How do you get enough protein?
Replies
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Going by 0.6g/lb of goal weight, I'm hitting mine fine with beans, string cheese, veggie dogs, and Greek yogurt (plus other stuff, a gram here, a gram there). Of course, when I exercise, my daily protein goal goes up and I seldom if ever hit what MFP has allocated. At this point, though, my main focus is on calories. I'm mindful of macros and micronutrients in the sense of 'hmmm... looks like I went way over my X today and might want to bring up my Y' but as long as the weight is coming off, I'm not stressing over it.
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Turkey slices
Egg whites
Boiled eggs
Greek yogurt
Sausage patties
Turkey bacon
Fish
Cheese sticks
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JeromeBarry1 wrote: »Gallowmere1984 wrote: »JeromeBarry1 wrote: »What's your calorie budget and how many grams of protein do you want? 1 gram per pound of body weight for progressive heavy lifting is sufficient, but you'll need protein supplements.
You never need protein supps. I've hit 300g on ~1400 kcals before. Lots and lots of tuna and chicken breast tenderloin (the kind with no rib meat attached).
I, of course, bow to your superior wisdom. When I tried to figure out how to get to 1 gram per pound of my body weight, I found I'd have to consume 2 quarts of egg whites each day if I wanted any calories left for vegetables. I don't know how you did it, but I am in awe.
You ae using healthy goal weight in that calculation, yes? (As opposed to current weight, if you're overweight/obese).
I suspect you were just speaking (typing?) casually, but I have seen some folks on here who were still quite heavy, thinking they needed to get 1g per pound of current body weight, even when body weight was high. Getting 250 or so grams of protein was a big challenge for them! Of course, protein isn't needed to maintain fat mass, only needed to maintain lean mass, so they were striving for overkill.0 -
I add protein powder to food and drinks if I need more for a boost. Cheeses, steak, chicken, beef, pork and turkey, american farmed tilapia, shrimp, tuna, jerky, quinoa, hemp seeds- good on salads I even put eggs on salads, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, and protein bars..0
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I struggle too lately I've been doing muscle milk or protein shake! I've been doing great all month!
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4 eggs and chicken and protein shake0
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Protein powder in my morning coffee, usually make a smoothie with multiple sources of protein for breakfast, chia seeds, I dip my raw veggies in hummus or greek yogurt dip, deli chicken and turkey have good protein for only 50 cals per 2oz.0
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JeromeBarry1 wrote: »Gallowmere1984 wrote: »JeromeBarry1 wrote: »What's your calorie budget and how many grams of protein do you want? 1 gram per pound of body weight for progressive heavy lifting is sufficient, but you'll need protein supplements.
You never need protein supps. I've hit 300g on ~1400 kcals before. Lots and lots of tuna and chicken breast tenderloin (the kind with no rib meat attached).
I, of course, bow to your superior wisdom. When I tried to figure out how to get to 1 gram per pound of my body weight, I found I'd have to consume 2 quarts of egg whites each day if I wanted any calories left for vegetables. I don't know how you did it, but I am in awe.
You ae using healthy goal weight in that calculation, yes? (As opposed to current weight, if you're overweight/obese).
I suspect you were just speaking (typing?) casually, but I have seen some folks on here who were still quite heavy, thinking they needed to get 1g per pound of current body weight, even when body weight was high. Getting 250 or so grams of protein was a big challenge for them! Of course, protein isn't needed to maintain fat mass, only needed to maintain lean mass, so they were striving for overkill.
I believe this was in response to @Gallowmere1984 post about how he got 300g of protein on a 1400cal a day plan0 -
deannalfisher wrote: »JeromeBarry1 wrote: »Gallowmere1984 wrote: »JeromeBarry1 wrote: »What's your calorie budget and how many grams of protein do you want? 1 gram per pound of body weight for progressive heavy lifting is sufficient, but you'll need protein supplements.
You never need protein supps. I've hit 300g on ~1400 kcals before. Lots and lots of tuna and chicken breast tenderloin (the kind with no rib meat attached).
I, of course, bow to your superior wisdom. When I tried to figure out how to get to 1 gram per pound of my body weight, I found I'd have to consume 2 quarts of egg whites each day if I wanted any calories left for vegetables. I don't know how you did it, but I am in awe.
You ae using healthy goal weight in that calculation, yes? (As opposed to current weight, if you're overweight/obese).
I suspect you were just speaking (typing?) casually, but I have seen some folks on here who were still quite heavy, thinking they needed to get 1g per pound of current body weight, even when body weight was high. Getting 250 or so grams of protein was a big challenge for them! Of course, protein isn't needed to maintain fat mass, only needed to maintain lean mass, so they were striving for overkill.
I believe this was in response to @Gallowmere1984 post about how he got 300g of protein on a 1400cal a day plan
It looks like it was. It was 300g because that chicken and tuna was all I was eating, other than EFAs from fish oil. I won't go into too many details on the public forum, but Google RFL if interested in why I was doing it.
Hint: I rapid cut, so don't use...normal weight loss methods.0 -
deannalfisher wrote: »JeromeBarry1 wrote: »Gallowmere1984 wrote: »JeromeBarry1 wrote: »What's your calorie budget and how many grams of protein do you want? 1 gram per pound of body weight for progressive heavy lifting is sufficient, but you'll need protein supplements.
You never need protein supps. I've hit 300g on ~1400 kcals before. Lots and lots of tuna and chicken breast tenderloin (the kind with no rib meat attached).
I, of course, bow to your superior wisdom. When I tried to figure out how to get to 1 gram per pound of my body weight, I found I'd have to consume 2 quarts of egg whites each day if I wanted any calories left for vegetables. I don't know how you did it, but I am in awe.
You ae using healthy goal weight in that calculation, yes? (As opposed to current weight, if you're overweight/obese).
I suspect you were just speaking (typing?) casually, but I have seen some folks on here who were still quite heavy, thinking they needed to get 1g per pound of current body weight, even when body weight was high. Getting 250 or so grams of protein was a big challenge for them! Of course, protein isn't needed to maintain fat mass, only needed to maintain lean mass, so they were striving for overkill.
I believe this was in response to @Gallowmere1984 post about how he got 300g of protein on a 1400cal a day plan
I've seen Jerome Barry say several times that people should be aiming for 1 g/lb and that you will need protein supplements to do that (I actually wouldn't, as I often eat 125 g without supplements when I am eating meat), which is how I read the statement above too, so I don't think it was just about Gallowmere (who eats crazy high protein and admits it!).
Thus, I think Ann's question/clarification is important. I don't actually think 1g/lb is the right formula anyway, as even aiming high for muscle maintenance/gain (to the extent possible) at a deficit the highest number I've seen really supported is .8 or .85/lb of GOAL weight or, better, 1 g/lb of LBM. Maybe 1-1.2 g/lb of LBM (which number for me would be 95-114 g). I don't think those are numbers that are likely to require supplementation although I have nothing against supplementation and use protein powders sometimes myself (because I like them or enjoy them with oats for breakfast as an alternative to more eggs-based options).0 -
I've seen his posts - but the actual response about a gallon of egg whites - was directly to Gallowmere
I do 130g of protein a day and rarely supplement with powders/bars - I may do if I need a snack at work and they look good - but in general my protein typically comes from real food
my LMM (by my body comp) was 110.5lbs, so I do about 1.2g/lb of LBM - my RD upped me from 125g about a month ago, because I was so hungry on a regular basis (even with taking in between 2100 and 2400 a day)0 -
deannalfisher wrote: »I've seen his posts - but the actual response about a gallon of egg whites - was directly to Gallowmere
I do 130g of protein a day and rarely supplement with powders/bars - I may do if I need a snack at work and they look good - but in general my protein typically comes from real food
my LMM (by my body comp) was 110.5lbs, so I do about 1.2g/lb of LBM - my RD upped me from 125g about a month ago, because I was so hungry on a regular basis (even with taking in between 2100 and 2400 a day)
Yeah, that all sounds reasonable, and not that different from me (I'm 5'3, with a lean mass of around 95) and aim for 100, but often eat more just because when I'm eating meat I eat more meat/egg/dairy + veg based and it works out that way. (I'm eating vegetarian at the moment so end up more 90-105 g on average, although it wouldn't take much work or require supplements to get it higher if I were concerned about it.)
I think the discussion of supplements being needed didn't begin with Gallowmere, but above:JeromeBarry1 wrote: »What's your calorie budget and how many grams of protein do you want? 1 gram per pound of body weight for progressive heavy lifting is sufficient, but you'll need protein supplements.
Only then did Gallowmere jump in:
"You never need protein supps. I've hit 300g on ~1400 kcals before. Lots and lots of tuna and chicken breast tenderloin (the kind with no rib meat attached)."
The discussion continued:I, of course, bow to your superior wisdom. When I tried to figure out how to get to 1 gram per pound of my body weight, I found I'd have to consume 2 quarts of egg whites each day if I wanted any calories left for vegetables. I don't know how you did it, but I am in awe.
That is what I'd disagree with -- I don't think 1 g / lb of current weight (if overweight) is needed at all -- again, more like .8 g/lb of goal weight if you don't know LBM. However, when I started I did 1250 and ate about 100-110 g, sometimes as high as 120 g (120 being my goal weight), regularly (largely because of appetite control), and that certainly did not require egg whites (which I did not eat), supplements, or sacrificing vegetables. It did require increasing meat a bit more than I was comfortable with long term (at least without giving it more thought), and eating a lot of lean meat, low fat dairy, eggs (whole ones), and vegetables, though.0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »deannalfisher wrote: »I've seen his posts - but the actual response about a gallon of egg whites - was directly to Gallowmere
I do 130g of protein a day and rarely supplement with powders/bars - I may do if I need a snack at work and they look good - but in general my protein typically comes from real food
my LMM (by my body comp) was 110.5lbs, so I do about 1.2g/lb of LBM - my RD upped me from 125g about a month ago, because I was so hungry on a regular basis (even with taking in between 2100 and 2400 a day)
Yeah, that all sounds reasonable, and not that different from me (I'm 5'3, with a lean mass of around 95) and aim for 100, but often eat more just because when I'm eating meat I eat more meat/egg/dairy + veg based and it works out that way. (I'm eating vegetarian at the moment so end up more 90-105 g on average, although it wouldn't take much work or require supplements to get it higher if I were concerned about it.)
I think the discussion of supplements being needed didn't begin with Gallowmere, but above:JeromeBarry1 wrote: »What's your calorie budget and how many grams of protein do you want? 1 gram per pound of body weight for progressive heavy lifting is sufficient, but you'll need protein supplements.
Only then did Gallowmere jump in:
"You never need protein supps. I've hit 300g on ~1400 kcals before. Lots and lots of tuna and chicken breast tenderloin (the kind with no rib meat attached)."
The discussion continued:I, of course, bow to your superior wisdom. When I tried to figure out how to get to 1 gram per pound of my body weight, I found I'd have to consume 2 quarts of egg whites each day if I wanted any calories left for vegetables. I don't know how you did it, but I am in awe.
That is what I'd disagree with -- I don't think 1 g / lb of current weight (if overweight) is needed at all -- again, more like .8 g/lb of goal weight if you don't know LBM. However, when I started I did 1250 and ate about 100-110 g, sometimes as high as 120 g (120 being my goal weight), regularly (largely because of appetite control), and that certainly did not require egg whites (which I did not eat), supplements, or sacrificing vegetables. It did require increasing meat a bit more than I was comfortable with long term (at least without giving it more thought), and eating a lot of lean meat, low fat dairy, eggs (whole ones), and vegetables, though.
Yes, that's exactly why I said what I did.
Gallowmere (or anyone else) is free to eat WayBigLots of protein for any reason he chooses, and I'm happy to stand on the sidelines applauding. I've never seen him say anything to suggest anyone else needs to eat that much routinely. Quite the contrary: While he seems personally just a tad eccentric at times (a positive attribute, in my world), he seems to give others quite moderate, sensible advice.
What I have seen around here is newbie-type people who believe they need 1g/pound of current body weight, even if they're obese (perhaps because they've read something on a site meant for bodybuilders, where the writers just assume one is lean; perhaps because they read something written casually here on MFP that didn't fully qualify what was meant by "body weight").
Those people tend to struggle. As Gallowmere's example shows, it isn't impossible to get 300g protein in 1400 calories.
But, for most people, trying to get protein at 1g/pound of an excessive body weight is an unnecessary complicating factor. So, I tend to step in, all li'l ol' lady hand-wring-y-like, and assert that it's more reasonable IMO to base the protein on a healthy goal weight, if one doesn't know one's LBM. Lots of people read these things, not just the participants.
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I feel you. It is hard. I am trying to eat more greek yogurt. It is hard for me because of my stomach I can't do protein shakes or bars, eggs, or a lot of dairy either. I eat chicken mostly but I get so bored of it and have never ate a lot of meat. I was always more into veggies and sides. So I feel like a little kid every night at dinner patting myself on the back if I eat all my meat. HAHA1
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megzchica23 wrote: »I feel you. It is hard. I am trying to eat more greek yogurt. It is hard for me because of my stomach I can't do protein shakes or bars, eggs, or a lot of dairy either. I eat chicken mostly but I get so bored of it and have never ate a lot of meat. I was always more into veggies and sides. So I feel like a little kid every night at dinner patting myself on the back if I eat all my meat. HAHA
That's a funny visual...made me laugh.1 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »deannalfisher wrote: »I've seen his posts - but the actual response about a gallon of egg whites - was directly to Gallowmere
I do 130g of protein a day and rarely supplement with powders/bars - I may do if I need a snack at work and they look good - but in general my protein typically comes from real food
my LMM (by my body comp) was 110.5lbs, so I do about 1.2g/lb of LBM - my RD upped me from 125g about a month ago, because I was so hungry on a regular basis (even with taking in between 2100 and 2400 a day)
Yeah, that all sounds reasonable, and not that different from me (I'm 5'3, with a lean mass of around 95) and aim for 100, but often eat more just because when I'm eating meat I eat more meat/egg/dairy + veg based and it works out that way. (I'm eating vegetarian at the moment so end up more 90-105 g on average, although it wouldn't take much work or require supplements to get it higher if I were concerned about it.)
I think the discussion of supplements being needed didn't begin with Gallowmere, but above:JeromeBarry1 wrote: »What's your calorie budget and how many grams of protein do you want? 1 gram per pound of body weight for progressive heavy lifting is sufficient, but you'll need protein supplements.
Only then did Gallowmere jump in:
"You never need protein supps. I've hit 300g on ~1400 kcals before. Lots and lots of tuna and chicken breast tenderloin (the kind with no rib meat attached)."
The discussion continued:I, of course, bow to your superior wisdom. When I tried to figure out how to get to 1 gram per pound of my body weight, I found I'd have to consume 2 quarts of egg whites each day if I wanted any calories left for vegetables. I don't know how you did it, but I am in awe.
That is what I'd disagree with -- I don't think 1 g / lb of current weight (if overweight) is needed at all -- again, more like .8 g/lb of goal weight if you don't know LBM. However, when I started I did 1250 and ate about 100-110 g, sometimes as high as 120 g (120 being my goal weight), regularly (largely because of appetite control), and that certainly did not require egg whites (which I did not eat), supplements, or sacrificing vegetables. It did require increasing meat a bit more than I was comfortable with long term (at least without giving it more thought), and eating a lot of lean meat, low fat dairy, eggs (whole ones), and vegetables, though.
You folks are hilarious.....and I mean no disrespect, truly. I aspire to be one of you some day. I actually thought at one point that you were all talking to me....and I was kinda confused....I don't lift or cut or drink quarts of egg whites. Lol I thank you all for the input. I have gotten my question answered and then some!3 -
it is important to remember what ever your protein goal/protein macronutrient count is, that you space that throughout the day. Someone in this post commented they have over 80g of protein just in lunch, that is way to much for one sitting and nearly 30g-40g of that will not be metabolized and synthesized through the body. It is important to not only protein uptake though also muscle repair that you feed your body throughout the day, not just in a big serve like an 80g protein meal, some suggestions have been noted, tin/can of tuna, yogurt, protein shake, cottage cheese, fish, chicken ect. all of these are great snacks during the day that are quick and easy and will yield the extra protein you are seeking.
it also seemed by your post that you missed lunch? - it might just be that you need to eat more frequently rather than trying to get all your protein in over 3 meals0 -
I had lentils, bean and eggs for breakfast and salmon for dinner and Greek yogurt for a snack, and that was still not enough protein. How do you manage to get enough in a day?
6 eggs in the morning, followed by 4 meals of 4oz boiled chicken, 1 cup of brown rice and green beans, then a shake before bed = 280 grams of protein daily.0 -
cdgallagher943 wrote: »I had lentils, bean and eggs for breakfast and salmon for dinner and Greek yogurt for a snack, and that was still not enough protein. How do you manage to get enough in a day?
6 eggs in the morning, followed by 4 meals of 4oz boiled chicken, 1 cup of brown rice and green beans, then a shake before bed = 280 grams of protein daily.
Wow...just wow. 6 eggs and 16 Oz of chicken? I'd have to quit my job and spend my days in a gym. Maybe in my next life!0 -
Cottage cheese0
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feliciaboots wrote: »Generally I have a couple eggs in the morning, then a can of tuna for lunch (I drain the tuna and mix in the seasonings the night before to it can marinate - try curry, chili powder, lemon dill or green relish). For dinner it can be any type of meat, truly. I haven't gotten into beans really yet (the calories worry me for losing weight) but that's on the to-do list.
This is basically the pattern I follow - tho I prefer jumbo prawns for lunch over tuna .. and I will eat some beans for dinner if I've done shed-loads of exercise in the day, but I generally am not eating rice/pasta/potatoe in the evening.0 -
Thanks for all the feedback. Some of you commented that my numbers seemed a little out of whack so I wnt in and had a look. I have a new fitbit and it seems that as fitbit is adding in activity it also changes the macro requirements. I'm not doing any major workouts so eating more protein and fat because I'm recording steps does not seem reasonable. I don't eat back exercise calories at all so maybe I don't need the fitbit synced. Something to think about......thanks again.
I've been faffing about with MFP for three months and still haven't quite decided how to set it up - I think I have set my macros as % ages - which then increases the protein needs when I add in exercise, but I just ignore it!
I have lost 23lbs and according to the boditrax at my gym (which gives you a rough idea of the amounts of fat / muscle in your body) I AM managing to lose lots more fat than muscle. This ideal, if you are thinking like lemurcat said. I am 58 so defintely keen to hold onto the muscle I have ...0 -
By the way, what does LBM stand for?
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suzesvelte wrote: »By the way, what does LBM stand for?
Lean Body Mass
(Pretty much everything which is not fat)1 -
I didn't get the pat last night! My husband stole the last bite of my roast!megzchica23 wrote: »I feel you. It is hard. I am trying to eat more greek yogurt. It is hard for me because of my stomach I can't do protein shakes or bars, eggs, or a lot of dairy either. I eat chicken mostly but I get so bored of it and have never ate a lot of meat. I was always more into veggies and sides. So I feel like a little kid every night at dinner patting myself on the back if I eat all my meat. HAHA
That's a funny visual...made me laugh.
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