I'm a vegetarian but need more protein. HELP!

You do not need to overdo the protein. Only weight resistance builds muscle. Your kidneys will work very hard to flush out excess. Just make sure there is a protein rich food at every meal. You'll be good .

THiS^^

Many of the largest animals on earth--and leanest--are vegans. They do not need protein shakes, pounds of chicken, or tubs of yogurt to maintain their powerful, lean, and, compared to humans, enormous size (horses, giraffes, moose, elk, elephants!)...Protein is in everything, especially the leafy greens and vegetables central to these lean vegan animals' diets.

I wouldn't buy into the protein hype, meat-eating or vegetarian. I would instead focus on eating whole, naturally fat free foods (or nearly) and weight training to achieve a leaner physique.

Whales are vegan?

Many of the largest animals on earth--and leanest--are vegans. They do not need protein shakes, pounds of chicken, or tubs of yogurt to maintain their powerful, lean, and, compared to humans, enormous size (horses, giraffes, moose, elk, elephants!)...Protein is in everything, especially the leafy greens and vegetables central to these lean vegan animals' diets.

Gotta love these forums, really. Whereas some are doing great ground work, explaining to people that they won't get dancer / runner / Schwarzenegger body by eating and working out like a dancer / runner / Schwarzenegger (unless they're genetically predisposed to), somebody will come along and tell "eat like a horse and you're gonna look and perform like a horse".

One step forward, two steps back.

This is a strawman argument. No one is saying eat like a horse and you will look and perform like one. The point is that a plant-based diet is capable of sustaining animals much larger and stronger than we are, and for that and other reasons a plant-based diet is also sufficient for sustaining our needs for protein and other nutrients. Not only can we be healthy on a plant-based diet, we can thrive. I believe that the animal illustration is only there to show that this diet is capable of sustaining creatures larger and more powerful than ourselves, and to put the protein worries into perspective.

Some great ideas! Only adding my two cents so I can come back here easily for new ideas

This is something I am struggling with being vegan. Never worried about protein before, but I have read some things on MFP that make sense to me especially in place of a roadmap and the info on the eat train progress group. I've calculated my TDEE and am eating at a modest deficit (have about 20 to 25 pounds left to lose). I've started having some vegan protein shakes (plantfusion and lifetime are both good), have added soy yogurt, luna bars, fake meats, etc. to my usual tofu and beans for protein.

I'm not thrilled to be eating so much more "fake" stuff now (it is not that I don't like them just that I never really ate them much before). But I'm going to keep doing it for now because I was stuck for a month and after a week of more calories (like 500 a day more) and meeting my macros the scale is finally moving again. It's an experiment and I will reevaluate after a couple more weeks.

-Peanuts
-Almonds
-Protein Shakes
-Protein bars
-Supplements
-Peanut butter
-Cashews, nuts, any kind of nuts.

Hope I helped! :flowerforyou:

So... I'm trying to gain beautiful lean muscle, and in order to do that, I have to consume a good deal of protein. Problem. I don't eat meat. I eat plain greek yogurt and cottage cheese to help with some of the protein. I also have protein in my shakes, and I'm going to start a hemp protein next. However, according to MFP, and my personal goals, I am not consuming enough protein. I eat beans, nuts, seeds, and tofu as well. Any other tips out there?

Unless you are an elite athletes ( and even then the research is questionable) normal levels of protein are fine.

I've found nutritional yeast flakes a good alternative source of protein. They taste a lot better than they sound, and I believe they're vegan.

^^agreed. It is a complete protein and is usually fortified with B12. Hemp seeds are also a complete protein.

I haven't been vegetarian in a long time, quite a few years. I remember though, I always had a can of mixed nuts on me. Always. I'd put the nuts in a little bag and tie it to a belt loop, and just munch on cashews and such all day long.

For breakfast, I love eating Quaker's weight control instant oatmeal. 7g of protein per package. I oftentimes have two and then a greek yogurt. I can usually get 25-30g of protein in for breakfast this way-- no meat required :-)

I also like to bump my protein count with some whey protein.

I've not cooked with tempeh yet-- I'd have no idea of what to do with it.

Thanks for this thread. I'm also looking to increase my protein intake and got some great ideas.

almonds, peanuts, Cashews, Pistachios,pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, chia seeds, skimmed milk, soy milk, tofu, meat substitutes(they are super high in protein), 100% whole grain wheat products or if your gluten free buckwheat flour and products, flaxseeds/ flaxmeal, quinoa, lentils, red kidney beans, black beans, string cheese, low moisture-part skim milk mozarella cheese, chickpeas / hummus, broccoli, spinach, kale (basically any dark green vegi), wild rice, brown rice etc