Protein problems

Hey everyone,

Down 10 pounds in June from a calorie deficit and doing something active almost everyday. However, I purchased the Kindle version of Strong Curves and am deciding to begin that plan in order revamp my routine to work smarter. I am also accepting that my body doesn't do so well with sugar and carbs (I get so, so sleepy), so I am trying to work towards improved macros. I'm aiming for 45% protein, 35% fat, and 20% carbs). However, I find it SO difficult to get in enough protein. 180 grams feels impossible. Here's what I had so far today:

Morning meal: 1 cup organic 1% milk, Optimum Nutrition Whey, 6 frozen strawberries

"Brunch": 1 soft-boiled egg, onions and red pepper cooked in 2 tsp of olive oil, 2.5 ounces of left over pork belly/porchetta from last night's dinner out, 1 oz roast potato

I have 134 grams of protein to try to get in between an afternoon snack and dinner between 762 calories left. o_o

Advice on how to get that in?


Replies

  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    What do you weigh

    0.64-0.82g protein per lb of bodyweight ...for a minimum ...beyond that any further benefit is highly debatable ...
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    elleelise wrote: »
    Hey everyone,

    Down 10 pounds in June from a calorie deficit and doing something active almost everyday. However, I purchased the Kindle version of Strong Curves and am deciding to begin that plan in order revamp my routine to work smarter. I am also accepting that my body doesn't do so well with sugar and carbs (I get so, so sleepy), so I am trying to work towards improved macros. I'm aiming for 45% protein, 35% fat, and 20% carbs). However, I find it SO difficult to get in enough protein. 180 grams feels impossible. Here's what I had so far today:

    Morning meal: 1 cup organic 1% milk, Optimum Nutrition Whey, 6 frozen strawberries

    "Brunch": 1 soft-boiled egg, onions and red pepper cooked in 2 tsp of olive oil, 2.5 ounces of left over pork belly/porchetta from last night's dinner out, 1 oz roast potato

    I have 134 grams of protein to try to get in between an afternoon snack and dinner between 762 calories left. o_o

    Advice on how to get that in?



    Why fix what isn't broke?
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Ps fat at 0.35g per lb of bodyweight ...also a minimum
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
    This is why a lot of people take protein supplements, either in powder form or in a protein bar.
  • elleelise
    elleelise Posts: 33 Member
    edited June 2015
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    What do you weigh

    0.64-0.82g protein per lb of bodyweight ...for a minimum ...beyond that any further benefit is highly debatable ...

    231 at the moment
  • elleelise
    elleelise Posts: 33 Member
    elleelise wrote: »
    Hey everyone,

    Down 10 pounds in June from a calorie deficit and doing something active almost everyday. However, I purchased the Kindle version of Strong Curves and am deciding to begin that plan in order revamp my routine to work smarter. I am also accepting that my body doesn't do so well with sugar and carbs (I get so, so sleepy), so I am trying to work towards improved macros. I'm aiming for 45% protein, 35% fat, and 20% carbs). However, I find it SO difficult to get in enough protein. 180 grams feels impossible. Here's what I had so far today:

    Morning meal: 1 cup organic 1% milk, Optimum Nutrition Whey, 6 frozen strawberries

    "Brunch": 1 soft-boiled egg, onions and red pepper cooked in 2 tsp of olive oil, 2.5 ounces of left over pork belly/porchetta from last night's dinner out, 1 oz roast potato

    I have 134 grams of protein to try to get in between an afternoon snack and dinner between 762 calories left. o_o

    Advice on how to get that in?



    Why fix what isn't broke?

    Because I am not just interested in weight loss. I am interested in maintaining muscle mass, having enough energy, avoiding blood sugar spikes, and composition.
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  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    edited June 2015
    But if you pre-plan ( so you know how much protein you get) and train And you lost 10 pounds since begin of june...what is wrong?
    You maintain as much as muscle already doing it that way
    I dont see the use of cutting out food groups (or there must be a medical reason for it).

    How are you knowing now that your body is doing well on sugar and carbs? Maybe your deficit is to big? Because 10 pounds in the last 28 days is a lot.

    And dont get me wrong i am all for protein. I dont eat (cant have) added sugar of salt myself because of medical reasons. But i dont see the real problem here. Only after successful losing 10 pound in 28 days you are going to cut out sugar and carbs ????
    I think you are fine the way it is.
  • elleelise
    elleelise Posts: 33 Member
    But if you pre-plan ( so you know how much protein you get) and train And you lost 10 pounds since begin of june...what is wrong?
    You maintain as much as muscle already doing it that way
    I dont see the use of cutting out food groups (or there must be a medical reason for it).

    How are you knowing now that your body is doing well on sugar and carbs? Maybe your deficit is to big? Because 10 pounds in the last 28 days is a lot.

    And dont get me wrong i am all for protein. I dont eat (cant have) added sugar of salt myself because of medical reasons. But i dont see the real problem here. Only after successful losing 10 pound in 28 days you are going to cut out sugar and carbs ????
    I think you are fine the way it is.

    I started out at 241 pounds, so 10 pounds isn't crazy for the first month. My deficit is not too low, but thanks for worrying! And I'm not cutting out all sugar and carbs (where was that implied?) I simply want to focus on hitting certain macros targets 80%-90% of the time, and upping my focus on eating quality foods because I'm doing a lot of strength training and interested in recomposition as opposed to solely losing weight.

    If I want a cookie I'll eat it. But, sugar makes me sluggish and tired.

    I just wanted help from others with how they tackle hitting protein targets.
  • elleelise
    elleelise Posts: 33 Member
    elleelise wrote: »
    Hey everyone,

    Down 10 pounds in June from a calorie deficit and doing something active almost everyday. However, I purchased the Kindle version of Strong Curves and am deciding to begin that plan in order revamp my routine to work smarter. I am also accepting that my body doesn't do so well with sugar and carbs (I get so, so sleepy), so I am trying to work towards improved macros. I'm aiming for 45% protein, 35% fat, and 20% carbs). However, I find it SO difficult to get in enough protein. 180 grams feels impossible. Here's what I had so far today:

    Morning meal: 1 cup organic 1% milk, Optimum Nutrition Whey, 6 frozen strawberries

    "Brunch": 1 soft-boiled egg, onions and red pepper cooked in 2 tsp of olive oil, 2.5 ounces of left over pork belly/porchetta from last night's dinner out, 1 oz roast potato

    I have 134 grams of protein to try to get in between an afternoon snack and dinner between 762 calories left. o_o

    Advice on how to get that in?


    That's a lot of protein! I'll try: Chicken breast has 55.5 for 213 calories, Greek Yogurt (non fat) has 18 grams for 100 calories, 96% lean ground beef has 26 grams for 150 calories, a cup of nonfat cottage cheese has 15 for 104 calories. That's pretty close with a couple hundred calories left over.

    But IMO, you'd probably be fine with 40% protein too. :)

    Yeah, I'll bump it down to 40% for now! :) Thanks for the help!
  • hockey7fan
    hockey7fan Posts: 281 Member
    I weigh 251 and my protein goal is 90 grams a day set by a registered dietician. I can hit that easily with a Qwest protein bar for breakfast and 4-5 oz of lean protein at lunch and again at dinner.
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    well sorry just wondered about it that's all.
    And i didn't say 10 pounds is crazy for the first month. Not at all. I lost 32 my first month ( i was bloated)

    I just said you do good why change it.
    And saw your protein intake and thought nothing wrong with it.

    But np :) i see you found your solution by lowering it.

    Wish you luc on your journey, i am sure you will succeed :)
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    Greek yogurt, milk, cheese, meat, eggs, quest bars.
  • MercuryBlue
    MercuryBlue Posts: 886 Member
    I'm at 40/40/20 myself, and also find it pretty difficult some days to hit my protein target. I try to include protein with every meal, and also drink a lot of shakes. I also love baking with protein powders.

    I will say that I am not TOO picky about hitting the goal when eating back my exercise calories. I generally eat about 1.5g per kg, which for me is about 105g of protein a day- and that's because I'm trying to build muscle. As long as I'm in that range, I'm happy. :)
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,149 Member
    Any particular reason your macro split is that way? Is it suggested by the app or what you've figured works for you?
  • Aine8046
    Aine8046 Posts: 2,122 Member
    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    Greek yogurt, milk, cheese, meat, eggs, quest bars.

    + chicken and tuna
  • MercuryBlue
    MercuryBlue Posts: 886 Member
    zyxst wrote: »
    Any particular reason your macro split is that way? Is it suggested by the app or what you've figured works for you?

    I don't know about OP, but I will say that I've gone with my macro split because it's what the program I'm on recommends. I think even 40% is higher than I'd like, which is why I focus more on total grams per day than on percentage. If I ate at 40% on heavy activity days (when I aim for about 1800 calories), I'd explode and probably never poop again. ;)

    Seriously, though, I'd never had a hard time eating all my calories until I upped my protein goal. Now I regularly feel too full to eat as much as I should.
  • ladymorella
    ladymorella Posts: 7 Member
    I am on 40p/20c/40f and need 210g of protein a day. It's an insane amount. I kind of gave up on normal breakfast type foods for breakfast due partly to the amount of protein I have to eat and the fact I can't have wheat or eggs (upsets my stomach). I'm relying on protein powder a lot right now.

    I figure my goal right now is to hit the protein then I can work on cutting the protein powder down and replacing with real food. I have been losing weight finally now that I have upped my calories and protein. Hopefully next my strength will improve.

    This weekend I cooked a turkey and a big roast. I'm not sure it will last past Wednesday. :-\ Basically all day I have to think about what protein I am going to eat next. How I can make meats that gives me some diversity. Chicken and ground turkey has been a staple so far. I want to start playing with adding in beef as hitting my fat goal have been difficult with the poultry.

    I've only been doing this for about 2 weeks. So it's still pretty new for me. However I feel a lot better. I use to feel worn out all the time. If you find any tricks let me know. So much protein. Which reminds me I need to go eat :-\
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    @ladymorella which part of the egg upsets your stomach, I find I have an intolerance to too much egg yolk so have to limit it .. but I eat egg whites (with added cheese) every day and there's a great protein boost from that

    You could try egg whites (you can buy cartons of it) to see if you can tolerate it
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,238 Member
    I am on 40p/20c/40f and need 210g of protein a day. It's an insane amount.
    Not knowing your height etc, it does seem a tad high. I am 5ft 8" and almost 182lbs, and my 150g a day protein goal represents about 1.1g per lb of lean tissue.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    I am on 40p/20c/40f and need 210g of protein a day. It's an insane amount.
    Not knowing your height etc, it does seem a tad high. I am 5ft 8" and almost 182lbs, and my 150g a day protein goal represents about 1.1g per lb of lean tissue.

    @pav8888 I thought you were going to bed :wink:

    I'm 5'8, around 160lb and my daily goal (in my head) is 100g minimum but aim for 125-130g (based on 0.64g-0.82g protein per lb bodyweight) .. more will do me no harm but the additional benefit is not that supported in the research I've seen
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,238 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    @pav8888 I thought you were going to bed :wink:
    It's like a sugar addiction :blush:

  • minties82
    minties82 Posts: 907 Member
    Genuine question here - why do so many people think that low carb is cutting out "an entire food group" but low fat isn't? That alwaya makes me shake my head.

    To the OP I'd up the fat, that is a lot of protein.
  • desireeak
    desireeak Posts: 4 Member
    As others have suggested - Quest bars. I LOVE them!
  • ladymorella
    ladymorella Posts: 7 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    @ladymorella which part of the egg upsets your stomach, I find I have an intolerance to too much egg yolk so have to limit it .. but I eat egg whites (with added cheese) every day and there's a great protein boost from that

    You could try egg whites (you can buy cartons of it) to see if you can tolerate it

    No idea. I did an allergy blood test to cut out a LOT of time trying to figure out what was causing me problems and eggs showed up. Those tests are prone to false positives and so needs to be tested. My testing is inconclusive. Sometimes it seems to bother me other times not. So for now they are cut out. Truth be told I don't like them that much anyway.
  • ladymorella
    ladymorella Posts: 7 Member
    edited June 2015
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    I am on 40p/20c/40f and need 210g of protein a day. It's an c, it does seem a tad high. I am 5ft 8" and almost 182lbs, and my 150g a day protein goal represents about 1.1g per lb of lean tissue.

    My coach set the number. It is for 2100 cal and a 40/20/40 diet. Protein just came out to that. it was set like that to lose fat and gain muscle I believe. Idk I'm trying it out for 12 wks. Numbers will be rechecked next week.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    I am on 40p/20c/40f and need 210g of protein a day. It's an c, it does seem a tad high. I am 5ft 8" and almost 182lbs, and my 150g a day protein goal represents about 1.1g per lb of lean tissue.

    My coach set the number. It is for 2100 cal and a 40/20/40 diet. Protein just came out to that. it was set like that to lose fat and gain muscle I believe. Idk I'm trying it out for 12 wks. Numbers will be rechecked next week.

    I'd suggest that protein is kind of high as a minimum .. what tests did you have to establish your BF%

    There are no studies that prove any further benefit, even in professional bodybuilders which I doubt you are, of consuming greater than 0.84g protein per lb bodyweight ... there's no harm in it

    Best guideline I've seen so far is set your protein and fats as minimum grammes to hit rather than percentages (for MFP you can do a conversion) and then allow the 3 macros Carbs, Proteins and Fats to fall where they will after you've hit your minimum

    So Protein at 0.64-0.82g per lb of bodyweight min - for you that would be 116 - 149g protein min
    Fat at 0.35g per lb of bodyweight min - for you that would be 63g fat min
  • moglovesshoez
    moglovesshoez Posts: 83 Member
    What they don't tell you about low carb is that you have to eat high fat for energy. Maybe switch your macros to 25%P/50%F/25%C and load up on healthy fats.