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Vegetarian and protein shakes?

nicollesanchez_
nicollesanchez_ Posts: 4 Member
edited December 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi, I'm new to the community. Hello.
I'm a vegetarian and I've been working out (I do pilates, yoga and the Focus T25 by Shaun T), it's around 35min of workout every day.
I have a vegetarian lifestyle and been using myfitnesspal for more than 100 days (yay!)
I've noticed that I can't achieve my daily protein intake even though I have a very balanced diet (I include as much protein I can without exceeding my calorie intake and use what is easy to find in my country). I'm currently trying to lose some weight (I'm a 5'3 59kg female) and I bought protein powder on a wimp, but now I'm scared that I'll make me gain weight instead of helping me lose some. Was it a good idea?
I was planning on using it as a supplement 3 times a week (one 30g scoop of isolated whey protein, which contains 110Cal). Of course, I'm trying to lower my carb intake, it'd just hard sometimes (I have a sweet tooth).

If I'm not wrong I should be having 0.8g of protein for every kilo, in my case it's about 48gr and with my normal diet sometimes I only get 25 to 35gr. AAAAND myfitnesspal suggests 94gr per day which worries me more.

Thanks to anyone who took the time to read this messy post lol.

Replies

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 35,441 Member
    Protein powder that fits within your calorie goal won't make you gain weight, any more than carbs or other protein sources or fats make you gain weight. If the calories work out OK, your weight loss results will be about the same. If your overall nutrition is the same or better, your nutrition will work out OK, too.

    What is your calorie goal? (I'm trying to think how limiting that might be.)

    Since you're eating whey protein, I'm assuming you eat dairy, don't know about eggs. I also don't know how limited the food choices are in your country. (I'm in the US.)

    I've been ovo-lacto vegetarian for 46 years. I had to work a little bit at getting enough protein when I first started calorie-counting. Most of my weight loss was at 1400-1600 net calories (so more gross calories than that), and IIRC I was getting 80g+ protein most days back then. Now, in maintenance, I make it a point to get 100g minimum.
    I don't find protein powder particularly tasty or filling, ditto for protein bars and most fake meats. (There's nothing wrong with those foods IMO, this is just my taste-preference). I pretty much never eat those things.

    I'm having trouble imagining getting as little as 25-35g protein, frankly - it doesn't seem like a nutritionally sound thing. My breakfast alone had 38g in 632 calories (admittedly mostly dairy protein, but no foods that are exotic here in the US - yogurt, oats, nonfat milk in my coffee, some nuts/seeds). Even my peanut butter & Ezekiel pita light lunch (290 calories) had 15g protein.

    So: If you enjoy the protein powder, by all means use it to increase your protein intake, which would be a good plan. If it fits in your calories, you won't gain. But, unless the food situation in your country is very, very limited, it seems like it might be possible to increase the protein in your typical day through different food choices, too - legumes, dairy, peanut products, soy products if available, etc.

    Best wishes!
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Protein powder will only make you gain weight if it results in you consuming more calories than your body can use. If you're accounting for the 110 calories, you'll be fine. That said, your protein consumption sounds pretty low. It may also be a good idea to seek out some more of the vegetarian protein sources that are available in your area or have bigger servings of the protein-rich foods you're already eating.

    If you share where you live, people may be able to suggest some foods for you. I would offer some of mine (I don't eat meat either), but I don't want to suggest anything that might not be easy for you to get.
  • nicollesanchez_
    nicollesanchez_ Posts: 4 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    Protein powder that fits within your calorie goal won't make you gain weight, any more than carbs or other protein sources or fats make you gain weight. If the calories work out OK, your weight loss results will be about the same. If your overall nutrition is the same or better, your nutrition will work out OK, too.

    What is your calorie goal? (I'm trying to think how limiting that might be.)

    Since you're eating whey protein, I'm assuming you eat dairy, don't know about eggs. I also don't know how limited the food choices are in your country. (I'm in the US.)

    I've been ovo-lacto vegetarian for 46 years. I had to work a little bit at getting enough protein when I first started calorie-counting. Most of my weight loss was at 1400-1600 net calories (so more gross calories than that), and IIRC I was getting 80g+ protein most days back then. Now, in maintenance, I make it a point to get 100g minimum.
    I don't find protein powder particularly tasty or filling, ditto for protein bars and most fake meats. (There's nothing wrong with those foods IMO, this is just my taste-preference). I pretty much never eat those things.

    I'm having trouble imagining getting as little as 25-35g protein, frankly - it doesn't seem like a nutritionally sound thing. My breakfast alone had 38g in 632 calories (admittedly mostly dairy protein, but no foods that are exotic here in the US - yogurt, oats, nonfat milk in my coffee, some nuts/seeds). Even my peanut butter & Ezekiel pita light lunch (290 calories) had 15g protein.

    So: If you enjoy the protein powder, by all means use it to increase your protein intake, which would be a good plan. If it fits in your calories, you won't gain. But, unless the food situation in your country is very, very limited, it seems like it might be possible to increase the protein in your typical day through different food choices, too - legumes, dairy, peanut products, soy products if available, etc.

    Best wishes!

    HI, thanks for your insight. My calorie goal is 1500-1600 Cal. I don't eat egg, I do eat cheese but drink plant based milk- mostly almond milk. I do think it's pretty low and I've even thought that maybe I could be counting it wrong. You're answer made me think that you're very much right, it sounds kinda impossible. I eat Greek Yogurt, quinoa, spinach, chickpeas, pinto beans, Oats, chia, mushrooms etc.
    I live in Honduras and at the moment (for pandemic reasons) I don't get to go shopping and taking my time to really look into the things I'll be eating, a family member does all the buying and I eat what I find vegetarian-friendly here at home.
    I'll sure have to look into what I'm summitting and revalue it to have a better idea of my real intakes. Either way, 110 Cal won't affect my goal at all.
    Thank you so much for sharing with me.
  • nicollesanchez_
    nicollesanchez_ Posts: 4 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    Protein powder will only make you gain weight if it results in you consuming more calories than your body can use. If you're accounting for the 110 calories, you'll be fine. That said, your protein consumption sounds pretty low. It may also be a good idea to seek out some more of the vegetarian protein sources that are available in your area or have bigger servings of the protein-rich foods you're already eating.

    If you share where you live, people may be able to suggest some foods for you. I would offer some of mine (I don't eat meat either), but I don't want to suggest anything that might not be easy for you to get.

    Hello, thanks for your reply :)
    I love in Honduras and I'll gladly accept ideas!!

    I'm not a big eater to be honest, I blame my weight gain in my sweet tooth and my love for baking. But overall, I usually hay small portions of foods. I'll follow your advice and have a bigger serving of protein-rich foods and less sweets on the evenings lol.
    I think maybe I'm logging in wrong cause I do eat a variety of protein-rich foods, guess I'll have to check on that. Either way, I'll try the protein powder every now and then just to give my protein intake a little kick, as it won't really affect my net calories.

    Have a nice day :)

  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,438 MFP Moderator
    nicollesanchez_ wrote: »
    Hi, I'm new to the community. Hello.
    I'm a vegetarian and I've been working out (I do pilates, yoga and the Focus T25 by Shaun T), it's around 35min of workout every day.
    I have a vegetarian lifestyle and been using myfitnesspal for more than 100 days (yay!)
    I've noticed that I can't achieve my daily protein intake even though I have a very balanced diet (I include as much protein I can without exceeding my calorie intake and use what is easy to find in my country). I'm currently trying to lose some weight (I'm a 5'3 59kg female) and I bought protein powder on a wimp, but now I'm scared that I'll make me gain weight instead of helping me lose some. Was it a good idea?
    I was planning on using it as a supplement 3 times a week (one 30g scoop of isolated whey protein, which contains 110Cal). Of course, I'm trying to lower my carb intake, it'd just hard sometimes (I have a sweet tooth).

    If I'm not wrong I should be having 0.8g of protein for every kilo, in my case it's about 48gr and with my normal diet sometimes I only get 25 to 35gr. AAAAND myfitnesspal suggests 94gr per day which worries me more.

    Thanks to anyone who took the time to read this messy post lol.

    During weight loss you should be aiming for 1.5-2.2g of protein per lb. Overall, 94 or a little higher would be a good plan.

    Whey/casein are the best types of protein to buy due to the L-Luecine content (stimulates protein turnover or the ability to rebuild muscle).
  • nooshi713
    nooshi713 Posts: 4,877 Member
    Protein shakes are fine, as are soy milk and other protein rich milks.
  • nicollesanchez_
    nicollesanchez_ Posts: 4 Member
    psuLemon wrote: »
    nicollesanchez_ wrote: »
    Hi, I'm new to the community. Hello.
    I'm a vegetarian and I've been working out (I do pilates, yoga and the Focus T25 by Shaun T), it's around 35min of workout every day.
    I have a vegetarian lifestyle and been using myfitnesspal for more than 100 days (yay!)
    I've noticed that I can't achieve my daily protein intake even though I have a very balanced diet (I include as much protein I can without exceeding my calorie intake and use what is easy to find in my country). I'm currently trying to lose some weight (I'm a 5'3 59kg female) and I bought protein powder on a wimp, but now I'm scared that I'll make me gain weight instead of helping me lose some. Was it a good idea?
    I was planning on using it as a supplement 3 times a week (one 30g scoop of isolated whey protein, which contains 110Cal). Of course, I'm trying to lower my carb intake, it'd just hard sometimes (I have a sweet tooth).

    If I'm not wrong I should be having 0.8g of protein for every kilo, in my case it's about 48gr and with my normal diet sometimes I only get 25 to 35gr. AAAAND myfitnesspal suggests 94gr per day which worries me more.

    Thanks to anyone who took the time to read this messy post lol.

    During weight loss you should be aiming for 1.5-2.2g of protein per lb. Overall, 94 or a little higher would be a good plan.

    Whey/casein are the best types of protein to buy due to the L-Luecine content (stimulates protein turnover or the ability to rebuild muscle).

    Thanks! That makes me think that I might be heading the right direction.
This discussion has been closed.

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