How do I get more protein in my diet?

epcswim2009
epcswim2009 Posts: 13 Member
edited November 21 in Health and Weight Loss
I always have below 10% or my diet being protein. Since I'm going to be working out much more often I need it more. Help!
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Replies

  • mitchelsimps
    mitchelsimps Posts: 151 Member
    Best way = protein shakes (personal opinion)

    Or lots of lean meats
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,428 MFP Moderator
    Meat, greek yogurt, nuts, lentils, soy beans, more meat, protein shakes and protein bars
  • rwhyte12
    rwhyte12 Posts: 204 Member
    Whey protein. If you go this route, check the nutrition label because they are all different.
  • Steve_ApexNC
    Steve_ApexNC Posts: 210 Member
    edited July 2015
    epcswim2009 wrote: »
    I always have below 10% or my diet being protein. Since I'm going to be working out much more often I need it more. Help!

    Eat more protein rich foods would be the first thing. I'd bet you would be shocked by the shift in your protein numbers by adding one or two servings of lean meat each day (and by lean meat I mean chicken, turkey, fish, etc). And a servings is a lot less than many understand - a mere 4oz of boneless/skineless chicken breast has something like 26 grams of protein. I don't know where you get your chicken, but the breasts I get at the store range anywhere from 8oz to a full pound!

    But let me ask a couple things:

    1. How are you calculating 10%? The reason I am asking is because MFP reports data to you in grams. However, a gram of protein and carbs are 4 calories per gram while a gram of fat contains 9 calories. If you are using percentage as a function of weight (grams) then you may not be giving yourself an accurate picture.
    2. If your protein in take is only 10%, then what constitutes the other 90? You are consuming too much fat or too many carbs. Look through your food diary and see what foods are driving that macro's percentage so high and try to replace some of them with a food with more protein.

    Good Luck.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    I eat a lot of chicken and lean meat, but I often end up eating Greek yogurt with whey protein powder to top off my daily intake.
  • Bshmerlie
    Bshmerlie Posts: 1,026 Member
    Premier protein shakes are 30 grams of protein for only 160 caliries. It's the best ratio I've found.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Through your mouth

    :bigsmile:
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    Through your mouth

    :bigsmile:

    LOL! Love it.

    OP, what kinds of foods do you eat to where you only have 10% protein? Are you vegetarian? Are you calculating correctly? I ask because it seems to me that eating 10% protein would be very difficult to do.
  • senecarr
    senecarr Posts: 5,377 Member
    Look at list
    http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-000078000000000000000.html
    Eat from list
    Boom, protein
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  • senecarr
    senecarr Posts: 5,377 Member
    asflatasapancake wrote: »
    Grilled chicken and fish will blast that protein right up. I make sure I have a Quest bar or something along those lines around for a quick jolt of protein. Hard boiled eggs. Beef jerky.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/calories/82464310
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    SLLRunner wrote: »
    OP, what kinds of foods do you eat to where you only have 10% protein? Are you vegetarian? Are you calculating correctly? I ask because it seems to me that eating 10% protein would be very difficult to do.

    When I was vegetarian, I accidentally only ate about 10% protein. It was pretty easy, really. But I DONT RECOMMEND IT, I lost so much muscle it's not even funny and I kick myself every day.
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  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    eat poultry/fish/meat/greek yogurt/whey supplements, etc
  • maayan98
    maayan98 Posts: 15 Member
    I read somewhere a research where they found that milk is better than whey protein. A glass of milk after work out does that for me, and not too many calories either.
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
    Greek Yogurt, string cheese, protein powder, eggs, actual meat.
  • noel2fit
    noel2fit Posts: 235 Member
    I love grabbing boiled eggs for breakfast for a cheap, fast protein fix first thing in the morning. Personally I think protein shakes are too nasty texture and flavor wise to choke down so I try for the lean meats. Boneless, skinless chicken breast is awesome, chicken thigh is cheaper and packs a similar punch. Salmon and rock fish are delicious seafood options (fast and easy to cook too). Plus surprising things have a little protein like rolled oats, throw some nuts on there and dollop of greek yogurt and you've got some good protein going. Toss beans into your salads and soups for extra protein, and just focus on making sure every meal and snack you eat includes SOMETHING with protein. Banana? Add almond butter. Spaghetti? Add meatballs. Salad? Add chicken breast, beans, and nuts!
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
    edited July 2015
    I'm always really confused when people, especially people that consume animal products (i.e. not vegetarian or vegan), have trouble getting in their protein. Especially when their goal is pretty low, like under 100g. My protein goal is 125g/day (a little over 1g/lb body weight) and even without protein powder, I have trouble not going way over my protein every day.

    Meat
    • Chicken [breasts and ground turkey are the leanest]
    • Turkey [again, breasts or ground]
    • Beef [lean ground beef, lean cuts of steak, etc.]
    • Pork [tenderloin, center-cut pork chops, etc.]
    • Seafood/Fish [salmon, tilapia, cod, tuna, whatever...]
    • Jerky [beef, turkey, etc.]

    Other "Real Food" Protein Sources
    • Eggs or egg whites
    • Cheese
    • Nut butters
    • Greek yogurt
    • Cottage cheese
    • Milk
    • Beans
    • Nuts
    • A million other things that have added protein like protein brownies, pancake mix, nut butters, and even bread products

    Supplements
    • Protein powder [whey, casein, egg, soy, etc.]
    • Protein bars [Quest all the way, baby]

    And, of course, there are the foods that may not be protein-packed, but those grams add up over the course of the day.
  • senecarr
    senecarr Posts: 5,377 Member
    asflatasapancake wrote: »
    senecarr wrote: »
    asflatasapancake wrote: »
    Grilled chicken and fish will blast that protein right up. I make sure I have a Quest bar or something along those lines around for a quick jolt of protein. Hard boiled eggs. Beef jerky.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/calories/82464310

    Haha. Yeah, that would do it too. However, the Quest bar is under 200 calories. That sucker is almost 500. But a good 31g of protein, I suppose. Heck, why don't we just do 40 chicken nuggets:

    ex4ias5cp8of.jpg
    But it is a JOLT of protein.

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  • lkamp1996
    lkamp1996 Posts: 3 Member
    I usually start my day with about 450 grams of low fat greek yoghurt.. 100 grams has like 9/10 grams of protein and only 50 calories.. It keeps you full for a long time and it's full of protein. :)
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    My standard lunch dessert is 112 g of plain non-fat Greek yogurt with a scoop of protein powder. It is like a really good, less sweet, mousse. If I have berries available (like the blueberries right now) I will add some of those. Fresh strawberries or raspberries in chocolate yogurt "mousse" is super yummy. Without berries, it comes to 235 calories and 42 g protein. Throw in some lean sandwich meat and I usually hit at least 60 g. protein for my lunch alone.
  • cbelc2
    cbelc2 Posts: 762 Member
    Epcswim, try to get your protein in whole food form and not from supplements. If you are vegan, try beans, seeds, and nuts. If you eat dairy, go for Icelandic or Greek yogurt, plain fat free. If you eat fish, stay away from fried and try to eat smaller cold water varieties. Egg whites are pure protein. Just some thoughts.
  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
    I like greek yogurt with some (Kind brand) high-protein granola mixed in. I have a hard time with the texture of yogurt if I don't put a lot of crunchies in it, but the protein is great and as a fairly rare (although I like it VERY rare) meat eater it's working for me.
  • mom2kpr
    mom2kpr Posts: 348 Member
    LyndseyLovesToLift wrote: »
    I'm always really confused when people, especially people that consume animal products (i.e. not vegetarian or vegan), have trouble getting in their protein. Especially when their goal is pretty low, like under 100g. My protein goal is 125g/day (a little over 1g/lb body weight) and even without protein powder, I have trouble not going way over my protein every day.

    I'm just the opposite, I don't get how people can get over 100g, especially those that are over 150. I look at their diaries & think that much protein doesn't even look good, it's missing all the good stuff :smiley: . My macro preferences tend to lean towards fat and carbs. Don't get me wrong, I love meat (& other protein foods) & eat it at every meal, but the portions are smaller to make room for other yummies & I don't crave protein snacks.
  • lorepres
    lorepres Posts: 27 Member
    I have the same problem...not getting enough protein. I'm also concerned about getting too much sodium. (blood pressure is a little high) When I hit my numbers for protein, I'm usually over on sodium. I think I want to try Quest bars...don't want shakes, would rather eat my calories. Any suggestions on the best tasting Quest bars? I'm going to GNC in about in a few hours so, would love to get a fast suggestion. (I don't like peanut butter...daughter is allergic to peanuts, and I don't want it in the house. I learn so much here...so thanks everyone. Thanks in advance.
  • thankyou4thevenom
    thankyou4thevenom Posts: 1,581 Member
    Go running. I'm always eating bugs. :D

    Get a protein powder if you're really struggling.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    @epcswim2009 and @lorepres - do you eat eggs, fish, or meat? You'll get better answers if we know if you are just working with non-animal sources of protein.
  • SharonBrobst
    SharonBrobst Posts: 62 Member
    edited July 2015
    Thanks everyone! I was just coming to ask this same question. My current goal is 133g of protein and I am always below it and was wondering if I am missing something. I eat meat, eggs, fish, greek yogurt etc...but still struggle to eat enough. I am on a low carb/sugar diet (health reasons) so perhaps I just need to eat more meat and less fruit and veggies. But I love them!! ;-)

    Anyway this has been very informative. I guess I didn't realize Greek yogurt was so high in protein! I can eat it more often!
  • Merkavar
    Merkavar Posts: 3,082 Member
    I had blue grenadier fish the other day.

    I'm still not convinced on the calories and protein numbers. The calories seem so low compared to the protein and size of the fish.

    1 fillet is say 400-450g, fills a frying pan.
    1500-1700 kj or 350-400 cal
    70-80g of protein it seems.

    Admittedly 400g of fish is a lot, my eyes were bigger than my stomach and I regretted it at kick boxing a hour later.

    But doesn't that seem
    Like a lot of protein for the calories. And also a lot of quantity for the calories.

    Why aren't we grinding up fish in to protein shakes instead of whey :smiley:
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