Having a hard time meeting Protein requirements, any tips?

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RachelWithoutAPaddle
RachelWithoutAPaddle Posts: 98 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi! My name is Rachel. I've been working with a trainer for a few weeks now. We worked out my Macros and my trainer wants me eating about 168g of protein per day. I've been having a hard time getting more than 100-125g a day. Does anyone have any tips on how to get more protein in your day? Thank you :)
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  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    did your trainer say why you should eat that much?

    what do you normally eat?
  • RachelWithoutAPaddle
    RachelWithoutAPaddle Posts: 98 Member
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    My trainer would like me to eat 35% of my calories in Protein (My calorie target is 1916/day). I weight train 3x per week and has been stressing the importance of my protein intake.
  • RachelWithoutAPaddle
    RachelWithoutAPaddle Posts: 98 Member
    edited September 2017
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    And in terms of what I normally eat- I'll have non-dairy yogurt with granola and berries for breakfast, and then we mealprep 4 different dishes to eat for lunch and dinner throughout the week. For example, this week we've prepped salad with 4oz chicken, sesame beef with bell peppers, pork loin, and salmon cakes. We've also prepped a large batch of broccoli and roasted chickpeas.

    edit: worth noting that I am lactose intolerant.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    RachelWithoutAPaddle wrote: »
    My trainer would like me to eat 35% of my calories in Protein (My calorie target is 1916/day). I weight train 3x per week and has been stressing the importance of my protein intake.

    0.6g to 0.8g of protein per lb of weight is plenty...

    opening your diary might help. other than that, pre log your day around the protein to hit your target.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    RachelWithoutAPaddle wrote: »
    And in terms of what I normally eat- I'll have non-dairy yogurt with granola and berries for breakfast, and then we mealprep 4 different dishes to eat for lunch and dinner throughout the week. For example, this week we've prepped salad with 4oz chicken, sesame beef with bell peppers, pork loin, and salmon cakes. We've also prepped a large batch of broccoli and roasted chickpeas.

    bigger portions of chicken... 4oz isn't a massive amount. find a higher protein yoghurt or swap that for something with more protein. swap salmon cakes for actual salmon...

    my usual fall back is a protein shake
  • cs2thecox
    cs2thecox Posts: 533 Member
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    I'm on up to 155g a day and my diary's open if you want to look.
    I can't do it without shakes, bars and high protein yogurt, but all of those are lactosey...

    If you want to get that much protein in, then your best bet may be supplementing.
    I find I can't fit in the amount of food I need to get it all that way - my calories are pretty similar to yours.

    There are lactose free supplements out there, but I'm afraid I don't know anything much about them :/
  • RachelWithoutAPaddle
    RachelWithoutAPaddle Posts: 98 Member
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    Gotcha. Yeah, 0.6-0.8g per lb of body weight is 144-192g. I usually hit about 50g per meal, I'm really looking for small tips (meal ideas, snacks to keep on hand, etc).
  • RachelWithoutAPaddle
    RachelWithoutAPaddle Posts: 98 Member
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    cs2thecox wrote: »
    I'm on up to 155g a day and my diary's open if you want to look.
    I can't do it without shakes, bars and high protein yogurt, but all of those are lactosey...

    If you want to get that much protein in, then your best bet may be supplementing.
    I find I can't fit in the amount of food I need to get it all that way - my calories are pretty similar to yours.

    There are lactose free supplements out there, but I'm afraid I don't know anything much about them :/

    I'll take a peek, thanks! I'll have to look into bars I can throw in to my purse!

  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
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    depending on your carbs - there are grains that have protein in them that help me reach my goal (I do 140g a day) - I buy the microwave cups of brown and wild rice - 5g protein

    shrimp is a go-to for protein for me - 4oz is 23g
  • RachelWithoutAPaddle
    RachelWithoutAPaddle Posts: 98 Member
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    TavistockToad wrote: »
    RachelWithoutAPaddle wrote: »
    And in terms of what I normally eat- I'll have non-dairy yogurt with granola and berries for breakfast, and then we mealprep 4 different dishes to eat for lunch and dinner throughout the week. For example, this week we've prepped salad with 4oz chicken, sesame beef with bell peppers, pork loin, and salmon cakes. We've also prepped a large batch of broccoli and roasted chickpeas.

    bigger portions of chicken... 4oz isn't a massive amount. find a higher protein yoghurt or swap that for something with more protein. swap salmon cakes for actual salmon...

    my usual fall back is a protein shake

    I'll have to see if I can find a lactose or dairy free with higher protein. I have lactaid pills, but taking one every morning adds up. The salmon cakes were more for ease of mealprep (I'm on the go a lot), but I'm sure I could find a way to make it work. Thank you for the advice!
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
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    have you tried fairlife milk - its lactose free I believe - and is higher in protein
  • RachelWithoutAPaddle
    RachelWithoutAPaddle Posts: 98 Member
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    deannalfisher wrote: »
    have you tried fairlife milk - its lactose free I believe - and is higher in protein

    I have not! I've been drinking Almond milk. I'll go searching for this, thank you!
  • cryonic_273
    cryonic_273 Posts: 81 Member
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    Lean meat or fish is the best source of nearly pure protein. If I want a protein boost I try and base a meal round lean steak, skinless chicken breast or pork loin or a fat free fish - basa/cod or prawns. If Its a snack - I try and go for one of the High protein zero fat yoghurts - fage/skyr or fat free fromage freis.

    Basing meals around veg is a problem if you are aiming at high protein as they contain low protein levels and add a lot of bulk to have to process. Aim for a meal around high protein foods then use the remaining calories to balance out with healthy veg.
  • ZodFit
    ZodFit Posts: 394 Member
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    If you don't mind spending a little extra on protein I would buy isopure. 50g protein a serving and you can use half servings to chunk your protein and half servings would last you a while.
  • alcomer
    alcomer Posts: 101 Member
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    Premier Protein shakes, 30 grams per serving :)
  • artbyrachelh
    artbyrachelh Posts: 338 Member
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    Does protein powder have lactose? I mix mine with ice cold water with and immersion blender. Nice and smooth.
  • EdR55
    EdR55 Posts: 174 Member
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    Beef Jerky
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    RachelWithoutAPaddle wrote: »
    Gotcha. Yeah, 0.6-0.8g per lb of body weight is 144-192g. I usually hit about 50g per meal, I'm really looking for small tips (meal ideas, snacks to keep on hand, etc).

    You don't even need that much... it should be about .8-1 gram per lb of lean body mass, but if you don't know your bf%, just aim for 0.8 grams per lb of goal weight. If your goal is 150, that would be 120 grams
  • Van_Thorn
    Van_Thorn Posts: 1 Member
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    There are protein powders that have lactose, but it won't be hard to find one without. There are vegan protein powders, normally soy based. And even the milk based ones (Whey or casein) can be lactose free if they were processed correctly.
  • misnomer1
    misnomer1 Posts: 646 Member
    edited September 2017
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    160gms a day on a 2000kcal diet is not going to be easy without 90% protein foods like egg whites, whey isolate supplement or fish.
    for what its worth, i dont think you need this much protein. 0.8-1 gm per lean body weight in lbs (not body weight) is enough.

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