Protein Intake
kikibruce
Posts: 31 Member
I am trying to lose the extra 30 lbs I put on with my twins 2 years ago. I hit the gym 4-6 days a week (6 normally) and I do mainly strength training with 20 min cardio. My question is for you all who are trying to build muscle and lose weight, how do you get all of your protein in daily? I use collegen in my coffee (30g protein) daily, drink a protein water right after working out (15g) and take in a protein with lunch and dinner. I ordered some protein from Bowmar Nutrition on cyber Monday and I’m waiting for that to come in. MFP is saying I need upwards of 168g+ of protein a day (depending on my calories burned daily). Please help me avoid eating a can of tuna everyday.
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Replies
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Chicken is my primary protein source.
The variety of seasonings in my kitchen is what saves my taste buds from chicken-boredom.
Eggs, whole milk yogurt, cashew butter, and beans of every color are the other proteins that I eat.
Rice, Beans and chicken are foods that I eat nearly every day, sometimes twice.
I can no longer enjoy canned tuna; ever since I was introduced to sushi tuna the only way I want tuna is raw, with a side of sliced ginger and a little soy dipping sauce.3 -
Here's a link to a thread with a table listing protein contents for lots of different foods. You should find some foods that you like in that list.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10244142/list-of-foods-with-highest-protein-calorie-percentage/p1
I make oatmeal and add cottage cheese and protein powder as an after workout meal. Pork rinds and cottage cheese as a snack or filler. Protein fluff in the evening when I have calories for it.1 -
You should calculate your protein needs based on a set number (typically 1g/1lb lbm is considered a good base point).
When you burn calories, MFP will not only re-calculate the calories you need to eat (eating back exercise calories), but will also (depending on your settings) spread those calories acros your macro percentages.
The adjusted macros aren't near as important as hitting your baseline macros.3 -
I need some new high protein, low carb/sugar recipes. I'm not doing Keto or any other of those crazy high fat diets, I just need new recipes for delicious high protein meals.2
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I love Pinterest check into paleo but eat the small amount of carbs you want. It seems like the only way for me to get protein in to meet 168g is to eat canned albacore and chicken.rissal8401 wrote: »I need some new high protein, low carb/sugar recipes. I'm not doing Keto or any other of those crazy high fat diets, I just need new recipes for delicious high protein meals.
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Justin_7272 wrote: »You should calculate your protein needs based on a set number (typically 1g/1lb lbm is considered a good base point).
When you burn calories, MFP will not only re-calculate the calories you need to eat (eating back exercise calories), but will also (depending on your settings) spread those calories acros your macro percentages.
The adjusted macros aren't near as important as hitting your baseline macros.
If I eat 1g per pound it would be higher than 168. I go to the gym damn near 6 days a week unless one of my girls are sick. I read .36g per lb for a sedentary lifestyle. I’m not overly active but I’m not just sitting all day everyday either. I try to stay active and take at least 10000 steps a day.
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Why would you possibly need 168g of protein? I'm 5'5" and only need 97g. Take your body weight and multiply by .8 to get what you need. Don't go by the adjustment that MFP adds after working out. No wonder you can't hit that number. I would be consuming protein shakes all day if I had that number.
Also on a side note. I'm pescatarian and fish is a low cal high protein food besides chicken all the time.
As I'm reading this I'm eating dinner that is 65g of protein
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http://www.sailrabbit.com/bmr/
https://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator
Go to these sights and put your stats in. I usually take the a midde of the two and set my macros there.0 -
Justin_7272 wrote: »You should calculate your protein needs based on a set number (typically 1g/1lb lbm is considered a good base point).
When you burn calories, MFP will not only re-calculate the calories you need to eat (eating back exercise calories), but will also (depending on your settings) spread those calories acros your macro percentages.
The adjusted macros aren't near as important as hitting your baseline macros.
If I eat 1g per pound it would be higher than 168. I go to the gym damn near 6 days a week unless one of my girls are sick. I read .36g per lb for a sedentary lifestyle. I’m not overly active but I’m not just sitting all day everyday either. I try to stay active and take at least 10000 steps a day.
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It was 1g per lb lbm = lean body mass. For most people, that's around 0.8g per pound of healthy goal weight.
If 0.8g per pound healthy goal weight were 168g, that implies a healthy goal weight of 210 pounds, which - though not impossible - would be unusual for a woman.
Personally, I shot for 0.6-0.8g per pound of healthy goal weight, while on reduced calories. Now, in maintenance, I eat a minimum of 100g daily (usually exceed it), at 5'5".
This is a good overview, from a site many regard as neutral and science-based, about protein goals for various situations. It's written for regular non-scientist folks, and I think it's pretty informative:
https://examine.com/nutrition/how-much-protein-do-you-need/
There's no reason to calculate protein as "per pound of current weight" if still overweight or obese. We need protein to maintain our lean mass (muscle, mostly). We don't need extra to maintain fat mass. That's why some use the "per pound lbm" guidelines. Those are fine, but many of us don't have a good estimate of body fat percent. That's where "per pound of healthy goal weight" protein estimates can be helpful. They're a little more approximate, but the actual difference in protein grams is pretty small.7 -
I weigh 225 now so multiplied by .8 is 180 and .6 is 135 which is more realistic. I’m 5’5 also. Even when I was a lot smaller in stature (size 11) I weighted 193.0
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Why would you possibly need 168g of protein? I'm 5'5" and only need 97g. Take your body weight and multiply by .8 to get what you need. Don't go by the adjustment that MFP adds after working out. No wonder you can't hit that number. I would be consuming protein shakes all day if I had that number.
Also on a side note. I'm pescatarian and fish is a low cal high protein food besides chicken all the time.
As I'm reading this I'm eating dinner that is 65g of protein
I had tilapia last night. If I multiple my body weight 225 by .8 I get 180. That’s not than what MFP calculates. That is with an added 400+ cal burned almost daily. I am also 5’5. I do have weight in my mid section but I am VERY HEAVY BOTTOMED lol. I don’t mind being 190ish but I was a lot healthier and smaller than.
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I weigh 225 now so multiplied by .8 is 180 and .6 is 135 which is more realistic. I’m 5’5 also. Even when I was a lot smaller in stature (size 11) I weighted 193.
What is your (approximate) goal weight? Use that, not your current weight.
If you're not sure of a goal weight, the middle of the normal BMI range is a reasonable approximation.
If you're 5'5" (which is what I am, eating 100g daily), the normal BMI range is about 111-149.9 pounds, so middle would be 130 pounds. 0.6-0.8g for 130 pounds would be 78-104g. A few women are so skeletally broad or so muscular that that would be too low a body weight so too low protein, but it would be statistically unusual. (I'm not talking about preferred body weight here, which could be higher. We're really trying to approximate the lean body mass calculations, just indirectly.)
At 130 and 5'5", I still have ample body fat (and I'm a little over that now, at 134-point-something this AM), despite being broad-shouldered and not completely devoid of muscle, so I figure 100g is fine, for me, as an active person.3 -
I am trying to lose the extra 30 lbs I put on with my twins 2 years ago. I hit the gym 4-6 days a week (6 normally) and I do mainly strength training with 20 min cardio. My question is for you all who are trying to build muscle and lose weight, how do you get all of your protein in daily? I use collegen in my coffee (30g protein) daily, drink a protein water right after working out (15g) and take in a protein with lunch and dinner. I ordered some protein from Bowmar Nutrition on cyber Monday and I’m waiting for that to come in. MFP is saying I need upwards of 168g+ of protein a day (depending on my calories burned daily). Please help me avoid eating a can of tuna everyday.
Collagen isn’t the best source for protein, you can get it all in eating 4- 5 meals a day, chicken breast, egg whites, quinoa, whey or casein, cottage cheese, salmon or other fish (I like salmon), tofu, setian. I’m a big foodie and am actually amazed at how little the portions are to how much protein is recommended (by bodybuilding standards anyways). I weigh 150 and aim for 135 grams.. not too hard- mix it up- put whey in Greek yogurt for example..2 -
On top of what others have said, if your goal is to gain a little muscle while losing fat, make sure you are following a well structured routine.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p12 -
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If overweight, as others have said, you don't start with current weight. 0.6-0.8 g per lb of a healthy goal weight is plenty. I aimed toward the 0.8 because why not, but that still was around 96 g.
Healthy goal weight = within the BMI healthy range, if you don't have a current goal you can just pick the midpoint for this.2 -
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Justin_7272 wrote: »You should calculate your protein needs based on a set number (typically 1g/1lb lbm is considered a good base point).
When you burn calories, MFP will not only re-calculate the calories you need to eat (eating back exercise calories), but will also (depending on your settings) spread those calories acros your macro percentages.
The adjusted macros aren't near as important as hitting your baseline macros.
If I eat 1g per pound it would be higher than 168. I go to the gym damn near 6 days a week unless one of my girls are sick. I read .36g per lb for a sedentary lifestyle. I’m not overly active but I’m not just sitting all day everyday either. I try to stay active and take at least 10000 steps a day.
Not a gram per Lb of body weight...1 gram per Lb of LBM (Lean Body Mass). 168 grams of protein is excessive and unnecessary.
I don't even know what my protein is and I'm doing just fine in the gym. I think the protein craze is a little cray cray personally. Yes, it's important...but I think a lot of people are just over the top with it right now.6 -
*Eggs/egg whites
*Greek yogurt/cottage cheese
*Chicken
*substitute pasta for bean/soy-based noodles0 -
I am trying to lose the extra 30 lbs I put on with my twins 2 years ago. I hit the gym 4-6 days a week (6 normally) and I do mainly strength training with 20 min cardio. My question is for you all who are trying to build muscle and lose weight, how do you get all of your protein in daily? I use collegen in my coffee (30g protein) daily, drink a protein water right after working out (15g) and take in a protein with lunch and dinner. I ordered some protein from Bowmar Nutrition on cyber Monday and I’m waiting for that to come in. MFP is saying I need upwards of 168g+ of protein a day (depending on my calories burned daily). Please help me avoid eating a can of tuna everyday.
sorry off topic but what kind of collegen do you use? looking for a good one right now!:)1 -
Pan-fried tofu is another arrow for your quiver.
But I agree with those who say "we" tend to get carried away.- .8 gram protein per kilogram of healthy weight
- .8 gram per kilogram pound of healthy weight
- .8 gram per pound of healthy body weight
- .8 1 gram per pound
- 1 gram per pound at an absolute minimum
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