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Is 40-50g of protein in a day a problem?
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I wouldn't worry too much about getting enough protein. Are you getting enough fruit and veg?0
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I wouldn't worry too much about getting enough protein. Are you getting enough fruit and veg?
well this makes no sense. Of course it's important to get enough protein - the lean muscle needs to be preserved and protected.
I'm wondering about the dairy - you say your doc said to consume less dairy but you don't say why. Dairy is a great source of protein. If it's a fat problem, there are many low-fat and fat-free dairy products, and dairy is one product that doesn't replace the fat with anything like salt or sugar.
If it's a lactose problem, there are a lot of lactose-free dairy products as well.
I'd hate to see you give up dairy as a protein source if you're not eating meat. It's an awfully good nutrition source to stop consuming when you're fairly limited already.0 -
@eba2003 No, I'm definitely not getting enough vegetables yet. But I know that's an issue and I'm working on it, I have plans, and I feel like I'm doing my best to work toward that goal. Apparently I need to eat less fruit, because I was eating a lot, like 4 servings in a day before. But apparently only 2 servings of fruit a day is what I'm supposed to have, and the rest (5 servings) is supposed to be veggies. So it's a big change I need to work on.
@mccindy72 I have 0% fat greek yogurt and 1% milk. The dietician was still suggesting the hard and fast rule of no more than 2 servings of dairy per day, in accordance with the Canada Food Guide. I don't have a lactose issue at all. I'm guessing now she just has these "general rules" that are supposed to be universally applicable?
@ericGold15 Thanks! Interesting, so I'm guessing by that number 50g is definitely okay, but 40g could be too low for a day over an extended period of time. I looked closer at my diary after this, and saw I a bunch of days - 43, 47, 54, 67 (went over on calories this day), 62 (again, over), 58, 54, 55). The average of the days I kept under calorie is 51g. So going by your numbers, that isn't an issue
I'd be really interested in reading that literature, if you have the name of the study or the journal you found it in?
@The_Invisible_Boy I think you're right! She isn't a doctor, just a dietician, so I think there may be gaps between what was the thing when she learned her profession and what the new research shows. All she seems to refer to is the Canada Food Guide, http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/order-commander/index-eng.php with some minor amendments like removing juice and moving starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes & peas into the "grains and starches" category.
@AnnPT77 Thank you! I do have soy milk in the house, but I haven't added actual soy beans. I'll see if I can find some next time I'm at the grocery The dietician's guidelines have structured it like "one big protein" per meal, so that's how I've been thinking of it. But that's a really great idea! I'm definitely going to try to use more quinoa and broccoli, because I really like them.
The goal weight I'm shooting for eventually is about 130lbs, which seems to be the high end of the normal BMI for my height. So based on @lynn_glenmont 's source, "0.80 g of good quality protein/kg body weight" 130lbs= ~59kg, 59x0.8= 47.2g - then I'm actually pretty close to okay?
Thanks for all your help guys! 0 -
@mccindy72 I have 0% fat greek yogurt and 1% milk. The dietician was still suggesting the hard and fast rule of no more than 2 servings of dairy per day, in accordance with the Canada Food Guide. I don't have a lactose issue at all. I'm guessing now she just has these "general rules" that are supposed to be universally applicable?
Oh, I definitely think that's what's happening here. Such outdated guidelines. Servings of dairy - don't worry about that, just use it as how it fits into macros. Fats and proteins. That's really all you have to worry about. Older guidelines for things like dairy and eggs were calculated to keep people away from things like high cholesterol, etc, and now they're finding that those aren't really applicable. Up your dairy - and if you're tired of greek yogurt, remember there are lots of dairy options, and you can also use those dairy products in your cooking rather than just eating them outright.0 -
Well if you up your vegggies, your protein will go up too. Most of them are a great source of protein.0
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My fav high protein meal is French toast. There's lots of breads out there with high protein. A good sprouted grain bread has 12g of protein in two slices. One whole egg and some egg whites in a dish with pumpkin pie spice, dip in bread and cook in coconut oil. I top with greek yogurt mixed with some maple syrup and berries and you have an extremely high protein meal. Bread+egg whites+greek yogurt = a ton of protein. It's pretty balanced too with respect to carbs, fat and protein.0
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YOu can add some nuts too if you don't want to cook with coconut oil. Sometimes I use a cooking spray and have walnuts or sliced almonds for my fats.0
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I guess I'm confused by the # of 'serves' allowed. If my calorie goal is higher or lower, then my 'servings' are going to be more or less. Also, if my diet is different (aka, vegan, or I just don't like fish, etc) then it's not going to work for me.
In the US we use the triangle, with grains at the bottom for the bulk of our diet. If I ate like that, my bg would be out of control, and I would be miserable, and not have room in my cals for the foods I love.0 -
For a while I was eating more protein-rich foods to be closer to the protein goal for the day, but I got really sick of greek yogurt (and hemp hearts) and really wanted a piece of solid toast in the morning. Also my dietician told me to eat less dairy, so I've worked on decreasing it. I also got really sick of peanuts as a snack, and substituted almonds. I was eating more eggs, but she told me that one egg a day hits the maximum daily dose for cholesterol, so I haven't really been eating those lately either.
Just making these small changes have appeared to have a big impact on my protein consumption. It went down a lot. For a few days, I've checked my goals at the end of the day and see a protein number in the 40s or 50s. Is this a problem? I'm eating a protein-rich food at every meal, and even for some snacks, but I'm just not hitting the mark anymore
My daily goal set my MFP is 73g (eating 1450cal), and I wasn't worried when I was getting about 60g, but I can't figure out if this is too low. I googled it, but I just kept getting info on bodybuilders aiming for 40g/meal... (I also don't like meat, so if it's the main protein source I tend to eat less). I realized today I only had 40g, and had some more almonds, but it only brought it up to 43g.
I just want to know if it's something I should worry about or not. I'm a girl, 5'2", currently about 180lbs, trying to lose weight, not very active at the moment, very stressed (in general). I'd like not to worry about it, but it's so low compared to the goal *shrugs*
Your protein is just way way too low. I'm 5'2" as well- 114 lbs and my protein goal is 99 g daily and I'm thinking of increasing that because I lift. I wouldn't worry about eggs- you could also do one egg and liquid egg whites. If you don't want to eat meat then add some plant based protein powder. Lentils would be a good idea- there is also lentil pasta, protein pancakes (I like Kodiak protein packed pancakes), black beans, or black bean pasta. Some rice and regular pasta can be high in protein so I would take a look at labels. I would just keep in mind the fat content of what you are consuming as well- there are some good fats, but too much good fat is not a good thing. You can have Greek yogurt and be creative with it- I like to mix some frozen raspberries (heated up in a microwave) and some walnuts and it tastes like raspberry pie and is an excellent way to hit my macros at the end of the night. Or take the Greek yogurt and mix with low or no sodium seasoning and dip veggies in it. Or mix in smoothies with protein powder. You could also make a "burrito" filled with roasted veggies and use Greek yogurt as the "sour cream." I would talk to the dietician again as well- it seems like you need additional guidance. I would talk to her about tracking macros as well- it might make more sense. Keep in mind that weight loss is 60% diet and 40% exercise and exercise is a great stress reliever. Stress and no activity are not going to be helpful when is comes to losing weight. Hope this is helpful and good luck on your journey!0 -
Mass-market/mainstream/governmental guidelines are usually structured around mainstream (statistically common) preferences & lifestyles.The dietician's guidelines have structured it like "one big protein" per meal, so that's how I've been thinking of it.
If you're living in a less statistically common way (like minimizing meat), you may want to question those underlying assumptions, and adjust your actions accordingly.
As a ovo-lacto veg for 41 years now, I pay attention to broad nutritional guidelines (like how much of which nutrients/macros), check the research for any aspects that are challenging, and keep an eye out for newer but *high-quality* research on issues important to me personally, then decide what I want to do.(Lower standard of proof for things that might be good, can't reasonably hurt, and make me happy - eating turmeric, for example. ;-) ).
As an old person, I recognize that these guidelines change, sometimes dramatically. At this stage, it's pretty easy to spot trendy bandwagons. If healthy people have been eating something for centuries or millennia (eggs, butter, dairy, etc.), I'm skeptical of demonization.
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I know the discussion kind of already blew past the cholesterol - but any dietary restriction of cholesterol was disproven back in the 50s (in fact by Ansel Keyes, the guy who first suggested eating it might be bad. He figured out he was wrong. Nobody paid attention!) It does NOT raise the cholesterol to eat cholesterol - in fact in many cases it LOWERS it. There are a lot of good books and resources you can read like "The Big Fat Surprise" if you want to know more.0
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@flotsette Thank you!! 0
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So I'm guessing, from the conclusion of the thread, eggs are perfectly fine and so is 50g of protein a day for my goal weight (but 40g is too low). I will be mindful of this, thanks everyone!! 0
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If you're working with a dietitian, follow their advice not us internet randoms. You don't need to eat eggs. If it's the protein you're after, an easy source is beans and lentils which have lots of vitamins and minerals. One can of black beans or two cups is 25g protein. As for how much, a good estimate is half your ideal weight in lbs. So for me, I'm 5'5'' and my ideal weight is 120lbs. 60g is what's right for me. If you eat adequate calories from whole foods, you should easily meet your goal without having to eat processed protein powders or chicken or eggs if you don't want to.0
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All of this.
Mass-market/mainstream/governmental guidelines are usually structured around mainstream (statistically common) preferences & lifestyles.The dietician's guidelines have structured it like "one big protein" per meal, so that's how I've been thinking of it.
If you're living in a less statistically common way (like minimizing meat), you may want to question those underlying assumptions, and adjust your actions accordingly.
As a ovo-lacto veg for 41 years now, I pay attention to broad nutritional guidelines (like how much of which nutrients/macros), check the research for any aspects that are challenging, and keep an eye out for newer but *high-quality* research on issues important to me personally, then decide what I want to do.(Lower standard of proof for things that might be good, can't reasonably hurt, and make me happy - eating turmeric, for example. ;-) ).
As an old person, I recognize that these guidelines change, sometimes dramatically. At this stage, it's pretty easy to spot trendy bandwagons. If healthy people have been eating something for centuries or millennia (eggs, butter, dairy, etc.), I'm skeptical of demonization.
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I know the discussion kind of already blew past the cholesterol - but any dietary restriction of cholesterol was disproven back in the 50s (in fact by Ansel Keyes, the guy who first suggested eating it might be bad. He figured out he was wrong. Nobody paid attention!) It does NOT raise the cholesterol to eat cholesterol - in fact in many cases it LOWERS it. There are a lot of good books and resources you can read like "The Big Fat Surprise" if you want to know more.
Ansel Keyes is one of the main reasons we eat the way we eat today. He was wrong on so many levels and we are paying for it now.0 -
The cdc recommends about 45g for women. Youre safe there. Some calculators put the amount at 80. Some at 120. But 40-50 is sustainable according to many healthy boards.0
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So I'm guessing, from the conclusion of the thread, eggs are perfectly fine and so is 50g of protein a day for my goal weight (but 40g is too low). I will be mindful of this, thanks everyone!!
I don't know why you're basing it on your goal weight. You're not your goal weight now. You need to provide the protein that your body needs now, not the protein some future hypothetical body might need.
And before somebody says you don't need protein for the fat you have now that you're trying to lose:
If you're 180 now, and 35% body fat, that leaves you with a LBM of 117.
At 130, with 20% body fat, you'll only have 106 LBM.
I think that's a pretty optimistic swing in terms of body fat percentage, and I don't think you'll get rosy results like that only eating enough protein to preserve that lower LBM.
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lynn_glenmont wrote: »So I'm guessing, from the conclusion of the thread, eggs are perfectly fine and so is 50g of protein a day for my goal weight (but 40g is too low). I will be mindful of this, thanks everyone!!
I don't know why you're basing it on your goal weight. You're not your goal weight now. You need to provide the protein that your body needs now, not the protein some future hypothetical body might need.
And before somebody says you don't need protein for the fat you have now that you're trying to lose:
If you're 180 now, and 35% body fat, that leaves you with a LBM of 117.
At 130, with 20% body fat, you'll only have 106 LBM.
I think that's a pretty optimistic swing in terms of body fat percentage, and I don't think you'll get rosy results like that only eating enough protein to preserve that lower LBM.
Agreed. I eat as much protein as possible to help maintain the muscle mass I have while I'm eating at a deficit.0 -
The goal weight I'm shooting for eventually is about 130lbs, which seems to be the high end of the normal BMI for my height. So based on @lynn_glenmont 's source, "0.80 g of good quality protein/kg body weight" 130lbs= ~59kg, 59x0.8= 47.2g - then I'm actually pretty close to okay?
Hey there, I my be late to the party but I believe you should not be basing your protein intake on your weight but on your LEAN MASS. Perhaps use this calculator and pick the lower amounts as your goals: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/macronutrients_calculator.htm
Also 'no eggs at all argument' is insane. You don't want your muscles lost due to not eating enough protein! Make an omelette with 1 egg and 2 egg whites. It's delicious and also a good source of protein!0
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