High protein/fat low carb vegetarian diet...help?

xelda9
xelda9 Posts: 1 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I've been using MFP for a while now and have lost a little weight in the last 6 months but I decided to get serious and I started a weight loss treatment program last week that calls for 80-90g of protein/day while eating at the very most 10g less carbs than protein (so we're aiming for 70-80g carbs/day). I'm also eating 5-6 meals averaging 200 calories each per day. I'm not having problems staying full even though I'm eating far fewer calories than I was, but I am having problems reconciling the protein/carb/fat ratio.

I'm a vegetarian who mostly eats whole foods and very little dairy, so this is a huge change for me! But I guess it's like they say, if you want something you've never had before you're going to have to do something you've never done before.

I've been at it about a week now and I've been able to meet/exceed the protein requirements of this diet daily, but somehow when I'm planning out my day, at the end of the day I always end up with like 300 calories left and I'm already over on my carbs and protein, but I've got like 20-30g of fat left to eat. (It's OK for me to eat more protein than 80-90g, but not go over on the carbs.) I'm realizing that I'm going to have to up my fat intake throughout the day but I can't find a good way to do that without either eating very processed foods, foods with lots of carbs, or drinking straight oil (which I would never even do...)

Wondering if anyone has any suggestions?

Replies

  • wftiger
    wftiger Posts: 1,283 Member
    Sounds like the same program I am on. I struggle some days to get above 1000 calories as I run out of carbs. I just eat a bunch more protein but I'm not vegetarian so I can eat proteins without carbs.

    I would say for you to watch closer on your other meals and leave a few carbs then eat nuts. They are high fat with only a few carbs and should burn the extra calories up. I eat a serving of nuts (usually cashews or pistachios but I know almonds are better healthwise) every day for the health benefits and to help me get closer to the 1200 I am prescribed by MD.

    If you do some dairy then cheese is really good way to use up calories too.
  • Nopedotjpeg
    Nopedotjpeg Posts: 1,805 Member
    As a vegetarian the higher protein is a lot harder. If you were vegan I'd say it would be near impossible. I would say using some oil to make stir-fries, and adding some raw nuts to your diet would help a lot. Oh and eggs and cheese!
  • ashleyacee
    ashleyacee Posts: 118
    I am vegetarian, for my protein I will have 1% or non fat cottage cheese with crushed almonds and grapes, it is a good source of protein and healthy fats, it always fills me up. I have egg whites, with veggie slices (vegetarian cheese) or part skim mozarella cheese and salsa, Tofu is also a great source of protein and low in calories and fat, you can add silken tofu to a protein shake, or even make a yogurt out of it.
  • sipseyab
    sipseyab Posts: 56 Member
    Nuts, seeds, avocados, full fat yogurt, coconuts, dark chocolate (also high in anti-oxidants),.
  • Cait_Sidhe
    Cait_Sidhe Posts: 3,150 Member
    Eggs, cheese, tofu, seitan, meat substitutes, edamame, tofu, greek yogurt, whey protein powder, almonds, lima beans

    These are a few of my favorite things.
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
    Lean to love eggs. If you eat fish, that too.
  • ashleyacee
    ashleyacee Posts: 118
    Vegetarians do not eat fish! lol
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
    Vegetarians do not eat fish! lol

    I know many people who consider themselves "pescetarian" because they don't consider fish to be meat
  • lizard053
    lizard053 Posts: 2,344 Member
    Wow, that's a tough diet! All your high protein veggies and grains have pretty high carbs too. And your higher fat plant based foods are pretty high in carbs as well. I'm at a loss! There are vegetarian protein powders out there, pea, rice, hemp, soy, etc.; but they are not very tasty if you ask me. I use whey protein a fair amount, so there is that option, since you do eat some dairy. Get unflavored and add it to your sauces for a little protein boost. I hear vanilla protein powder isn't bad mixed into pancakes or waffles.
  • heatgal976
    heatgal976 Posts: 53 Member
    If you are looking at adding in fat but not much more in the carb department, you could do eggs(if you eat them), nut butters, and avocados.
  • katieglinski
    katieglinski Posts: 1 Member
    While you are limiting carbs, are you taking fiber into account? I think you need to subtract fiber grams from carb grams to get your net carbs.
  • Pudding1980
    Pudding1980 Posts: 1,264 Member
    Thanks for this post. I am a vegetarian and am having a hard time hitting my protein and fat some days without going over in carbs. And I am always way low in iron...
  • lobo_a_gogo
    lobo_a_gogo Posts: 265 Member
    I'm a vegetarian, since I have been heavy lifting my favorite snack is low fat/fat free cottage cheese with vanilla protein powder mixed in and berries. Yes there's carbs but its a big whollop of protein...

    I'm not sure less g of carbs than protein is really healthy though, I've always heard it should be 40% carbs 30% protein 30% fat...
  • holothuroidea
    holothuroidea Posts: 772 Member
    Can I ask why you feel the need to restrict carbs? Unless you have a legitimate medical issue, there is not sufficient evidence that restricting carbohydrates is beneficial as long as you meet your minimums for essential amino and fatty acids.

    All plant foods contain carbohydrates to some degree, and the more protein you get from whole plant foods the more carbs are going to come with them. You'll need to either increase your intake of animal products or rely on plant foods that have had the carbs processed out like tofu, tempeh, seitan, TVP, vital wheat gluten, and protein shakes.

    There is only one whole plant food meal I know of that will get you to a 40/30/30 ratio, and that's lentils and nuts (or avocado). The problem with this is that, unless you're mindful of eating enough sesame seeds or brazil nuts, you risk not getting enough methionine.
  • nebraskabulldog
    nebraskabulldog Posts: 2 Member
    whoa, you have lost a lot of weight girl. great job. sooo how do i do that.? i'm borderline diabetic. i've been controlling it pretty well for a long time, but seem to have drops. 200 calories 6 times a day.. is that really enough protein and carbs. i feel like i'd just die... how do you do it.. again great job. becky. new to mfp
  • shred_me_up
    shred_me_up Posts: 267 Member
    tofu! no carbs, high protein and fat. make sure its organic though and non GMO :) almonds are great too. cook with olive oil to get in more healthy fats, and of course theres avocado!
  • kimberlyrae34
    kimberlyrae34 Posts: 1 Member
    I am striving to be vegan or semi-vegan and struggle finding enough protein without overdoing the carbs. I finally found a great tasting vegan protein powder that I like. Vega is the brand and both the chocolate and vanilla are great. Another thing I do to increase my protein is I will supplement with spirulina and chlorella tablets. I don't use the powders cause I don't like how they affect the taste of my green smoothies.

    As for adding fat I will use an avocado and mix it with some green onion, cilantro, cumin and some lemon juice and use it as a salad dressing. Avocado is high in fiber as well so this makes for a very filling salad. I will do nuts sometimes but find that I can't just have a handful so don't buy them that often.

    Good Luck!
  • DawnEH612
    DawnEH612 Posts: 574 Member
    Is this post a joke?
  • laurynwithawhy
    laurynwithawhy Posts: 385 Member
    I am a "pescetarian" LOL. I don't eat chicken or beef or any other "meats", but I do eat fish on occasion. I usually get about 100 grams of protein a day if I'm not being lazy about my diet. I eat a ton of eggs whites - if you have room for fat then by all means eat the whole egg. And when I say a ton, I mean invest in the giant pallet of 4 dozen eggs. I usually hard boil a dozen at a time. Also, plain greek yogurt, either sweetened with stevia or used as a condiment in place of mayo. Cheese is good for protein and fat. Peanut butter and nuts in general are also really good sources of protein and fat. Tofu and tempeh are good sources for protein and are great for building meals off of. I will usually make a giant stir fry with a bunch of vegetables, tofu, tempeh, some olive oil, and nuts on top. Hits every macro. If you aren't drinking any milk, try soy milk for some added protein too. Lastly, protein powder as a last resort if you can't get enough protein from your foods. Good luck!
  • Kmanouchehri90
    Kmanouchehri90 Posts: 81 Member
    As a vegetarian the higher protein is a lot harder. If you were vegan I'd say it would be near impossible. I would say using some oil to make stir-fries, and adding some raw nuts to your diet would help a lot. Oh and eggs and cheese!

    It is very possible on a vegan diet!
  • ptewasin
    ptewasin Posts: 15 Member
    I use a protein no sugar low carb shake mix, and i put it in my coffee, but you don't have to do that if you don't want to. The brand I use is Isopure and if you friend me I will send you the link where I order it. It is the best price i have found, it mixes easily and tastes good, which is not true of other protein powders I have tried. No, I don't sell it or profit in any way, it is just a good product and i looked a long time before I found it, so I like to share :-).
  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
    To eat that few amount of carbs and be vegetarian I have to ask what you are eating or open up your diary so we can see where you are. I am also vegetarian so I'm kind of astonished as to how you can eat so few carbs, you must be at a huge calorie deficit, which isn't healthy in the long run.
  • halldogs
    halldogs Posts: 1 Member
    I am mostly vegetarian with the exception for the occasional shellfish. on a 1200 calorie/5 meal/day...each with 20-25 g protein, 20-25 carbs and leaa than 10 g fat. *kitten* Greek yogurt with protein rich Bear Naked granola. Egg whites, Roots Black Bean hummus from Whole Foods or Pimento Cheese in the boiled egg white... Like a deviled egg. Soy nuts, edamame and/or reduced-fat Gorgonzola on a salad with yogurt-based dressing or tzatziki sauce from Greek yogurt. Also love Boca patties on salad...best ones for high protein/low carb are Mozzarella and mushroom. Egg white omelet, reduced fat string cheese. Nuts in moderation. Almond Milk. Trader Joe's Pomegranate Greek yogurt. Tofu (which has the added benefit of being high in potassium)...in oil-sprayed pan and then sprayed with Bragg's liquid amino acid. Cauliflower roasted with Parmesan cheese. Any roasted veggie.
  • feitian
    feitian Posts: 21 Member
    I'm vegetarian and I have been pretty good about keeping about with the proteins/carbs/fats in my 1200 calorie diet. On days that I exercise, I sometimes do eat back the calories I burned from working out, but that's fine with it. I do struggle at times with going over on the sugar, but I figure for the most part, I should be fine since they are natural sugars from fruit. and not refined. I have my diary open so feel free to take a look!

    I get my protein mainly from tofu (cooked and raw) and hard boiled egg whites.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,224 Member
    Why?
  • ajcunn87
    ajcunn87 Posts: 1
    Here's what you do. Say to heck with calories because the don't matter. Its all about controlling insulin. Keep carbs under 80g protein .7g/lb of lean mass. And the rest fat. You fat will fall off no matter how much calories you eat. If you don't want ti eat meat. The just go for avocado, olive oil, and high fat dairy but get that fat in. It will keep you full and not spike your insulin which is the hormone that makes you store fat and stops you from burning it. Try it for 30 days and see.

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