finding I am missing protein need suggestions.

So I have made a point of being brutally honest with my food dairy, I spent about 5 years re-learning better eating habits, and lost about 100 pounds from that alone. (which I have kept off)

I am now starting to use MFP in conjunction with endomondo and starting to add serious exercise into my daily routine to lose the last 100 I need to shed.

Previous to getting the apps I had been keeping a paper food diary, but of course that doesn't calculate anything or tell me what I am lacking.

So I find I am having two problems now that I can see the math on everything

1) I simply can't eat that much. The amount of calories the thing wants me to consume is about 200 more (BEFORE I take into account my extra calories from exercise) than I can physically eat. It took me a long time to learn to learn to stop eating a meal when I was no longer hungry and not graze on snacks just because I was bored, and as a result I have a problem eating when I am not hungry. I just can't seem to hit the "optimum calorie intake" number (which , quite frankly shocks me cause I thought you know, not hungry, meant I ate enough)

Should I be concerned about this? should I try to hit that goal? am I going to run into a problem as I add activity if I can't manage to hit that goal? Or should I just keep on as I have been? does 200-400 calories really make that big of a difference?

and

2) Is there some sort of resource you can recommend that will help me find a good High protein snack? I seem to be having a real problem getting to the protein goal. I am omnivore, with an allergy to blueberries and I can only have non fat milk. But other than that, I am pretty open on what I can eat. My idea is maybe adding a designated "snack" meal of something in the 1 or 2 serving range that will get me about 23 grams of protein, without screwing the rest of my day. Not afraid of a little sugar, as I am hypoglycemic so natural sugars are actually a good thing for me, and something with good iron as I am also anemic (Iron deficiency) and really need to get at least the RDA of iron every day, otherwise I end up having an dip and taking slow Fe, would be an added bonus cause I am not quite hitting that number either, (I'd prefer to get this from food , but I do have a supplement I can take for that that is a daily non therapeutic dose)

Can you suggest a site where it would be easy to find a solution for this "snack" or can anyone recommend a snack that would fill this need?

Replies

yogicarl

You don't mention what your Protein goal is.

My suspicion is it is set too high if you can't reach it as an omnivore.

ldrosophila

*I know youre asking for serious response and get enough of snarky comments on MFP, but I cant help it.

If you miss protein so much why dont you write him a letter and tell him youre sorry. Protein will forgive you he knows you had a moment of weakness with carbohydrate.

shellymkmatthews

A simple protein shake or bar would help. Not a sugary frou frou one but one that has a decent amt of fiber too. Quest bars are awesome, like 15 grams of fiber, uses sugar alcohol. Jay robb protein bars are good too but higher net carbs bc less fiber, utilizes stevia. What are you eating for breakfast? A simple but nutritious meal is eggs and meat like bacon or sausage. Good protein right there.

amyelyseneer

My protein goal is set to 64, I mean, I don't eat meat all day, that's why I say Omnivore, I usually have meat at dinner, my breakfast is usually along the lines of some yogurt, some actual juice (not sugar fruit water, like actual 100% cranberry juice) and some coffee. Once in a while I'll have some cereal. Lunch is a toss up but more often than not also involves more veg and fruit and dairy than meat,

Can't have stevia, tried it, gave me the same monster headache I get from aspartame (don't know why and was not expecting it at all, may have something to do with the hypoglycemia, intend to ask my doctor about it next time I see her) and sweet is not a deal breaker for me, I am not a big fan of sweet (my preferred juice is 100% cranberry because I like the taste) So I get most of my sugars from fruits and such. I mostly drink coffee, tea and water besides that.

The snack I usually go for is carrots or a banana or an apple, once in a while I'll have some sliced swiss cheese. (if it's on special at the store) On the weekends at least one morning I will make a slightly more filling breakfast for the whole house, like pancakes or something, and that's pretty much the only time I have meat at breakfast.

But the go to snacks don't have a lot of protein, so I was thinking of some sort of nut or something. Someone I know suggested oatmeal raisin cookies (homemade) as a good filling fiber source with some protein, but I think that might have too much fat.

I'm just so confused on top of being flabbergasted that I am not hitting these two goals. I mean I really am surprised to find I am not meeting the calorie goal and the protein goal. (the calorie goal the thing set me is 1390, btw, and today I did manage to get only 138 shy of it but it was uncomfortable to do)

The way I taught myself to re-learn eating was to order whatever the heck I wanted, eat half of it, wait 20 minutes and if I was still actually feeling hungry I ate half of what was left, wait 20 minutes and if I was still hungry...etc...

within a week I found I was never eating the second half, within two weeks I started ordering/preparing less food for myself, eating slower etc... eventually I got to the point where "serving size" was actually doing it for me, and I realized I was eating 'til I wasn't hungry anymore, and not 'til my plate was cleaned. I've always preferred healthy food over junk, but the problem was I was eating WAY too much of it, I'd had it pounded into my head to clean my plate as a child, and that you just kept eating til the food was gone, no matter what your stomach told you. And once I got down to eating a reasonable portion I was finding I could eat whatever I wanted as long as I was eating the correct amount and I lost 100 pounds or so just from that, then I got stuck and realized I needed to get moving and get some exercise in a serious way.

I just don't want to sabotage myself, if that calorie count is needed to keep being healthy about it, (not crashing or starving myself) I am worried I won't be able to keep it up. And I know that as I try for tone and muscle, protein is really important, so that number worries me too.

marie_2454

What's your calorie goal set at? 64g of protein actually seems pretty low to me. My protein goal is set at 120 and I don't usually have a problem getting close to that on 1650 calorie "diet." My diary is open if you want to take a peek, but Greek yogurt is a pretty good source of protein and makes for a really tasty snack, especially if you add some berries to it. Cottage cheese, beef jerky, boiled eggs, protein bars and shakes (Quest bars are really good, just stay away from the PB Supreme and PB&J flavors-they're not very good), almonds, turkey (or regular) pepperoni, cheese sticks. Almonds aren't that high in protein, but they do have some, along with healthy fats. Plus, since one serving is about 150 calories, eating some could help you get closer to your calorie goal without feeling like you're stuffing yourself.

Shari325

You state you have been maintaining for five years.
My suggestion - It will be time consuming, but very informative...
Since you have been keeping a food log on paper, go back and enter 2-3 weeks of eating and see what your calories and macros have been. Compare those numbers to your current MFP goal settings.

My guess, since you have been maintaining for five years, is that you have been eating at a level that was 200-400 calories below what your current goal is set at.

Try eating at the calorie level you have been for so long and use the exercise to create a larger deficit and thus begin losing again. Try it for a month and see what happens. If you continue to maintain you will possibly need a larger deficit.

***Just re-read your second post. Your goal is set to 1390, if you are eating only 990-1190 calories a day, you probably need to eat more to lose. Particularly, if you truly need to lose another 100 pounds. Eating that low has probably slowed your metabolism down and you will need to do some "repair" before you can lose well again.***

TR0berts

Meat.

Selunca

Obviously a little more meat, but in leu of that eggs, cheese, yogert or a protien powder

jdad1

organic peanut butter

terrygreenwell1

pulses, nuts and seeds will give you protien

AmyRhubarb

Whole eggs for breakfast (hard boil some for snacks!), cheese, dip sliced apples or bananas in peanut butter for a snack, raw almonds, yogurt.....these foods are also good calorie boosters and will get you closer to your daily goal with small portions. Avocados, and coconut & olive oils are also good calorie boosters and good sources of healthy fats.

whatjesseats

If you're only eating 1100 cals per day and exercising on top of that, you will run yourself down pretty quickly.

You can easily add more calories to your day without much volume by including more healthy fats in your diet.

Hard boiled eggs and beef jerky are great snacks when you need more protein.

MelRC117

Hardboiled eggs, add some peanut butter to your banana, almonds, jerky, heck I've eaten part of a chicken breast as a snack.

I don't see how homemade oatmeal cookies with raisins is a way to get protein. Fiber maybe, but not if your looking for protein.

amyelyseneer

Hardboiled eggs, add some peanut butter to your banana, almonds, jerky, heck I've eaten part of a chicken breast as a snack.

I don't see how homemade oatmeal cookies with raisins is a way to get protein. Fiber maybe, but not if your looking for protein.

That's what I thought when they said it. I do like most of the stuff everyone suggested... so all in all you've all given me some great Ideas...

I tried really hard to pack in more protein today and went slightly over goal with it (I had some dry cashews with breakfast and made a point of getting some protein in significant amounts at every meal, even had some sliced turkey for my snack instead of carrots, it was a good exchange of 50 calories for 9 grams of protein. I did hit my calorie goal today as well, & I also hit my first exercise goal yesterday morning and got a little past it today. still feeling a little "overeat-y" so I don't think my body has caught up with what's going on yet.

This is going to take some time, and I know that, so I thank you all for your suggestions. It's nice to know people are here to help. I was really nervous about asking. So thank you all!

amyelyseneer

***Just re-read your second post. Your goal is set to 1390, if you are eating only 990-1190 calories a day, you probably need to eat more to lose. Particularly, if you truly need to lose another 100 pounds. Eating that low has probably slowed your metabolism down and you will need to do some "repair" before you can lose well again.***

Ok that's what I was thinking, and why I was so worried I couldn't eat that much... My goal weight is 165, I mean I know I am never going to be stick thin, I'm a big girl, tall and wide in the frame. (I'm 5' 8" and have been told by my doctor I should be in the 160-170 range) And I am okay with that, my goal is to look, feel, and, be healthy.