Protein for Exercising
47Jacqueline
Posts: 6,993 Member
I am on maintenance. 5'4", 128lb. I usually exercise five times a week, all classes in a variety of strength training and cardio. My nutritionist wants me to eat more protein, which I know I should.
My problem; I have a tendency to skip lunch because I get involved in activities and suddenly it's 4PM. Also, I am so tired of sandwiches I can't see straight. I've been eating big salads on occasion, but that doesn't solve the protein problem.
My nutritionist suggested having a mid-afternoon snack or lunch of Ensure or Boost, but I hate drinking that stuff.
I do eat almonds sometimes.
I'm not an enthusiastic cook.
Does anyone have ideas That I could try to increase my intake?
My problem; I have a tendency to skip lunch because I get involved in activities and suddenly it's 4PM. Also, I am so tired of sandwiches I can't see straight. I've been eating big salads on occasion, but that doesn't solve the protein problem.
My nutritionist suggested having a mid-afternoon snack or lunch of Ensure or Boost, but I hate drinking that stuff.
I do eat almonds sometimes.
I'm not an enthusiastic cook.
Does anyone have ideas That I could try to increase my intake?
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Replies
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Can you have a bigger breakfast?0
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Can't you have protein on your salads?0
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I say MAKE time for lunch. And who says you have to have a sandwich? I haven't eaten a sandwich in months. This week I'm having two chicken tacos on corn tortillas with refried beans and avocado. 32 g of protein and so very yummy. Here's two other things I might eat at lunch:
- Homemade McDonald's-style egg white delight with an english muffin, egg whites, canadian bacon, and white cheddar cheese (17 g protein)
- Salad with romaine lettuce, light Caesar dressing, grilled shrimp, shaved parmesan cheese, and a few fat-free croutons (14 g protein)
I also usually have some fruit (banana, strawberries, grapes, etc). And then I have an afternoon snack at 3:30 (coming up! yay!) that usually consists of flavored Greek yogurt, a hard-boiled egg, and light string cheese. That's about 24 g of protein.
I'll never understand how people can "forget" to eat. That's the last thing I'd forget. Eating is the best.0 -
My problem; I have a tendency to skip lunch because I get involved in activities and suddenly it's 4PM.0
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you could try other protein powders and make shakes or just mix with water, you may find one you like. Quest bars, greek yogurt, cheese, beef jerky are some good protein snack ideas. You could also add grilled chicken to your salads. You can have a bigger breakfast in the morning and eat eggs, sausage or bacon in the morning.
Nuts have protein but they don't have a huge protein to calorie ratio.0 -
Yeah, you need way more protein! It looks like you're not prioritizing foods that have protein in them, so you're consistenly really low. You really just need to decide that you're going to fit protein into every meal/snack, then build your meals around that. Cottage cheese, greek yogurt, milk, nut butters, soy if you like it, things like that. String cheese or hard boiled eggs are great snacks, especially if you tend to forget to eat. There's nothing wrong with using a whey protein powder or protein bars. Build a salad around chicken or steak strips. Everyone tends to mention beans as protein sources, but you'd have to eat your weight in beans before you got a good amount of protein, so they shouldn't be a go-to.0
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Mozzarella sticks, greek yogurt, I buy rotisserie chickens or turkey breast and cut them into 2-4oz pieces and put them in baggies. They last me about 2-4 snack or meal times and they're chock full of proteins without any of the preservatives you find in lunch meat. I eat tuna fish (but trainer says not everyday), haddock, organic granola with protein, 2 hard boiled egg whites and one egg. Just some ideas0
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I generally put a scoop of EAS Gold Standard into a bowl of oatmeal and have amazing happytime with my food.
I've yet to try protein powder in my oatmeal (I usually have brown sugar, PB2, and cinnamon with almond milk), but it sounds so yummy! Once I can increase to maintenance calories, I plan on trying it.0 -
I do eat oatmeal for breakfast on occasion so putting protein powder in it sounds like a good job.
Also, I know most people don't forget to eat, but I do. I also have never been a binge eater. I also am not an emotional eater. When I am stressed, I lose my appetite. Everyone is different and I don't judge others for their quirks.
Thanks for some of the suggestions. I am trying to change my habit so positive ideas are great.0 -
Also, I know most people don't forget to eat, but I do. I also have never been a binge eater. I also am not an emotional eater. When I am stressed, I lose my appetite. Everyone is different and I don't judge others for their quirks.0
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Lately I've been enjoying Epic Greek Yogurt + Chia Seeds (17g of protein). I also pressure cook chicken breast, shred it, portion it out into tupperware or ziploc bags (I do 4 oz), put some kind of seasoning on it and snack on it. Trader Joe's has peeled, boiled cage-free eggs. Those are my protein go-tos.0
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Beef jerky is my go-to for quick protein. I make mine at home in a dehydrator so it's way cheaper than the packaged stuff.0
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I eat a ton of jerky for the protein. High sodium, but if you don't have to worry about that, it's a good way to get some protein in.0
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I carry canned tuna with me everywhere I go. I love the Clover Leaf Tuna in Olive Oil. Fantastic to eat right out of the can (for me) or to put on top of my salads.
I also make egg muffins. In a muffin pan I pour the combination of eggs, green onions and a bit of cheese. bake in the oven until done. It is perfect to put a couple into a ziploc and take with you to work or anywhere you may be going. I do like them heated up in the microwave but I still eat them cold if a microwave is not available.
Ziploc bags ARE MY FRIEND! I carry everything in them. Tupperware takes up alot of space haha. I even put rice in ziploc bags
Hope that gives you a few more ideas0 -
Oh i love the boiled eggs! I found some at my local grocery store and they were on sale. Buy one get one free! SCORE!0
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I don't have much time for lunch either, I tend to only be able to fit a bowl of cereal in at breakfast and then I have snacks throughout the late morning and afternoon before having a big dinner.
I tend to eat granola for breakfast which has a fair amount of protein in for cereal, and found peanuts, pistachios and yoghurt to be staples during the day - and they fit in with having a quick snack every couple hours. I then make myself have protein-heavy dinners - big pieces of chicken, bacon, eggs etc. If I'm a little low on the protein count in the evening I have warm flavoured soya milk before bed.0 -
I eat lots of string cheese. Also, cottage cheese is great as is Greek yogurt. (Hope you can eat dairy) .0
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Meat - lean meat if you're low on calories, less lean if you've got plenty left.
Drink some milk - skimmed milk isn't too far off 50/50 carbs and protein.
Cheese tends to have more fat, but you can get some that's quite low fat and high protein if you're short on calories.0 -
I think most of these have been already mentioned in some fashion but worth restating...
- Protein bars when you are on the go or just need to grab something quick. A lot of these taste like candy bars except they'll give you about 14-20g protein, around 200 calories.
- Ziplock with almonds
- Cut some cheddar cheese cubes up and put in a ziplock
- Beef or turkey jerky
- Boil up some hard boiled eggs
- Grilled Chicken tenders with Montreal steak seasoning (mostly pepper and salt). Stick them on a salad or eat like chicken fingers.
- When you are at home a smoothie with chocolate protein powder and berries (frozen works best), and plain Greek yogurt is real easy and tasty with lots of protein0 -
Yeah, lean meats are gonna be your best bet. Things like chicken breast, lean ground turkey/beef, ham and low fat dairy can really help keep your protein up. Also, if no one else has said it yet, meal timing is pretty much irrelevant so don't worry about eating every 2 hours. If you look up and it's 4:00 and you haven't eaten yet, that is fine0
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In a rush so I didn't look at your food diary. I don't know how much protein you're getting, but I'm a vegetarian (and for the most part don't eat dairy, maybe 6 eggs a week) and I average about 60g per day (on 1500 calories). Feel free to add me/look at my diary for ideas. Nuts are actually pretty low concentrations of protein. Beans have a lot (without loading you up on the calories).0
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A can of tuna in water mixed w celery, onions and light mayo, with rice crackers......so filling and lots of protein. Pair that with string cheese...yummmmmm0
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Here is a bunch of examples for about 10g of protein (some have been mentionned)
1 oz. of meat, poultry, seafood or fish
1 extra large egg
2 flattened Tbsp. of peanut butter
2 Tbsp. (1/8 cup OR 10-12) nuts
¼ cup seeds (except chia)
½ cup legumes (e.g. lentils, chick peas, kidney beans…)
½ cup of hummus
1/3 cup tofu
2 ½ Tbsp dry Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)
¼ cup fat-free cottage cheese
1 oz. reduced-fat cheese
1/3 cup of plain greek yogurt0 -
Protein powder is the way to go. It's quick, it's convenient, it goes in other things you're already eating, and some of them are pretty darn tasty. If you're into shakes and smoothies, get yourself a basic chocolate or vanilla (or both). Blend with the milk of your choice and some yummy fruit or another mix-in.
Yesterday for example I made a protein shake with a cup of skim milk, a scoop of chocolate whey isolate, and two tablespoons of PB2 (that powdered peanut butter stuff). It tasted just like Reese's! 261 calories, 43g protein. Bam. Would've been extra great with a banana too.
If you're not into shakes and smoothies, protein powder bakes wonderfully in place of flour in recipes (I'm not sure how much you can replace but 50% seems safe). Check around the recipes section and you'll find protein pancakes, protein muffins, protein brownies, etc. I recently bought an unflavored protein powder that I'm going to try in things like bread, soft pretzels and pizza dough too. The best thing about baked goods is that they're made in batches, so you can make it at the beginning of the week and have a brownie every day0 -
In a rush so I didn't look at your food diary. I don't know how much protein you're getting, but I'm a vegetarian (and for the most part don't eat dairy, maybe 6 eggs a week) and I average about 60g per day (on 1500 calories). Feel free to add me/look at my diary for ideas. Nuts are actually pretty low concentrations of protein. Beans have a lot (without loading you up on the calories).
you'd have to pair rice with beans in order to get complete protein. Beans alone (not soy) are not complete proteins.0 -
I am similar to you in that I sometimes want to skip lunch because I want to train just after lunch time. Eating much of anything make me feel uncomfortable when training even if I wait an hour. I use protein drinks, the best quality and highest protein amount per gram. I mix chocolate flavour with 300ml of water and good to go. I do this most days as I workout most days. On my rest days I eat chicken, prawn or beef salads. I find I really enjoy the rest days and take more time to enjoy the food.0
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Definitely eat lunch--bring things that are easy, maybe that you don't even have to heat up.
Hard boiled eggs (I don't actually like these, but I'm trying. I'll bring two--even today actually--along with 2 packets of Taco Bell sauce, plus some fresh strawberries as a snack.)
Homemade smoothies are way better than the bottled stuff. Sample multiple brands to find one you like. Same with the bottled ones actually. They're not all horrible. (And for adding protein, I'd go with one that more like 25-30g of protein. I think ones like Boost are more like 10-15g.)
Lean meats--they don't have to go on a sandwich. Bring leftovers of meat with steamed veggies. I often even eat these cold. Or put the meat in a salad.
Protein bars-- again some are absolutely delicious, just stick with the high protein varieties for your purpose (like 25-30g per bar)
Yum to full-fat Greek yogurt! I'll often add fruit and nuts, but just some stevia with vanilla or almond extract is awesome!
I've tried to like cottage cheese, but since Greek yogurt is actually a little better for my needs (and I love it), I don't eat cottage cheese. But a lot of people love it and it could help you.
Glass of milk
Good luck!0 -
I saute up a bunch of chicken tenders with olive oil, salt, pepper, onion powder. I put them in baggies in 3 ounce servings and when I need a protein snack, I just grab one and eat it cold. They are great on salads as well. Or you can shred up and add to soup. Anything. An excellent low calorie, cheap and tasty source of protein.0
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A lot of times I just open a can of tuna and eat it with a spoon. It's not the most exciting meal but it's quick, easy to carry around, low-cal, high-protein, blah blah blah.0
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I always add chicken or tuna to my salads for lunch for added protein (the 80 calorie single serve pouch from Starkist has 16g of protein and there's no need to drain...which helps at work)
I have also started making "protein pancakes" with instant oatmeal, egg whites, protein powder and mashed banana...I usually add blueberries and raspberries for added flavor, but they're good on their own...message me if you want the recipe - its super easy and quick!
Protein bars are also a quick easy snack for when you're on the go0
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