Low protein macros

Tattoos_and_Tea
Tattoos_and_Tea Posts: 529 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey everyone,

Since turning veggie back in March, I've been finding it hard to get a good level of protein in without using a load of protein powder.

Today I changed my macros to 45c/25p/30f from 40c/30p/30f.

Hoping this won't affect any weight loss. I was then wondering if macros play a huge role or whether I should concentrate more on not going over calories. I mean, ill try to stick to macros too though!

Thoughts?

Thanks!

Replies

  • Tattoos_and_Tea
    Tattoos_and_Tea Posts: 529 Member
    Thank you!
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    I had my macros set to 50C 30F 20P for nearly all of my 80 pound weight loss. I tend to go over on fats if anything. Protein is a challenge for me even at 25%. I do try to hit between 25% and 30% protein, but it's not easy for me to stay in calories AND get enough protein.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    edited December 2020
    What are your goals? Anything outside of generally weight loss? If you want to increase protein, preplanning meals will help. You can incorporate things like sietan, soy, legumes, quinoa, etc..

    ETA: how many grams are you eating? Percentages are pretty worthless
  • Tattoos_and_Tea
    Tattoos_and_Tea Posts: 529 Member
    146c/81p/36f - I think it is.
    I'm only looking to lose a few more lbs tbh, technically in maintenance mode. Dont want to gain anything ideally but understand weight fluctuates.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    sazzle1983 wrote: »
    146c/81p/36f - I think it is.
    I'm only looking to lose a few more lbs tbh, technically in maintenance mode. Dont want to gain anything ideally but understand weight fluctuates.
    If you are in weight maintenance, that may not be too bad without knowing your weight. If your goal would be recomp or muscle gains, it would likely be low. What are your stats?
  • Tattoos_and_Tea
    Tattoos_and_Tea Posts: 529 Member
    I'm 37yo, 5'5" and 136lb
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    It's probably ok. If possible, 90-110 would be a bit more ideal if you want to see some body composition improvements. That would put you at 1.5g/kg which is at the bottom end of the recommendation. But than again, training is a bigger factor.
  • Tattoos_and_Tea
    Tattoos_and_Tea Posts: 529 Member
    I train at home 2-3 times a week as our gym is still closed
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    sazzle1983 wrote: »
    I train at home 2-3 times a week as our gym is still closed

    That's fine. Are you doing mainly resistance training?
  • Tattoos_and_Tea
    Tattoos_and_Tea Posts: 529 Member
    Yeah just with the weight set up i have at home (dumbells, bench and weight bar with various plates)
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    If you want, you can get on something structured but if its just generally fitness, you are probably pretty good.

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1
  • Tattoos_and_Tea
    Tattoos_and_Tea Posts: 529 Member
    psuLemon wrote: »
    If you want, you can get on something structured but if its just generally fitness, you are probably pretty good.

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

    Great link, thanks.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,203 Member
    sazzle1983 wrote: »
    I'm 37yo, 5'5" and 136lb
    sazzle1983 wrote: »
    146c/81p/36f - I think it is.
    I'm only looking to lose a few more lbs tbh, technically in maintenance mode. Dont want to gain anything ideally but understand weight fluctuates.

    I'm vegetarian (ovo-lacto), around your size (5'5", 125, but 65 y/o), usually eating 200g+ carbs, 100g minimum protein, 50g minimum fats. I've been vegetarian for 46+ years, as context.

    If that's you in your profile photo, I think you have more muscle mass than I do, so you might even need a little more protein. (I like 0.6-0.8g/pound of healthy goal weight, which is a rough proxy for .8-1g/pound lean mass. I think my lean mass, more realistically, is probably around 95lbs, not 100, but 100g is a nice round number, easy to remember . . . and I think we vegetarians are well served by getting a bit extra protein, because more of our sources are less complete in essential amino acids - it's an insurance measure, basically.)

    If I'm doing the math right, your macros add up to 1232 calories . . . which is obviously less than my goal, for whatever reason. A lower calorie goal unfortunately does make it tougher to hit the gram numbers.

    I'm in maintenance, losing super slowly (less than half a pound a week) at 1850 + all exercise calories (with the occasional day higher than that), so we have similar goals. I'm active, though not a regular strength trainer like you are. Late last year, I was at about the weight you are now.

    Eating as a vegetarian, IMO, benefits from a bit of a rethink when it comes to the "shape" of meals. Omnivores, IME, often think of a meal as one big protein. ("What's for dinner?" "Chicken." "Salmon". "Burgers". ) As a vegetarian, I still try to include some major protein source(s) in each meal (maybe a couple of different ones combined). On top of that, I try to get a little bit of protein from nearly everything I eat, while still eating in a way I enjoy. I don't enjoy protein powder, protein bars, or fake meats, so I don't eat them. (There's nothing wrong with them, IMO, if you like them and they help you meet nutritional goals. I just prefer eating things that are more enjoyable/filling to me.)

    When I first started calorie counting, so needing to get adequate nutrition on reduced calories, I made it a habit to review my diary often, looking for items that had a high calorie "cost", but little protein. Unless those were important to me for other reasons (satiation, nutrition, enjoyment), I would reduce or eliminate those, replacing the freed-up calories with some other food I enjoy that contributed at least a bit of protein. I figure a food (single item, not dish) with 1g reasonably-EAA-complete protein per 10 calories is a really good vegetarian protein source, and 20-30 calories per gram is decent for whole dishes/compound products.

    For me, reaching my goals, this thread was helpful (once I scrolled past the meaty/fishy stuff at the top of the spreadsheet):

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10247171/carbs-and-fats-are-cheap-heres-a-guide-to-getting-your-proteins-worth-fiber-also

    Best wishes!

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