Help with fuel
kirabob
Posts: 481 Member
I am hoping that you ladies can help me with a food consumption issue - I'm asking here because I'm finding the the fuel I need while lifting is very different from what I needed while doing more cardio-based exercise. And I'm guessing you ladies like to eat as much as I do. . . 
I am consistently running over my carbs and fat each day, while falling fall short on protein - while still having around 250 calories that I need to eat to be safely above my BMR. I have some dietary restrictions that might complicate things. What am I looking for here is what kinds of protein I can add in given the following:
I am totally gluten-free, and I only eat other grains/beans 2-3x a week
No soy, except fermented (tofu and tempeh).
Dairy 1x a day. Any more and I start having issues. I usually use up my dairy on some plain greek yogurt.
(most of these are in place because my daughter needs to eat this way - so it's a lot easier if I just model the behavior rather than constantly tell her she can't have mommy's X because it will make her sick - but I really do feel better eating like this, too)
As a general rule I limit my added sugars to 30g or less a day - so almost all of those carbs are coming from fruits and vegetables (and the occasional grain). I usually hit about 5-6 fruits and 6-8 veggies a day. I probably do eat a few too many dried apple rings, but hey, they are better than gummy bears!
I'm sure I could cut down on the carbs and add in some protein if I could figure out something portable and stable. I make beef jerky, but you have to eat a lot of it to get any significant amount of protein. I love nuts, but again, you have to eat lots of them. We're out of it right now, but I usually have a bean protein powder on hand. What am I missing? Just eating diced chicken like popcorn? That sounds so incredibly boring. I am not at all adverse to cooking stuff - I make pretty much all our food anyhow, I just need some more options.
Please help me figure out some nice protein-y snacks that I can throw in to the mix to help balance out my macros a bit. Or tell me that I'm going about this all wrong and need to ignore the macros and just eat to feel good.
Thank you so much!
I am consistently running over my carbs and fat each day, while falling fall short on protein - while still having around 250 calories that I need to eat to be safely above my BMR. I have some dietary restrictions that might complicate things. What am I looking for here is what kinds of protein I can add in given the following:
I am totally gluten-free, and I only eat other grains/beans 2-3x a week
No soy, except fermented (tofu and tempeh).
Dairy 1x a day. Any more and I start having issues. I usually use up my dairy on some plain greek yogurt.
(most of these are in place because my daughter needs to eat this way - so it's a lot easier if I just model the behavior rather than constantly tell her she can't have mommy's X because it will make her sick - but I really do feel better eating like this, too)
As a general rule I limit my added sugars to 30g or less a day - so almost all of those carbs are coming from fruits and vegetables (and the occasional grain). I usually hit about 5-6 fruits and 6-8 veggies a day. I probably do eat a few too many dried apple rings, but hey, they are better than gummy bears!
I'm sure I could cut down on the carbs and add in some protein if I could figure out something portable and stable. I make beef jerky, but you have to eat a lot of it to get any significant amount of protein. I love nuts, but again, you have to eat lots of them. We're out of it right now, but I usually have a bean protein powder on hand. What am I missing? Just eating diced chicken like popcorn? That sounds so incredibly boring. I am not at all adverse to cooking stuff - I make pretty much all our food anyhow, I just need some more options.
Please help me figure out some nice protein-y snacks that I can throw in to the mix to help balance out my macros a bit. Or tell me that I'm going about this all wrong and need to ignore the macros and just eat to feel good.
Thank you so much!
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Replies
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Hi Kira,
Whew, OK!! Sooo, do eggs and egg whites work? I am wondering if you can find a muffin recipe that uses... oh shoot, no grain or beans, eh?
Hmmm, the only snacky protein things that I can think of are hardboiled eggs and meats. But if you coated your chicken pieces in crushed almonds, that would probably be pretty tasty. And there are hundreds of deviled egg recipes out there.
Could you do something like a pasta salad using corn pasta, meat, veggies, and dressing? I used to do that a couple of summers ago, I was always making up a bowl of all-in-one pasta salad for snacking on. It was different every time, just using what I had on hand, and then it was there when I needed a snack.
Other than that I'm a bit stumped, too.
Elaine0 -
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/859304-protein-powder-recipes
Don't ignore your macros, but don't sweat them overmuch either.
I personally sneak protein powder into my iced coffee, which along with skim milk puts me at 15 g protein per coffee. I basically tweak stuff I was already eating/drinking to turn it into a protein delivery system.
Don't discount nuts and eggs either.
Maybe make your own protein/energy bars?
A superficial internet sweep turns up things like baking with almond flour and using agave syrup to sweeten.
Also this:
http://pinterest.com/lizchallice/gluten-free-high-protein-or-no-sugar-recipes/
And etc. Just do a Google search for gluten free high protein recipes and voila!0 -
Are you constantly on the go? Do you ever have sit down lunches and dinners? I try and get at least 100g of chicken for lunch and dinner. Lunch, I eat shredded chicken essentially as a side dish (not for everyone, I know). And I do that with a spoon, do if your looking for finger food, strips of chicken would probably be easier. And you could try different spices and herbs to jazz it up, or dip it in mustard or other sauce things. For dinner I have my chicken (again shredded) on top of a huge salad. Some of the best protein sources seem to be chicken and turkey. Even just a plain old turkey sandwich could really up your protein. I eat far less fruit than you do (I'm reactive hypoglycemic, so I tend to limit my carbs somewhat - don't look at today...); the carb rich diet would have really helped with running, but it might be a little bit much for lifting. That said, carbs do give you fuel, so you don't have to cut way back on them.0
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Lunch, I eat shredded chicken essentially as a side dish (not for everyone, I know).
you just reminded me how much I like chicken chaat. recipe time!0 -
I love eggs, but have kind of been holding back for the simple reason that a hawk got one of my hens and so we have been running low for a while (yes, I'm one of THOSE people, the urban chicken farming mafia ). I am in the process of expanding their area so that I can add a few more hens - but until then I guess I should pick some up at the market. I love hardboiled eggs, and they would be pretty portable.
Sticking the protein powder in to everything is a good idea too. I make faux-Lara bars that are basically 1:1 nuts and raisins plus whatever extra I feel like adding (for me, this is always cocoa powder). But I bet I could put some protein powder in them and just add a little coconut oil to balance it all out.
I've been eating meat with lunch and dinner, and tried to incorporate it into my afternoon snack today. I'm not as good with meat in the morning, it just never sounds good. I lurve me some green smoothies (can't believe it either, but it's true), but maybe I should be doubling the recipe and putting some protein powder in it, then drinking the second half after my workout.
I'm also thinking I need to go revisit my IPOARM numbers. I'm guessing that once some weight starts getting on the bar, I'm going to want to eat a LOT more.0 -
Eggs, tuna, tilapia, pork, beef, ground turkey, ham, ground beef......I mean really there are tons of options besides dairy and grains. Protein powder and shakes are good. Pork is super cheap so that's a staple in my house. Like someone else mentioned, don't sweat the macros too much and honestly, from what you have mentioned I don't think that sugar has to be a concern either.
Hope that helps!0 -
I thought you might enjoy this post:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/926789-protein-sources
Elaine0
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