Only 45 grams of protein?

xX_Samantha_Xx
xX_Samantha_Xx Posts: 166 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
My MFP diary claims I should only eat 45 grams of protein per day.. that seems low compared to the recommended amount from any other source. I've only had a scoop of protein powder this morning and a turkey sandwich for lunch and I'm at my limit. Is this a normal recommendation on here?

Replies

  • christianladybug
    christianladybug Posts: 41 Member
    That seems odd.....you can always change your requirements by doing the custom. Women should eat 60-90 proteins grams a day to keep from losing muscle this is according to my nutritionist.
  • xX_Samantha_Xx
    xX_Samantha_Xx Posts: 166 Member
    Hmm, where would I go to correct this? I don't see anything in settings.
  • james6998
    james6998 Posts: 743 Member
    I found MFP is low values set for Protein. Manually switch it higher
  • xX_Samantha_Xx
    xX_Samantha_Xx Posts: 166 Member
    Manually how? I'm trying to find out. Thanks! :)

    EDIT - FOUND IT! :) Thanks guys!
  • ItsCasey
    ItsCasey Posts: 4,021 Member
    Hmm, where would I go to correct this? I don't see anything in settings.

    From the My Home menu, choose Goals, then click Change Goals, then choose Custom, and then set your protein to whatever you want it to be.
    Women should eat 60-90 proteins grams a day to keep from losing muscle this is according to my nutritionist.

    That depends totally on your goals. If you want to lose fat and hold on to your lean body mass, then you need to eat AT LEAST 1 g of protein per pound of lean body mass. 90 g is going to be too low for most of the women on this site, I would imagine. If you weighed 110 lbs and were 20% bf, that's about what you would need to maintain your LBM, and that would be a very small, lean woman.
  • xX_Samantha_Xx
    xX_Samantha_Xx Posts: 166 Member
    Thank you for your help!
    My next question is.. how does one eat so much protein while making sure not to go over calories?
    Do you find it doable to each that much meat/chicken/fish, and stay under your daily goals? I set mine to 158g per day. If I have a little less or more, that's fine.. but the eating at my calorie allotment, and just plain trying to eat that much protein each day... How do you do it? :)
  • ItsCasey
    ItsCasey Posts: 4,021 Member
    Most days, I get enough protein from meat. Yes, I eat a lot of meat (mostly lean, like turkey and chicken), but I like meat, so it's not a big deal. Occasionally, I drink a protein shake that has anywhere from 25 to 50 g. My calorie goal is about 1700, and my protein target is 140 to 160 g. That's only about 550 to 650 calories, so that leaves plenty for carbs and fats.
  • Noam3k
    Noam3k Posts: 14
    Yoghurts, cottage cheese, lean beef, chicken, eggs etc.

    You can always mix 3-4 eggwhites (beat them first) with a scoop of protein powder and make some pancakes. Add some yoghurt on it (mixed with 0kcal walden farms pancake syrup or chocolate syrup).
    Soy is also a choice, but i as a man avoid it because of phytoestrogens.
  • Mischievous_Rascal
    Mischievous_Rascal Posts: 1,791 Member
    Have you figured out your TDEE? Here's a good calculator: http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

    I have no trouble getting 90-100ish with food, but I do supplement with protein powder, as well, to bump me up to 150 and I can stay in my calorie allotment.
  • xX_Samantha_Xx
    xX_Samantha_Xx Posts: 166 Member
    I love my meat, too. I'm a chicken, turkey and steak gal. But I just worry I may go over calories.
    BUT, I guess throwing a protein shake in each day would up it (protein) pretty quickly as I can get 55g with two scoops.
    So maybe it won't be too hard to do. I find 3oz of meat with a meal is not entirely enough (for me). LoL.
    But I love my stir fry's with veggies and chicken or steak to be my favorite meals. So maybe I can do it easier than I thought!
  • Leadfoot_Lewis
    Leadfoot_Lewis Posts: 1,623 Member
    Women should eat 60-90 proteins grams a day to keep from losing muscle this is according to my nutritionist.

    LOL - I usually take in twice that much in a day.
  • xX_Samantha_Xx
    xX_Samantha_Xx Posts: 166 Member
    Have you figured out your TDEE? Here's a good calculator: http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

    I have no trouble getting 90-100ish with food, but I do supplement with protein powder, as well, to bump me up to 150 and I can stay in my calorie allotment.

    Yes, I've figured it out. I am supposed to eat around 1450-1500 or so. I've been doing 1200/day and eating back my workout cals.. which is a lot to eat back.. But I understand with this (TDEE) I don't eat them back. So I guess I'll give this a shot and see how it goes.
  • phjorg1
    phjorg1 Posts: 642 Member
    That seems odd.....you can always change your requirements by doing the custom. Women should eat 60-90 proteins grams a day to keep from losing muscle this is according to my nutritionist.
    your protein intake is determined by your current mass, training goals and training level. a blanket statement like 60-90 is straight up false.
  • ItsCasey
    ItsCasey Posts: 4,021 Member
    I love my meat, too. I'm a chicken, turkey and steak gal. But I just worry I may go over calories.
    BUT, I guess throwing a protein shake in each day would up it (protein) pretty quickly as I can get 55g with two scoops.
    So maybe it won't be too hard to do. I find 3oz of meat with a meal is not entirely enough (for me). LoL.
    But I love my stir fry's with veggies and chicken or steak to be my favorite meals. So maybe I can do it easier than I thought!

    Yeah, I do stir-fry a lot, and I typically end up eating 16 to 20 oz of meat per day (per meal for me, since I only eat once a day). Eating steak is typically the only time when I'll have to add a protein shake to get to my protein goal while still leaving room in my calorie goal for dessert. But honestly, 4 oz of skinless chicken breast has a very similar macro profile to 1 scoop of my protein powder, so sometimes if I'm already grilling a steak, I'll just add some chicken to it, rather than mixing up a shake.
  • odddrums
    odddrums Posts: 342 Member
    I keep mine high but I usually stay around 130. I've found egg with bacon or yogurt for breakfast, maybe a piece of bread [good breads can have 6 grams per slice] or high protein cereal like Kashi GoLean helps. Then I'll eat a salad with chicken or tuna for lunch, and meat meat meat with veggies for dinner. Learn to love tuna and other fish, that's the easiest way to keep under your calories and get lots of protein, plus essential fats/oils which are great to include in a diet as well.

    Protein powders and bars help too, but I only eat those before a workout because I personally don't like the processed stuff and I know it can have a lot of sugar, so I try not to eat it unless I'm going to burn it off right away. Adding powder to plain oatmeal or pancake batter is a nice way to get yourself ready for breakfast. I'll add half a scoop per cup of oats and it fills you up a bit more.

    Lastly, the best rule of thumb for protein is you should eat 1 gram per pound of lean muscle in your body. I can't recommend a good one but this site has some information and you can google/ask around for recommendations:

    http://www.builtlean.com/2011/08/24/lean-body-mass-definition-formula/
  • cadaverousbones
    cadaverousbones Posts: 421 Member
    I don't eat meat, (I eat fish, dairy, and eggs still) and I am usually over on protein. I have things like oatmeal, greek yogurt, tofu, tuna & other fish, nuts, legumes, etc for protein. I don't really worry about it too much as long as I meet the minimum requirements that are set. Usually I go over. I think all MFP goals are set at MINIMUM requirements. Unless you have some kind of medical condition where you need to be watching all the nutrients really closely I would not worry too much about it. Feel free to take a look at my diary if you need any meal ideas.
  • xX_Samantha_Xx
    xX_Samantha_Xx Posts: 166 Member
    I don't eat meat, (I eat fish, dairy, and eggs still) and I am usually over on protein. I have things like oatmeal, greek yogurt, tofu, tuna & other fish, nuts, legumes, etc for protein. I don't really worry about it too much as long as I meet the minimum requirements that are set. Usually I go over. I think all MFP goals are set at MINIMUM requirements. Unless you have some kind of medical condition where you need to be watching all the nutrients really closely I would not worry too much about it. Feel free to take a look at my diary if you need any meal ideas.

    I've been eating greek yogurt almost every morning lately. I love the Mullers. They are delicious. I never liked oatmeal, just can't do it - I've tried.. LoL.
    But I think I'm going to hard boil some eggs to take along in the mornings, too. I just don't have much time, and I really don't feel like getting up earlier to cook, I'd rather do it the night before. So hard boiling would be easiest for me! :) I eat cheese sticks as snacks, and things like that, so now that I think about it, I can probably do it.

    Thank you guys for all the information, it's greatly appreciated. :)
  • Hadabetter
    Hadabetter Posts: 942 Member
    45 grams of protein a day would be perfect for you...assuming you weighed 28kgs (62 lbs)! :laugh:

    Recent studies suggest that 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight is optimal for preserving lean mass while you are running a calorie deficit (i.e., losing weight). More protein than that doesn't really buy you any benefits, and less can result in the loss of lean mass.
  • Showcase_Brodown
    Showcase_Brodown Posts: 919 Member
    I find that having chicken breast can get me a long way toward my protein goal and not too far along on calories. I also chow down on plenty of cottage cheese and plain Greek yogurt. Cans of tuna also come in handy, but limit those because of mercury.

    You could definitely get way more than 45 grams and be better off for it. Using 30% as a goal is a great starting place.

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