More protein!

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jessthep1rate
jessthep1rate Posts: 47 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So after taking a look at my food diary over the course of my logging, I realized that I'm not consuming enough protein the majority of the time. (As in, not even enough "high" days to balance out the "low" days.) I'm concerned about this the most because while I've been losing weight, I'm really trying to make sure that most of that loss won't be muscle, and I imagine that would require eating at least my protein calculated by MFP.

I try to make sure that every meal and snack I have contains protein, although they do not always include something that is "high" protein. I switched from regular almond milk (for cereal and drinking sometimes with snacks) to Almond Plus, which is 5g per serving instead of 1. I usually have at least half a serving of almond or peanut butter a day, usually a whole serving, and I'm sure that helps a little, but most days I am nowhere near the 80g MFP is telling me I need. I eat meat--red meat, poultry, fish), but usually only at dinner, and I'm not crazy about it, so more than one serving in a meal would be way too much, and even adding it to lunch sometimes just squicks me for some reason. Eggs are great at breakfast when I have time, which is usually just weekends; most mornings it's Post Great Grains Protein Blend cereal with a half cup of the Almond Plus, (and some fruit) which is 11g. I used to do greek yogurt a lot and still do sometimes, but that would just end up replacing some of the nut butter in my diet, or the occasional glass of almond milk.

I guess what I am finding is that it's really hard for me to find foods that I actually like and can eat in the necessary quantities (either due to how much I like them or due to their calorie content) that can provide the necessary protein. I am also finding that a lot of the things I used to consider to contain a lot of protein before I started on MFP really don't do much to tackle that 80g, even when I put them all together.

I am thinking about protein shakes/powder but they would need to be somewhat low-cal and no artificial sweeteners (I quit this summer and refuse to go back). I say low-cal because I need them to be a snack rather than a meal--no matter how much stuff I cram into a smoothie or shake to make it 'satisfying,' no amount of squishy/liquidy food will fill me up.

Any suggestions? I would be open to foods as well as supplements!

ETA: Any protein powder would have to be dairy free/vegan (no whey powder) because my boyfriend has a very severe dairy allergy and breathing in any amount of that stuff could be deadly to him.
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Replies

  • koronakona
    koronakona Posts: 15 Member
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    I love Vega One protein powder. The natural flavor is my favorite and I usually have it once a day for a snack. Mix with water and it has 140 calories and 15 grams of protein. It also has some fiber and Omega-3's and it does a pretty good job of filling me up for a quick mid day snack.
  • jessthep1rate
    jessthep1rate Posts: 47 Member
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    I will have to check that out, it sounds great! I just wish the vegan protein powders weren't so expensive!!
  • kimberlily823
    kimberlily823 Posts: 6 Member
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    80g of protein a day?! I have done a lot of research on that topic because I switched to a vegetarian diet and wanted to make sure that I was getting enough protein and it seemed like everywhere I looked it pretty much said 46g per day. I try to shoot for that, but every day is different. I incorporate Luna Protein Bars and a protein shake into my daily meals.

    I don't count calories every single day because that's just not something that has ever worked for me. I spent a great deal of time just concentrating on learning how to create a diet/lifestyle change that I would be happy with and that I would be able to continue. I recently (about a month ago) started incorporating 5days a week at the gym into my schedule. I think you may want to concentrate on finding healthy protein sources and not necessarily concentrating so much on calorie content. Beans, lentils, chickpeas, etc are all great sources of plant based protein. If you go the protein powder route I actually mix it with my iced coffee so that it's killing two birds with one stone and only ends up being 125cal per glass.

    I lost almost 15lbs since August just switching to a vegetarian diet and now about another 10 in the past couple weeks with adding in the gym. The key for me was really thinking about weight loss as a lifestyle change and not just concentrating on the calories/weight. Go PROTEIN! haha
  • WhiteRabbit1313
    WhiteRabbit1313 Posts: 1,091 Member
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    I've found that Greek yogurt (fage), cottage cheese, part skim mozzarella, egg whites, and chicken breast have been my best friends in hitting my protein targets on a low calorie budget. Eating 6 oz. of chicken is acceptable, now, where 4 oz. Was the rule before. Smoked Turkey and tuna rock, too.
  • ell_v131
    ell_v131 Posts: 349 Member
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    I disagree with 46g protein. I too have done research mostly.revolving around weight loss and strength training and the consensus seems to be about 1g per pound of bodyweight or 1.2-1.5g per pound of lean body mass. The second number may be slightly off due to my memory: ) I'm 138lbs, 5'6 and eat 140g daily. 80g I believe is at the low end of the spectrum. Mfp underestimates protein needs. There are plenty vegan options out there, go for those that say isolate. These have 90% and more protein content, so you are not spending your money on easy to get carbs. But remember that each gram of protein has 4 cals and there is just no way around that. I like making my protein shake with frozen strawberries or raspberries, low Cal since I only add water, and my current vanilla milkshake makes it taste real good, like a smoothie. I get 29 grams of protein out of a 30g serving. Awesome.

    Good effort trying to add protein in every meal, try quinoa as side dish and keep a few egg whites in a container for a snack.
  • jcolier
    jcolier Posts: 64
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    eggs. I drink egg protein powder as well. (Though I do not recommend the egg protein with xyletol, it does not agree with my digestive system).
  • Tanya949
    Tanya949 Posts: 606 Member
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    One gram per pound of body weight??? I would need to eat 229g of protein per day?? I can't even get 100g on a good day. I don't eat meat, but I do eat PB, greek yogurt, milk, cheese, quinoa, lentils, chickpeas, beans, vega protein powder, nuts and seeds, kale, spinach, eggs, and I can't get nearly enough protein in my diet. I'm thinking of trying seitan, they say it can have as much/more protein than meat? I am truly frustrated that I have hunger pangs every day, eat to my daily goal, have cut out ALL processed foods except the odd hamburger bun (black bean burgers),make all my own meals, drink tons of water and am still hungry. I am scared to eat that much protein, really.
  • jessthep1rate
    jessthep1rate Posts: 47 Member
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    Thanks for the tips, all. I am going to try to keep to 80g for now, and see how it goes, as it's at least a middle ground between 46 and 160!! I looked into the different protein shake powders and ended up deciding on Plant Fusion (not entirely due to the fact that it comes in cookies 'n creme, but I won't say it wasn't a factor!! :P) If anyone's tried it before, does it actually taste decent? Most reviews are really good on Amazon...
  • mom2dzbnwe
    mom2dzbnwe Posts: 129 Member
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    Greek yogurt and protein powder are my lifesavers...I usually try to consume 120+g per day and keep my calorie counts relatively low. My weekdays almost always end with a shake consisting of both greek yogurt and protein powder. My grocer's brand (HEB Central market) of protein powder is actually REALLY tasty and not too terribly priced.

    ETA: I've also switched from Almond Milk to Lactose free milk (Mootopia)--which definitely helps get my numbers up!
  • Showcase_Brodown
    Showcase_Brodown Posts: 919 Member
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    I keep my fridge stocked with a lot of plain greek yogurt and cottage cheese. Those'll get you there pretty quickly.
  • reneemosley
    reneemosley Posts: 95 Member
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    Yes to chicken, eggs, tuna , greek yogurt.
    My favorite snack right now is greek yogurt with vanilla protein powder mixed in.
    Makes a fruit dip that I scoop up with strawberries, yum.
  • jessthep1rate
    jessthep1rate Posts: 47 Member
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    My favorite snack right now is greek yogurt with vanilla protein powder mixed in.
    Makes a fruit dip that I scoop up with strawberries, yum.

    Renee, that sounds AMAZING. SO trying this when my protein powder comes in. I love fruit dip!
  • ell_v131
    ell_v131 Posts: 349 Member
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    One gram per pound of body weight??? I would need to eat 229g of protein per day?? I can't even get 100g on a good day. I don't eat meat, but I do eat PB, greek yogurt, milk, cheese, quinoa, lentils, chickpeas, beans, vega protein powder, nuts and seeds, kale, spinach, eggs, and I can't get nearly enough protein in my diet. I'm thinking of trying seitan, they say it can have as much/more protein than meat? I am truly frustrated that I have hunger pangs every day, eat to my daily goal, have cut out ALL processed foods except the odd hamburger bun (black bean burgers),make all my own meals, drink tons of water and am still hungry. I am scared to eat that much protein, really.

    that is a generalization and not suitable for very overweight people, obviously. The more accurate and by far more suitable way to go about it is to count towards lean body mass. Since that is what we are trying to preserve, that makes more sense. Not all people know their lean body weight though, so I threw that in too. If someone is very overweight then then this will not work for them unless they count from lean body mass. but going over your protein is not unhealthy, unless you suffer from a medical condition, so you still wouldn't be doing anything wrong eating 225g protein :) I ate 180g today within a 1750calories and wasn't even trying to push myself. I did have some protein ice cream though :)
  • wheird
    wheird Posts: 7,963 Member
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    Soy protein powder would be your best bet.

    And it is .8-1.2g of protein per pound of LBM. So a person weighing 200lbs and having 20% bodyfat would have an approximate LBM of 160.
  • flutterbye811
    flutterbye811 Posts: 86 Member
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    my fav breakfast on the weekends: chocolate almond butter yogurt:

    6 oz of vanilla greek 0% fat yogurt (I get big containers of Green Mountain Creamery yogurt)
    14 grams of Syntrax chocolate truffle protein powder
    1 tablespoon (16 grams) of almond butter (I use Barney Butter)

    All together there is is 30 grams of protein in this and it's sooo yummy. :)
  • cwsreddy
    cwsreddy Posts: 998 Member
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    the problem with soy protein is it's far from complete. I'm a fan of both pea protein and hemp protein. Hemp is a complete protein, and while pea protein is not complete, is has a different amino acid profile than you're getting in the rest of your (probably) soy-heavy diet.
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,899 Member
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    I eat well in excess of 100 grams of protein a day using eggs, egg beaters, milk, cheese, yogurt, beef, chicken, and pork. I do use whey protein powder but not every day. I personally find chili to be a great meal because it also contains a high quantity of fiber.
  • wheird
    wheird Posts: 7,963 Member
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    I eat well in excess of 100 grams of protein a day using eggs, egg beaters, milk, cheese, yogurt, beef, chicken, and pork. I do use whey protein powder but not every day. I personally find chili to be a great meal because it also contains a high quantity of fiber.

    I agree with this. Chili can have many variations, can be low-ish calorie, tons of fiber (BEANS), and packed with nutrients.
  • AlongCame_Molly
    AlongCame_Molly Posts: 2,835 Member
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    I just had a "protein bomb" lunch, as I call it.

    3/8 c egg whites
    6 oz ground chicken breast
    1/2 cup lowfat cottage cheese
    salt/[pepper to taste
    7 spears of asparagus on the side
    (Cook as you would an omelette or scrambled eggs)

    64 grams of protein, BOOM! Very filling, and extremely meaty and delicious!

    I regularly rack up 170+ g of protein per day, feel free to creep my diary for ideas.
  • aleggett321
    aleggett321 Posts: 186 Member
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    GeniSoy makes a dairy free soy protein supplement. It comes in chocolate, vanilla and natural. it's sweetened with fructose so I'm not sure how you feel about that. We haven't tried it yet, I found it in a search yesterday trying to find a supplement for my dairy free daughter. Just wanted to throw it out there as a possible choice.

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