hitting my protein goals

I should also mention that I usually have a pretty good idea of what I'm going to eat each day. I'll have a shake if eating what I want to isn't going to account for hitting my numbers.

I'd also add that the OP is eating only the egg whites, and would like to ask the reason for not eating the yolks? Best part of the egg as far as I'm concerned.

I ingest about 180-200g of protein a day on an 1800-1900 cal/40% protein diet.

I start the day w/a high protein whey shake mixed w/soy milk (35g) and use protein drinks like ABB Maxx Recovery (35g) and Vitamin Shoppe Isotech 42 (42g) and Pure Protein bars (20-21g) to make up any deficits in my lunch and dinner which include "real" food which also tends to be high in protein.

I am right there with you. I aim for 125 g of protein on a little over 1200 calories and it is hard. The only way I hit it is to eat high protein every meal. Meat and fish, eggs, Greek yogurt, protein shakes. I also eat more beans in soups or as dinner sides. Beans are high in fiber too which can be hard to get when eating a large amount of protein. For snacks I like veggie sticks with hummus or Greek yogurt dip. Nuts and PB are good too if you have room for the fat.

J72FIT wrote: »

What is your protein goal?

This.

Assuming it's not unnecessarily high, the best advise I had is just making sure you get a reasonable amount with each meal. When I do this, I tend to go over my goal without thinking about it. Also, use leaner sources if calories end up going over too often -- low fat dairy, lots of lean meats (not just chicken, pork and beef can be quite low, there's turkey, and seafood is especially helpful), legumes are all helpful. As two of the three sources you mention are low fat (chicken, egg whites), I do wonder whether your goal is just high or you aren't getting much at one or two meals.

Also, looking at the diary and adjusting portions can be helpful -- if you have too little protein and more carbs or fat than you'd like at dinner (say), increase your portion of whatever the protein source is and decrease the portion of higher carb sources (like potatoes) or added fat (like cheese) -- looking at it usually reveals the solution.

Canned (or packets) of fish!! They have a TON (8-17g) of protein, lots of varieties to choose from and they are low in calories and cheap to purchase. They also have a ton of nutrients and healthy fats! My favorite are: salmon pouches/packets (they come in lots of great flavors like lemon dill and chipotle mango), smoked herring fillets, sardines in olive oil. The list goes on though. They are supper convenient as I just eat them right out of the can.

efemminineo wrote: »

Thanks everyone. I really appreciate the feedback and tips! My goal is 135 but I think in the past I really haven't focused on that so much so it is challenging right now. It has really opened my eyes to the flaws in my current eating habits. Also, I sometimes do eat whole eggs, but that can be a lot of fat which I don't always want. And with hard boiled I don't really like the texture of the yolk. Thanks for all the ideas though!

You might be making this more frustrating than it needs to be unless there's a specific scientific/medical reason to consume that much protein as a minimum each day. See the post before mine.