Having a hard time meeting Protein requirements, any tips?
RachelWithoutAPaddle
Posts: 98 Member
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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Replies
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did your trainer say why you should eat that much?
what do you normally eat?1 -
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
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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.0 -
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.2 -
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 shake2 -
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
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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).0
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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
I'll take a peek, thanks! I'll have to look into bars I can throw in to my purse!
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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 23g1 -
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!0 -
have you tried fairlife milk - its lactose free I believe - and is higher in protein3
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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!0 -
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.1 -
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.0
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Premier Protein shakes, 30 grams per serving 2
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Does protein powder have lactose? I mix mine with ice cold water with and immersion blender. Nice and smooth.0
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Beef Jerky3
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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 grams1 -
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.0
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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.0 -
RachelWithoutAPaddle wrote: »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!
Just seconding the Fairlife rec. My fiance is lactose intolerant and we depend on Fairlife (I dislike plant milks, especially in recipes) and it doesn't give him any issues. Fairlife is also reduced sugar and increased protein vs normal milk, without additives: they hyper filter it and then recombine to get the reduced sugar and bumped protein. The chocolate Fairlife is rich enough to be a dessert, and is a nice treat on occasion.0 -
Snack Ideas
RXBar 210 cal 12g Protein - No Dairy
Shrimp (6 oz) 100 cal 42g protein
Tuna (2 oz) 100 cal 11g Protein
Egg White (3 qty) 51 Cal 11g Protein
Chicken Breast 150 Cal 26g Protein
I agree with the other comments that suggest you up the amount of chicken you have in your meal prep's. It will help you reach that goal. Here are my main non-dairy sources of protein. The RXBar Peanut Butter Chocolate is my favorite, although I like most of them.0 -
RachelWithoutAPaddle wrote: »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!
Fairlife milk is great. 13g per cup.
My go to smoothie...
1 cup fairlife 2% milk
100 grams liquid egg whites
1 banana
1 - 2 cups of spinach
2T ovaltine...0 -
is this turning into a fairlife fan thread, because i'm 100% behind that.4
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I'm not sure I could get enough protein (my protein goal is 140g on calories of 1450) if it were not for protein powders. But protein powder doesn't have to be a protein shake! I make a protein powder cheesecake and a bunch of different protein powder based 'bars'. The bars are so good, and one batch lasts so long (if my husband doesn't eat them on me) and they are very portable. I've made peanut butter bars, chocolate bars, chocolate mint bars and lemon bars so far.
As for the advice here that you don't need that much protein, I would stick with your trainer's recommendation to start ( your trainer is in a better position to know your particular needs and goals), then later on consider modification if it isn't working for you.
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RachelWithoutAPaddle wrote: »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!
oh yeah, you've been missing out on a ton of protein if you're drinking nut waters.4 -
I'm not sure I could get enough protein (my protein goal is 140g on calories of 1450) if it were not for protein powders. But protein powder doesn't have to be a protein shake! I make a protein powder cheesecake and a bunch of different protein powder based 'bars'. The bars are so good, and one batch lasts so long (if my husband doesn't eat them on me) and they are very portable. I've made peanut butter bars, chocolate bars, chocolate mint bars and lemon bars so far.
As for the advice here that you don't need that much protein, I would stick with your trainer's recommendation to start ( your trainer is in a better position to know your particular needs and goals), then later on consider modification if it isn't working for you.
Most trainers are not well versed in nutrition, a lot of Bro-science. 35% of cals is probably good if you eat 1500 cals or less. Since he is basing intake on %, rather than grams tells me he isn't as versed as he should be if giving advice.3 -
I use protein powder (every day), egg whites, chicken breast, fish (cod, tilapia, tuna, salmon) and cottage cheese and sometimes Greek yogurt. However, I'm not lactose intolerant so I know that several of those options won't work for you... However, if you could find a protein powder you liked that is lactose-free I think that would be one of the easiest options of adding extra protein in.0
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RachelWithoutAPaddle wrote: »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!
oh yeah, you've been missing out on a ton of protein if you're drinking nut waters.
hahahaha yeah nut waters and the occasional fake cheese. So far, I haven't found much lactose-free milk aside from Lactaid in my area. I'm going to have to expand my horizons a bit. I'm getting real excited for this Fairlife though!0 -
I'm not sure I could get enough protein (my protein goal is 140g on calories of 1450) if it were not for protein powders. But protein powder doesn't have to be a protein shake! I make a protein powder cheesecake and a bunch of different protein powder based 'bars'. The bars are so good, and one batch lasts so long (if my husband doesn't eat them on me) and they are very portable. I've made peanut butter bars, chocolate bars, chocolate mint bars and lemon bars so far.
As for the advice here that you don't need that much protein, I would stick with your trainer's recommendation to start ( your trainer is in a better position to know your particular needs and goals), then later on consider modification if it isn't working for you.
Most trainers are not well versed in nutrition, a lot of Bro-science. 35% of cals is probably good if you eat 1500 cals or less. Since he is basing intake on %, rather than grams tells me he isn't as versed as he should be if giving advice.
I'll be sure to take it with a grain of salt, my boyfriend was suggesting the same thing. Being that my goal weight is 160 and reading above, I'm thinking ~128g is a more realistic number.1
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