Protein doesn't do it for me - what should I do?

You don't have to cut out carbs completely, but I suspect your problem is that you aren't eating enough. How many calories was your lunch? Try to be in the 500-600 range.

Your op kind of confuses me, what sort of meals do you have generally? Cereal for breakfast, bread with no filling for lunch and pasta or rice with no meat for dinner? You must be eating some protein in your regular diet, what do you normally eat? You don't have to cut out all carbs just to increase your protein, although obviously to balance out your macros either fat or carbs will have to be reduced in order to bring up protein.

I normally have cereal (grape nuts) or porridge with fruit for breakfast, omelette, salad or soup for lunch, then normally a cooked meal for dinner is anything from stir fry to fish burgers to falafel to pasta to goulash to curries.

You are saying that to bring up protein, I have to reduce carbs or fat - well, that's exactly part of my problem because I find it difficult to eat more protein without eating more fat/carbs and therefore overall cals.

Just a suggestion, everyone's tastes are different, but if you take Greek yogurt and mix it with flavored protein powder along with some fruit, you have a sweet mixture that may help satisfy your cravings. I know you are resistant to protein powder due to cost but you can go cheaper with your choices there as sales are run all the time.

If you go over your carbs and sugar but purely with fruit and veg does that make it okay? xx

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Your op kind of confuses me, what sort of meals do you have generally? Cereal for breakfast, bread with no filling for lunch and pasta or rice with no meat for dinner? You must be eating some protein in your regular diet, what do you normally eat? You don't have to cut out all carbs just to increase your protein, although obviously to balance out your macros either fat or carbs will have to be reduced in order to bring up protein.

I normally have cereal (grape nuts) or porridge with fruit for breakfast, omelette, salad or soup for lunch, then normally a cooked meal for dinner is anything from stir fry to fish burgers to falafel to pasta to goulash to curries.

You are saying that to bring up protein, I have to reduce carbs or fat - well, that's exactly part of my problem because I find it difficult to eat more protein without eating more fat/carbs and therefore overall cals.

You don't have to cut them out completely though, just cut back. Your diary isn't open so I don't know what your portions are like, but if you're having 80g of porridge for instance, try having 50 or 60g instead, or use skim milk instead of full to free up calories. Instead of 200 calories worth of carbs at dinner for instance, have 150 calories and make up the difference in protein.

Bumping to see what other suggestions come up, as I'm working with a nutritionist who has asked me to eliminate all grains and starches (basically bread, crackers, rice, oats, pasta, potatoes - everything carbohydrate except fruit & veg) from my diet. Protein is fine and dandy, up to a point, but it just doesn't fill the gap, and I'm finding the complete absence of oats in particular really problematic - I need something to really chew!!!! Quite apart from that, I have actually gained weight, rather than lost it, in the first two weeks, so I'm increasingly skeptical.

ETA: This is an attempt to break a nine-month-long plateau...I would never even consider this otherwise, but I'm absolutely desperate to lose the remaining 20-30lbs.

Contrary to popular belief, women can get toned, cut, and gain a moderate amount of muscle without eating 100 grams of protein a day. At 36 (female), I did it on oatmeal, tons of veggies, and 1 chicken breast a day while lifting weights and doing cardio 3-4 times a week. I even ate brown sugar with my oats and full fat ranch dressing on my salads! Going to extremes (i.e. cutting carbs completely or inhaling insane amounts of protein) isn't always necessary, what is necessary is consistency over time.

100g of protein is not an insane amount, it's a minimum guideline backed up by studies, which say it's needed to prevent muscle loss as the person is cutting. Some muscle will be lost, but if we can minimize it, we should. It's much easier to keep muscle, than build it.

I enjoy carbs as well. I'm not a fitness professional by any means, but what I am doing is working for me so I'll give you advice based on that. Instead of just having eggs for lunch, have an egg sandwich. There's nothing wrong with throwing your eggs on two slices of whole wheat bread. You don't have to cut carbs to lose weight! The key to losing weight is finding what works for you so that you can ultimately make a lifestyle change. Meaning, you will learn to satisfy yourself while keeping the weight off instead of constant feeling restricted. Restricting yourself may work for a week or two, but it's not a long-term solution. Sure, you will need to restrict yourself to a certain extent, but if you are allowed to have the things you enjoy in moderation, you won't feel the need to splurge on a regular basis.

Edited to answer your question directly:

Yes, protein is important, but there is nothing wrong with eating your protein on a yummy carb-filled piece of deliciousness if that's the way you enjoy it.

Can you make your diary public? Or add me so I can take a look and offer better suggestions?


As far as carbs go, I would incorporate them into your meals, but try a half portion. Like I might have tuna salad, but instead of making a sandwich with it, I'll have one slice of toast on the side.