Protein dilemma

chaitrex · February 2015

Hi guys,
I need a little help here. I'm aiming to eat at least 80g of protein daily, since everything seems to point in the direction of that being a good starting point to build and maintain muscle at a healthy rate, and I really want to get stronger and slim down.
Unfortunately, the whole protein thing is a little daunting to me. I was vegetarian for years, and probably in the best shape of my life at that point, but was consuming less than 40g a day of protein. I started eating poultry and fish again a couple years ago, but still refrain from red meat and pork.
I also stopped eating dairy, after I noticed that both whey and casein cause a lot of inflammation in my body.
I also totally cannot tolerate soy proteins. Anything more than a handful of edamame or the occasional few bites of tofu sends my stomach into appendicitis-esque knots.
But on a calorie total of about 1450 a day before exercise, I'm having a really hard time getting enough protein without skyrocketing my fat and carb ratios.
I have a vegan protein powder I use some days (vega) which tastes great but can leave me feeling a little nauseous. Even when I use it, I can't come close to 80g of protein. I also am a big fan of nutritional yeast too, but still...
I'm a little apprehensive to get that much protein from animal sources, as I'm a firm believer that excess animal protein is hard on the kidneys...and yikes, look at all the correlation to heart disease and cancer.
But when I get my protein from nuts, beans, brown rice, lentils, quinoa, veggies, etc., the fat and carbs just sky rocket on my little pie chart. I know there's no magic answer, but I was just wondering if anyone else is having these concerns, has found a way to deal with them, or has disregarded they'd side high protein content and still seen results. Thank you!

jgnatca · February 2015

Fastidiousness is gonna kill you. I suggest you pay no attention to the ratios and just concentrate on getting protein from any source that will agree with you. I didn't see eggs on your list anywhere. Could you add eggs, or a combination of whole eggs and egg whites? How about starting your day with a nice omelet or quiche?

chaitrex · February 2015

Thanks jgnatca! Eggs are a good choice....I do eat them sometimes although the cholesterol in the yolks freaks me out....but I think starting the day with a park yolk and lots of whites omelette sounds great...thank you!

jovalleau · February 2015

chaitrex wrote: »

Thanks jgnatca! Eggs are a good choice....I do eat them sometimes although the cholesterol in the yolks freaks me out....but I think starting the day with a park yolk and lots of whites omelette sounds great...thank you!

The dietary cholestoral's harmful effects are slowly being debunked over and over. Unless you have a problem with the cholestoral itself.....EAT MORE EGGS! They're awesome and can be prepared so many ways! It's one of the most nutrient dense foods you can find, too!

VeryKatie · February 2015

chaitrex wrote: »

Thanks jgnatca! Eggs are a good choice....I do eat them sometimes although the cholesterol in the yolks freaks me out....but I think starting the day with a park yolk and lots of whites omelette sounds great...thank you!

Dietary cholesterol =/= blood cholesterol. There's very little relationship, actually.

Also, 80 g of protein even from animals isn't at the level where you have to worry about your kidneys. Not even close in fact.

I worry you have fallen victim to many dieting/food myths. Could I perhaps suggest you take some time to research scholarly articles about any worries you have about foods?

vismal · February 2015

There is no concrete data to suggest excess animal protein is hard on the kidneys. Even if there was, it would take 100's of grams to make a difference. The link to cancer and heart disease is a correlation, not a casual link. There is also absolutely NO data to support that animal protein actually causes heart disease. The link could perhaps exist because many people who eat a diet high in animal protein also eat a diet high in calories. That's just 1 of hundreds of possible reasons for the link. That's the problem with correlation is it doesn't tell us anything concrete. The exact thing is true about cholesterol. High dietary cholesterol doesn't always mean high blood cholesterol. So the eggs are fine too.

RoxieDawn · February 2015

There is a group on MFP called Happy Herbivores

chaitrex · February 2015

That's true, I forgot that about cholesterol in eggs being ok. It's just such a scary number on the box!
My concerns about animal protein are pretty well qualified in my opinion. I've read a lot of studies both for and against, but I'm current undergoing a pre-cancer treatment so I'd rather not take the risk. Traditionally, the program calls for a change to vegan in extreme cases, so I'm just glad my nd didn't think that was necessary.

Liftng4Lis · February 2015

Eat more chicken and turkey.

chaitrex · February 2015

Gia, thank you!

mavajo · February 2015

chaitrex wrote: »

Hi guys,
I'm a firm believer that excess animal protein is hard on the kidneys...

You can believe that all you want, but there's no factual basis for it. As I see it, could can believe in your myth and continue to have a hard time meeting your protein goals, or you can live in the real world and eat more animal protein.

WalkingAlong · February 2015

There are many vegan protein powders besides Vega that are not soy based.

kr1stadee · February 2015

Fat won't make you fat (unless the calories put you above maintenance consistently).

You seem to be a worrier - cholesterol in eggs, animal protein and kidneys, heart disease and cancer, fat levels.

Just eat!

mavajo · February 2015

kr1stadee wrote: »

Fat won't make you fat (unless the calories put you above maintenance consistently).

You seem to be a worrier - cholesterol in eggs, animal protein and kidneys, heart disease and cancer, fat levels.

Just eat!

People make their diet way more complicated than it needs to be. I eat fast food, cookies, alcohol, etc., on a regular basis. I pay no attention to good fats v. bad fats. I eat all the sugar I want.

But I maintain my calorie limit, stay at a healthy weight, lift weights regularly and get my protein. I just had a physical last month - results were immaculate. The doctor was stunned by how good my cholesterol levels were -- my "good" cholesterol was actually so high that it pushed my "overall" cholesterol into the range that would typically be considered bad. And this was despite all of my cholesterol levels being in the "High" or "Very High" range less than 2 years ago. The difference? The 60 lbs and 1,000 daily calories that I cut.

tephanies1234 · February 2015

greek yogurt

chaitrex · February 2015

Thanks to everyone who was helpful and respectful!
Telhanies- Greek yogurt is in the no no list, trying to avoid as much dairy as possible.
WalkingAlong-have you found one you like?

WalkingAlong · February 2015

No, I don't mind whey protein and usually use that the rare times I use powder because it's cheaper, plus I don't stress over (or even monitor) my protein intake. I'm with you-- I suspect from my own reading that too much of some types is as bad for you as too little. So I focus more on just eating healthier overall. More produce, less high calorie food, more homemade food, less sugar, less alcohol. Fewer numbers. More ease.

chaitrex · February 2015

Mavajo- I guess I'll be doing that then. I totally respect your dietary choices and don't by any means expect you to be anything other than healthy. It's just that my personal health history has left me with more concerns than most young people.

Foamroller · February 2015

I think you're stressing too much about things. Stress is bad for fat loss and health. Consider not having so many rules.

I_Will_End_You · February 2015

I think you're worrying too much. 80g of protein from predominantly poultry and fish is not going to harm you.

GulfcoastAL · February 2015

Hi OP!
I'm very similar to you- cannot tolerate protein supplement anything, no matter what it is. I hate meat. I started MFP to lose 20 pounds (5 pounds left or so) and to start tracking my micronutrients and macros, especially the protein piece. I just wanted a balance. I've been eating low protein since I was a child and I'm almost 46 in a month. I stayed trim until last year due to my pasta fixation.

Well, I tried to eat 89 grams of protein after reading these forums and just couldn't do it. I kind of laugh at myself about it now. I was going to try to eat more if I could. After a month, I got some prior-to-MFP blood work back and my protein levels were normal??? I was eating prior to MFP around 18-22 grams of protein a day then! Maybe it was using World Health Org stats, I don't know.

Anyway, today I aim for 67 grams of protein like MFP says. If I don't make it, oh well! I feel like I have plenty of energy and I'm happy with how I'm toning up. Would I have more muscles if I had more protein? Not sure, but I'm more than happy with my results.

The biggest piece of the puzzle is to find something YOU can stick with. I have found protein sources I like and can eat. Because I am absolutely not eating any kind of meat and it is unrealistic to think that I will stick with that. Maybe you can, but I cannot. Good luck.

kimny72 · February 2015

OP, if you can get to 40 grams with vegetarian sources, and add another 40 grams from animal protein, you are getting to your 80 grams but only eating 40 grams of animal protein. That's really not that much, maybe one serving of chicken and an egg or two. I can only get to my goal (90-100 grams) by eating meat, eggs, and dairy plus protein powder every day. So if you decide to (or need to) avoid animal products and soy, I'm not sure how else you might get over 40 grams or so a day. Also, don't worry about fat so much. If you eliminate everything from your diet that might be a cause of something bad in someone, you'll be eating nothing but air! I'm exaggerating but you get what I mean :drinker:

ForeverSunshine09 · February 2015

I have suffered from kidney disease for over a decade. I have never been told to control my protein in fact I eat it on a regular basis because I suffer from anemia from my kidney disease. I have to watch salt and sugar intake. Which does in fact cause issues with my kidneys.

LifeNewandImproved · February 2015

I use the vegan optimizer formula from TrueNutrition.com - it's made of peas, rice, and hemp.

It's about $8/lb and while shipping is expensive, once you decide you like it you can bulk order to make the shipping cost per pound much more reasonable.

Protein dilemma

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