Eat more protein and less carbs

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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?
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  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
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    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
    ibach08 Posts: 61 Member
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    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
    jonesin_am Posts: 404 Member
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    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
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    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
    LadyIntrepid Posts: 399 Member
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    I supplement with protein powders and bars. Makes it pretty easy to get there.
  • kaervaak
    kaervaak Posts: 274 Member
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    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
    Chief_Rocka Posts: 4,710 Member
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    anything that had a mother
  • guardian419
    guardian419 Posts: 391 Member
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    How low are you tryng to take carbs? I dont eat grains (yay intolerances) and i have no issue staying around 100-150
  • Cr01502
    Cr01502 Posts: 3,614 Member
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    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
    norrisski Posts: 1,217 Member
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    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
    xiamjackie Posts: 611 Member
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    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
    lilRicki Posts: 4,555 Member
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    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
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
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    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
    Cr01502 Posts: 3,614 Member
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    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
    cmriverside Posts: 34,054 Member
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    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
    raeleek Posts: 414 Member
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    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
    amy1612 Posts: 1,356 Member
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    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
    endlesoul Posts: 98 Member
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    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
    Maymichelle Posts: 106 Member
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    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
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
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    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