I just can't eat enough protein!

DebiS1972
DebiS1972 Posts: 23
in Food and Nutrition
Trying a 40-30-30 but I just can't get that much protein, without going over fat content unless I have chicken or turkey or fish at every meal....any suggestions.
Thank you
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Replies

  • ChristineS_51
    ChristineS_51 Posts: 872 Member
    Eggs
    Yoghurt (diet etc so you don't go over in sugar)
    Cottage / ricotta cheese
    Tuna
    Skim Milk
    Beans - kidney, chickpeas, etc

    It's tricky getting it all to balance isn't it! Will watch this with interest :smile:
  • tryclyn
    tryclyn Posts: 2,414 Member
    I make my own soups and add beans to all of them.

    But here:
    http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/foods-highest-in-protein.php
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
    Try the lean protein options, but if it doesn't suit you, change your macros back towards a more normal range.
  • mmk137
    mmk137 Posts: 833 Member
    be careful with beans, cause some have a lot more carbs than protein.

    protein powder
    quest bars are great (if you want something in a bar)
    ham
    cheese (feta, cottage cheese, all the light coloured stuff)
    fish
    eggs / egg whites
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    Plenty of other lean meats available.

    Various Ham available with <3% fat.

    Sugar free jelly (jello).

    Quark cheese.
  • letjog
    letjog Posts: 260 Member
    I have chicken at practically every meal, lol. Or seafood. Plus I snack on low fat greek yoghurts.

    Can't get me enough of the proteinnnnnn

    <3
  • unFATuated
    unFATuated Posts: 204 Member
    Eggs
    Yoghurt (diet etc so you don't go over in sugar)
    Cottage / ricotta cheese
    Tuna
    Skim Milk
    Beans - kidney, chickpeas, etc

    It's tricky getting it all to balance isn't it! Will watch this with interest :smile:

    Stick with low fat greek yoghurt - don't use 'diet' products as they're normally higher in sugar or contain artificial sweeteners.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    or contain artificial sweeteners.
    And if the OP's body doesn't react adversely, why not? :)
  • unFATuated
    unFATuated Posts: 204 Member
    or contain artificial sweeteners.
    And if the OP's body doesn't react adversely, why not? :)

    They don't promote satiety like fats and other proteins do.
  • DebiS1972
    DebiS1972 Posts: 23
    Thank you. I am not eating "low calorie" foods as they use artificial sweeteners and I am trying to be all natural so no "low fat" etc just less of the natural stuff if necessary. As someone said earlier...beans have protein but carbs too. What about spirulina?(s)
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    Simply add a protein shake to each meal.
    Its 120-200cals and 16-36g protein.
  • Firefox7275
    Firefox7275 Posts: 2,040 Member
    Thank you. I am not eating "low calorie" foods as they use artificial sweeteners and I am trying to be all natural so no "low fat" etc just less of the natural stuff if necessary. As someone said earlier...beans have protein but carbs too. What about spirulina?(s)

    Sorry but you seem to setting so many 'rules' they mean you will end up with a highly restrictive diet when a key 'rule' of healthy eating is to eat a wide variety of different foods. Virtually all natural sources of protein contain either fat or carbs or both, they are there for energy or protection for the animal or plant, the food didn't evolve to be food for us it evolved to have a function in nature. If you are going to restrict to wholefoods, you should be eating the whole bird, so all the organ meats not just, say, chicken breast.

    There are no added sweeteners in reduced fat version of a natural wholefood, such as a lean cut of meat with the fatty skin removed or dairy with the cream skimmed off. Spirulina is not a real food, it is a supplement.

    - egg whites
    - extra lean ground beef or other meat
    - venison or emu
    - organ meats, especially from beef
    - pork tenderloin
    - any white fish (oily fish is healthier, that fat is essential)
    - seafood like shrimp/ prawns
    - lean ham off the joint (not the reformed stuff)
    - natural cottage cheese
    - unflavoured extra light soft cheese
    - fat free plain Greek yoghurt
    - unflavoured whey or other protein powder
    - reduced fat peanut flour (Protein Plus has no additives, PB2 does).

    HTH.
  • Momwasix
    Momwasix Posts: 623 Member
    Trying a 40-30-30 but I just can't get that much protein, without going over fat content unless I have chicken or turkey or fish at every meal....any suggestions.
    Thank you

    Are you following eat more to weigh less because of those macros.
  • LisaGirlfriend
    LisaGirlfriend Posts: 493 Member
    Protein powder - add it to smoothies made with milk. YUM!!! I have this for breakfast or lunch sometimes.
    Greek yogurt is delicious! I have that with high protein Kashi granola. Delicious!!
    Almonds, tuna, fish, chicken.
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
    I have 3 protein shakes everyday. Puts me right where I need to be. I can't do it with just food by itself.
  • tonyamariepierce
    tonyamariepierce Posts: 42 Member
    i have to use protein shakes to get enough protein.
  • DebiS1972
    DebiS1972 Posts: 23
    By "whole foods" I mean natural. No processed. I do eat a wide variety of foods, there are lots of natural foods to eat, sometimes it just means little more prep time Low fat is fine if we are talking lean meat, what I am talking about is say "low fat cottage cheese" where sugar and/or artificial sweetners are added instead of fat for taste reasons. I have no problem with good fats and carbs. It was just that I seem to be running out of fat allowance but having protein left. Thank you for your list.

    At momwasix - yes I'm doing insanity workout eroutine so eating more cals that I need...still new to it all so trying to balance it all out
  • DebraYvonne
    DebraYvonne Posts: 632 Member
    I always get plenty of protein and I am doing fairly low fat but I do eat chicken & fish a lot. I eat ground beef every now and again too just not too much. Try a protein powder in almond milk or eggs??
  • gailnewman900
    gailnewman900 Posts: 2
    My diet's goal is 66 (fat), 30 (protein), 4 (carb). I too have a hard time keeping protein levels high enough, so I use protein shakes. My favorite brand is Syntrax Nectar. These are available in health food stores and on-line through Amazon (free shipping). My favorite flavors are chocolate truffle and strawberry mousse.

    Nutrition per scoop (that I mix with 8 oz water, but you can mix with up to 16 oz or even use with milk)
    Calories 100
    Carbs 0
    Protein 24

    Add one of these to a meal where you don't feel full and fullness follows. Plus, it's a quick and delicious way to up those proteins.
  • LauraW1219
    LauraW1219 Posts: 71 Member
    I have trouble with the protein also. I get the vasalus body by vi shakes. To me they taste better and good enough I can just use water. They have flavoring packets that can help with the taste. I get mine for like 40 bucks on ebay to me it isn't that expensive as everyone says, because having two shakes a day it will last me 28 days.
  • luv2ash
    luv2ash Posts: 1,903 Member
    Nibble on grilled chicken. Why not? its better than nibbling on some unhealthy processed option :)

    Egg beaters
    Cold shrimp

    Having lean protein at every meal 6 times a day is an awesome option. Its how I did it :)
  • flajocar
    flajocar Posts: 37
    Quinoa!!! Less carbs than rice with more protein.
  • Bobby__Clerici
    Bobby__Clerici Posts: 741 Member
    Simply add a protein shake to each meal.
    Its 120-200cals and 16-36g protein.
    ^^^^^
    THIS
    I tried going with 100% whole foods but just could not stick with it.
    I take a few shakes every day, and getting my protein is easy.
  • nguk123
    nguk123 Posts: 223
    http://nutritiondata.self.com/tools/caloric-ratio-search
    click around here at the bottom right of the triangle to get lists of high protein ratio foods.

    When it comes to processed foods , there are good and bad. Bad are loading up on sugars and fats and maybe chemicals that act as preservatives... goods are, "well, we processed it... we separated this component out from that, here is your whey isolated... "

    don't fear the whey, unless you have some sort of allergy.

    Supplement with whey protein shakes to make up any deficits towards the end of your day.
  • BryanBootka
    BryanBootka Posts: 8 Member
    Fage and Chobani yogurt are high protein choices. Cottage Cheese that is low fat is another good choice. There are plenty of lean meats yet it takes planning to make it work. The truth is that all worthwhile goals take advanced planning. Keep it up and the results will be well worth the time investment.
  • phillipspage
    phillipspage Posts: 25 Member
    I'm a vegetarian so I can relate to the difficulty of getting all of the required protein in. I have a protein shake every day--just frozen berries, low-cal low-carb natural fruit juice and soy protein powder. About 160 calories for one of those. And then I supplement with beans or chickpeas with at least one meal per day and snacks like yogurt and cottage cheese. I also have healthy meat substitutes (surprisingly not too bad on taste) like veggie burgers and sausages that are low in fat and sodium.

    You can do it, it just takes a bit of rearranging your meals and snacks.
  • bllplyr
    bllplyr Posts: 1
    A neat little trick i came across for my breakfast was mixing one whole egg with 4 egg whites in an omelet or just scrambled. It skyrocketed the protein but didn't do much in the way of fat. i have also found that tilapia (fish) as well as salmon offer incredible amounts of protein with fairly low fat. It took me a while to figure out which foods are best for protein as i aim for 200g daily without much in the way of shakes. i limit my shakes to one post-workout. i eat about 1500 calories a day so even eating 8oz of salmon or 12 of tilapia is a good way to get a protein boost. obviously chicken breast grilled is another great high protein low fat food.
  • RobynLB
    RobynLB Posts: 617 Member
    I don't care much for meat. The only way I can hit my protein goal is having protein powder and eggs for breakfast every morning. Try protein powder mug cake. I am obsessed with it :)
  • kodibear123
    kodibear123 Posts: 185 Member
    I find that I can't get enough protein either unless I include my Whey protein powder protein drinks. I like my drinks mixed with whey protein, vanilla light soy milk, 1 tsp oil (flax,safflower or olive oil) and frozen strawberries. YUM! If I do heavy cardio I usually add some frozen banana to the mix. Best wishes! :)
  • ashesfromfire
    ashesfromfire Posts: 867 Member
    eggs and tuna are my go to for protein -
    3 eggs for breakfast is about 200 calories and 15 grams of protein.
    2 cans of tune (in water) has only 300 calories and 66 grams of protein.
    yogurt is a great protein filled snack - so is a small glass of milk - both can have 8+ grams.
    Good luck :smile:

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