesin_am

I've been told to aim for 1g of protein for every 1lb of body weight. I weigh 195 pounds and have found it completely impossible to get in that much protein. Not necessarily trying to lower my carbs...but something has to decrease if I am upping my protein.

My typical day:
Breakfast - 2 egg white/1 egg omelette w/ 1 piece of whole wheat toast
Snack - 1/2 cup cottage cheese w/o salt & 1/2 cup pineapple
Lunch - 1 Romain Heart, tomato, cucumber, 1/2 avocado, 2 egg whites, salad dressing and any other veggies I have and sometimes I add grilled chicken if I have some leftover from dinner
Snack - Almonds
Dinner - Ususally some sort of chicken with veggies

Lately I have been eating grapefruit for breakfast with almonds.

Just wondering what other high protein foods people eat.

DaphneAtx

More protein and less carbs is ideal for losing weight per many top nutritionists. I eat 30% protein, not the low 15% MFP gives you. Here are some ideas to add protein:

Beef
Hamburger patty, 4 oz – 28 grams protein
Steak, 6 oz – 42 grams
Most cuts of beef – 7 grams of protein per ounce

Chicken
Chicken breast, 3.5 oz - 30 grams protein
Chicken thigh – 10 grams (for average size)
Drumstick – 11 grams
Wing – 6 grams
Chicken meat, cooked, 4 oz – 35 grams

Fish
Most fish fillets or steaks are about 22 grams of protein for 3 ½ oz (100 grams) of cooked fish, or 6 grams per ounce
Tuna, 6 oz can - 40 grams of protein

Pork
Pork chop, average - 22 grams protein
Pork loin or tenderloin, 4 oz – 29 grams
Ham, 3 oz serving – 19 grams
Ground pork, 1 oz raw – 5 grams; 3 oz cooked – 22 grams
Bacon, 1 slice – 3 grams
Canadian-style bacon (back bacon), slice – 5 – 6 grams

Eggs and Dairy
Egg, large - 6 grams protein
Milk, 1 cup - 8 grams
Cottage cheese, ½ cup - 15 grams
Yogurt, 1 cup – usually 8-12 grams, check label
Soft cheeses (Mozzarella, Brie, Camembert) – 6 grams per oz
Medium cheeses (Cheddar, Swiss) – 7 or 8 grams per oz
Hard cheeses (Parmesan) – 10 grams per oz

Beans (including soy)
Tofu, ½ cup 20 grams protein
Tofu, 1 oz, 2.3 grams
Soy milk, 1 cup - 6 -10 grams
Most beans (black, pinto, lentils, etc) about 7-10 grams protein per half cup of cooked beans
Soy beans, ½ cup cooked – 14 grams protein
Split peas, ½ cup cooked – 8 grams

Nuts and Seeds
Peanut butter, 2 Tablespoons - 8 grams protein
Almonds, ¼ cup – 8 grams
Peanuts, ¼ cup – 9 grams
Cashews, ¼ cup – 5 grams
Pecans, ¼ cup – 2.5 grams
Sunflower seeds, ¼ cup – 6 grams
Pumpkin seeds, ¼ cup – 8 grams
Flax seeds – ¼ cup – 8 grams

LadyIntrepid

I supplement with protein powders and bars. Makes it pretty easy to get there.

kaervaak

Only men trying to gain muscle need to eat 1g of protein per pound of body weight. Women and people who are trying to lose weight should do 0.6-1g per pound of lean body weight.

Chief_Rocka

anything that had a mother

guardian419

How low are you tryng to take carbs? I dont eat grains (yay intolerances) and i have no issue staying around 100-150

Cr01502

Fruits tend to have quite a bit of carbs. If you're trying to go low carb stick to mainly vegetables. Things like steamed broccolli have very little carbs for the amount that you actuall eat.

For added protein intake you can supplement with whey protein. Or you can stick to things like fish, shrimp, chicken, tuna, turkey, or any kind of meat really.

norrisski

Peanut butter--45 calories per serving if you use the PB2 powder which you can add to almost anything
Greek yogurt--like the nonfat plain variety (Greek Gods), could add the PB2 to get extra protein and stevia for sweetener.
Jillian Michael's protein powder that only has 100 calories per serving.

I make a smoothie with 1/2 cup fruit, 1 scoop of protein powder, 1 tbsp PB2, 1/2 cup greek yogurt, and 1/4 water. It is very good and packed full of protein. (27 grams and 273 calories)

xiamjackie

I don't know why people say only men trying to bulk up and become body builders have to eat more protein. Bulking up has to do with caloric surplus PLUS protein. If you stay at a deficit and increase your protein it'll do wonders for your body composition. I do 40 protein 30 carbs and 30 fat. When I can't get all the protein in naturally, I also use protein powders and bars. For powder I use 100% Gold Standard Whey Protein Powder- Chocolate. For every scoop, it has 1g of fat, 3 carbs, and 24 g of protein. I put it in a blender with almond milk and a frozen banana and MMMMMM it's awesome after workouts.


Edit- when I say 40 protein, 30 carbs and 30 fat, I mean my macros, obviously. I don't mean that I only eat 40 g of protein and 30 grams of carbs. It ends up being 120g protein, 160 carbs and 53g fat

lilRicki

i'm low carb, high protein because I lift. If I don't make my protein levels, I drink whey isolate, and a handful of whole natural almonds. I replace my tuna sandwich with tuna on tomato slices, throw some pepperoni in my eggs (don't do egg whites only, the yoke is good for you). There's a lot of low carb recipies on the net, just be mindful of what you're cooking. I seperate everything so I can opt out of the carb portion. For example if I'm making stuffed peppers, I leave out the rice and my family just adds it to their bowl.

AlabasterVerve

I've been told to aim for 1g of protein for every 1lb of body weight. I weigh 195 pounds and have found it completely impossible to get in that much protein.

You do not need 195g of protein! Honest, half of that would be more than enough...way more then enough.

Cr01502

I've been told to aim for 1g of protein for every 1lb of body weight. I weigh 195 pounds and have found it completely impossible to get in that much protein.

You do not need 195g of protein! Honest, half of that would be more than enough...way more then enough.

It's one gram per pound of LEAN BODY MASS not per pound of bodyweight.

And if she's a regular exerciser whe certainly does unless she has liver or kidney problems.

cmriverside

I've been told to aim for 1g of protein for every 1lb of body weight. I weigh 195 pounds and have found it completely impossible to get in that much protein.

You do not need 195g of protein! Honest, half of that would be more than enough...way more then enough.

It's one gram per pound of LEAN BODY MASS not per pound of bodyweight.

.

Agree. You sometimes hear 1g per Kg of weight....so some people get it wrong. 1g per pound of Lean Body Mass is plenty.

raeleek

First, eat the percentages that make you feel best. CALORIE DEFICIT is the only thing that will lead you to weight loss. It's not going to matter where the calories are coming from. Eat good healthy food!

I was at an event with Olympians and that was one of the questions asked, "do you go high protein low carb?" They each had their own way of doing it. Some of them went high protein/low carb, some went 50/50, and some went higher carb/and lower protein. Each person has different needs based on their goals and what makes them feel the best and function the best.

I personally go higher on carbs and lower on protein. It has not stopped my weight loss. I find that higher carbs keep me mentally and physically happier but I do have some protein with each meal/snack.

amy1612

Youre eating a small amount of food and very low in fat, you need to replace the calories youre not getting from carbs....my day goes something like
Breakfast: 2-3 eggs scrambled with bacon or smoked salmon
Lunch: 2 chicken thighs or some mackeral, an avocado,salad, sometimes a sweet potato.
Dinner: Thai red curry, chilli con carne, homemade burgers, chicken stew....sometimes with sweet potato or brown rice, sometimes not,

Snacks are fruit, nuts, protein shake, meat (ham, chicken).

endlesoul

I've been told to aim for 1g of protein for every 1lb of body weight. I weigh 195 pounds and have found it completely impossible to get in that much protein.

You do not need 195g of protein! Honest, half of that would be more than enough...way more then enough.

It's one gram per pound of LEAN BODY MASS not per pound of bodyweight.

.

Agree. You sometimes hear 1g per Kg of weight....so some people get it wrong. 1g per pound of Lean Body Mass is plenty.

Exactly here is a link that may help you figure that out.

http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/lean-body-mass

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/library/blbodyfatcalculator.htm

Maymichelle

Okay, I have been trying to eat more protein and less carbs and am finding it virtually impossible. I don't eat a lot of bread or grains and never knew that so many fruits and veggies had so many carbs in them.

What do you all eat that's high in protein without eating high amounts of carbs? Do carbs from fruits and veggies count...I mean noone ever got fat from eating too much fruits and veggies, right?

I eat a lot of chicken, cottage cheese w/o salt, almonds...but still not eating enough protein. Can someone give me some ideas of what they eat please?

I currently use a protein shake (I use a vegan one because I am dairy intolerant) 2x per day for additional protein. The shake I use has 26g of protein per scoop. I also have eggs in the morning and I eat a wide variety of veggies and lean protein for lunch and dinner. The advice given to me was to get my carbs from the good sources such as veggies and avoid bad carbs from bread, white potatoes and pasta. I eat gluten free so it is easy for my to avoid those things as well. So don't stress too much about the amount of carbs you see from veggies. They are good for you!

Dave198lbs

you don't need to worry about increasing your protein. Sufficient amounts of protein are found in fruits and veggies.

not true and not even close to being true. fruits and veggies are mainly a source of carbs not protein

FawnAnnette

like those almonds as snacks. How much can you eat and not keep on going?

Firefox7275

I've been told to aim for 1g of protein for every 1lb of body weight. I weigh 195 pounds and have found it completely impossible to get in that much protein. Not necessarily trying to lower my carbs...but something has to decrease if I am upping my protein.

My typical day:
Breakfast - 2 egg white/1 egg omelette w/ 1 piece of whole wheat toast
Snack - 1/2 cup cottage cheese w/o salt & 1/2 cup pineapple
Lunch - 1 Romain Heart, tomato, cucumber, 1/2 avocado, 2 egg whites, salad dressing and any other veggies I have and sometimes I add grilled chicken if I have some leftover from dinner
Snack - Almonds
Dinner - Ususally some sort of chicken with veggies

Lately I have been eating grapefruit for breakfast with almonds.

Just wondering what other high protein foods people eat.

Eat larger portions. A single egg or two egg whites is a tiny amount of food/ protein so eat up to three eggs or one/ two eggs plus a portion of cottage cheese/ low fat soft cheese, maybe switch your toast out for two or three portions of bright/ dark coloured fruits and vegetables. Really your breakfast and snack would make a decent breakfast together.

You can't just eat protein, water and fibre, you need fat if you are going low carb. I don't see any oily fish, little dairy, nowhere near enough nuts to replace the minerals in wholegrains and pulses. Cottage cheese is much lower in calcium than other forms of dairy - half a cup contains just 7% of your daily requirement according to the Self database! Please research this properly, your sample day looks deficient in a range of nutrients.

kmh0617

Only men trying to gain muscle need to eat 1g of protein per pound of body weight. Women and people who are trying to lose weight should do 0.6-1g per pound of lean body weight.

WRONG!
Where did you get this information? I Try to eat 40% carbs and 30% each of protein and fat. This comes out to 112g of protein for me daily, or about 1.6g/kg of body weight. It's helping to fuel my weigh lifting and build lean body mass.

MariFitBody

Ive never cut out carbs! Thats soooo overrated!

kmh0617

I don't know why people say only men trying to bulk up and become body builders have to eat more protein. Bulking up has to do with caloric surplus PLUS protein. If you stay at a deficit and increase your protein it'll do wonders for your body composition. I do 40 protein 30 carbs and 30 fat. When I can't get all the protein in naturally, I also use protein powders and bars. For powder I use 100% Gold Standard Whey Protein Powder- Chocolate. For every scoop, it has 1g of fat, 3 carbs, and 24 g of protein. I put it in a blender with almond milk and a frozen banana and MMMMMM it's awesome after workouts.


Edit- when I say 40 protein, 30 carbs and 30 fat, I mean my macros, obviously. I don't mean that I only eat 40 g of protein and 30 grams of carbs. It ends up being 120g protein, 160 carbs and 53g fat

^^^^^ THIS GIRL'S GOT IT RIGHT!!!

kaervaak

Only men trying to gain muscle need to eat 1g of protein per pound of body weight. Women and people who are trying to lose weight should do 0.6-1g per pound of lean body weight.

WRONG!
Where did you get this information? I Try to eat 40% carbs and 30% each of protein and fat. This comes out to 112g of protein for me daily, or about 1.6g/kg of body weight. It's helping to fuel my weigh lifting and build lean body mass.

So you're eating 0.72 grams of protein per pound of body weight or about 1 gram per pound of lean body weight and doing weight training. Where exactly was I wrong in what I said? Women cannot build muscle as quickly as men and therefor have lower optimum protein intakes.

BSLugnut

Okay, I have been trying to eat more protein and less carbs and am finding it virtually impossible. I don't eat a lot of bread or grains and never knew that so many fruits and veggies had so many carbs in them.

That's because the human body is a carb burner, not a protein burner! Unless you are a body builder, or you eat exclusively processed foods, you don't need to worry about increasing your protein. Sufficient amounts of protein are found in fruits and veggies.

Eat all the fruits and veggies you want!!! You will NOT get fat from a variety of high water content, high nutrient content, high fiber content, low calorie density, fruit and veg.

I agree with most of the statement other than "unless you're a body body, you don't need protein"

To put some clarity around that, lean muscle will burn fat, so the more lean muscle you have the more fat you can burn. Lean muscle doesn't have to mean that you look like Betty Pariso! By comparison, you can look at Stacie Tovar or Alessandra Pichelli for a comparison. All 3 have lean muscle!

Keep in mind, you only need to come close to that 1:1 ratio if you are working out hard and at least 5 days a week! As if you taking in 100g of protein and are sedentary, you will pack on fat.

And that you body can only process 70% of your protein intake.

Like you, I have decreased my carbs intake and it changes every few days all the while intaking 200g of protein a day. I do this for my training for Spartan Races.

Like others have mentioned, you may need to supplement you protein intake with lean whey protein powders. I use the Wilderness Athlete brand, as it only has 4g of carbs and 20g of protein.

I eat a lot of tuna, salmon, chicken, venison and at least 4 eggs a day. I drink a protein shake at least 3 of my 6 meals a day.

Unknown

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yopeeps025

protein supplements

jwooley13

Don't get too carried away with the logic of "protein = good, carbs = bad" or you'll drive yourself crazy. Keep eating your fruits and veggies - they're great for you!

That being said, I usually eat a quest bar at some point during the day, almost every day. Most of them pack about 20g of protein, less than 3g net carbs, and hover between 170-210 calories (depending on the flavor). I think they're pretty tasty, and they are a really fulfilling snack considering the low amount of calories.

I also try not to make a meal out of just fruits and veggies - everything I eat I try to incorporate a protein source. Maybe that'll help?