Pie Chart of Doom: Protein

Find a new trainer, or ask the trainer to limit his advice to training and not pretend to be a nutrition expert.

It's hard to start with. I had to build my levels up slowly over a few weeks.

What really helps me hit my macros is whey protein powder. I'm always super aware that when I don't have my breakfast shake I really struggle to hit my protein goals.

I have two scoops of vanilla mixed with cold coffee and a dash of skimmed milk for breakfast in the mornings and that gives me a massive 45g-ish of protein and a sin-free sweet treat before I've properly even started my day!

Lunch I usually have salad with at least one (and sometimes two) of the following: chicken breast, hardboiled egg, cottage cheese, sashimi (raw salmon).

Snacks: cottage cheese and berries, glass of skimmed milk or another small protein shake.

Dinner: any variation of: fish, omelette, scrambled eggs, chicken, turkey beef steak; with stir-fried veggies or salad.

I usually average about 140g if I eat that but I do indulge in carbs quite a lot on weekends!

If you want to boost protein without the fat, then look to Whey Isolate Protein drinks. Reasonably minimal calories in that but make sure you find a good quality one (hence Isolate) which isn't laden heavily with carbs and sugar. The higher the protein percentage, the better.

Otherwise - look to lean meats .... Turkey is good !

Sheep often nod when they are listening. Don't be a sheep.

According to your ticker, you only have 15 pounds to lose. You do need a new trainer. 1000 + exercise is a starvation diet.

Read this and you will find some excellent guidance. Also, it's free.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1175494-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants


Just because someone is a trainer - it doesn't mean they know what they are talking about. Good luck.

^^^ seconding this advice. 1000 cals/day is way too low for most people in most circumstances. It's definitely too low if you're just trying to lose the last few lbs.

Thanks! I know 15lbs doesn't seem much but it would appear that its the last lot that is hardest to shift...nothing is doing it.

Has anyone else dropped a final 14/15 and if so how?

I was told eating 1000 (ish) and doing exercise 4 x a week would do it. But it aint working! Hence paleo experiment...

Stop experimenting. Yes, the last 15 are going to take some time. Not impossible though. It really doesn't matter what plan you follow for eating. Just do something that is sustainable for you.

THE most important thing in losing weight is making sure you are in a calorie deficit. The only way to be sure of this is to weigh and measure your food as precisely as possible. If you are not using a food scale - you are probably not as accurate as you think. I was very surprised to see how much I was really eating every day. If you don't have one - that's the first thing you need to do.

Lots of people have lost the last 15lb.... the link that's been referred to through this thread... the guide to sexypants, is how to do it

You might try "Pure Green Protein", vanilla flavor. It contains 20g of of plant protein, with balanced amino acids. It helps me to increase my protein, while limiting my exposure to growth stimulants/antibiotic/hormone contaminants. It is vegan, gluten free/soy free. I usually whisk the scoopful of powder with a small amount of liquid, and then combine that "slurry" with the remaining liquid. That results in less bubbles, thereby decreasing excess air in your belly!

trying to set your protein (or fats) as a percentage of your daily caloric intake is stupid. it's backwards.

instead, set your protein (and fats) as a function of your bodyweight and BF%. then work backwards to determine what percentages those will be of your current calorie goals.

for example,

- LBM = (100% - BF%) x bodyweight
- protein = 1.0g/lb of LBM (some people go a little lower and use 0.8g/lb, but since protein is a daily MINIMUM, it can't hurt to err on the side of more).
- fats = 0.35g/lb of bodyweight

once you have those absolute numbers determined, then you use these conversions to determine the amount of calories to be devoted to each:

- 1g fats = 9 calories
- 1g protein = 4 calories

then you simply divide by your calorie goal to get your macro percentages:

fat calories / calorie goal = % fats
protein calories / calorie goal = % protein

once you know your % fats and % protein, then your % carbs are what's left over from 100%. i don't track carbs however. they are meaningless unless you have a medical condition that requires it.

here's an example,

let's say someone weighs 225lbs and has a BF% of 40% and a daily calorie goal of 1900 calories.

LBM = (100% - 40%) x 225lbs = 60% x 225lbs = 135lbs
protein = 1g/lb x 135lbs = 135g
fats = 0.35g/lb x 225lbs = 78.75g = ~79g

135g protein = 4 x 135 = 540 calories
79g fats = 9 x 79 = 711 calories

540 / 1900 = ~28% protein
711/ 1900 = ~37% fats

MFP forces you to set your ratios as multiples of 5%, so in this case we'd set our MFP goals as:

30% protein (this errs on the side of eating more protein because protein is a daily MINIMUM)
40% fats (this errs on the side of eating more fats because fats are a daily MINIMUM )

100% - 30% - 40% = 30% carbs

i personally don't care about my macro ratios. i focus on meeting my minimum requirements for fats and protein and so long as i've done that for the day, i'm in good shape.

60% protein is too much.....fail, get another trainer.

new trainer time...protein hype is so 5 years ago. The 40 30 30 mentioned above is much more reasonable.

Find a new trainer, or ask the trainer to limit his advice to training and not pretend to be a nutrition expert.

^this.

120%

ROFL.

Tell your trainer you've been eating unicorn meat in order to hit that percentage right before you find a new trainer.

I agree with ignoring the trainer's recommendations unless you are training for Mr. Universe competition or wanting to become a professional wrestler in the WWE.

But I do have a problem with getting enough protein, or at least as much as MFP calculates. I'm not a vegetarian, but one way I've cut my weight down over the years is cooking with whole foods and reducing meat intake by more than half. I've had to do lots of research on veggies that supply protein because I am training for a marathon, and need protein to allow my body to recover and rebuild the muscle tissue I break down on my runs.

So besides meat, I've found that beans and peanut butter are good sources of protein. I make myself a protein shake daily after my exercise, and add in a couple of tablespoons of PB. I did a google search on sources of vegetable protein, and cross-referenced it with price and found that for each dollar you spend, you can get more protein from peanut butter than any other source.

As far as beans go, awesome source of protein: Chick Peas (garbanzo beans), white beans, black beans, kidney beans, etc. I make a mean chili, but the downside of eating lots of beans is that people don't want to stand downwind from you. Enough said.

I also went to Costco, Trader Joes, health stores, local grocery stores, etc. and compared the cost per serving vs. number of grams of protein in the container for protein shake powders, and found the cheapest is called MET-Rx Protein plus. Found it at Trader Joes. There is one that is a little bit cheaper per gram at Costco, but you gotta drop about $60 each time you buy it, and the Trader Joes one is only $29 each, and lasts me about 3 weeks.

Anyway, peanut butter and protein shake mix is my suggestion. And as long as you aren't trying to look like Arnold Schwartzenegger in his younger days, I'd dismiss your trainer's advice. My MFP phone app does a good job of giving you how much you really need, and if you work out, it takes that into account and increases the daily amount needed.