Struggling to hit protein targets (without shakes)

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  • TedStout
    TedStout Posts: 241
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    Mostly all been said. Fish is wonderful low cal/high protein. Eggs, ditto. Lean meats in general are the way to go.
  • RunForChai
    RunForChai Posts: 238 Member
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    HI,

    Eggs, yogurt, black beans, chicken, steak........

    My struggle is getting enough calories that fit into what I can/can't eat on my lower carb [about half what MFP suggests]/high protein: can't eat---fish/shellfish, wheat, corn, soy. I eat tons of vegies, two fruits a day, plenty [perhaps too much] dairy....but it is not enough to make get much above 1200-1400 calories a day, and I think given my exercise routine [a lot of swimming, biking, running, hiking, lifting]

    What do others fill up on with the above limitations?

    Good luck!
  • teenhamodic
    teenhamodic Posts: 43
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    i find it impossible for anyone to miss their protein targets. eat chicken breast. eat fish/seafood. i'd say steak but unless you're eating lean steak, they are high in calories and fat.

    i use shakes for convenience and it seems cheaper than eating the above mentioned - haven't done the calculation honestly but i'm assuming it is
  • Sactown900
    Sactown900 Posts: 162 Member
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    My protein addition snacks throughout the day will vary from 1 cup of Egg Beaters w/salsa, a cup of NF cottage cheese, hand made turkey burgers (with spinach, goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes) a protein drink (frozen mixed berries, 32g of whey powder & raw almond butter) or Fage NF plain yogurt (w/blue berries and cashews).

    I am always over MFP's protein limit, but under in calories (I never eat my aerobics).

    I have lost 32 lbs since 12/31/12. At 209, after 47 years of lifting, my weights are still close to what my 8 Rep Maxs were when I weighed 250 and "lived" at the gym.
  • MightyDomo
    MightyDomo Posts: 1,265 Member
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    High protein sources would be things like lean meats. They will get your the most, the fastest with the lowest carbs and depending on the cut of meat it can be pretty low fat too.

    I eat Sirloin and Marinating Steaks (the latter is much lower in fat than most cuts but is tougher unless cooked properly) and also eat chicken breaks and turkey breast, extra lean ground been and turkey. With my protein 'menu' minus any protein powder I can easily consume over 150g of protein using eggs, lean meats and fat free (plain) greek yogurt in a 2000 cal day.

    I play around with my food ideas until I find something I like that works my macros as close as possible to what I want.
  • tzig00
    tzig00 Posts: 875 Member
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    bump for good ideas. Thanks!
  • gypsyrose64
    gypsyrose64 Posts: 271 Member
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    I'm trying really hard to reach my protein targets as I've started strength training, plus I can see the health benefits. I've set my macros at a 40/30/30 ratio. Every day I'm about 40g short but everything recommended as a protein snack - peanut butter, eggs, cottage cheese, nuts etc still won't reach that target but will put me over in calories.

    I'm generally not a wimp but I really hate shakes dating back to a childhood thing and the thought of a protein shake makes me gag. I can't afford bars and can't buy them near where I live anyway.

    So do I keep plugging away at the protein target and not worry about the calories, or am I actually eating enough anyway and shouldn't stress it so much? I'm certainly not hungry except just before meals. The diary is open so any advice and support would be welcome.


    Try Moringa Leaf Tea , it's 32 gm protein/cup and only 4 cal , it helped me to hit my protein target without going over my calorie

    I have never heard of this before, but I'll be looking for it now!

    Not only does it have protein, but look at the other goodies packed in this tea!

    [/img]http://www.back-to-eden.com/ekmps/shops/backtoeden/resources/Design/moringa-nutritional-info1.jpg[/img]
  • wpbmommy1
    wpbmommy1 Posts: 58 Member
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    If I'm going to end up short I'll just eat a can of tuna with a fork.

    This is what I do also. If I get tired of "just tuna" I'll add a tsp of mustard or a sprinkle of Old Bay seasoning or both. I think I'm a cat in an alternate timeline.
  • jlapey
    jlapey Posts: 1,850 Member
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    I just eat Greek yogurt in order to help with my protein instead of adding protein powder. Plain Greek yogurt from Chobani is 140 calories and 23g of protein.

    Not sure where you got that info but according to the Chobani website, each 6oz cup of their yogurt contains 13-18 grams of protein. Don't trust the info entered by strangers on MFP.

    ETA: Never mind, I just realized you are probably eating a full cup, in which case you are correct. :flowerforyou:
  • MicheleWE
    MicheleWE Posts: 179 Member
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    It may sound weird but for a while when I did a really high protein stint I added plain flavored Bob's Red Mill Protein Powder to my eggs in the morning or to soups, casseroles, etc. It changes the texture a bit to add protein powder to eggs or pancakes, but it didn't bother me much, my goal was more important. You can mix the protein powder with a little water to make it a smooth consistancy before mixing it with the other foods. I also make my own protein bars or muffins, I add egg whites to my whole egg with veggies for breakfast. Boiled egg and string cheese for afternoon snacks, and plain greek yogurt with peanut butter at night. If my calories are to high for the day I swap out the peanut butter for pb2 (I recently saw that my local Walmart is selling it now). I also use lowfat cottage cheese to supplement where needed. I try to plan my day or at least each meal out prior to eating so I know right where I am coming in on my macros and I am for the highest amount of protein I can get, but I will not go over my calories to do it. One more tip, alot of vegetables do have small amounts of protein and they are low calorie, so they really should be added in as much as possible. It you are not low carbing it then eating whole grains will also bump your protein level. One whole grain english muffin has 5 or 6 grams of protein. I also use a lot of Walden Farms products so I can add some sauce to my food without adding calories. I like to use their pancake, chocolate, caramel, blueberry, and strawberry syrups, their Asian, Sesame Ginger, and Balsamic dressings, their marshmellow dip and bbq sauce. I don't care for their other dips and sauces.
  • shar140
    shar140 Posts: 1,158 Member
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    I'm trying really hard to reach my protein targets as I've started strength training, plus I can see the health benefits. I've set my macros at a 40/30/30 ratio. Every day I'm about 40g short but everything recommended as a protein snack - peanut butter, eggs, cottage cheese, nuts etc still won't reach that target but will put me over in calories.

    I'm generally not a wimp but I really hate shakes dating back to a childhood thing and the thought of a protein shake makes me gag. I can't afford bars and can't buy them near where I live anyway.

    So do I keep plugging away at the protein target and not worry about the calories, or am I actually eating enough anyway and shouldn't stress it so much? I'm certainly not hungry except just before meals. The diary is open so any advice and support would be welcome.

    peanut butter is a waste of time for trying to add in protein. it's high calories and not a lot of protein. Replace it with a filet of chicken or pork tenderloin, lean ground beef, fish

    This. All the protein sources you mentioned are not high-quality protein either, except the eggs and cottage cheese, which aren't very high in protein.

    Take your daily protein goal, and divide it by 3. That's your goal per meal to try to hit. I try to have at least 30g pro per meal, as 100g is my bare minimum I like to get. You're going to need at LEAST 3oz/100g of good protein per meal - eggs, chicken, turkey, fish, etc. Make your meals a protein+veggie/salad, and it's pretty easy then.

    Boost up the protein on your breakfasts, that's where you can really get some in, as you don't have any. Breakfasts I do eggs+some other meat (I make my own pork sausage, so it's leaner and I control what goes in it). You can make up a quiche ahead, if time is an issue, and reheat all week.
  • rori_74
    rori_74 Posts: 111 Member
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    I'm trying really hard to reach my protein targets as I've started strength training, plus I can see the health benefits. I've set my macros at a 40/30/30 ratio. Every day I'm about 40g short but everything recommended as a protein snack - peanut butter, eggs, cottage cheese, nuts etc still won't reach that target but will put me over in calories.

    I'm generally not a wimp but I really hate shakes dating back to a childhood thing and the thought of a protein shake makes me gag. I can't afford bars and can't buy them near where I live anyway.

    So do I keep plugging away at the protein target and not worry about the calories, or am I actually eating enough anyway and shouldn't stress it so much? I'm certainly not hungry except just before meals. The diary is open so any advice and support would be welcome.


    Try Moringa Leaf Tea , it's 32 gm protein/cup and only 4 cal , it helped me to hit my protein target without going over my calorie

    I have never heard of this before, but I'll be looking for it now!

    Not only does it have protein, but look at the other goodies packed in this tea!

    [/img]http://www.back-to-eden.com/ekmps/shops/backtoeden/resources/Design/moringa-nutritional-info1.jpg[/img]

    Yes :) Moringa tree named " the Miracle tree" in Africa , i only mentioned protein because this's what was asked for , and it taste much better than green tea , enjoy it :)
  • aakaakaak
    aakaakaak Posts: 1,240 Member
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    I'm trying really hard to reach my protein targets as I've started strength training, plus I can see the health benefits. I've set my macros at a 40/30/30 ratio. Every day I'm about 40g short but everything recommended as a protein snack - peanut butter, eggs, cottage cheese, nuts etc still won't reach that target but will put me over in calories.

    I'm generally not a wimp but I really hate shakes dating back to a childhood thing and the thought of a protein shake makes me gag. I can't afford bars and can't buy them near where I live anyway.

    So do I keep plugging away at the protein target and not worry about the calories, or am I actually eating enough anyway and shouldn't stress it so much? I'm certainly not hungry except just before meals. The diary is open so any advice and support would be welcome.


    Try Moringa Leaf Tea , it's 32 gm protein/cup and only 4 cal , it helped me to hit my protein target without going over my calorie

    I have never heard of this before, but I'll be looking for it now!

    Not only does it have protein, but look at the other goodies packed in this tea!

    [/img]http://www.back-to-eden.com/ekmps/shops/backtoeden/resources/Design/moringa-nutritional-info1.jpg[/img]

    Yes :) Moringa tree named " the Miracle tree" in Africa , i only mentioned protein because this's what was asked for , and it taste much better than green tea , enjoy it :)

    While still a pretty good tea to drink, I'm not seeing nutritional information for Moringa Leaf Tea anywhere but the one entry on MFP. However, I did find an wiki page showing: 100g of fresh Moringa leaves have 8.3 g protein, 434 mg calcium, 404 mg potassium, 738 μg vitamin A, and 164 mg vitamin C.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moringa

    I don't think that entry is correct, unless its some form of concentrate utilizing 450g of moringa leaves per cup.

    Checking online prices doesn't make it look like a cheap solution either.

    OP,

    Instead of just grabbing random foods do some math before you eat. Check labels. Pay attention to nutrient density. How many calories per gram of protein does what you're eating contain? In general, I've seen nutrient density (strictly for protein) shown like in this example:

    alna - Greek Yogurt - Honey + Cinnamon - 136 Calories - 4g of protein = 136/4= Calories per gram: 34
    Chobani Vanilla - 140 Calories - 16g of protein - 140/16= Calories per gram: 8.75
    Yoplait 100 Greek Vanilla - 100 Calories - 13g of protein - 100/13= Calories per gram: 7.69

    Density would be determined by having your calories per gram closest to zero. So, of the three yogurts, the Yoplait 100 is the most nutrient dense.

    From personal experience you can find plenty of options less than 10 calories per gram. I've found several food items that are excellent at around 5 calories per gram, but nothing under. I'd consider any foods at this ratio to be a "holy grail" food for nutrient density.

    Example of a goodnutrient dense snack:
    Ostrim Teryaki - 60 Calories - 10g Protein - 60/10= Calories per gram: 6[/b]
  • shar140
    shar140 Posts: 1,158 Member
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    Try Moringa Leaf Tea , it's 32 gm protein/cup and only 4 cal , it helped me to hit my protein target without going over my calorie

    I have never heard of this before, but I'll be looking for it now!

    Not only does it have protein, but look at the other goodies packed in this tea!

    [/img]http://www.back-to-eden.com/ekmps/shops/backtoeden/resources/Design/moringa-nutritional-info1.jpg[/img]

    Yes :) Moringa tree named " the Miracle tree" in Africa , i only mentioned protein because this's what was asked for , and it taste much better than green tea , enjoy it :)

    While still a pretty good tea to drink, I'm not seeing nutritional information for Moringa Leaf Tea anywhere but the one entry on MFP. However, I did find an wiki page showing: 100g of fresh Moringa leaves have 8.3 g protein, 434 mg calcium, 404 mg potassium, 738 μg vitamin A, and 164 mg vitamin C.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moringa

    I don't think that entry is correct, unless its some form of concentrate utilizing 450g of moringa leaves per cup.

    Now that I read all of this, it's not possible that it has 32g protein and only 4 calories. Protein contains 4 calories per gram, so 32g would be 128 calories minimum.
  • janebshaw
    janebshaw Posts: 168
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    How about peanut butter?
  • josephshotwell14
    josephshotwell14 Posts: 3
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    Chicken, pork and fish and try to increase your portions if your calories allow for it, with out my protein shake I average around 200-220g of protein a day.
  • VBnotbitter
    VBnotbitter Posts: 820 Member
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    How lovely to wake up this morning to 3 pages of advice. I love MFP people your bloods worth bottling as they say over here.

    It's interesting about the differences in Greek yogurt. I just picked one of the two brands they had in the local shop and wondered why everyone had raved about it being such a good source. A lot of the brands recommended aren't available in Australia, any Aussies know of a good one?

    I will bump up the lean meat and eggs more and see what happens
  • gypsyrose64
    gypsyrose64 Posts: 271 Member
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    I don't think that entry is correct, unless its some form of concentrate utilizing 450g of moringa leaves per cup.
    Now that I read all of this, it's not possible that it has 32g protein and only 4 calories. Protein contains 4 calories per gram, so 32g would be 128 calories minimum.

    I'd never heard of it before this thread, but on this link it "claims" one tea bag = 205 calories with 27g of protein.
    http://www.back-to-eden.com/moringa-tea-superfood-tea-2826-p.asp

    IF that is correct, it's not a low cal option. A bit pricey and have to be ordered online from what I can tell.
    STILL, if that is correct.. it's seems it would make a nice afternoon alternative to supplement protein.
    I can only stomach so much yogurt. Will do some more research, but found it interesting.<shrugs>
  • billsica
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
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    If you are getting the shakes then you need to see your Dr. Have you tried naltrexone?
  • NavyKnightAh13
    NavyKnightAh13 Posts: 1,394 Member
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    Bump

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