Can't seem to get enough protein

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3RMomma
3RMomma Posts: 55 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Does anyone else struggle to hit their protein target without eating protein bars or a protein powder? I thought I'd be good eating greek yogurt, almonds, cottage cheese, cheese, and chicken but even when i think I"m almost there, I'm no where close...I was trying to avoid the bars/powder route, but I think I am going to try the Quest bars.... If it helps I exercise 5 days a week - I'm doing Jillian Michael's Body Revolution workouts which are considered metabolic training and instead of doing her cardio Dvds I'm running 3.5 miles 2-3 days a week... I'm losing weight but I'm not sure I'm doing it the best way for my body... I'm open to any and all suggestions... oh - I have no dietary restrictions, but I'm not domestic in the least and have 3 kids so most of what I eat has to be easy/not time consuming... TIA
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Replies

  • TheVirgoddess
    TheVirgoddess Posts: 4,535 Member
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    I'm having the same issue, only I dislike cottage cheese, yogurt and most other things that are high in protein.

    I make my own granola (it's SUPER easy and customizable), eat lots of nuts, meats and cheeses. Eggs are a really good/easy source, too. I boil a bunch on Sunday so I can grab during the week as needed.

    So really I'm no help - but you're not alone. I broke down and bought protein bars and powder this week.
  • wheird
    wheird Posts: 7,963 Member
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    Meat: Chicken, turkey, beef, pork, fish, lamb, etc.
  • IIIIISerenityNowIIIII
    IIIIISerenityNowIIIII Posts: 425 Member
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    Wow you have a BIG protein goal!! I have trouble meeting mine (I'm vegetarian) and it is about half of your goal. Tbt I really don't know what my goal should be, I just kept MFPs suggestion.
  • ponycyndi
    ponycyndi Posts: 858 Member
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    We eat a lot of eggs. Cheap, easy, and super fast. I boil a dozen at a time for snacks. My son can even microwave his own for bfast.
  • ruthejp13
    ruthejp13 Posts: 213 Member
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    I changed my settings and can meet my protein goals no problem without exercise. However, when the goals are increased because of exercise, I really don't know how much protein I should be eating, especially if I'm not eating the calorie goal that MFP sets with large doses of exercise.
  • AKNMHunt
    AKNMHunt Posts: 168 Member
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    I try to hit 90 at least 100 if I really try. I use powder though, and it's delicious. I use Whole Foods Soy powder (vanilla maybe), mix it with a cup and a half of almond milk, pb2 and a T of Ovaltine. Chocolate peanut butter shake! Really easy and has 31g protein.

    Aside from that I use chicken, tuna, salmon, and ground beef. Add in chia seeds with yogurt or cottage cheese, pb2 in yogurt, lots of litttle things.
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
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    Nope, I easily hit 150g of protein every day, mostly through chicken breast, cheese, milk, beef, etc...
  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,731 Member
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    I often don't hit mine, but when I do it's on days when I ate a lot of seafood, pork roast or chicken. And by a lot I mean way more than I should, like a whole pound of shrimp.
  • NaomiJFoster
    NaomiJFoster Posts: 1,450 Member
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    I aim for about 100. I'm a meat-eater, so it's really not a problem. It took a little getting used to at first, because I was used to filling up on starches and having smaller portions of meat. Now, I think of my protein first, and fill the rest of the plate with veggies and smaller amounts of starches.
  • xsmilexforxmex
    xsmilexforxmex Posts: 1,216 Member
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    I can easily have a day of 300 carbs and <40 g of protein.. so yes. I like carb-y foods... :( When I eat 'clean' it's a lot better and I tend not to have a problem..
  • Hiennn
    Hiennn Posts: 8 Member
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    I eat leaner meats so I can have more of it and hit my protein target. Chicken/turkey breast, instead of thighs, legs, etc. 95% lean ground beef or better yet, bison, salmon, cod, basically all fish (I buy the Costco individually frozen stuff, makes life easier). But on days I'm not within 5g of my target, I'll have a Quest bar (cookie dough or cookies and cream) or Hydrobuilder Protein Powder (Vanilla Bean is so damn delicious) depending on what my carb number looks like. I don't eat too much nuts to get to my protein target, just because it's so high in fat, albeit good fats. :smile:
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
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    I tend to hit mine with a portion of meat or fish for my tea, a bowl of fat free Greek yoghurt after tea, and a whey protein shake after my workout, with smaller bits and pieces of protein through the day (cheese, anchovies, nuts & seeds, lentil soup etc). I know I need to get three "proper" portions of protein and the rest of my food will make up the difference. If you didn't want the protein shake, I would look at adding in a decent portion of protein over my lunch, or having a protein based breakfast. I used to really struggle to get enough protein (I naturally prefer carb based foods), but gradually tweaked my diary until now I easily get to 100g a day, and often around 120g. I aim for 100 as I have roughly 100lbs of lean mass.
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
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    Any reason you want to avoid protein powders? FWIW whey powder generally works out much cheaper than expensive bars like Quest.

    I usually hit around 160g per day and I don't eat meat. My usual diet includes the following:

    Milk
    Cheese (cheddar, cottage cheese, Quark, fromage frais)
    Eggs / egg whites
    Greek yoghurt
    Whey
    Canned tuna and mackerel
    White fish and salmon
    Shellfish
    Quorn
    Soya 'meat', edamame
    Seitan
    Green vegetables
  • GreatDepression
    GreatDepression Posts: 347 Member
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    Yes, I was having trouble, too. I already cut out refined starches which was pretty hard. That lowered my carb intake and allowed me to eat more protein (while still staying in deficit) but it still wasn't enough. Starting just this week, I have cut out a lot of fruit which has been pretty hard. Fruit was my only sweet spot hitter since I no longer eat traditional desserts or savoury junk food (chips). Now that I cut my fruit intake in half, it's been hard but it's allowed me to have enough calories for protein-dense food.
  • 3RMomma
    3RMomma Posts: 55 Member
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    I was trying to stay away from the powders and bars b/c I'm not 100% sure what is in all of them and how readily my body would be able to access/use the protein.... I know just enough about nutritious/food to be dangerous and haven't really had a chance to dive into things to find the "Truth." I (Obviously) don't eat clean, but I do try to eat fewer processed food and to go organic... I remember hearing somewhere that we (americans) eat "too much" meat so maybe that has been vaguely in my head that I don't need to be/shouldn't be eating meat at every meal???
  • tryett
    tryett Posts: 530 Member
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    I have problems meeting my carbs but usually meet or exceed my protein. That is with just lean meats, a little cheese, milk, yogurt and sometimes protein powder.
  • whitebalance
    whitebalance Posts: 1,654 Member
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    My target is "somewhere over 100g, the more the better." I only struggle with it if I get too carby with my breakfast or my snacks. I usually hit half of my target with my favorite sammich at lunch (I tell them to double the turkey on it), and the other half is easy to get with a dinner featuring chicken, fish, or ribs.

    ETA: I don't do bars or powders, and I really dislike Greek yogurt... My idea of a "protein supplement" is a half-pound package of deli ham.
  • jratoms
    jratoms Posts: 11
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    Try this site.

    http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/foods-highest-in-protein.php

    My understanding is 1-1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight.

    Good article and calculator her.

    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/maki1.htm
  • Pamelicious1988
    Pamelicious1988 Posts: 16 Member
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    Growing Naturals organic brown rice protein isolate powder (Vanilla Blast) and/or egg whites and plain greek yogurt in my morning smoothie. Big salad of fresh and steamed veggies topped with 100g of boneless, skinless chicken, smoked salmon, tuna packed in water, &c. Quinoa for the extra protein, instead of rice. Raw nuts (not too many, to keep that Fat number down). The occasional steak, eat half today, save half for lunch tomorrow. Seafood or fish, steamed, broiled, or sautéed in a little coconut oil.
  • kinmoratree
    kinmoratree Posts: 125 Member
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    I struggle too. I don't use protein powders or bars because they tear up my gut. I've tried a bunch including a vegan one that used pea and brown rice protein and still can't deal with it.

    My goal is 30% of calories from protein. I do the best if I split it evenly between my meals instead of trying to play catch up at the end of the day. Egg whites, cottage cheese, fish, chicken breast, and Greek yogurt seem to work best for me. I'm learning to focus on protein first, veggies and fruit second and fill in with "starchy" carbs only if I need some more to hit my goal.

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