Protein added to menu??

tlwells62

I am a 50 1/2 yr old female. My typical workout is 45 - 60 minutes on the treadmill 5 days per week. I do light arm weights and sit ups at home each day. Some weeks I add yoga. I usually eat 1 or 2 hard boiled eggs per day. Do I need protein powder too? I understand the concept of replacing a meal/snack with a protein shake. But not really sure if I need it or what the true benefit is. I am 5'5" and weigh 145. My goal weight is 135. I am extremely healthy and active. Any suggestions and/or feedback would be great. Feel free to look at my food diray ..... I need all the help/feedback/suggestions you can offer. Thanks so much!!

nexangelus

Those of us who use protein powder as a supplement are already eating protein at the higher rate (higher than the average I mean) anyway and sometimes struggle to get all those grammes in food wise. I eat 120g + per day. Mostly chicken, fish, eggs, cottage cheese, nuts, etc. If I find I am stuck for time or whatever, I use a scoop of protein powder (and mix with water, milk, ice-cream, etc) as mine comes in at 40 g per scoop.

p.s. your food diary is closed to the public.

tlwells62

Thanks. I opened food diary to everyone -- not just friends. Thanks so much.

Firefox7275

I am a 50 1/2 yr old female. My typical workout is 45 - 60 minutes on the treadmill 5 days per week. I do light arm weights and sit ups at home each day. Some weeks I add yoga. I usually eat 1 or 2 hard boiled eggs per day. Do I need protein powder too? I understand the concept of replacing a meal/snack with a protein shake. But not really sure if I need it or what the true benefit is. I am 5'5" and weigh 145. My goal weight is 135. I am extremely healthy and active. Any suggestions and/or feedback would be great. Feel free to look at my food diray ..... I need all the help/feedback/suggestions you can offer. Thanks so much!!

Your food diary is locked: two eggs is about 12g of protein, it really is not much. Protein powders are supplements to a balanced diet NOT meal replacements. You should be having three servings of reduced fat dairy a day and oily fish regularly, ideally daily, both of which will supply you with protein. You will also get modest amounts from any mineral/ fibre rich foods in your diet (nuts, seeds, beans, lentils).

Not sure why you are doing either light arm weights or sit ups daily, neither are supported by the research. Lift heavy with great technique, a full body routine (chest, back, legs, glutes) not cherry picking small muscle groups, work to failure then rest that body part for a few days, that includes abs. Sit ups and crunches work the 'six pack' and hip flexors you will never get a flat stomach from those - instead work the deep core muscles with systems like Pilates. Also aim for far more variety in your cardio workouts, use different machines or do different activities like a DVD, when you do the treadmill be sure do interval training not steady state. Do you know how many steps you take a day overall, in your daily life and workouts combined?

toddis

Unfortunately with crowd sourced nutritional information your diary is inaccurate for protein intake. (hamburger, venision having no macros, etc).

You seem to have wiggle room calorie wise, so you could easily just add in a normal source of protein rather than a powder.

tlwells62

No clue about food diary -- I set it to public.

Yes I agree completely about mixing up workouts. I do set treadmill on incline and do various courses (not just flat walking). I also walk at home -- I live on a farm and do alot of manual work with my horses. I also ride. I do yoga at least 1x a week. I did do heavy weight lifting for 3 mos -- but my dr stopped me because I have a bulging disc and a tear in L4 L5 area. So he wanted me to take time off weights except arms (and light weights ). That is how that started. I am aiming for "feeling good" and "feeling fit". Thanks so much for feedback.

Firefox7275

No clue about food diary -- I set it to public.

Yes I agree completely about mixing up workouts. I do set treadmill on incline and do various courses (not just flat walking). I also walk at home -- I live on a farm and do alot of manual work with my horses. I also ride. I do yoga at least 1x a week. I did do heavy weight lifting for 3 mos -- but my dr stopped me because I have a bulging disc and a tear in L4 L5 area. So he wanted me to take time off weights except arms (and light weights ). That is how that started. I am aiming for "feeling good" and "feeling fit". Thanks so much for feedback.

Have you seen a physiotherapist or advanced Pilates teacher who specialises in sports injuries or back care, have you had a full posture and gait analysis, wearing corrective footwear (fitted running/ walking trainers) when on the treadmill? If you are doing a lot of walking and manual work in your daily life you may not be getting much benefit from the treadmill.

Many yoga exercises are contra-indicated with back problems because they involve hyperextending the spine or excessive pressure on the discs. If you were my client I wouldn't do any sit ups or crunches except Stuart McGill's variations ('Low Back Disorders', Human Kinetics) and only then if you had been cleared by a physio. You likely ought to be doing some glute work, these are key muscles in supporting the lower back, weaknesses here are often implicated in poor lifting technique and injury. Every time you work the hip flexors you train them to be dominant over the glutes, every time you train the rectus abdominis (six pack) you risk this becoming dominant over the transversus (like a giant belt).

Food diary is now showing up for me, maybe I clicked before you unlocked it. You are not eating anywhere near enough calories for someone with an active lifestyle, and netting under your basal metabolic rate which is not healthy. Set your activity level properly, set it to lose half to one pound a week and eat the recommended amount. You are also eating far too low fat - the body needs fatty acids for health and for weight management, especially the long chain omega-3s from oily fish and omega-enriched eggs and the short chains in nuts and seeds. Omega-3s are powerful anti inflammatories, incorporated into cell membranes and involved in collagen production so very much support resolution of your back issues. Other healthy fats include avocado, olives, block creamed coconut, nuts, seeds and cocoa powder.

Eat way more vegetables and less fruit, overall nine servings a day in the full rainbow of bright and dark colours skewed in favour of veggies. Be sure to get your three servings of reduced fat dairy a day or a fortified alternative, calcium from dairy has been linked to reduced body fat as well as bone health muscle contraction and many other functions. Cottage cheese is a poor source of calcium and chicken breast is not particularly nutritious either. Lastly eat far more mineral and fibre rich foods - nuts, seeds, beans and lentils - these will give you a little more protein but are packed with other nutrients which whey isolate is not.

tlwells62

ok -- looks like an overhaul is in place for me the next few weeks ............

stay tune.

I am also a sales rep so I walk all day -- in and out of stores. I always park as far away as possible .......... thus more steps.

then I come home and work at my barn (cleaning stalls, lifting hay, grooming & riding)

then I work out at the gym 5 days a week

so I will reset some things, and review/overhaul some thing.

Thanks so much for the feeback. it's tough to try to do this alone!!

Firefox7275

ok -- looks like an overhaul is in place for me the next few weeks ............

stay tune.

I am also a sales rep so I walk all day -- in and out of stores. I always park as far away as possible .......... thus more steps.

then I come home and work at my barn (cleaning stalls, lifting hay, grooming & riding)

then I work out at the gym 5 days a week

so I will reset some things, and review/overhaul some thing.

Thanks so much for the feeback. it's tough to try to do this alone!!

No problem glad to help. Get a pedometer find out what your true activity level is, have your bodyfat tested at the gym if you can, then calculate BMR and TDEE. If you do over 10,000 steps a day use the Stair Master/ Step Mill, elliptical trainer (hold on or let go) or recumbent bike more than the treadmill, assuming they are comfortable for you. Never hold onto the treadmill, swing your arms.

AussieTrainer

The benefit is that some of my protein powders taste like dessert, so if I can have a creamy cinnamon bun smoothy directly before I go to bed and it's all slow release protein, no sugar/carb... it's kinda like magic.