High protein = High fat

LateOverWeight · February 2014

So many great replies, thanks so much!

For today, I went ahead and ditched the almond butter (I don't even like it, I'm a peanut butter girl). We're out of PB right now. That put me back to having 10 grams of fat left that I can use for dinner which I'll probably have tuna.

You're not going to get me to ditch my precious egg yolks, but I try to limit to 2 eggs daily (plus I breastfeed so I use that as an excuse for the extra egg).

I really like the suggestions for cottage cheese and greek yogurt, love those. Plus, we have about 20 different types of dry beans and lentils around here that I seriously need to start cooking more of and totally forgot about the protein in them. I have four kids, my brain is mush.

p.s. Don't worry, I deduct cals-fat-protein in my log for nursing my 7 m/o which gives me extra daily. She is also getting nutrition from baby food now. One reason I eat clean is to keep my milk healthy for her. I was gaining weight so I had to start paying attention to my cals.

Ang108 · February 2014

It is really easy to get a normal amount of protein without all the fat, if one looks at those cultures that still eat mostly whole foods.
Since I live in Mexico I get a lot of my protein from beans and rice, chick peas, full fat dairy as an addition to those food( as in a sprinkling of cheese on top of enchiladas, or one spoon of cream thinned with a bit of water over sopes, plain yogurt instead of cream ) , fish ( often in the form of canned tuna or sardines ), whole eggs, tofu and tofu products and the occasional chicken. I eat no beef and pork only a very few times ( maybe twice ) a month. I eat avocados moderately and eat no nuts whatsoever, because they use up too many calories for the 1200 calories ( due to age and height...) and because they are not part of the daily diet and for the price of a pound of nuts ( over 20 dollars ) I can get better for me foods.
It is also not necessary that one needs to eat super high amounts of protein as a high performance athletes would, because most of us are not. Your friend is right that it is a good idea to eat protein with each meal, but it does not have to be a lot.
Because of my age and because I only exercise moderately ( on average a 40 minute walk each day ) I eat the WHO recommended amount of protein which is a base amount of 46 grs per day for women between 20-70, but often eat a bit more and get to anywhere from 45- 60grs. The rule is .5 gr minimum per pound of Lean Body Mass .
I avoid all non-beneficial fats, have exchanged baking for frying ( poach eggs instead of frying them in any kind of fat ) and seem to have no problem keeping my fat intake at a normal level and frequently under my planned amount. If I am over, I don't worry, because I am usually over from beneficial fats .
I think the trick is to eat all foods that have protein and not just meat and dairy .
What saves me when I need extra protein are those pouches with tuna. They are usually 70grs/2.5oz of tuna, have less than 60 calories and 11 grs of protein and 0.30 grs ( that is one third gram...almost nothing ) of fat. I mix them with a cup of mixed frozen veggies ( 26 calories , no fat to speak of ) some lemon/lime juice and have a protein boost for way less than 100 calories. Even with two pouches of tuna and 22 grs of protein I still come in under 150 grams.

ETA: I also often make a salad with black beans, onion, tomato, cilantro/parsley and tuna, which gives a double whammy of protein because of the tuna and the beans with almost no fat to speak of.