How do i get protein up within calories? :)

balancedbrunette

Hi i've just been looking back over my diary and notice i am about 48 short of protein every day, to eat 1g of protein per 1lb of lean body mass i should be up on 92, i'm just wondering is this hindering my toning progress

i get my protein from sources like eggs, beans, chicken, turkey breast and almonds and i try to eat a variant of these foods every day but im always falling short of protein goals as i fill up my daily calories with things like fruit bananas, strawberrries...any advice be much appreciated.

briabner

peanut butter, quinoa, and maybe try adding a protien powder shake to your diet might help. Unfortunately, not many fruits are high in protein. Protein typically comes from more calorie dense foods.

herblackwings39

If you're eating a lot of fruit maybe cut one banana and replace it with a higher protein option like extra chicken or beans?

TeaBea

Greek yogurt and cottage cheese have good protein numbers.

vypeters

Look at how you're preparing your meats. Eat lean meats without a lot of added calories and you can get in whopping amounts of protein and stay under.

Me, I cheat and have a protein shake.

chixyb

I aim for over 100g a day and this is normally what I do -

protein shake (after AM workout)
egg whites (breakfast/snack)
lean protein at lunch (leftovers)
high protein/Greek yogurt (afternoon snack)
lean protein at dinner

and if I'm still not where I want to be (which is rare), I'll do another protein shake after my evening workout.

sexymuffintop

Any type of meat,fish, greek yoghurt, eggs are all good sources of protein. Protein by itself won't help 'tone' you. A diet high in protein and a good strength training routine will help with your goal to 'tone up'.

Francl27

I eat a lot of greek yogurt and low fat cheese, have eggs most days and try to have some kind of meat at least once a day... and I usually have a protein bar as a snack at some point too.

m4ttcheek

That should be pretty easy to reach just with food. Upping your meat portions is probably the easiest. If not just have a shake.

Depends what you mean by toning as to if its effecting it.

groomchick

Bigger portions of meat, smaller portions of starchy carbs. Don't be afraid of a little red meat in your diet and don't forget how high fish & seafood are in protein for the cals!

LaurenAOK

Chicken breast, greek yogurt, string cheese, lentils, protein powder/bars, eggs, and whole wheat products are my most-used sources of protein. They're all low in calories but high in protein content!

anewme1202

I agree with some of the suggestions already. I struggle with my protein intake as well (falling short like you). I try and make sure I have some sort of protein at every meal and snack and I'm looking into protein shakes/bars as well (I think something homemade is the best way to go as the bars seem chock full of so many extra additives etc) That being said, I'm not done researching some good shakes/bars (without soy, low carb etc so if anyone has any suggestions, please let me know!)

I'll kickstart my day with either oatmeal and fruit or an egg white omelette with veggies and cheese.
For before my workouts I like greek yogurt and cottage cheese after my workout. Beans (lentils), quinoa, eggs, almonds are great and I love salmon and tuna as well throughout the day along with some sort of lean protein for supper usually.

balancedbrunette

yea i am doing strength training - well just started it recently alongside julain michaels, i guess i just think its better to get more protein in for muscle recovery and that, sorry I don't know an awful lot about this i'm just going on what I've picked up/read around the forum. ...i bought greek yoghurt today so may get some cottage cheese aswell and maybe some protein bars on days i notice im down, thanks for the suggestions.!

FitMrsR

I had the same problem because I don't eat much meat but I got it up to where I was only 20g under (my goal is like105g or something) so I added in protein powder. I eat foods like peanut butter, yogurt (Greek yogurt is good for protein), spinach--yes spinach has a lot of protein actually. I make a smoothie with frozen spinach because I hate the stuff. I also eat beans, lentils, pulses, cheese, milk, and tofu. Have a look at my food diary for the last week or so to get some ideas. I've only had my protein powder for 2 days but I've really been trying for longer than that

WaxMama

I LOVE the Bolthouse Farm's brand chocolate protein shake. It's pre mixed in the cold section of your grocery store and it's absolutely delicious! It's not "gritty" at all like other shakes I've tried. I also love their fruit smoothie flavors (or Naked brand) and I blend it with Oikos vanilla greek yogurt to up the protein content.

db34fit69

Peas peas peas! If you're like most people, you don't eat enough fiber. In only 6 oz of peas, you get 19 grams of protein and 14 grams of fiber! You really can't go wrong.

MichaelWms

I eat about 223 grams of protein a day. I accomplish this by eating/drinking:

Protein Powder
Fat-Free Milk
Fat-Free Greek Yogurt
Tuna
Chicken
Etc.

You might decrease the amount of fruit and such (carbs) you are eating per meal/snack and try and increase the portion size of lean protein sources. Be careful with peanut butter, some brands contain high fructose corn syrup and its high in fat.

KateRunsColorado

I just upped my protein to 25% of my calories (from 15%) and was having trouble reaching my goal too...so I finally branched out and bought some Whey Protein Powder. I think it's kind of nasty plain, but if you mix it with fruit into a smoothie, it's quite good, and I can get an extra 30 grams that way!

This is what I typically have:

Breakfast - Protein Smoothie (30 grams)
AM Snack - Greek Yogurt (12 grams)
Lunch - something with either chicken or lunch meat (~15-25 grams)
Afternoon Snack - Protein Bar (if I need it, 10-20 grams depending on type)
Dinner - Chicken (~25 grams)

For a total of 92 - 112 grams /day

EDIT - just to add that the Greek Yogurt is really low calorie (around 100 cals), as far as smoothies go - use unsweetened almond milk in them (only 30 cals/8 oz). And for a low cal/high protein bar - walmart sells a brand called "Life Choice" protein bars, they are only 180 calories and have 21 grams of protein. Not amazing taste wise, but not terrible.

cals83

protein shakes, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, low fat string cheese...all great ways to add in protein without blowing your other macros out of proportion.

EmilyOfTheSun

TUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNNNNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

redhead1910

You might need to start drinking a protein shake every day