How to reach reccommended protein level!

alexandravictoria88
alexandravictoria88 Posts: 138 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Morning lovely people.

I am recommended to eat 180g of protein a day. I have protein with every meal plus a protein shake and i still cant reach it.. i struggle to eat this much protein lol. Anyone else have a few tricks up their sleeves or know of any way i can get some more protein in?

Thankkkk youuu:)
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Replies

  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    More info required!
    Weight? Seeking to gain or lose weight? Exercising heavily? Who recommended 180g and why?
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  • ReenieHJ
    ReenieHJ Posts: 9,724 Member
    I struggle to reach my much lower goal of 68 g. a day. :( So I'm no help. I'm thinking eggs, fish, chicken, adding beans to everything :) but I'm thinking you probably already do that type of thing.
    But I'm also curious as to why your protein requirement is so high.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,413 Member
    Who gave you those numbers? There's no way you need that amount. Aren't you already at a low body weight?

    Do some research.
  • nighthawk584
    nighthawk584 Posts: 2,023 Member
    I'm 6'1" 188 lbs and am building muscle and consume around 130-150 grams of protein. I seriously doubt you need 180 grams of protein unless you are going for Ms Olympia?
  • Silentpadna
    Silentpadna Posts: 1,306 Member
    I see these kinds of numbers recommended for those who do a lot of strength training. Barbell Medicine might be the most reputable of those who recommend high protein, but there are several.

    At 5'11"/ 205 lb, those recommendations for me are about 220 g per day, depending on whether I'm cutting, maintaining or bulking. And age is a factor in those recommendations as well (older = more).

    Not saying they're correct, but there are merits to each "side" in this "debate". Works for me - although hitting a high protein goal does take work to get there. I think it's ultimately a matter of how optimal you want your diet to be with respect to strength training. If you are not going all out for that, I'm not sure high protein quantity matters as much (which is not to say it doesn't matter).

    The best way to do it for me is to look for lean sources so I don't blow up my calorie total trying to reach my protein goal. The usual suspects for me, though you can tire of them, include tuna, chicken breast, pork tenderloin, just about any kind of fish, egg whites, whey protein powder, and other lean cuts of meat.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    We definitely need more information from you. What are your stats? What is your calorie intake? Goals? Are you trying to build or retain muscle?
  • Theoldguy1
    Theoldguy1 Posts: 2,495 Member
    Lillymoo01 wrote: »
    My guess is that most people would struggle to reach 180 grams of protein a day....

    Not that hard, I get 180-200g a day. However I'm eating around 2800-3000 calories is protein is 25-30% of my daily calories which is well in the range suggested by the CDC.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    who recommended? what is that is relation to your other goals for the day (total cals; percentage etc)

    initial thoughts are its pretty high - for reference - i'm 165lbs and do 135g a day - which is about .81g/total body weight (.6-.8 is the recommendation and its roughly 1.1 of my fat free mass)
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    I'd struggle to reach 180 for sure. Luckily my goal is more like 90 g (0.6-0.8 g per lb of a healthy current or goal weight). 120x0.6=72, 120x0.8=96. Also, last time I had a DEXA it said I had 96 g lean mass.

    If 180 is really correct for you, you likely have a much higher calorie goal than I do, however.
  • mtamashiro
    mtamashiro Posts: 14 Member
    edited January 2020
    alexandravictoria88 wrote: »
    Morning lovely people.

    I am recommended to eat 180g of protein a day. I have protein with every meal plus a protein shake and i still cant reach it.. i struggle to eat this much protein lol. Anyone else have a few tricks up their sleeves or know of any way i can get some more protein in?

    Thankkkk youuu:)

    Instead of questioning you, I'll actually try to answer your question. Hopefully you are not vegetarian/vegan, because the easiest way to increase your protein intake with the lowest amount of calories is egg whites. It does get hard to eat a lot of egg whites, but if you can mix then in with other foods it's a good way to boost your protein intake.

    Other options are chicken breast/turkey breast. What I do is cut it up into cubes and air fry it with a quick spray of avocado oil and some zero calorie seasonings. Also lean deli meats like ham or pastrami. If you are vegetarian/vegan, the only thing I know that has good macros is seitan (but I haven't looked into vegan options all that much).

    I typically shoot for 1g protein per 1lb of body weight (+- 10) so right now I go for between 165 and 185, but I'm usually over 180 every day because I just feel better. Right now i'm at 1800ish calories a day so it's not hard to get there. Best of luck to you.

    EDIT: Also forgot to mention chicken bone broth. I use a brand which is 8p/0c/0f per cup and I use 2 cups to make pho or raamen.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Theoldguy1 wrote: »
    Lillymoo01 wrote: »
    My guess is that most people would struggle to reach 180 grams of protein a day....

    Not that hard, I get 180-200g a day. However I'm eating around 2800-3000 calories is protein is 25-30% of my daily calories which is well in the range suggested by the CDC.

    @alexandravictoria88 we need to know more about you. What is your daily calorie goal? If it's 2800-3000 calories like the person I quoted, 180 g would indeed be a reasonable goal.

    However, I suspect someone gave you an unreasonably high goal. Did they give you a percent?
  • alexandravictoria88
    alexandravictoria88 Posts: 138 Member

    Typo !!! I meant to say 150g of protein!!! Eeek :s

    But to answer everyones questions I have started training with a personal trainer and she has recommended i eat 1650kcal with 4 to 5 days of training.

    Its 150g ..yep defo 150g lol of protein
    180g of carbs and 40g of fat

    My weight is 59kgs and im 159cm tall :)
  • alexandravictoria88
    alexandravictoria88 Posts: 138 Member
    Thank you to everyone who gave me some ideas. Im tired eating eggs lol hence why im trying to find other ways to get some extra protein.
  • alexandravictoria88
    alexandravictoria88 Posts: 138 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    alexandravictoria88 wrote: »
    Typo !!! I meant to say 150g of protein!!! Eeek :s

    But to answer everyones questions I have started training with a personal trainer and she has recommended i eat 1650kcal with 4 to 5 days of training.

    Its 150g ..yep defo 150g lol of protein
    180g of carbs and 40g of fat

    My weight is 59kgs and im 159cm tall :)

    Think you should quiz your PT.

    A common recommendation is 1g per pound of estimated lean mass (everything excluding bodyfat).
    Up to 1g per pound isn't uncommon (especially if training hard, especially if in a calorie deficit).
    Over 1g per pound of bodyweight really is getting into the realms of declining (if any) benefit for most people.

    150g is very high for someone who weighs just under 130lbs and if it's causing you to struggle to eat an enjoyable diet I would challenge the value or need of such a high amount.

    Thanks for the reply. Will defo ask her.. i do a lot of weight training this could be the reason why. Ive always struggled to get a lot of protein in to be honest, i love my food its just hitting the correct macros.
  • alexandravictoria88
    alexandravictoria88 Posts: 138 Member
    cmriverside wrote: »
    NovusDies wrote: »
    Understand that the reason people are pushing back a little is because you are struggling. The source of your struggle is likely a overly high protein goal. I eat more protein than I need but it is not a struggle for me. I tend to run moderate carb and lowish fat so my protein ends up being higher.

    Well, that and she stated in a recent thread that she was eating 1200-1400 calories and had suffered an eating disorder plus she had a certain amount of freak-out involved with trying to balance macros.

    The reason for your post is what exactly.. i asked for more protein ideas not for someone to post everything negative ive gone through...
  • slbbw
    slbbw Posts: 329 Member
    150 is still quite high. For reference I aim for 1.8 to 2.0 times my mass which puts me at 108-136g protein for 68kg mass, which I hit pretty easily on 1700 cal diet.

    To answer your question, whey protein is an easy source. Seitan can also be a low cal dense source of protein. There is also tuna and chicken breasts. Egg whites are easy to add into things like egg whites and smothies and such as well.
  • alexandravictoria88
    alexandravictoria88 Posts: 138 Member
    cmriverside wrote: »
    alexandravictoria88 wrote: »
    cmriverside wrote: »
    NovusDies wrote: »
    Understand that the reason people are pushing back a little is because you are struggling. The source of your struggle is likely a overly high protein goal. I eat more protein than I need but it is not a struggle for me. I tend to run moderate carb and lowish fat so my protein ends up being higher.

    Well, that and she stated in a recent thread that she was eating 1200-1400 calories and had suffered an eating disorder plus she had a certain amount of freak-out involved with trying to balance macros.

    The reason for your post is what exactly.. i asked for more protein ideas not for someone to post everything negative ive gone through...

    Well trying to hit 180g protein on 1200 calories was going to be a pretty tough battle.

    I'm glad you figured it out. Really, 150 is still too high.

    And the eating disorder thing is important, you said it, and it's a factor. Eating disorders tend to become black or white, Eat This but Never That, Do XXX amount of exercise every day, Eat Exactly THIS in order to be perfect, all kinds of extreme thinking - and it's a factor.

    I just think it's good to take the whole person into consideration when making recommendations - nothing more. No judging. I started at 220 pounds as a 5'7" woman, I got no room to judge. I had a lot of extreme beliefs, found even more of them along the way to lose that weight and - it's a factor.

    Thank you, yes its been a long battle for me. Im doing ok at the momment, we shall see how it does. I am sure i will learn lots more along the way too. X
  • alexandravictoria88
    alexandravictoria88 Posts: 138 Member
    cathipa wrote: »
    alexandravictoria88 wrote: »
    Typo !!! I meant to say 150g of protein!!! Eeek :s

    But to answer everyones questions I have started training with a personal trainer and she has recommended i eat 1650kcal with 4 to 5 days of training.

    Its 150g ..yep defo 150g lol of protein
    180g of carbs and 40g of fat

    My weight is 59kgs and im 159cm tall :)

    That's still a ridiculous amount of protein for your stats or in general. Did she say why this amount and how she came up with this number?

    To be honest no, shes the professional im not so haven't questioned her. I may just mention that i am struggling to have that much protein throughout the day.. i can defo eat the carbs though lol

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