Low caloric intake, quality protein powder?
AllyS7
Posts: 480 Member
Hi all, I can use all the help I can get.
I'm currently cutting down on my BF%. I'm in a deficit and because of my stats I'm struggling to get enough protein.
H: 5'1"
CW:126lbs
GW:120
Ultimate Goal: Gain Muscle Mass
Currently I'm only getting .45g per lbs of protein and I'd like to try to keep as much muscle mass as possible. I'm eating a ton of eggs, cottage cheese, chicken, fish, greek yogurt...ect. My ultimate goal is to gain muscle mass after the cut.
My caloric goal is 1290 (set to low activity & .5lb a week loss) I'm slowly losing weight, but I know some of that is muscle. (I lift 5 days a week and do some sort of cardio everyday.)
I'd love to start taking a protein powder to help me reach my goals, but not destroy my calorie intake.
Any suggestions?
Current progress:
I'm currently cutting down on my BF%. I'm in a deficit and because of my stats I'm struggling to get enough protein.
H: 5'1"
CW:126lbs
GW:120
Ultimate Goal: Gain Muscle Mass
Currently I'm only getting .45g per lbs of protein and I'd like to try to keep as much muscle mass as possible. I'm eating a ton of eggs, cottage cheese, chicken, fish, greek yogurt...ect. My ultimate goal is to gain muscle mass after the cut.
My caloric goal is 1290 (set to low activity & .5lb a week loss) I'm slowly losing weight, but I know some of that is muscle. (I lift 5 days a week and do some sort of cardio everyday.)
I'd love to start taking a protein powder to help me reach my goals, but not destroy my calorie intake.
Any suggestions?
Current progress:
5
Replies
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I take MyProtein whey isolate which is 97 calories per scoop- don't know if that's still too high? Mixed with skimmed or almond milk wouldn't add many extra calories.
Edit : you may be better off getting extra protein from very lean chicken or fish (if you're not vegetarian)as it would probably be more satisfying.4 -
comptonelizabeth wrote: »Edit : you may be better off getting extra protein from very lean chicken or fish (if you're not vegetarian)as it would probably be more satisfying.
Shoot, I forgot to put that I also eat mostly chicken and fish (especially during Lent).
I'll check out the powder you suggested! Thanks!
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What is your current protein intake without powder?0
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I recently got this when it was on sale at Costco:
https://www.costco.com/Optimum-Nutrition-Gold-Standard-100%-Whey-Protein,-90-Servings.product.100138794.html
The vanilla is 110 calories for 24 grams of protein. It mixes really well with water and the taste is OK.
I am also a big fan of the Kirkland turkey burgers from Costco. 200 calories for 35 grams of protein.
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Oh my gosh you look fantastic... and this only took two months? You're an inspiration.
I drink optimum nutrition gold standard. I have the chocolate flavor and it's 120 calories. I mix it with about 1/3 cup skim milk and 1/3 cup water. (Milk and water mix sounds gross but I promise it's good).3 -
Thank you both for your responses! I can definitely spare ~300 calories by replacing some of my "snacks" with the protein powder.Kelll12123 wrote: »Oh my gosh you look fantastic... and this only took two months? You're an inspiration.
I drink optimum nutrition gold standard. I have the chocolate flavor and it's 120 calories. I mix it with about 1/3 cup skim milk and 1/3 cup water. (Milk and water mix sounds gross but I promise it's good).
Yep, so far 2 months! I'm definitely committed and fairly lucky genetically that my body respond's well to change.
I'll definitely try out the water trick. I'm not a huge fan of cow's milk thickness anyway so it actually sounds appealing!0 -
Yea that is a bit light. I generally recommend people looking at labdoor.com for quality ratings. Myprotein is one of the highest quality proteins. I am using ON currently.4
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Yea that is a bit light. I generally recommend people looking at labdoor.com for quality ratings. Myprotein is one of the highest quality proteins. I am using ON currently.
It still amuses me that MyPro's whey concentrate tests higher than some companies' whey isolates. That shouldn't be even remotely possible. What they hell are these people putting in their powders?1 -
Gallowmere1984 wrote: »Yea that is a bit light. I generally recommend people looking at labdoor.com for quality ratings. Myprotein is one of the highest quality proteins. I am using ON currently.
It still amuses me that MyPro's whey concentrate tests higher than some companies' whey isolates. That shouldn't be even remotely possible. What they hell are these people putting in their powders?
If you ever dig into some of the test, you would ask why some are rated low. I actually would love to see if they post creteria... because you get docked points for your label accuracy on everything. So you get deducted points for cholesterol and vitamins being off.
Its one reason i concentrate on things like protein amounts being correct and calorie levels. Some other areas i actually could care less about.0 -
I can get my protein in pretty easily for 700 calories (100+ grams) with chicken, fish and greek yoghurt. Why is it you are struggling with eating your protein? 1 tin of tuna 126g, one chicken breast of about 180 grams and I'm pretty much there. Throw in some Greek yoghurt and an egg and I am easily over the line.1
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VintageFeline wrote: »I can get my protein in pretty easily for 700 calories (100+ grams) with chicken, fish and greek yoghurt. Why is it you are struggling with eating your protein? 1 tin of tuna 126g, one chicken breast of about 180 grams and I'm pretty much there. Throw in some Greek yoghurt and an egg and I am easily over the line.
Me too. I ate around 1250-1300 on rest days and have no problem hitting protein most of the time. 1 whole egg + half cup of egg whites for breakfast, then chicken, turkey, or beef + carbs and veggies for lunch or dinner.
IMO the best tasting protein powder is dymatize. You can get the ISO 100% which is low carb too. I'm intolerant to dairy so I can't eat it but wish I could..3 -
VintageFeline wrote: »I can get my protein in pretty easily for 700 calories (100+ grams) with chicken, fish and greek yoghurt. Why is it you are struggling with eating your protein? 1 tin of tuna 126g, one chicken breast of about 180 grams and I'm pretty much there. Throw in some Greek yoghurt and an egg and I am easily over the line.
I'm honestly not sure. I suppose I was struggling all around to make the protein a priority. Which you made me reevaluate some of my protein sources like almonds, PB...ect.
I do usually eat tuna 2x a week, but will incorporate that more. I also got some Fair Life Chocolate Milk which has 15g of protein per serving.
Thank you all for your help!1 -
I use Wheybolic Protein from GNC. I love the birthday cake flavor, 1 scoop is around 90 calories.2
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I consider things like almonds and peanut butter great fat sources, but lousy protein sources. They're awfully high in calories for the scant amounts of protein you get out of them. Don't get me wrong, I love peanut butter - but I just don't consider it as a good protein source.VintageFeline wrote: »I can get my protein in pretty easily for 700 calories (100+ grams) with chicken, fish and greek yoghurt. Why is it you are struggling with eating your protein? 1 tin of tuna 126g, one chicken breast of about 180 grams and I'm pretty much there. Throw in some Greek yoghurt and an egg and I am easily over the line.
I'm honestly not sure. I suppose I was struggling all around to make the protein a priority. Which you made me reevaluate some of my protein sources like almonds, PB...ect.1 -
This has woken me right up! Never tried a protein powder before but this has me interested;) what flavour is it? Choc? Vanilla?ashleyhauser8 wrote: »I use Wheybolic Protein from GNC. I love the birthday cake flavor, 1 scoop is around 90 calories.
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I consider things like almonds and peanut butter great fat sources, but lousy protein sources. They're awfully high in calories for the scant amounts of protein you get out of them. Don't get me wrong, I love peanut butter - but I just don't consider it as a good protein source.VintageFeline wrote: »I can get my protein in pretty easily for 700 calories (100+ grams) with chicken, fish and greek yoghurt. Why is it you are struggling with eating your protein? 1 tin of tuna 126g, one chicken breast of about 180 grams and I'm pretty much there. Throw in some Greek yoghurt and an egg and I am easily over the line.
I'm honestly not sure. I suppose I was struggling all around to make the protein a priority. Which you made me reevaluate some of my protein sources like almonds, PB...ect.
Me too. Now that my cutting calories are much lower than when I started I rarely make room for peanut butter or nuts in my day, though it is easier on a very active day! I just focus on meat first, dairy second for my protein. And I try not to drink many calories because they don't help hunger at all. I'd rather eat 100 calories of fish, chicken or Greek yoghurt than drink 100 calories of a protein shake. Protein shakes have their place and I do keep some "in stock" (MyProtein being my choice) but I don't reach for it often any more.1 -
VintageFeline wrote: »
I consider things like almonds and peanut butter great fat sources, but lousy protein sources. They're awfully high in calories for the scant amounts of protein you get out of them. Don't get me wrong, I love peanut butter - but I just don't consider it as a good protein source.VintageFeline wrote: »I can get my protein in pretty easily for 700 calories (100+ grams) with chicken, fish and greek yoghurt. Why is it you are struggling with eating your protein? 1 tin of tuna 126g, one chicken breast of about 180 grams and I'm pretty much there. Throw in some Greek yoghurt and an egg and I am easily over the line.
I'm honestly not sure. I suppose I was struggling all around to make the protein a priority. Which you made me reevaluate some of my protein sources like almonds, PB...ect.
Me too. Now that my cutting calories are much lower than when I started I rarely make room for peanut butter or nuts in my day, though it is easier on a very active day! I just focus on meat first, dairy second for my protein. And I try not to drink many calories because they don't help hunger at all. I'd rather eat 100 calories of fish, chicken or Greek yoghurt than drink 100 calories of a protein shake. Protein shakes have their place and I do keep some "in stock" (MyProtein being my choice) but I don't reach for it often any more.
I can definitely appreciate that. On my current cut, I might hit one shake per day, if that. Given my macro and calorie allotment, I much prefer eating 200-300g of chicken breast a few times per day. Besides, since I even scrape the rendered fat off of plain chicken breast after baking it (on parchment to avoid oil use), I can stay tighter with that, than even protein shakes are capable of.2 -
I dig protein powders but not as a food substitute... real food is always best!1
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VintageFeline wrote: »I can get my protein in pretty easily for 700 calories (100+ grams) with chicken, fish and greek yoghurt. Why is it you are struggling with eating your protein? 1 tin of tuna 126g, one chicken breast of about 180 grams and I'm pretty much there. Throw in some Greek yoghurt and an egg and I am easily over the line.
Same0 -
I personally use Slap Nutrition whey. I've used it for years cause it doesn't mess with my stomach as a lot of the ones with artificial sweeteners do. I have a discount code (megmo) if you place an order there too. I enjoy the strawberry whey the most and the chocolate too.0
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I prefer ON for both flavor and quality. We have it in bulk at costco here.0
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Just watch out about tuna, because of the mercury content.
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Just watch out about tuna, because of the mercury content.
Not a problem.
This consumption advisory was always intended for pregnant and nursing women. Somehow "experts" extrapolated this to mean everyone, which is wrong. Selenium binds to methyl mercury rendering it biologically unavailable. Tuna is extremely rich in selenium.
When I am cutting, I often eat upward of ten cans of tuna per day, for weeks on end. If it were possible to develop mercury poisoning from it, I'd be long dead.
I have to type this so much that I am considering just copy/pasting it into a note on my phone.2 -
I can easily hit 120-140g on a 1200 calorie diet. As you mentioned, you just might have to give up some of the more calorie dense foods you are eating. I had to stay away from nuts and cheese (which I love). Quest chips give a pretty good bang for the buck if you need a supplement. 20g for 130 calories. Good to have with a sandwich. Seafood has a lot of protein for small calories. I eat a lot of fish, shrimp, scallops. Beef/Turkey jerky is great.0
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Ladies, only time you should have a shake is after a workout, IF you are anal about trying to minimize muscle loss while you a losing weight. 120g of protein should not be hard to reach with food alone. Just change your mindset when setting your plate. Be generous with your meats. 6-8 oz of chicken breast or fish is filling and not that hard chow down. If you like cold cuts, pastrami, black forest ham, Turkey are very tasty and lean enough to add to your breakfast. Don't eat nuts at all when trying to lose weight. You're just looking to go hungry by running out of calories.0
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Ladies, only time you should have a shake is after a workout, IF you are anal about trying to minimize muscle loss while you a losing weight. 120g of protein should not be hard to reach with food alone. Just change your mindset when setting your plate. Be generous with your meats. 6-8 oz of chicken breast or fish is filling and not that hard chow down. If you like cold cuts, pastrami, black forest ham, Turkey are very tasty and lean enough to add to your breakfast. Don't eat nuts at all when trying to lose weight. You're just looking to go hungry by running out of calories.
Depends upon perspective and locale, honestly. Hell, in a lot of places in the US, protein powders can be far cheaper per gram of protein, than chicken, tuna, etc.-1 -
I buy Kaizen Proteins Powder at Costco. In Canada they are often $10 less in promotion.0
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Ladies, only time you should have a shake is after a workout, IF you are anal about trying to minimize muscle loss while you a losing weight. 120g of protein should not be hard to reach with food alone. Just change your mindset when setting your plate. Be generous with your meats. 6-8 oz of chicken breast or fish is filling and not that hard chow down. If you like cold cuts, pastrami, black forest ham, Turkey are very tasty and lean enough to add to your breakfast. Don't eat nuts at all when trying to lose weight. You're just looking to go hungry by running out of calories.
Well that certainly isn't true.4 -
Ladies, only time you should have a shake is after a workout, IF you are anal about trying to minimize muscle loss while you a losing weight. 120g of protein should not be hard to reach with food alone. Just change your mindset when setting your plate. Be generous with your meats. 6-8 oz of chicken breast or fish is filling and not that hard chow down. If you like cold cuts, pastrami, black forest ham, Turkey are very tasty and lean enough to add to your breakfast. Don't eat nuts at all when trying to lose weight. You're just looking to go hungry by running out of calories.
Is this meant to be incredibly patronising or do you just think womens bodies somehow process protein differently? Why only post workout?2
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