Protein deficit

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HailDawgs
HailDawgs Posts: 30 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hello friends here at myfitnesspal,

I have changed my diet considerably, and at the end of the day, I am finishing with an unreached protein goal. Generally speaking, 80-120+ may be my protein deficit.

It irritates me to no end, because today, I ate the P3 Protein Packs and Greek yogurt, and I eat tilapia, meats, and sandwiches, but I cannot reach that 197 grams of protein goal.

Let me note to you I am in college, so I cannot really make grocery runs in the sense of budget, and I am pretty much with a school cafeteria, Subway, Chick Fil A, Panda Express (Chinese), campus grocery (a bit pricey, but where I get my P3 packs and greek yogurt), and a salad bar (but it is about $8 out of pocket for an entree).

Before I fist fight with protein, can anyone provide some solid recommendations? I am not so sure about doing a protein powder. Maybe there is a protein pill or something that is FDA approved. On any note, let me know what you recommend. Cheers.

Replies

  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    why are you trying to consume almost 200 grams of protein?
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    secondly - open your diary- it's private- we can't see what you're eating.
  • nataliebordeauxx
    nataliebordeauxx Posts: 94 Member
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    What JoRocka said. 200 grams tho? :o
  • zipa78
    zipa78 Posts: 354 Member
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    Do you lift? I'm curious about that target as well...

    Anywhey, get some whey. That's the easiest and cheapest and one of the best options. High protein dairy products are good too, cottage cheese, quark, skyr etc. Then there's always canned tuna, a staple in any students food pyramid. Minced beef, jerky, eggs.

    I'd like to see that pill you are envisioning, you know, the one that would give you an extra 80-120 grams of protein. Or more to the point, I'd like to see you try swallowing it... :smiley:
  • LuckyStar813
    LuckyStar813 Posts: 163 Member
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    Are you on a specific diet that recommended that much protein? 197 grams daily seems really high. The RDA is 56 grams but many other diets recommend more. I found an article on Men's Health site that said:

    "Men who work out 5 or more days a week for an hour or longer need 0.55 gram per pound. And men who work out 3 to 5 days a week for 45 minutes to an hour need 0.45 gram per pound. So a 180-pound guy who works out regularly needs about 80 grams of protein a day."

    "highly trained athletes thrive on 0.77 gram of daily protein per pound of body weight. That's 139 grams for a 180-pound man."

    http://www.menshealth.com/mhlists/guide-to-protein/recommended-protein-intake.php

    I think that yes if you need a lot of protein, people start using protein powders to supplement. Which would be a good option for a college student because they dont need refridgeration and can be packed along during the day.
  • HailDawgs
    HailDawgs Posts: 30 Member
    edited January 2015
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    JoRocka wrote: »
    why are you trying to consume almost 200 grams of protein?

    I have unlocked my diary.

    Correct me if I am wrong, but this is in grams, right? 2ag0rro.jpg
    When I selected my goals, it automatically put in that protein levels.
    zipa78 wrote: »
    Do you lift? I'm curious about that target as well...

    Anywhey, get some whey. That's the easiest and cheapest and one of the best options. High protein dairy products are good too, cottage cheese, quark, skyr etc. Then there's always canned tuna, a staple in any students food pyramid. Minced beef, jerky, eggs.

    I'd like to see that pill you are envisioning, you know, the one that would give you an extra 80-120 grams of protein. Or more to the point, I'd like to see you try swallowing it... :smiley:

    I do not lift; however, I am starting a prescribed workout regiment soon.

    Thanks for the sarcastic pill reply. Who knows, maybe they will invent the protein horse pill soon! :#
    LuckyStar813 wrote: »
    Are you on a specific diet that recommended that much protein? 197 grams daily seems really high. The RDA is 56 grams but many other diets recommend more. I found an article on Men's Health site that said:
    No, I am not. I quit fried foods and soda; however, that is not too specific.

  • MomiTia
    MomiTia Posts: 94 Member
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    Youre having more protein than your carbs and fats put together...why would you want to do that ....is it even doable...its not mfp recommendedbfor sure
  • HailDawgs
    HailDawgs Posts: 30 Member
    edited January 2015
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    MomiTia wrote: »
    Youre having more protein than your carbs and fats put together...why would you want to do that ....is it even doable...its not mfp recommendedbfor sure

    I am rather ignorant when it comes to all these new levels of consumption regarding the various nutrients; however, I can tell you with 100% certainty that I did not set that protein level nor do I have intentions to consume that much protein. When I put in my goals, that is what was there by default. It must have been a bug. What should I do?
  • LuckyStar813
    LuckyStar813 Posts: 163 Member
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    I googled 2250 calorie diet and found this: http://nutrition.about.com/od/recipesmenus/qt/Meal-Planning-And-Cooking-Healthy-Balanced-Meal-Plan-Day-One.htm

    Here's the nutritional breakdown with 55 percent of those calories coming from carbohydrates, 20 percent from fat and 25 percent from protein. Values are approximate:

    Calories - 2,250
    Total fat - 48 grams
    Carbohydrates - 303 grams
    Protein - 135 grams

    Looks like you need to get more calories from carbs instead of protein.
  • McEneny
    McEneny Posts: 23 Member
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    Yeah, thats weird. My protein goal is only 81, granted I am living on a deficit right now to loose weight.

    So a chicken breast (not the whole breast just one side) has 30 grams of protein, that goal means you would have to eat 6 good size chicken breasts a day. That is pretty crazy. That would also put you past your calories at 1500 just from the chicken breast. That just feels weird.

    Maybe because you are 20 and a man that its giving you the high goal. Sometimes when those numbers look weird I redo the goal to make sure it didnt make a mistake, like in the past it said I could eat 90 grams of sugar, which would be easy but not super healthy.

    Good luck!
  • HailDawgs
    HailDawgs Posts: 30 Member
    edited January 2015
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    LuckyStar & McEneny, thank you (along with the other commenters)!

    I have taken your advice and adjusted my goals as such:
    Carbs: 309 Grams [55%]
    Protein: 141 Grams [25%]
    Fat: 50 Grams [20%]

    Is that good?

    It stinks dropping so many grams of fat; that is going to be much more difficult in a college setting.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    edited January 2015
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    I'm assuming you are trying to hit a deficit??

    Ultimately you just want to have a reasonable macro spilt (macros = carbs/fat/protein)

    like a 50/50/0 split- that's unreasonable- no matter which way you split it.
    -
    secondly- in the long run- as long as you maintain a calorie deficit- how you split the macros up is <meh>

    Most people on a deficit tend to cut carbs- and raise protein and fat. Protein helps make sure you keep what muscle you have- and lowering carbs means you can eat more fat and protein-which is typically less calorie dense- and more filling.

    Really it's trial and error and you have to figure out what works for you. Odds are you have a lot of cheap starchy/carb options available to you- which racks up calories quickly- so just be careful.
  • HailDawgs
    HailDawgs Posts: 30 Member
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    Thank you all for your reply! :) Great help!
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
    edited January 2015
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    HailDawgs wrote: »
    LuckyStar & McEneny, thank you (along with the other commenters)!

    I have taken your advice and adjusted my goals as such:
    Carbs: 309 Grams [55%]
    Protein: 141 Grams [25%]
    Fat: 50 Grams [20%]

    Is that good?

    It stinks dropping so many grams of fat; that is going to be much more difficult in a college setting.

    I would suggest keeping fat in the 25-30% range and lower carbs to 45-50%. Fat is actually quite important, much more than carbs. A rule of thumb is to get a minimum of 0.35 grams of fat/lb of body weight. So if you are 200 lbs you should get a minimum of 70 grams of fat (200*.35), which would be 28.5% of your 2200 cals. since I don't know your weight the min fat may be higher or lower than I used here.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
    edited January 2015
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    McEneny wrote: »
    Yeah, thats weird. My protein goal is only 81, granted I am living on a deficit right now to loose weight.

    So a chicken breast (not the whole breast just one side) has 30 grams of protein, that goal means you would have to eat 6 good size chicken breasts a day. That is pretty crazy. That would also put you past your calories at 1500 just from the chicken breast. That just feels weird.

    Maybe because you are 20 and a man that its giving you the high goal. Sometimes when those numbers look weird I redo the goal to make sure it didnt make a mistake, like in the past it said I could eat 90 grams of sugar, which would be easy but not super healthy.

    Good luck!

    MFP sets protein at 15%, so he had to have changed them to get to 200grams. That said, in a deficit you should really be getting more protein, as protein will help you retain the muscle you already have.

    a good rule of thumb is a minimum amount of protein of 0.8 grams/lb of lean body mass, and more can be better up to a certain point.
  • melimomTARDIS
    melimomTARDIS Posts: 1,941 Member
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    200g is a lot! I think you'd have to supplement.

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