Ideas on high protein foods! Need help reaching macros

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nicolelynne92
nicolelynne92 Posts: 26
in Food and Nutrition
Hi all! So I'm trying to eat by my macros which based off 1500 NET calories is 150g each protein & carbs and 33g fat. When I'm working out I'll eat up to 2,000 calories in a day (makes the grams for macros higher). I'm finding that I'm always higher on fat and lower on protein and pretty close to my carbs. I'm trying to eat more fruits and veggies, I use extra light olive oil for cooking, I try to eat salmon 3-4 times a week, chicken, ground turkey, usually have a slice of cheese a day, whole wheat & whole grain breads, white potatos, spinach, eggs & egg whites, whole grain pasta or veggie pasta. I usually have a banana with peanut butter as a post workout snack and I sometimes have a wedge of laughing cow cheese. I have protein powder but don't know any good recipes to make with it (I have chocolate & vanilla). I want to get into drinking smoothies too. And I like mostly all green vegetables, plus mushrooms and peppers.

Any ideas on meals or protein shake recipes? Any food suggestions that will help me get my macros each day would be great! :)

Not sure if this will help but I workout about 6 times a week, 30-45 minutes each time & burn anywhere from 300-900 calories. It's higher when I bike outside, so probably 300-500 average calories burned each workout not including my biking. I do Jillian michaels DVDs & a walk to run program.
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Replies

  • nicolelynne92
    nicolelynne92 Posts: 26
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    anyoneee??
  • nicolelynne92
    nicolelynne92 Posts: 26
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    bump.
  • A_Healthier_Me2013
    A_Healthier_Me2013 Posts: 227 Member
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    i use gnc chocolate flavored protein shake & i add yogurt and banana to it and it believe it's about 25g of protein ... i would drink that in the morning and after my workouts ...
  • eblakes93
    eblakes93 Posts: 372 Member
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    Greek yogurt is my protein savior.

    Right now I have a couple of large containers of Chobani Plain No-Fat. One cup is 140 calories, 9 g carb, 23 g protein, and 0 fat. I like it with chopped up fruit and some cinnamon or honey, or in a milkshake with a banana and some Hershey's cocoa powder.
  • TheRealParisLove
    TheRealParisLove Posts: 1,907 Member
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    Canned tuna (not too often, because mercury), salmon filets, boneless-skinless chicken breast, pork tenderloin, ground turkey, eggs and egg whites, and whey protein are my main sources of protein.

    Secondary sources are beans of all kinds (not soy, too many GMOs and probably not good for you in most forms). My favorite beans are black beans, kidney beans, and garbanzo beans. I also really like lentils, but tend to eat those more often in winter. Most dairy products are high in protein, such as greek yogurt, milk, and cheese. These are also pretty high in fat, so go easy on dairy if you are only eating 33 grams of fat a day. (Just wondering, why so low?)

    High protein grains include brown rice, quinoa, and oatmeal.

    Any meat or fish is going to be high protein, but some are also high fat, so you have to be careful when choosing your daily proteins. I only eat hamburger or other red meats on occasion for this reason.
  • CaptainMilda
    CaptainMilda Posts: 127 Member
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    We have something in Denmark, actually it comes from Iceland, called Skyr, which is kinda like quark, it is very high in protein, low in fat, and you can mix it with fruit or buy it with fruit.
  • VegeLover
    VegeLover Posts: 21 Member
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    Lentils. Try swapping out half of your grains for lentils, or skip the bread/rice/potato/pasta entirely and use lentils to accompany your meat instead. Check out Indian and vegetarian recipes for spice ideas. Spicy lentils with a dollop of cool plain yogurt is wonderful.
  • sayhitostephz
    sayhitostephz Posts: 124 Member
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    Greek yogurt, eggs, meat
  • _HeartsOnFire_
    _HeartsOnFire_ Posts: 5,304 Member
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    Cheese, greek yogurt, eggs, peanut butter, protein powder can be put on/in just about anything. I made vanilla protein powder french toast the other day and it was yummmmmy.

    Arnold Healthful breads typically have 5 grams of protein per slice.
  • Salt_Sand_Sun
    Salt_Sand_Sun Posts: 415 Member
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    Protein pancakes (add 1-2 scoops of vanilla w/ 1tsp of vanilla extract into your pancake mix)
    Eggs (hard boiled make great snacks)
    Greek Yogurt
    String cheese
    Edamame
    Brussel Sprouts
    Meat (turkey, hamburger, chicken)
    Fish
    Quest Bars (high protein, low net carbs, high fiber and low sugar)

    Protein shake - I like to use the Bolthouse Farm juice in the produce section of the market, mix flavor you like with 1.5sc protein powder, add fruit and blend. YUMMY
  • Hazeleys
    Hazeleys Posts: 23 Member
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    I have a very hard time getting enough protein myself. Some of my go-to foods are plain greek yogurt (23 g. per cup), lowfat cottage cheese (32 g. per cup), So Delicious Almond milk (5 g. per cup), eggs, egg whites, skinless boneless chicken breasts, low fat cheese sticks (6 g. per serving), almonds, fat free milk (8 g. per cup) and protein powder (18 g. per scoop). I make my smoothies with 1 c. greek yogurt, 1 c. almond milk, 1 scoop protein powder, a big handful of baby spinach and 1/2 cup of frozen blueberries - comes in at 47 grams of protein, 340 calories and 3 grams of fat. Good luck!
  • andezz99
    andezz99 Posts: 56 Member
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    I've gotten in the habit of eatting a lot of tuna, canned, packaged. It provides a lot of protien in a small package, is portable, and I happen to like tuna. You can find different flavors now too, smoked, lemon/pepper or mix it with a little dijon mustard.

    If you are looking for more complete receipes, google Paleo diet and you will find some good ones that stick to the macro foods.
  • Jayne2629
    Jayne2629 Posts: 28
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    QUEST BARS! I promise once you try them you will never turn back.
    Besides that: tuna, chick peas, chicken, protein smoothies (make them green with spinach to make them even better!)
  • andezz99
    andezz99 Posts: 56 Member
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    I know this is contrary to what a lot of people eat but I have elliminated soy and beans from my diet (Paleo diet) and lost a significant amount of weight. Soy protein causes inflamation according to the diet and I gave it a try for 30 days and had good results. As far as protien, I agree that meat in any form is best to protein powders.
  • lilRicki
    lilRicki Posts: 4,555 Member
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    Chia seeds! I haven't tried them yet, but like you, I'm looking to boost my protein and I hear that chia seeds are awesome...also hemp hearts :)
  • lilRicki
    lilRicki Posts: 4,555 Member
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    I know this is contrary to what a lot of people eat but I have elliminated soy and beans from my diet (Paleo diet) and lost a significant amount of weight. Soy protein causes inflamation according to the diet and I gave it a try for 30 days and had good results. As far as protien, I agree that meat in any form is best to protein powders.


    I find that soy causes serious bloat (inflammation in my guts!) and has a really bad after taste. I've recently switched to almond milk, and I find even that is a little hard on my guts, but it gets my calcium intake up. I have also cut out tofu as a protein source because I read that soy causes abnormal hair grown in woman (momma does NOT need a mustache). Black beans are to high in carbs to be a protein benefit. OP it is tough, but there are a lot of food out there. Trial and error will help :drinker:
  • vienna_h
    vienna_h Posts: 428 Member
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    My protein goal is only 80 grams a day and I hardly ever reach it!

    I don't like eating a lot of meat, but I try to add a can of tuna when I can. Sometimes beans, but they are hard on my digestive system and I can't eat them every day. I like the occasional piece of cheese, but I couldn't eat it every day either.

    Otherwise, most of my protein comes from protein shakes. I add organic plain greek yogurt and peanut butter to add a bit more protein.
  • RoyBeck
    RoyBeck Posts: 947 Member
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    Just eat more chicken, chicken, chicken!!!
  • BrainyBurro
    BrainyBurro Posts: 6,129 Member
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    anyoneee??

    1) your protein setting seems high to me.

    go here. read this.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

    2) for protein, there are many good sources, but if you were truly trying to hit 150g on 1500 calories, then protein "shakes" would be your best option. i can get 56g of protein for just 350 calories using 2 scoops of whey isolates mixed with milk.
  • nicolelynne92
    nicolelynne92 Posts: 26
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    Canned tuna (not too often, because mercury), salmon filets, boneless-skinless chicken breast, pork tenderloin, ground turkey, eggs and egg whites, and whey protein are my main sources of protein.

    Secondary sources are beans of all kinds (not soy, too many GMOs and probably not good for you in most forms). My favorite beans are black beans, kidney beans, and garbanzo beans. I also really like lentils, but tend to eat those more often in winter. Most dairy products are high in protein, such as greek yogurt, milk, and cheese. These are also pretty high in fat, so go easy on dairy if you are only eating 33 grams of fat a day. (Just wondering, why so low?)

    High protein grains include brown rice, quinoa, and oatmeal.

    Any meat or fish is going to be high protein, but some are also high fat, so you have to be careful when choosing your daily proteins. I only eat hamburger or other red meats on occasion for this reason.

    thanks! and i have my macros set to 40% protein, 40% carbs and 20% fats, with a 1500 calorie diet that's the grams it equals out to be. i eat more on workout days though so the grams gets bumped up higher.

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