Need to boost my daily protein intake

Bjninja

I'm looking to get more protein in my diet. This is my second time trying to lose weight and it's not going well (aka I've not lost a pound in six months of going to the gym every weekday), but I've heard that sometimes you just need more protein. I bought a personal blender about two weeks ago and make fruit smoothies with nonfat Greek yogurt and Trader Joe's Hemp protein powder, but I'm looking for snacks or other things I can eat throughout the day to help boost my levels.

Any tips?

Ariel52

I mix cottage cheese and yogurt together. I will also mix canned tuna, dill relish, and non-fat mayo and eat that on multi-grain Wasa crackers. Protein powder mixed with skim milk right before you go to bed helps to repair muscle while you sleep. Hope those tidbits help!

JoanB5

If you are a coffee drinker, vanilla whey protein powder is a good substitute for creamer or even skim milk...I put mine in a mixing cup (like for salad dressings, but they now make ones people use for protein powder, too). This gets the clumps out. It stays mixed together, though it takes me a few hours sipping to drink my 20 ou. cup.

Blessedbythebest1

For me its very difficult to get all the protein I need in a day, but I've found that eating greek yogurt, protein shakes (ready to go ones while at work and I make them at home also) . I'm a meat eater so Chicken breast has a ton of protein. Egg whites, almonds, peanut butter and proteins bars too. What I try to focus on is getting protein in every SNACK that I eat (this helps me to reach that protein macro), so I choose mainly the greek yogurt, peanut butter or a protein shake. Good luck!

Bjninja

Good tips all! I've never thought of putting protein in my coffee/tea, so I think that would be a great idea. I'll work on incorporating it into all of my snacks as well, and perhaps having some protein powder and soy milk before bed too. Isn't warm milk supposed to help you sleep? Added bonus!

Blessedbythebest1

I tried to do the protein in my coffee -- I'm a coffee drinker and it was sooooo clumpy. It's hard to do the blender cup because the cofffe is hot I don't want it to explode...i would love to know how to do this correctly..

katy_trail

VEGAN Oatmeal Hemp No-Bake Cookies
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMcf6WKQSOk

protein + chocolate!

there are a million recipes for using protein powder everything from pancakes, fit balls, you name it, you can make it.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/838001-88-unexpected-snacks-under-100-calories

bookwurm916

For breakfast have an omelette or scrambled eggs with several ounces of lean meat (pork, turkey, chicken, steak) or fish (shrimp, crab, tilapia). Add some vegetables (mushrooms, spinach, bell peppers, etc), salsa, low-fat cheese & you'll have afeast!

Greek yogurt; nuts; string cheese (Weight Watchers has a pretty good string cheese that is 50 calories/6 grams of protien); tuna in water (5 oz can is about 100 calories/25 grams of protien), pork & seafood are lower in calories & higher in protien; beans.

Several months ago I completely changed how I eat. Like so many others I ate a carb filled breakfast, always seemed to be hungry mid- morning so I'd have a snack, generally carbs, then be famished again come lunchtime. I'm now eating 1100-1200 calories a day with 100-110 grams of protien. At first it was a struggle to eat so much protien & keep within my daily calorie count but it has become much easier. I find that by eating 30+ grams of protien for breakfast I no longer have the need for a mid-morning snack & often am not hungry come lunchtime. Since early January when I started my lifestyle change, I have dropped 25 lbs!

Making even small changes in our daily habits can make a BIG difference - stop eating fast-food, carefully read food labels, become more aware of what we are eating every day, drink plenty of water, get enough sleep, exercise daily. Eat breakfast like a King, lunch like a Prince & dinner like a pauper!

Don't get discouraged, take one day at a time. "Give yourself a gift every day . . . the gift of realizing how special you are."

katy_trail

make your own bars:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/186582-homemade-clif-bars-no-bake

http://www.theleangreenbean.com/recipes-2/?recipe_id=6039492

http://www.theleangreenbean.com/recipes-2/?recipe_id=6008014

http://ohsheglows.com/2013/01/16/homemade-chocolate-chip-cookie-dough-larabars/


it's also ridiculously easy to make your own ricotta cheese.
seriously.
all you need is a few spoonfuls of vinegar + whole milk.
the recipe calls for cream, but I made it without and it was awesome.
super filling high protein snack.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/homemade-ricotta-recipe/index.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2UvbJjyRw8

nornyb

I really like the Odwella super protein bars and keep them everywhere (work, home, car) so that I have them handy if I'm hungry and don't have access to a healthy snack.

jakeVScalories

Jerky. 5$ a bag. less than 300 calories. 50g of protein. Jerky.

Markguns

Chicken, Tuna, Greek Yogurt with some protein powder mixed in. Pork, New Zealand Green Mussels, shrimp, salmon, other fish. Pre-packaged Salmon Burgers. Soy Milk, Low-fat cheese, cottage cheese.

Bjninja

The cheese part I can't do since I am lactose intolerant, but I didn't know tuna had so much protein. I could easily whip up some low calorie tuna salad for lunch (I currently just have soup). These are all good and super easy. I keep snacks at my desk and eat about five times a day (breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner), so I will try to incorporate some of these ideas. Maybe make iced coffee with protein powder now that the weather is warming up? Though Chicago is still 30°F, so maybe I'll wait, haha!