How to improve protein intake??

girish_ph
girish_ph Posts: 148 Member
edited December 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
Hi,

I have been concentrating on Calories for past 75 days (since I joined MFP), and have been reasonable regular in my logging. I have set my goal to "1 lb a week". Unfortunately, I consume other critical things like proteins, carbs, etc below my "given target". This has happened because I count calories and am unable to focus on the other items.

Does anybody know how I can get proteins without too many calories? Also, is it OK to continue like the way I am doing for some more time?

Thanks in advance.

Replies

  • Caralynl
    Caralynl Posts: 43
    I've been wondering the same thing....
  • jealous_loser
    jealous_loser Posts: 395
    Can't see your diary, so I am not sure what you are doing.

    Good sources of protein
    - Greek yogurt
    - Chicken
    - Fish
    - Cottage Cheese
    - Other lean meats
    - Cheese
  • girish_ph
    girish_ph Posts: 148 Member
    One Question - You said Cheese. Is Cheese good for you or bad?? I hear so many different answers
  • itsuki
    itsuki Posts: 520 Member
    One Question - You said Cheese. Is Cheese good for you or bad?? I hear so many different answers

    Unless you're lactose intolerant, there's nothing wrong with cheese.

    Some people say it's bad for you because it's typcially made with full-fat milk, but if you notice on your goals page, it's important to get SOME fat every day.

    IIFYM (if it fits your macros), cheese is a great way to get protein and fat.
  • jealous_loser
    jealous_loser Posts: 395
    One Question - You said Cheese. Is Cheese good for you or bad?? I hear so many different answers

    Unless you're lactose intolerant, there's nothing wrong with cheese.

    Some people say it's bad for you because it's typcially made with full-fat milk, but if you notice on your goals page, it's important to get SOME fat every day.

    IIFYM (if it fits your macros), cheese is a great way to get protein and fat.

    Yea, unless you are having problems with dairy, I get probably a third to half my protein a day from dairy based foods. I love cheese. I also use it for my fat counts.
  • iWaffle
    iWaffle Posts: 2,208 Member
    Can't see your diary, so I am not sure what you are doing.

    Good sources of protein
    - Greek yogurt
    - Chicken
    - Fish
    - Cottage Cheese
    - Other lean meats
    - Cheese

    ^^ This and beans are great as well but they do tend to have more carbs. Nuts are great on protein but they're higher in calories due to the fat in them. It's a healthy fat but it still counts as calories.
  • budru21
    budru21 Posts: 127
    I build my day's meal plan around protein first. So...I shoot for 25-30 g of protein every single meal. After I choose my protein source (chicken, egg whites, whey protein, greek yogurt, sirloin, tuna, salmon, tilapia, shrimp, turkey breast), I fill in the remainder of my calories for each meal with carbs and fats. So, if your calorie goal is 1600 calories, divide 1600 by however many meals you consume daily ( I do 6-7 meals) and that is how many calories to aim for each meal. If you use up 100 calories in protein and need to use 250 calories for that meal, fill the last 150 calories with a carb source and a fat source. Or...only do fat in two meals, and have more carbs in the other meals.....Works well for me.
  • knittingwitch
    knittingwitch Posts: 231 Member
    Turkey burgers are low in calories and high in protein, there are also protein shakes that are low on calories and carbs, protein bars on the other hand are higher sugar, higher carb, and higher calories .
    There are also veggies that are high in protein. I'm always over on my protein, but even or low on every thing else.
  • Topsking2010
    Topsking2010 Posts: 2,245 Member
    Bump
  • blonde71
    blonde71 Posts: 955 Member
    Someone once told me to eat based on your macros and not based on your calories. Meaning that you should concentrate on hitting your macros because you will hit your calories that way. As you're finding out, if you solely look at calories, you're breaking even or falling below your macros.

    I use no supplements and I always hit 125g of protein minimum. Eggs, milk, cheese, chicken breasts and tuna help me get my protein intake for the day.
  • Aventuria
    Aventuria Posts: 151
    I'd like to add tofu and seitan to the list, they are very good sources of protein with low calorie (in the most cases, please look for the labels or make them yourself) though not everybody likes them...
  • phildawson75
    phildawson75 Posts: 205 Member
    ~1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. The 15% is just a recommendation that MFP has used. Everyone's protein needs will be different, you can change the carbs, fats, protein % in your profile. Mines at 30%

    Lean Meats (Chicken, Lamb, Pork, Turkey, Beef, Veal)
    Fish (Tuna, Anchovies, Salmon, Shrimp, Lobster, Crab)
    Eggs, Cheese, Greek Yoghurt
    Lentils, Quinoa, Edamame
    Hemp/Squash/Pumpkin/Watermelon seeds, Peanuts

    I also have ON Gold Standards 100% Whey (Double Choc) after exercise.
    Delivers 24 grams of protein per scoop. Tastes excellent too with almond milk or even skimmed or just water.

    Homemade Quinoa and oat bars (with walnuts, almonds, cashews) are also excellent. :)
  • jsidel126
    jsidel126 Posts: 694 Member
    Whenever I increase my protein intake, my overall daily calorie intake is lower. I assume the protein satisfies me longer than carbs therefore I consume less bread/pasta (therefore calories) for the day....My protein intake is typically between 50 & 100 grams per day..

    Eat more chikin (I mean protein)...
  • yerfgirl
    yerfgirl Posts: 65 Member
    I've been curious about this too. I hadn't considered planning for the macro first and then the calories will fall into place. Thanks for the suggestion.
  • Prahasaurus
    Prahasaurus Posts: 1,381 Member
    Chicken breasts on the skillet (in butter, olive oil, or coconut oil) with some nice veggies.

    Chicken stir fry with veggies.

    Green salad with tuna and boiled eggs.

    Eggs for breakfast (eat the yoke, don't believe the hype).

    Salmon, salmon, salmon. Baked, or on the skillet.

    Protein shakes (whey).

    Milk. Ideally full fat.

    --P
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