Suggestions for protein and fats?

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mikhsh
mikhsh Posts: 37 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Help! I am a carb addict and cannot seem to get enough fats and protein, the thought of eating a ton of meat to get to my calorie count saddens me when all I want is carbs! I am trying to stay under 35% of my calories coming from carbs and I find it ridiculous I can't seem to even come close, any suggestions?

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  • Azexas
    Azexas Posts: 4,334 Member
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    You can get a lot of protein and fats through nuts and dairy products.
  • Katerina9408
    Katerina9408 Posts: 276 Member
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    mikhsh wrote: »
    Help! I am a carb addict and cannot seem to get enough fats and protein, the thought of eating a ton of meat to get to my calorie count saddens me when all I want is carbs! I am trying to stay under 35% of my calories coming from carbs and I find it ridiculous I can't seem to even come close, any suggestions?

    For protein- chickpease,beanse,soy fats -nuts,seeds,avocado
  • mikhsh
    mikhsh Posts: 37 Member
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    I guess I am hopeless, for nuts I though peanut butter-on bread. And for dairy I thought cheese-on pizza. Lol. It may take a while for me to get out of my need for all things wheat
  • mikhsh
    mikhsh Posts: 37 Member
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    Aren't most beans high in carbs too though?
  • enterdanger
    enterdanger Posts: 2,447 Member
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    For the protien try beans. They are starchy but have a ton of protein. Lentils are good. Chickpeas are amazing. If you get the canned kind you can rinse them and let them dry on a paper towel and then bake them in the oven with some spices (I like a little paprika on mine) and they make a crunchy snack.

    Make hummus. It's just a can of chickpeas, some olive oil, and tahini (here is your fat both the olive oil and tahini). I also add garlic to mine, but to each their own. You can also replace the chickpeas with blackbeans or cannelini beans if you don't like chickpeas.

    I love carbs and am trying to cut back a bit since it helps me cut back on calories. One of the things that helps me is to pick a meal to be bread free, usually dinner.
  • krissyreminisce
    krissyreminisce Posts: 284 Member
    edited February 2015
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    I like getting my fats from sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and almonds. I put The raw almonds and roast them for about five minutes. Really changes the flavor. And a lot of my protein comes from Quest bars and Greek yogurt.
  • futuremanda
    futuremanda Posts: 816 Member
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    It might be easier to focus on trying to swap out specific foods that you think you rely on too much, and swap in others with protein and fat.

    So if you'd like to cut down on bread, cut down on bread. If you end up eating more beans, more dairy, etc, don't stress that those also have carbs. (They have a better balance than bread anyway.) Once you get used to that, see if you really do need to limit carbs in a more conscious way, or if cutting down on specific foods you overate was benefit enough.

    Ex. if I get a cookie habit going, I am not going to obsess if I replace it with apples. I'm way happier with my apple habit!

    Another option if you really can't do this, is to replace your breads with breads you like less. If you eat white bread, go to whole grain. Try pumpernickel, rye, etc. Find something you don't have to choke down, but that doesn't trigger cravings the same way. And try to make sure to always pair your carbs with protein and fat.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    My blood sugars were more stable when I always paired a carbohydrate with a protein. This also meant I had no trouble hitting my macros. So if it's crackers, add cheese. On your cereal, milk. On your toast, peanut butter. With your pasta, a lovely meatball. With your popcorn, nuts.
  • FitPhillygirl
    FitPhillygirl Posts: 7,124 Member
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    Hemp and Chia seeds really are an excellent protein source.
  • mikhsh
    mikhsh Posts: 37 Member
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    krissyreminisce wrote: »
    I like getting my fats from sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and almonds. I put The raw almonds and roast them for about five minutes. Really changes the flavor. And a lot of my protein comes from Quest bars and Greek yogurt.

    Mmmmm I love my quest bars! I just ordered vita fibre so that I can make my own!! Thanks for the almond tip!
  • mikhsh
    mikhsh Posts: 37 Member
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    jgnatca wrote: »
    My blood sugars were more stable when I always paired a carbohydrate with a protein. This also meant I had no trouble hitting my macros. So if it's crackers, add cheese. On your cereal, milk. On your toast, peanut butter. With your pasta, a lovely meatball. With your popcorn, nuts.

    Jgnatca have you been counting macros long? I have just started and boy I need to work on it (obviously from my post), any tips for a beginner?
  • Lambrah
    Lambrah Posts: 45 Member
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    I also go what Jgnatca said and pair my carbs with some form of protein. also, it would help to love eggs, the macro profile is like 6g protein and 5g fat per egg, really good.
  • mikhsh
    mikhsh Posts: 37 Member
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    Lambrah wrote: »
    I also go what Jgnatca said and pair my carbs with some form of protein. also, it would help to love eggs, the macro profile is like 6g protein and 5g fat per egg, really good.

    I agree Lambrah! I choked some down the other day, for that exact reason! I ordered oat fibre as well to help get my fibre count up, and have been trying to eat walnuts to get the fats. It's kind of like a puzzle this hitting macros thing hey :)
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    edited February 2015
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    If all you want is carbs then just eat carbs. Weight loss CICO, if forcing yourself to eat more protein and fat results in you never meeting your goals then why put yourself through that? A minimum of 0.3x your weight in lbs would be an ideal amount of minimum fat (g) intake, which you could easily increase by adding butter and oil to your carbs.

    ETA eating fruits and veggies should help you reach reasonable fiber needs unless you are unable to eat these due to e.g. diabetes (watching carbs... so I'm guessing no diabetes lol).
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    edited February 2015
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    mikhsh wrote: »
    jgnatca wrote: »
    My blood sugars were more stable when I always paired a carbohydrate with a protein. This also meant I had no trouble hitting my macros. So if it's crackers, add cheese. On your cereal, milk. On your toast, peanut butter. With your pasta, a lovely meatball. With your popcorn, nuts.

    Jgnatca have you been counting macros long? I have just started and boy I need to work on it (obviously from my post), any tips for a beginner?

    Macros aren't necessary for losses. If you've lost just fine eating your caloric needs with mostly carbs and that's waht keeps you happy, do it. The MFP defaults are just that: defaults. I do not use the MFP defaults, nor do I even use percentages for macros. I have my set protein and fat for weight lifting purposes, but I easily go over on both, under on things... I look at the balance.

    Eat in a way that is sustainable for you, not just now but for life. If macros aren't your thing, then so be it.

    ETA, how many calories are you eating? if I go by percentages, my carb intake is almost half of my caloric intake. It's the only macro goal that increases or decreases based on my caloric needs.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    Greek yogurt, eggs, meat, nuts, avocados, nut butters.
  • MargaretSobers
    MargaretSobers Posts: 167 Member
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    Most of the Carbohydrates turn into sugars, Proteins turn into amino acids and fats turn into fatty acids and glycerol. Our body contains large amounts of protein and these proteins are coming from various vegetarian diets.
  • mikhsh
    mikhsh Posts: 37 Member
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    Well I guess it's mostly for overall health and balance, I want to eat fats for health, and I want to eat protein for weight training and to help me keep as much muscle mass as I can while losing weight. I guess if I want to eat carbs I can, but that's what got me to the point of hypoglycaemic tendencies and since I have no self control when I pull a pan of homemade breadsticks from the oven I need to make these changes! But I honestly have been eating like there is only one food group which I know is ridiculous, but getting up all hours of the night to breast feed and looking after children all day I go for the easy satisfaction and a quick blood sugar spike :( good new is- I'm working on it!! :) fish and stir fry mixed veg for supper tonight- and I loved it! (Lots of carbs in the honey garlic sauce but it's a start)

    MFP daily caloric goal is 1550, my breast fed baby is 9 months old so not exclusively breast feeding since she is on solids too, and I live in a small apartment looking after my 3 kids all day so I am conservative and would say 'sedentary'

    Wow long post sorry
    Thanks for your time looking at this Ana3067 I appreciate your input and if you have any more!
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    Your goal sounds too low for breastfeeding. A 0.5lb/week goal might be better right now until she is completely on solids. This will give you more leeway to eat higher carb while meeting more protein needs.

    Mixing carbs with protein might help. What kind of carbs are you primarily eating? e.g. I used to make a lot of macaroni and lasagnas and stuff like that, so to add more protein just swap some of the cheese for chicken or tuna. Double the meat in stir-fry and beef stroganoff (sp??). Add some eggs to your breakfast. Swap out your normal yogurt for greek yogurt. If you eat burgers make the burgers themselves larger or only have it with half the bun. Using less sauce or adding protein igredients to sauces can help (e.g. greek yogurt can work well for sauces).
  • Katerina9408
    Katerina9408 Posts: 276 Member
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    mikhsh wrote: »
    Aren't most beans high in carbs too though?

    Yes but they are very healthy.

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