I can't hit my protein goal...
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sarebearr
Posts: 59 Member
Hey all! I am aiming to eat 1200 calories a day, while trying to get at least 100 grams of protein per day. I am trying to lose around 50 lbs and I am working out, trying to get fit. I really don't want to be "Skinny fat" so I know it's important to hit my protein goals otherwise I may start to lose muscle. But it just feels like so much...I'm averaging 67 g per day....any tips? I am going to start adding protein shakes into my day but those are hard because I'd rather eat my calories than drink them. What's your best advice to avoid looking squishy when I lose the weight?
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Replies
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Here's the Top 100 for Protein thread:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10244142/list-of-foods-with-highest-protein-calorie-percentage/p12 -
To answer your question work out.. You need to work out so you are not "squishy"
as for the protein:
protein shakes with 2 eggs => That will get you 70 grams of protein12 -
I have been working out and just started really kicking it up a notch. But won't I lose muscle if I'm not getting enough protein?0
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Sufficient protein for muscle maintenance is around .65-.8 g per lb of a healthy goal weight (although more is fine and sometimes people find it more sating). So you may be okay to lower the goal.
I ate around 90-100 g when I (briefly) did 1250 cal, and the trick was making sure I had a good source or sources of protein at all meals (I don't snack, but the same would go for snacks).
So for me -- a typical day was often something like a 2 egg veg omelet with low fat cottage cheese on the side for breakfast, salad with protein on it for dinner, and then meat/fish plus a starch and lots of veg for dinner. But of course what works for you will depend on your diet -- you'll want to look at your sources of protein and increase serving side and then cut serving size of some lower protein (but more caloric) foods.4 -
Oh, I should add -- the 1200 goal is not only on the low side for many people who get it (if you put in sedentary and 2 lb most women will get it), but it's before exercise. If you are exercising you eat back calories, so will have more cals which will make the protein goal easier.2
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I have been working out and just started really kicking it up a notch. But won't I lose muscle if I'm not getting enough protein?
to avoid loosing muscles you want an appropriate rate of loss. lose too fast and your body will burn muscles as well as fat.
i get about 90-100 grams of protein eating 1300-1400 calories. i eat lean proteins, greek yogurt, home made protein bars, snack on jerky.
Also, if you are eating 1200 calories a day you need to eat back the exercise calories. that is how MFP was designed. this will help you achieve your protein goal as well. not eating your exercise calories creates and ever larger deficit than the 2lb/week you selected.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10503681/exercise-calories-do-i-eat-these-a-video-explanation/p13 -
Chicken breast, chicken breast, chicken breast. 6 oz of boneless skinless cooked chicken breast is 50 grams of protein. That will get you some of the best bang for your buck in terms of protein.
Fish and seafood as well. Salmon, Tuna, Shrimp, etc are all very good sources of protein.
Fat free or 2% cottage cheese is great for a snack.
1200 also might be too low for you. One of the many problems with too low calorie goals is that it could make it hard to get all your macro nutrients in. What have you set your rate of loss to? If it is 2 pounds, it may be better to set it to 1.5 a week, or even 1 pound, to give yourself a bit more to work with.5 -
Hey all! I am aiming to eat 1200 calories a day, while trying to get at least 100 grams of protein per day. I am trying to lose around 50 lbs and I am working out, trying to get fit. I really don't want to be "Skinny fat" so I know it's important to hit my protein goals otherwise I may start to lose muscle. But it just feels like so much...I'm averaging 67 g per day....any tips? I am going to start adding protein shakes into my day but those are hard because I'd rather eat my calories than drink them. What's your best advice to avoid looking squishy when I lose the weight?
Unless you are very very short AND sedentary, you can lose weight just fine eating more than 1200 calories: https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/1200-calorie-diet/0 -
Commander_Keen wrote: »To answer your question work out.. You need to work out so you are not "squishy"
as for the protein:
protein shakes with 2 eggs => That will get you 70 grams of protein
what kind of protein shake are you drinking? 2 eggs are going to give you maybe 12g protein (normal egg is 6g protein) - where are you getting the ohter 58g protein3 -
Two scoops - Each scoop is 30grams
Optimum Nutrition Performance Whey Isolate Protein, 4-pounds3 -
Protein powders are great to increase your protein intake.
You may be thinking that because they are powders the only way to consume them is in liquid form, but that's not true. You can add protein powder to many solid food recipes, thereby increasing the protein content of that solid food.
For example, you can add a scoop of chocolate or vanilla flavored protein powder to your favorite pancake or brownie recipe and voila! If you're looking for a more neutral flavor you can try Yellow Pea protein, which imho is better used for cooking than drinking anyways.
A personal favorite is a recipe I made up using Yellow Pea Protein that I call Eggs 'N Protein:
Eggs 'N Protein w/ Spinach
-2 eggs
-1/2 cup milk
-2 scoops yellow pea protein
-2 fluid ounce, fresh chopped spinach
Whisk the eggs and milk, add protein powder until smooth then add the chopped spinach and cook in a pan like scrambled eggs.
The end result is a whopping 43grams of protein and a mere 9 grams of carbs. Eat that and you'll be halfway through your protein goal.
Full nutrition info for Eggs 'N Protein w/ Spinach below:
Nutrition Facts
Servings 1.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 307
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 11 g 16 %
Saturated Fat 3 g 15 %
Monounsaturated Fat 0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 373 mg 124 %
Sodium 321 mg 13 %
Potassium 100 mg 3 %
Total Carbohydrate 9 g 3 %
Dietary Fiber 0 g 1 %
Sugars 8 g
Protein 43 g 87 %
Vitamin A 31 %
Vitamin C 6 %
Calcium 30 %
Iron 10 %
Keep in mind that regardless of how much protein you consume, your body's absorption rate will limit how much of that ends up becoming useful for building muscle- especially if you're drinking the protein. On the other hand if you cook the protein powder into a solid food then your body will be able to better absorb it, because solids get digested slower than liquids. Lastly, consider adding digestive enzymes to your regiment, studies have shown that they can nearly double your body's protein absorption rate.
Yellow Pea Protein
https://www.amazon.com/Protein-Powder-North-American-Farms/dp/B00NBIUGA2/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=yellow+pea+naked&qid=1557864273&s=gateway&sr=8-2&th=1
Digestive Enzymes
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00028PLTK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Article on Protein Absorption Rate & Digestive Enzymes
https://www.precisionnutrition.com/rr-whey-too-much
Good luck!1 -
kshama2001 wrote: »Hey all! I am aiming to eat 1200 calories a day, while trying to get at least 100 grams of protein per day. I am trying to lose around 50 lbs and I am working out, trying to get fit. I really don't want to be "Skinny fat" so I know it's important to hit my protein goals otherwise I may start to lose muscle. But it just feels like so much...I'm averaging 67 g per day....any tips? I am going to start adding protein shakes into my day but those are hard because I'd rather eat my calories than drink them. What's your best advice to avoid looking squishy when I lose the weight?
Unless you are very very short AND sedentary, you can lose weight just fine eating more than 1200 calories: https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/1200-calorie-diet/
I am 5'3" and do work a sedentary desk job. I make sure to eat back exercise calories!0 -
I really appreciate the concern that 1200 calories may not be enough but I have calculated my TDEE as roughly 1700. I am 24 yo female, 5'3", starting weight 160 (now ~155) and I work a sedentary job. 1200 calories is a 500 calorie deficit, about a pound a week. I am trying to exercise 4 times a week and when I do I eat more calories. This feels like a good number for me calorie wise, but I want to make sure I am getting enough protein to sufficiently lose fat, not muscle and fat.0
-
Protein powders are great to increase your protein intake.
You may be thinking that because they are powders the only way to consume them is in liquid form, but that's not true. You can add protein powder to many solid food recipes, thereby increasing the protein content of that solid food.
For example, you can add a scoop of chocolate or vanilla flavored protein powder to your favorite pancake or brownie recipe and voila! If you're looking for a more neutral flavor you can try Yellow Pea protein, which imho is better used for cooking than drinking anyways.
A personal favorite is a recipe I made up using Yellow Pea Protein that I call Eggs 'N Protein:
Eggs 'N Protein w/ Spinach
-2 eggs
-1/2 cup milk
-2 scoops yellow pea protein
-2 fluid ounce, fresh chopped spinach
Whisk the eggs and milk, add protein powder until smooth then add the chopped spinach and cook in a pan like scrambled eggs.
The end result is a whopping 43grams of protein and a mere 9 grams of carbs. Eat that and you'll be halfway through your protein goal.
Full nutrition info for Eggs 'N Protein w/ Spinach below:
Nutrition Facts
Servings 1.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 307
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 11 g 16 %
Saturated Fat 3 g 15 %
Monounsaturated Fat 0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 373 mg 124 %
Sodium 321 mg 13 %
Potassium 100 mg 3 %
Total Carbohydrate 9 g 3 %
Dietary Fiber 0 g 1 %
Sugars 8 g
Protein 43 g 87 %
Vitamin A 31 %
Vitamin C 6 %
Calcium 30 %
Iron 10 %
Keep in mind that regardless of how much protein you consume, your body's absorption rate will limit how much of that ends up becoming useful for building muscle- especially if you're drinking the protein. On the other hand if you cook the protein powder into a solid food then your body will be able to better absorb it, because solids get digested slower than liquids. Lastly, consider adding digestive enzymes to your regiment, studies have shown that they can nearly double your body's protein absorption rate.
Yellow Pea Protein
https://www.amazon.com/Protein-Powder-North-American-Farms/dp/B00NBIUGA2/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=yellow+pea+naked&qid=1557864273&s=gateway&sr=8-2&th=1
Digestive Enzymes
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00028PLTK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Article on Protein Absorption Rate & Digestive Enzymes
https://www.precisionnutrition.com/rr-whey-too-much
Good luck!
I always forget that I can add protein powders to other foods besides shakes! Lol so silly of me. Love this idea for a recipe, thank you. I should also get in the habit of adding it to things like oatmeal and pancakes.0 -
Chicken breast, chicken breast, chicken breast. 6 oz of boneless skinless cooked chicken breast is 50 grams of protein. That will get you some of the best bang for your buck in terms of protein.
Fish and seafood as well. Salmon, Tuna, Shrimp, etc are all very good sources of protein.
Fat free or 2% cottage cheese is great for a snack.
1200 also might be too low for you. One of the many problems with too low calorie goals is that it could make it hard to get all your macro nutrients in. What have you set your rate of loss to? If it is 2 pounds, it may be better to set it to 1.5 a week, or even 1 pound, to give yourself a bit more to work with.
Chicken breast gets so boring but I know it is so good for me! I love fish so I will try to add more into my diet. And cottage cheese, yes I always forget about cottage cheese! I'm a weirdo that actually really likes it.
My caloric deficit is set at around 1.5 lb per week. I do make sure to eat more on days I exercise.0 -
I found a fat free cottage cheese at the grocery store and it tastes just like regular 2% with the same consistency.0
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Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs, chicken, beef, fish, milk, cheese, lentils, tofu and brussel sprouts are my staples...0
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Chicken breast, chicken breast, chicken breast. 6 oz of boneless skinless cooked chicken breast is 50 grams of protein. That will get you some of the best bang for your buck in terms of protein.
Fish and seafood as well. Salmon, Tuna, Shrimp, etc are all very good sources of protein.
Fat free or 2% cottage cheese is great for a snack.
1200 also might be too low for you. One of the many problems with too low calorie goals is that it could make it hard to get all your macro nutrients in. What have you set your rate of loss to? If it is 2 pounds, it may be better to set it to 1.5 a week, or even 1 pound, to give yourself a bit more to work with.
Chicken breast gets so boring but I know it is so good for me! I love fish so I will try to add more into my diet. And cottage cheese, yes I always forget about cottage cheese! I'm a weirdo that actually really likes it.
My caloric deficit is set at around 1.5 lb per week. I do make sure to eat more on days I exercise.
You can prepare it so many different ways so that it can stay interesting. It's blandness allows it to absorb whatever flavor you add to it. You can cook it rotisserie, barbecue, Asian style wok, with hot sauce, etc. The possibilities are endless.0
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