HOW DO YOU EAT SO MUCH PROTEIN?!

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  • BrainyBurro
    BrainyBurro Posts: 6,129 Member
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    I agree with the others. Your protein is way high.

    To answer the question, I eat an obscene amount of dairy. Cottage cheese and greek yogurt are pretty much daily staples. I've never been a meat person.

    I know thats a great route to take for protein but I try to stay away from dairy! Luckily I figured out my macros were a problem and I switched them. Thanks for the advice though! I am eating cottage cheese when I can and mozzarella here and there lol

    I stay away from dairy too, besides it doesn't have enough protein for me to eat it for that reason. Turkey is the highest in protein, then chicken.

    :ohwell: I wish that helped me. Id eat it if I wasn't vegetarian because I have nothing against the taste lol

    if you're avoiding dairy too, then that makes you a vegan, right?

    if so, you're going to fall into the same trap all vegans fall into... you're going to find it very tough to meet your protein macro on a vegan diet without eating a lot of calories.

    so you should consider a protein supplement.
  • Ophidion
    Ophidion Posts: 2,065 Member
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    Through the mouth...usually.
    RtAUKqD.gif


    protein shakes, tofu, mock meats etc
    Some links...

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/926789-protein-sources

    http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/articles/plant-food-protein-chart.pdf

    http://www.22daysnutrition.com/blog/2013/05/01/15-vegan-sources-of-protein-soy-free-and-gluten-free-too/

    ETA: I am a vegan, but the first link has omnivore sources.
  • Fullsterkur_woman
    Fullsterkur_woman Posts: 2,712 Member
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    Try adding in some Almonds - but don't go over 20/day. That should help with Proteins for snacks, etc during the day without killing your carb count.

    Almonds. Are. Not. A. Good. Source. Of. Protein.

    But pumpkin seeds are awesome! I didn't see enough protein from almonds so I did some research and pumpkin seeds were a good choice

    USDA info for 100g of pumpkin seeds.

    Calories: 446kcal
    Carbs: 53.75g
    Fat: 19.4g
    Protein: 18.55g

    So no, they really really arent.

    I dunno how many grams I eat, but according to the bag from trader joes that they came in, 1/3 cup a day gives me a quick 11 grams through a snack.
    I'm afraid seeds are not a good source of protein, period. They're more of a fat source. The most protein bang for the calorie buck will always be lean meat. I like shrimp and egg whites and fat-free Greek yogurt a lot. It's just terribly difficult to get this much protein as a vegetarian. Truly.
  • smaclean8
    smaclean8 Posts: 18 Member
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    Why do you think the protein HAS to be that high? Just go for 1g/lb. IIFYM calculator isn't the secret to weight loss, calorie deficit is.

    The protein macros I use are similar, but I'm 163lbs, powerlift, and cut on about 500 cal/day more. I have no problem meeting my #'s and they could be lower, as in 163g, but I also ENJOY eating that much protein. If a diet doesn't "work" for you, it won't last. Drop the protein and add more carbs, if you see a difference other than some possible water retention intially, then bump protein back up.

    Well I am going for fat loss and muscle gain and I weight 165 and lift heavy weights also. I could definitely hit 165g a day no problem. I use the IIFYM calculator because from what I understand IIFYM is designed to help you meet your individual goals. I am going to recalculate though. Last week my macros were different and the diet was working for me really well. I will see about doing 165g a day instead. Thanks

    The IIFYM calculator may be a good tool for orienting a newb towards their goal, but ultimately you act as your own calculator by observing your successes and failures with dieting. It seems like your body was changing in accordance with your goals on the lower protein, so I like your idea to go back to that.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
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    Why are you trying to get that much protein? You already eat so much of it...
  • jayjay12345654321
    jayjay12345654321 Posts: 653 Member
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    your protein goal is a mathematical function of your lean body mass. there's no reason for you to have a goal of 208g.

    protein = 1.0g/lb of LBM

    this is a minimum, but once you reach this amount, you're fine if you don't want to eat more.

    e.g. if your BF% is 30% and your body weight is 155lbs, then...

    (100% - 30%) x 155 = 108.5

    1.0g x 108.5 = 108.5g = ~109g of protein.

    more protein won't hurt and if you're a serious weight lifter, more protein will be beneficial, but the 1.0g/lb of LBM recommendation should be more than sufficient for most women. it has a built-in safety margin already.

    The equation I was using is so much more complicated and actually requires 3 different "pre-calculations" to come up with the numbers for the final calculation. I like your method much better! Plus, I just realized I haven't calculated mine since last summer when I was nearly 40% BF. I'm under my protein goal by more than 20 grams now. Glad I saw this post!
  • Mighty_Rabite
    Mighty_Rabite Posts: 581 Member
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    I carb cycle currently, so my food intake varies based on my day. Here's kind of a breakdown of what I do:

    As a ~180lb male...

    3 days a week - low carb - 2000 calories - <60 net carbs, ~90g fats, 240+ g protein
    2 days a week - medium carb - 2200 calories - <= 185 net carbs, 70g fats, 185+ g protein
    2 days a week - higher carb - 2400 calories - <= 300 net carbs, 50g fats, 175+ g protein

    The protein spike on low carb days is more a function of satiety than anything else. I get a lot of my fats from cheese and nuts (specifically, peanuts/peanut butter), sometimes I'll have cottage cheese; sometimes bring a couple of scoops of protein powder to work and mix with coffee throughout the day; common staple is whey isolate mixed with Greek yogurt; grilled chicken; sometimes I'll have a protein shake, usually either the PureProtein 35g one or the MetRx RTD 51.

    The other two types of days are a lot less restrictive - higher carb days damn near feel like cheat days!
  • Kriistabell
    Kriistabell Posts: 181 Member
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    I weigh 183, I eat about 163g of protein a day. sometimes more, like 190g, but not on purpose.

    Morning, 2 whole eggs (please don't throw out the best part), and 2 bacons, and cottage cheese, plus a protein drink with whey, 1/2 cup of milk, banana, and honey.

    snack, protein drink

    lunch, 2 chicken breasts, baked, cottage cheese, avocado

    dinner, protein drink, salmon baked, sweet potatoes.

    Wine.

    Easy. That's a lot of protein. I find it easy, and I love the way I eat.

    I'm a vegetarian. The chicken would help me a LOT if I could..
  • Kriistabell
    Kriistabell Posts: 181 Member
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    Why do you think the protein HAS to be that high? Just go for 1g/lb. IIFYM calculator isn't the secret to weight loss, calorie deficit is.

    The protein macros I use are similar, but I'm 163lbs, powerlift, and cut on about 500 cal/day more. I have no problem meeting my #'s and they could be lower, as in 163g, but I also ENJOY eating that much protein. If a diet doesn't "work" for you, it won't last. Drop the protein and add more carbs, if you see a difference other than some possible water retention intially, then bump protein back up.

    Well I am going for fat loss and muscle gain and I weight 165 and lift heavy weights also. I could definitely hit 165g a day no problem. I use the IIFYM calculator because from what I understand IIFYM is designed to help you meet your individual goals. I am going to recalculate though. Last week my macros were different and the diet was working for me really well. I will see about doing 165g a day instead. Thanks

    The IIFYM calculator may be a good tool for orienting a newb towards their goal, but ultimately you act as your own calculator by observing your successes and failures with dieting. It seems like your body was changing in accordance with your goals on the lower protein, so I like your idea to go back to that.

    I am kind of a newb lol :ohwell:
  • Kriistabell
    Kriistabell Posts: 181 Member
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    protein shakes, tofu, mock meats etc
    Some links...

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/926789-protein-sources

    http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/articles/plant-food-protein-chart.pdf

    http://www.22daysnutrition.com/blog/2013/05/01/15-vegan-sources-of-protein-soy-free-and-gluten-free-too/

    ETA: I am a vegan, but the first link has omnivore sources.

    Thank you!! :happy:
  • amandahowze1
    amandahowze1 Posts: 38 Member
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    I have the same issue. I just can't seem to hit my protein goal. Looking forward too the responses.
  • Kriistabell
    Kriistabell Posts: 181 Member
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    I agree with the others. Your protein is way high.

    To answer the question, I eat an obscene amount of dairy. Cottage cheese and greek yogurt are pretty much daily staples. I've never been a meat person.

    I know thats a great route to take for protein but I try to stay away from dairy! Luckily I figured out my macros were a problem and I switched them. Thanks for the advice though! I am eating cottage cheese when I can and mozzarella here and there lol

    I stay away from dairy too, besides it doesn't have enough protein for me to eat it for that reason. Turkey is the highest in protein, then chicken.

    :ohwell: I wish that helped me. Id eat it if I wasn't vegetarian because I have nothing against the taste lol

    if you're avoiding dairy too, then that makes you a vegan, right?

    if so, you're going to fall into the same trap all vegans fall into... you're going to find it very tough to meet your protein macro on a vegan diet without eating a lot of calories.

    so you should consider a protein supplement.

    I still eat dairy, I just avoid it when I can. I eat tons of egg whites, wild salmon every night, and 2 protein shakes a day. I think my protein macro was just calculated way too high at 1.5g per pound of lean body mass. I'm sticking to 1g per learn body mass now instead
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,070 Member
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    That's a lot of protein (and not much carbs) - maybe double check it.
  • GuybrushThreepw00d
    GuybrushThreepw00d Posts: 784 Member
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    That is a lot of protein. I'm a 6'1" male and my target is only 165 grams/day.

    Thats how I feel! I feel like something might be wrong. I'm a 5'8 female at 165 pounds and I workout about 3 or 4 times a week with heavy weights and play basketball once a week. I can do 165g's but 208 is killing me!

    1g per lb of lean mass.
    I'd imagine for a 5' 8" female you're looking about 110g of protein/day.
  • arabianhorselover
    arabianhorselover Posts: 1,488 Member
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    They say Americans eat too much protein, you know..........
  • Fullsterkur_woman
    Fullsterkur_woman Posts: 2,712 Member
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    They say Americans eat too much protein, you know..........
    And your point is?
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 9,965 Member
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    You dropped your carbs and it compensated by increasing protein.
  • Kriistabell
    Kriistabell Posts: 181 Member
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    They say Americans eat too much protein, you know..........

    I'm not sure how this is helpful, you know..........
  • Kriistabell
    Kriistabell Posts: 181 Member
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    You dropped your carbs and it compensated by increasing protein.

    Yeah, I was wondering why it changed and how to manage it. I changed it up again based on things people have suggested to me here. I'm pretty much a newb to IIFYM my goals are to lose fat and gain muscle so I thought that the higher protein and lower carbs would help me with that. But apparently I don't need that much since I only work out about 4x per week with heavy lifting and walk around all day at my job.

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