Better to stay low cal / low protein ?

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laciemn
laciemn Posts: 77 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey guys,
I went over my calories today by having a Cookout milkshake and I only have a total of 30 grams of protein. I am a little hungry, but could wait it out til tomorrow. I find myself in this situation a lot--I eat all my calories and fall short of protein. For weight loss and overall health, would it be better to skip extra protein or have a boiled egg white or something?
Thanks!
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Replies

  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    You don't preplan?
  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
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    What you do today will mean about nothing in the long run. I would say try to hit your macro nutrient goals AND your calorie goals as often as possible. Figure out why you are always low on protein and correct that. Progress isn't about the single day choices we make, it's the overall trends throughout the months and years that will truly determine results. You can be under on protein or over on calories every now and again, just try not to make a habit out of it.
  • lolly715
    lolly715 Posts: 106
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    What you do today will mean about nothing in the long run. I would say try to hit your macro nutrient goals AND your calorie goals as often as possible. Figure out why you are always low on protein and correct that. Progress isn't about the single day choices we make, it's the overall trends throughout the months and years that will truly determine results. You can be under on protein or over on calories every now and again, just try not to make a habit out of it.

    This. I was under protein every day because I wasn't getting enough at breakfast. So I added a low carb protein powder to my oatmeal. Would probably be better to use a "real" food but for now, supplementing is working for me.

    I might still be under protein about once a week, but usually less often. And only rarely am I very low, just not quite hitting the 30% that I'm aiming for. But I don't worry about it.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
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    I think you're looking at this wrong, if I'm reading correctly. You SHOULD be eating more protein, then you won't be as hungry and you'll have more calories to play with. You may not have went over on that milkshake.
  • Omanya
    Omanya Posts: 50
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    Unless you're very young or have some kind of illness, 30 g or similar of protein consistently won't do you any good. I'm not sure what your stats are, but try for at least .5 g per lb of lean body mass and try to work up to 1 g per lb of LBM. Check out www.fat2fit.com's bodyfat tooks to get an estimate. You can average all three tooks or use only one if your prefer. It's not exact, but all you need is a ballpark estimate so you have an idea of how much protein to consume.

    Remember that it will take some time to change your habits, so don't beat yourself up if it's hard at first. If you have to, make smallish changes that stick and work your way up over time.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    While losing weight it's really recommended to eat more protein to maintain your muscle mass as much as possible. I would aim for 0.8g per pound. Plus protein fills you up more... it's win/win.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    I try never to drink my calories and having more protein does keep you fuller throughout the day.
  • laciemn
    laciemn Posts: 77 Member
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    I generally get more like 35-40 grams of protein per day :). I guess that's low, but I don't train or anything, and I really like rice, oatmeal, and sweets a lot. I do think more protein will make me feel fuller, though, but I do eat bread and carby things quite often since they are cheap and filling. I will try to get 40 grams tomorrow and see how it goes!
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    I generally get more like 35-40 grams of protein per day :). I guess that's low, but I don't train or anything, and I really like rice, oatmeal, and sweets a lot. I do think more protein will make me feel fuller, though, but I do eat bread and carby things quite often since they are cheap and filling. I will try to get 40 grams tomorrow and see how it goes!
    You just said you are hungry. Clearly the wy you are eating isn't working. Replace some of your carb portions with protein and/or fat
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    I generally get more like 35-40 grams of protein per day :). I guess that's low, but I don't train or anything, and I really like rice, oatmeal, and sweets a lot. I do think more protein will make me feel fuller, though, but I do eat bread and carby things quite often since they are cheap and filling. I will try to get 40 grams tomorrow and see how it goes!

    I haven't lifted in three months (I'm trying to get started back up) and I always aim for 80-100 grams of protein at minimum.
  • zimmerem
    zimmerem Posts: 28 Member
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    Do you not eat meat? 4oz of chicken breast has almost 30g of protein and 1 tilapia fillet has 20g. Greek yogurt and egg whites have a ton also.
  • btc1987
    btc1987 Posts: 94 Member
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    You'll feel better if you eat a more balanced diet. It sounds like you're really carb heavy. I would aim for .6-.8/lb per body weight of protein (assuming you're not incredibly overweight/obese. if you are, use lean body mass instead).
  • laciemn
    laciemn Posts: 77 Member
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    I do eat meat, it's just usually a small amount in salad or soup. For example, today I had 5 strips of bacon, but that was only 12.5 grams of protein. I feel kind of greedy if I eat a lot of meat actually. I don't know, and then, if I eat a lot of fat early in the day, I feel sluggish. The milkshake actually had 14 grams of protein in it, just too bad it also had 680 calories.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    eat more meat and reduce your carb intake. still eat carbs, just don't eat as large of portions.
  • zimmerem
    zimmerem Posts: 28 Member
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    Lean meat has a lot less fat than a milkshake. To continue my previous example, tilapia has approx. 1.5g of fat in a fillet and 4oz of chicken breast has approx. 3.5g fat.
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
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    Eating higher protein & lower carbs leads to more weight loss
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/2014-08-09-high-protein-diet-685553
    Try 45% carbs, 20% fat, 35% protein

    Eat about half your calories for breakfast (see the last half of this post for the studies)
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/2014-06-10-some-studies-about-weight-loss-667818
  • laciemn
    laciemn Posts: 77 Member
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    Well, I ate the milkshake after work, so it didn't matter much if I felt sluggish. Why are people acting like no one ever eats a milkshake while dieting? The point is, I didn't want baked tilapia after a stressful day, I wanted a milkshake. I get that means my macros weren't ideal for that day, but it's not like an every day thing.

    I didn't really ask for people to comment on whether or not I decide to have a milkshake, I asked a specific question, if it is better to go over calories and have a high protein snack if you miss your protein goal, or if you should just not worry about meeting the protein goal as much. I didn't ask how many carbs to eat, etc, eat more fat/protein, so yeah.

    If it matters, I did feel hungry later and ate some chicken and a boiled egg white. I am definitely going to make sure to get more protein today, while staying in my calorie goal.

    Although I know the advice of eating more protein is good advice, that wasn't exactly my question. Thank you arditarose and vismal for the most helpful posts.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Pre log....
  • lemonsurprise
    lemonsurprise Posts: 255 Member
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    I've got this problem too but I'm a veggie going on vegan. I can eat more protein but usually these things are high in calories so at the moment I'm choosing low calorie and low protein until I get enough money to get some protein powder. BUT, you do eat meat so I kinda see as you have it easy! You can get all your protein and still be on a low calorie diet if you're eating meat/eggs.
  • 89nunu
    89nunu Posts: 1,082 Member
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    Nothing wrong with having a milkshake every now and again. And you won't destroy your body/diet by being under protein one day.

    But in the long run the others are right.
    Try to aim for more protein. A lot more. 35-40 isn't enough either. Protein is not just important to keep your muscles while dieting (so you are firm in the end not wobbly) but it also keeps you fuller for longer giving you calories to play around with in the evenings... for chocolate (that's what I do with my leftover calories)

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