Frustrated.... I need more protein... less carbs/fat.

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  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Mystical64 wrote: »
    Any white cheeses, peanut butter, whole wheat crackers, almonds those are my go to snacks.

    fat, fat, carbs, fat primarily for those...
  • 75in2013
    75in2013 Posts: 360 Member
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    Francl27 wrote: »
    175g of protein is WAY overkill IMO.

    This.

  • Mystical64
    Mystical64 Posts: 108 Member
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    Mystical64 wrote: »
    Any white cheeses, peanut butter, whole wheat crackers, almonds those are my go to snacks.

    fat, fat, carbs, fat primarily for those...


    you need fat in your diet as well. And there is protein in everything but the crackers.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    edited March 2016
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    My first thought is this range is very limited. Would anything bad happen if you widened it a bit, such a 1700-1800? Trying to always hit a bulls eye is kind of hard.

    Also the macros should be estimates. If you're + or - a little, it should not matter in the long run. Not to mention the math does not work:

    175 * 4 = 700
    165 * 4 = 660
    55 * 9 = 495
    Total 1855 cals

    With these numbers if you hit your macros perfectly you're going to be 100 over in calories. If you're over by a 'few grams' it really should not mater. If you need to increase your protein with little impact on fat/carbs look for lean meats. Increase the portion of meat (assuming you are not vegetarian) with meals. Drink lowfat/fat free milk. Lowfat/fat free yogurt.

    You do need fat. Going below 50-55g fat is perhaps a bad idea. The protein seems high, and for the carbs it just depends. Some prefer a lower level of carbs while some prefer higher.

    Hello everyone!

    This is my first time posting. I recently hired a personal trainer and she put me on a flexible diet... but I need to stick to these numbers daily:
    Calorie intake - between 1735 and 1750 (I am breastfeeding)
    Protein - 175g
    Carbs - 165g
    Fats - 55g

    So far in the 4 days of using this app I see myself with a higher carb percentage and I keep going over my fat by a few grams. My protein has the lowest percentage but I have been eating foods with protein. The thing is these foods also have the tendency to have a lot of carbs... Any advice on which foods to consume to get the protein up above the carbs and fats. I have been looking on Google and I'm having a bit of trouble finding foods and recipes.

  • tmorton03
    tmorton03 Posts: 22 Member
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    If your trainer is suggesting for you to have 175 grams, this can be done! A really easy and low calorie way to get more protein is your diet is through WHEY protein. Whey protein is typically a powder that can be made with water or milk. The brand of protein I use has 24 grams of protein and 120 calories for one scoop. I also find protein in eggs, egg white, chicken breast, pork, lean red meat, etc. After the birth of my daughter, I had 85 pounds to lose. I lost it by counting calories, increasing my protein and eating less carbs. Good luck!
  • tlflag1620
    tlflag1620 Posts: 1,358 Member
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    When I ate meat/animal products, eggs were my absolute go too for protein! Egg whites and a good high protein plant based protein powder/drink were a good boost! I was also a fan of turkey jerky and chicken jerky and greek yogurt, all good protein sources! I would stay away from farm raised fish like Tilapia though :neutral: but anything wild caught (fish) is great! For vegan protein sources there are a lot of veggies that have even more protein than meat; e.g., spinach has 49% protein, kale 45%, broccoli 45% mushrooms 38%. Tofu is excellent, I am a fan of Boca burgers (although they are processed) they have minimal ingredients and will get you a good protein number. Also beans are great protein. Hope this helps :smile:

    Curious - where are you getting the protein percentages for those veggies? A quick google search tells me 100g of spinach has 2.9g of protein. I'm no mathematician, but I know 2.9/100 is not 49%. Not even close. I figure you must be looking at it as a percentage of calories rather than volume, so there's 23 calories per 100g of spinach, and yes, 2.9 g of protein accounts for appx 11.6 of those calories - about 50%; BUT keep in mind that's still less than three grams of protein in a 100g of spinach. Not a very efficient way to get your protein. (point of reference - 100g of chicken breast has 31g of protein and 165 calories - that's 75% of calories from protein. Tuna gets 65% of its calories from protein. Yes some meats have a lower ratio of protein/calories than veggies, but that's mostly because veggies are predominantly water, and most meats have some healthy, essential fats involved; veggies are typically fat free, or very very low in fat. Water is obviously lower in calories than fat :wink: )
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Mystical64 wrote: »
    Mystical64 wrote: »
    Any white cheeses, peanut butter, whole wheat crackers, almonds those are my go to snacks.

    fat, fat, carbs, fat primarily for those...


    you need fat in your diet as well. And there is protein in everything but the crackers.

    i didn't say there wasn't protein in them, its just not the primary macro. i also know that you need fat in your diet, but the OP was asking for protein based snacks... nothing you list is high in protein.
  • generallyme2
    generallyme2 Posts: 403 Member
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    I have a hard time with protein as well. I do lots of eggs/egg whites, black beans, chicken, and I add greek yogurt to pretty much everything I can haha! It goes nicely in spaghetti sauce, sloppy joes (mine are veggie based/ground beef), I even add an ounce or two into my eggs when I scramble them for the extra protein. It all adds up!
  • wilsoncl6
    wilsoncl6 Posts: 1,288 Member
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    Egg whites, skinless/boneless chicken breast, turkey breast, beans (the average amount of protein in eight different beans -- white, adzuki, pinto, kidney, black, navy, garbanzo and lima -- is 15 grams. White beans have the most protein, with 17.42 grams in 1 cup. Lima beans are at the bottom of the list, with 1 cup containing 10.32 grams. The others have 15 to 17 grams of protein in 1 cup), fish all of kinds but some are higher in fat than others (orange roughy, tuna, pollock, mahi mahi, cod, hake, haddock, sole and flounder are the least fattiest). However, you have to be aware of the amount of sodium that some of these items pack.

    I will agree that 175 grams of protein may be a bit much for you. I'm assuming your a female and, although you should increase your daily intake while breastfeeding, 175 grams seems excessive. I'm a 6'1, 210 lb male and I don't consume that much protein on a daily basis. You might want to consult a nutritionist and not rely on your personal trainer, who might not have much knowledge in nutrition.
  • jdwils14
    jdwils14 Posts: 154 Member
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    Francl27 wrote: »
    175g of protein is WAY overkill IMO.

    But yeah... white fish, canned tuna, plain 0% Greek yogurt, chicken breast, shrimp, low fat ham, beef jerky, egg whites.

    I know for a fact that I'd never be able to stick to such a diet. I can do 130-140g, but this is crazy.

    If that is a minimum, it definitely is overkill even for a man. For a woman....overdrive overkill. I generally stick between 30-60g per meal, with 60 being the high end. Your trainer might be wanting you to just strive for that, to keep your protein intake up, but the body can only metabolize so much during protein synthesis. Any extra is just used as energy: it is turned into energy or gets stored somewhere.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,910 Member
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    Hello everyone!

    This is my first time posting. I recently hired a personal trainer and she put me on a flexible diet... but I need to stick to these numbers daily:
    Calorie intake - between 1735 and 1750 (I am breastfeeding)
    Protein - 175g
    Carbs - 165g
    Fats - 55g

    So far in the 4 days of using this app I see myself with a higher carb percentage and I keep going over my fat by a few grams. My protein has the lowest percentage but I have been eating foods with protein. The thing is these foods also have the tendency to have a lot of carbs... Any advice on which foods to consume to get the protein up above the carbs and fats. I have been looking on Google and I'm having a bit of trouble finding foods and recipes.

    Doesn't sound flexible at all to me. You don't need to anything. You will want a diet that keeps you happy and energetic and that you can easily stick to. Too little fat and way too much protein, no wonder you struggle. What problems did you have with the default MFP gave you? If you can pinpoint that, maybe we can offer more help. Personal trainers aren't usually the best to give advice on anything except training.

    I agree with this ^.

    @HerNaturelleHigh if 44 % protein, 42 % carbs, and 14 % fat worked for you, great. But it's unnecessarily high in protein and low in fat. I shoot for 30 % fat, go over it all the time, and still lose weight.

    MyFitnessPal’s current default goals distribute calories as follows: 50% from carbohydrates, 20% from protein and 30% from fat. I like a little less carbs and more protein, but there are lots of people who do fine with more carbs and less protein. It's all about finding the mix that works best for you.
  • jdwils14
    jdwils14 Posts: 154 Member
    edited March 2016
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    Hello everyone!

    This is my first time posting. I recently hired a personal trainer and she put me on a flexible diet... but I need to stick to these numbers daily:
    Calorie intake - between 1735 and 1750 (I am breastfeeding)
    Protein - 175g
    Carbs - 165g
    Fats - 55g

    So far in the 4 days of using this app I see myself with a higher carb percentage and I keep going over my fat by a few grams. My protein has the lowest percentage but I have been eating foods with protein. The thing is these foods also have the tendency to have a lot of carbs... Any advice on which foods to consume to get the protein up above the carbs and fats. I have been looking on Google and I'm having a bit of trouble finding foods and recipes.

    Just some food for thought...since I don't see any posts about this...since you are breastfeeding, should you care more about nutrients than macros? Talking to a PT while you are responsible for the health of your baby might be conflicting (speculation).

    Just keep in mind that your baby needs nutrients, not just calories. Some foods that carry these nutrients are going to be out of your macro ranges that the PT wants you to be on. That plan might not be best for your baby.

    What you eat is what your baby gets....what you don't eat is what your baby doesn't get.

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/507127-top-10-foods-for-breastfeeding-moms/

    congrats, by the way.
  • Yi5hedr3
    Yi5hedr3 Posts: 2,696 Member
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    That's a lot of carbs AND Protein. Best to keep them each around 100.
  • HerNaturelleHigh
    HerNaturelleHigh Posts: 7 Member
    edited March 2016
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    tmorton03 wrote: »
    If your trainer is suggesting for you to have 175 grams, this can be done! A really easy and low calorie way to get more protein is your diet is through WHEY protein. Whey protein is typically a powder that can be made with water or milk. The brand of protein I use has 24 grams of protein and 120 calories for one scoop. I also find protein in eggs, egg white, chicken breast, pork, lean red meat, etc. After the birth of my daughter, I had 85 pounds to lose. I lost it by counting calories, increasing my protein and eating less carbs. Good luck!

    I messaged my trainer today (she's on vacation) she also recommended whey protein. I bought a low carb fat free whey protein and made kale mango banana smoothie white plain Greek yogurt, soy milk and whey protein and that definitely boosted my protein intake!
  • HerNaturelleHigh
    HerNaturelleHigh Posts: 7 Member
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    hko718 wrote: »
    High protein greek yogurts. Protein shake, you can even get ISO (low carb/fat)

    Greek yogurt has become my new best friend!
  • ClosetBayesian
    ClosetBayesian Posts: 836 Member
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    jdwils14 wrote: »
    Hello everyone!

    This is my first time posting. I recently hired a personal trainer and she put me on a flexible diet... but I need to stick to these numbers daily:
    Calorie intake - between 1735 and 1750 (I am breastfeeding)
    Protein - 175g
    Carbs - 165g
    Fats - 55g

    So far in the 4 days of using this app I see myself with a higher carb percentage and I keep going over my fat by a few grams. My protein has the lowest percentage but I have been eating foods with protein. The thing is these foods also have the tendency to have a lot of carbs... Any advice on which foods to consume to get the protein up above the carbs and fats. I have been looking on Google and I'm having a bit of trouble finding foods and recipes.

    Just some food for thought...since I don't see any posts about this...since you are breastfeeding, should you care more about nutrients than macros? Talking to a PT while you are responsible for the health of your baby might be conflicting (speculation).

    Just keep in mind that your baby needs nutrients, not just calories. Some foods that carry these nutrients are going to be out of your macro ranges that the PT wants you to be on. That plan might not be best for your baby.

    What you eat is what your baby gets....what you don't eat is what your baby doesn't get.

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/507127-top-10-foods-for-breastfeeding-moms/

    congrats, by the way.

    Mom needs calories. The nutrient content of breast milk stays fairly stable even when a mother's diet changes.
  • peacemongernc
    peacemongernc Posts: 253 Member
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    Francl27 wrote: »
    175g of protein is WAY overkill IMO.

    But yeah... white fish, canned tuna, plain 0% Greek yogurt, chicken breast, shrimp, low fat ham, beef jerky, egg whites.

    I know for a fact that I'd never be able to stick to such a diet. I can do 130-140g, but this is crazy.

    I agree. I've had a trainer tell me the same thing and I tried it for about 6 months. I just felt like crap, quit losing weight, and didn't like my food anymore. So I dropped my protein down to about 20% to 25% of my calories and upped my fat to about 40% and I feel SO much better! But I believe that this is an individual thing. I also have a suspicion that some men (especially younger men) can tolerate a higher protein diet than some women can. I've never read that anywhere... just based on conversations and anecdotal stuff.

    I get a lot of my protein from things like eggs, cottage cheese, black beans, nuts, chicken and chicken bone broth, and hummus.

    Watch the canned tuna and other fish... because of heavy metals in fish, there is a limited amount recommended for pregnant and breastfeeding moms!
  • peacemongernc
    peacemongernc Posts: 253 Member
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    jdwils14 wrote: »
    Hello everyone!

    This is my first time posting. I recently hired a personal trainer and she put me on a flexible diet... but I need to stick to these numbers daily:
    Calorie intake - between 1735 and 1750 (I am breastfeeding)
    Protein - 175g
    Carbs - 165g
    Fats - 55g

    So far in the 4 days of using this app I see myself with a higher carb percentage and I keep going over my fat by a few grams. My protein has the lowest percentage but I have been eating foods with protein. The thing is these foods also have the tendency to have a lot of carbs... Any advice on which foods to consume to get the protein up above the carbs and fats. I have been looking on Google and I'm having a bit of trouble finding foods and recipes.

    Just some food for thought...since I don't see any posts about this...since you are breastfeeding, should you care more about nutrients than macros? Talking to a PT while you are responsible for the health of your baby might be conflicting (speculation).

    Just keep in mind that your baby needs nutrients, not just calories. Some foods that carry these nutrients are going to be out of your macro ranges that the PT wants you to be on. That plan might not be best for your baby.

    What you eat is what your baby gets....what you don't eat is what your baby doesn't get.

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/507127-top-10-foods-for-breastfeeding-moms/

    congrats, by the way.

    Mom needs calories. The nutrient content of breast milk stays fairly stable even when a mother's diet changes.

    I did a good bit of research on this when I was nursing my kids. This is the party line, but it turns out that it is a little more complicated than this. There is a difference in the milk of a woman eating a nutrient poor diet and the milk of a mother eating a nutrient rich diet, especially with regard to the water soluble vitamins. Macros tend to be fairly constant, but change a bit depending on how frequently the child is nursing and the age of the child. Ruth Lawrence wrote a book on this a few decades ago, and I was able to email back and forth with her about some of my questions. I suspect that the "party line" about how baby will get whatever it needs may have been put forth to encourage breastfeeding... all the nutrients in breastmilk are more bioavailable that the nutrients in formula, and no one wants a woman to decide to wean a baby because she feels uneasy about the nutrient content of her diet. But there is a subtle difference between a good diet and a poor one.