Struggling to hit protein

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  • loulamb7
    loulamb7 Posts: 801 Member
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    ent3rsandman wrote: »
    ksmommy5 wrote: »
    ent3rsandman wrote: »
    Why do you want that much protein out of curiosity? Satiety? Prevention of strength loss? Weightlifting?

    I normally eat the same lineup of foods everyday to hit my protein goal, which is around 140g-175g depending on what I'm attempting to do. This lineup consists of cottage cheese, canned chicken, egg whites and/or whole eggs, greek yogurt, carbmaster milk, and if I want that extra 30g, whey protein powder. This comes out to less than 1200 calories for 175g, and less than 1000 calories for 146g.

    If you want to consistently hit 197g, you're going to have to increase the servings of some of the lower calorie foods listed above. Honestly though unless you do a lot of cardio, you'll be fine just hitting .8g of protein x your bodyweight a day, that is assuming you're trying to cultivate those gainz. If you just want to lose weight then it doesn't matter what your macro goals are.

    So should I lower protein macro? I just want more protein because I am not currently weightlifting or going to the gym so don't want to lose muscle mass.
    Only cardio is walking.

    You'll be fine eating .8g-1g of protein per lb of your goal weight, unless you're close to your goal weight in which case you can just apply that to your current weight. You can lower your goals to match that requirement or you can keep them where they are now; it doesn't really matter if you go over/under on any of the other macros unless you're trying to achieve something specific!

    Yes, to the above. 197g of protein seems extremely high. Use the above to determine number of protein grams. Aim for .35-.45 grams of fats per lb and the rest in carbs. Don't use percentages to calculate your macros.
  • MontaukGirl1973
    MontaukGirl1973 Posts: 10 Member
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    I can't believe on that diet you are not losing weight!!!
  • Luna3386
    Luna3386 Posts: 888 Member
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    ksmommy5 wrote: »
    I've been at mfp for over 3 months.
    35/35/30 are my macros. I really struggle with hitting protein. My carbs are usually closer to 40%.
    Breakfast: coffee with 1 milk 1 sugar and a 35 calorie yogurt
    Lunch usually panera bread sandwich with soup or salad or a pita with turkey and veggies
    Dinner depends but always consists of a protein.
    I know the recommended protein for females is 46g and I barely hit that.
    Suggestions on higher protein snacks?
    I'm on 1500 calories not normally snacking unless I'm famished.
    ksmommy5 wrote: »
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    This is from last week but I think my macros were a bit higher 40/30/30 if i recall.

    You are very low on fiber too. Plus with being so low in protein and fats you must not be eating nearly enough. You have to get around the fear of eating.

    Maybe increasing your protein to that much is overwhelming. Maybe try an extra 10 grams of protein a day and learn consistency.

    You don't like Greek yogurt? Have you tried multiple brands? Cottage cheese? Cottage cheese is extremely versatile. I like to have it plain with frozen blueberries. Or with parmesan cheese and black pepper. Or blended up with peanut butter and some chocolate chips.

    Eggs, for breakfast. Easy, quick, very filling. Would be good for both of your protein and fats macros.

  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,572 Member
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    You can look at my diary. My last week I had higher calories, but today starts 1500. I got 168 grams without even trying.
  • ksmommy5
    ksmommy5 Posts: 142 Member
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    MontaukGirl1973 wrote: »
    I can't believe on that diet you are not losing weight!!!

    Oh I am. 40 lbs in 3 months. I'm just worried about losing muscle mass.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
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    ksmommy5 wrote: »
    MontaukGirl1973 wrote: »
    I can't believe on that diet you are not losing weight!!!

    Oh I am. 40 lbs in 3 months. I'm just worried about losing muscle mass.

    40lbs in 3months is approx. 3.3lbs a week - which is beyond the recommended healthy weight loss

    also if you are working out, you should be eating back exercise calories (at least half) because of how MFP is designed
  • ksmommy5
    ksmommy5 Posts: 142 Member
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    deannalfisher wrote: »
    ksmommy5 wrote: »
    MontaukGirl1973 wrote: »
    I can't believe on that diet you are not losing weight!!!

    Oh I am. 40 lbs in 3 months. I'm just worried about losing muscle mass.

    40lbs in 3months is approx. 3.3lbs a week - which is beyond the recommended healthy weight loss

    also if you are working out, you should be eating back exercise calories (at least half) because of how MFP is designed

    Yes but I have about 80 lbs to lose so it's not that unheard of. Now it's around 1.5 a week like it's set for.

    No workouts. Just fitbit. So I guess I can safely eat most of these "exercise" calories? I'd love a bigger breakfast but I hate not having that large dinner. I tend to keep lunch and dinner 500 to 600.
  • avadahm
    avadahm Posts: 111 Member
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    Protein was hard for me, too. If you're working out you can totally add quite a few things that will give you a boost. I like to eat cashews or almonds in the car driving from work. They're not very filling and they're easy to store there in whatever servings to add to MFP later. I used to add chocolate protein powder to my coffee because it was hard to add breakfast into my day. A protein bar isn't the end of the world if you've been low consistently- I prefer unprocessed foods though. If you're a carb lover, look for carbs that are also decent in protein (like if you make a sandwich, buy the bread that has more protein). Eggs are pretty easy and you can scramble some to add to a salad.
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,572 Member
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    ksmommy5 wrote: »
    deannalfisher wrote: »
    ksmommy5 wrote: »
    MontaukGirl1973 wrote: »
    I can't believe on that diet you are not losing weight!!!

    Oh I am. 40 lbs in 3 months. I'm just worried about losing muscle mass.

    40lbs in 3months is approx. 3.3lbs a week - which is beyond the recommended healthy weight loss

    also if you are working out, you should be eating back exercise calories (at least half) because of how MFP is designed

    Yes but I have about 80 lbs to lose so it's not that unheard of. Now it's around 1.5 a week like it's set for.

    No workouts. Just fitbit. So I guess I can safely eat most of these "exercise" calories? I'd love a bigger breakfast but I hate not having that large dinner. I tend to keep lunch and dinner 500 to 600.

    If you're losing more than 2 lbs per week, eat them back. If you're losing 1.5 or 2 you can keep them the same, unless you want to feel a bit more comfortable and it would be easier to adhere to your diet if you ate a bit more (exercise calories back).

    You don't want to be losing 3+ lbs per week, especially if looking to maintain muscle mass is a goal in addition to fat loss.

    Choose LEAN sources of protein. I think I saw you were eating pepperoni sticks. Nothing wrong with that, but it's fatty (also nothing wrong with fat ) BUT fat has 9 calories per gram, as opposed to carbs and protein which have 4. So for a more calorie dense food, you're not getting a great bang for your buck protein wise.

    Turkey, chicken, greek yogurt, cottage cheese (especially low fat), protein bars and powders, tuna (and other fishies).

    It helps me to also not use bread very much. Nothing wrong with it but I gots goals. Take that sandwich and dump it on a bed of lettuce and you can add another oz of meat, or two.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
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    ksmommy5 wrote: »
    deannalfisher wrote: »
    ksmommy5 wrote: »
    MontaukGirl1973 wrote: »
    I can't believe on that diet you are not losing weight!!!

    Oh I am. 40 lbs in 3 months. I'm just worried about losing muscle mass.

    40lbs in 3months is approx. 3.3lbs a week - which is beyond the recommended healthy weight loss

    also if you are working out, you should be eating back exercise calories (at least half) because of how MFP is designed

    Yes but I have about 80 lbs to lose so it's not that unheard of. Now it's around 1.5 a week like it's set for.

    No workouts. Just fitbit. So I guess I can safely eat most of these "exercise" calories? I'd love a bigger breakfast but I hate not having that large dinner. I tend to keep lunch and dinner 500 to 600.

    general rule of thumb is eat back about 50% of exercise calories (since MFP does overestimate) - then adjust as needed

    even with 80lbs to loose, 3+lbs a week is too much - the safe recommended is 2lbs because of the risk of losing muscle mass along with the fat
  • CatchMom11
    CatchMom11 Posts: 462 Member
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    It's actually pretty easy to hit if you specifically look for foods that are high in protein. One, your breakfast isn't nearly what it should be. You should add some egg white to that 35 calorie yogurt. Or, switch to a higher protein yogurt such as Oikos Triple Zero.

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