Protein intake

sapnajivtani2106
sapnajivtani2106 Posts: 7 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am majorly lacking in protein and considering to use Whey protein to meet the requirements. Please advise if it is good to start it. My suggested calorie intake is 1200 and I am consuming around 1400 of it with worth 200 calories cardio exercise. Should I go for Whey or try to get the protein from the regular food instead which seems difficult for me right now as I run out of calories then. I am new to the weight loss world, please help55m1j77sbit5.png
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Replies

  • xxzenabxx
    xxzenabxx Posts: 935 Member
    Are you vegan, vegetarian or pescatarian or just eating anything? That’s where we can start from. Also what are your stats? Age, weight and height and I’m assuming you are female.
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,826 Member
    This is a good source of for finding sources of protein:
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10247171/carbs-and-fats-are-cheap-heres-a-guide-to-getting-your-proteins-worth-fiber-also#latest
  • sapnajivtani2106
    sapnajivtani2106 Posts: 7 Member
    Yes, I am a vegetarian. I eat milk and milk products but not eggs and meat. My height is 5.2 feet, age 32, current weight - 65.4 Kgs, Female
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    Nonfat Greek yogurt is high protein, plus all those beneficial probiotics.


    Have you tried any protein powder supplements? I usually have a scoop a day of either plant based or whey protein powder. It's the only way I can get enough protein and still keep my salt low (enough, blood pressure...)
  • age_is_just_a_number
    age_is_just_a_number Posts: 631 Member
    I have a slightly higher total calorie goal. I find the only way I can get enough protein is to supplement with protein powder. I like LeanFit chocolate. I get it at Costco. I drink it around 3pm. Sometimes I just mix it with water. Other times I’ll put it in the blender with some frozen fruit, ice and water and make a smoothie.
    I typically only use it when I’m trying to lose weight or build muscle.
    Other ways I increase protein eggs, canned fish (tuna, salmon, etc).
  • georgieamber2
    georgieamber2 Posts: 229 Member
    I’m a vegan getting 95g-120g of protein per day!:) my diary is always open xxx
  • sapnajivtani2106
    sapnajivtani2106 Posts: 7 Member
    Which protein powder should I go with? I am lacking around 35-40g of protein daily and don't want to increase the calorie count
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    "Which protein powder should I go with?"
    One you like the taste of and to keep the calories down don't go for one sweetened with sugar.

    "I am lacking around 35-40g of protein daily and don't want to increase the calorie count"
    Protein has calories at 4cal per gram. If you add food or food supplements to your day you add calories.
    Choose between eating more or making food substitutions instead of additions.

    "My suggested calorie intake is 1200"
    You got 1200 by the rate of loss you selected, it isn't "suggested" to you as you control the number output by the choices you make. One of the many downsides of going for faster rates of loss is, as you are finding, it gets harder to get optimal nutrition.
    Another option is to increase your calories out by increasing your activty and/or exercise to earn a larger calorie allowance.

  • sapnajivtani2106
    sapnajivtani2106 Posts: 7 Member
    Thank you so much for the answers. @Sijomail. I had put my goal as 54 Kgs at the time of registration on the app but now I can nowhere find it.
  • sapnajivtani2106
    sapnajivtani2106 Posts: 7 Member
    @Sijomail - I found the way to update my goal settings but it recommends to have 1200 calories per day
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    edited May 2021
    sapnajivtani2106 wrote: »
    @Sijomail - I found the way to update my goal settings but it recommends to have 1200 calories per day

    Your goal weight doesn't change your current calorie allowance - it's picking the rate of weight loss that takes calories away from the maintenance calories that this site bases things on.

    ETA - it's useful information to temporarilly set that to "maintain current weight" to see the estimate of your maintenance calories on a day with no exercise.
  • sapnajivtani2106
    sapnajivtani2106 Posts: 7 Member
    @Sijomail - It shows me 1660 calories/day when I set it to maintain the current weight with no exercise
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,826 Member
    sapnajivtani2106 wrote: »
    @Sijomail - It shows me 1660 calories/day when I set it to maintain the current weight with no exercise

    If you choose a weight loss rate of 0.25 kg per week, you'll have a slightly more manageable calorie goal of around 1350-1400 calories, which should make it easier to get sufficient protein.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    edited May 2021
    sapnajivtani2106 wrote: »
    @Sijomail - It shows me 1660 calories/day when I set it to maintain the current weight with no exercise

    By the way - the exercise goal when you do the set up also doesn't change your daily calorie goal either, it has no more significance than "I will brush my teeth 3 times a day"! (I do wish MFP would add some help text to the goal set up to clarify the points that aren't at all intuitive.)
    It's only logging your exercise that boosts that day's allowance.

    With not much weight to lose the suggestion above from @Lietchi is a good idea. You will hopefully find it much easier to hit your nutrition goals.
  • Sizuka_cc
    Sizuka_cc Posts: 3 Member
    I am not a vegetarian , but may I suggest you to check on collagen Peptide ? You can also have plant peptide . I am using the animal once and is really convenient as you can dilute in a protein shake and almost double it in protein .
  • sapnajivtani2106
    sapnajivtani2106 Posts: 7 Member
    @Sijomail - I am 65 right now and my goal is to loose 10 kgs
  • Rimtimtim
    Rimtimtim Posts: 21 Member
    edited May 2021
    We have very similar goals and stats. I'm 1.56 tall and my goal is around 50 kg. Mostly vegan.

    For protein I have a soy milk with high protein (around 10 g for 200 ml), i also use a bit of protein powder in smoothies, but I'm not a big fan of the taste of protein powder, so I usually go for around 10 g.

    Since you use dairy I'd try out either a greek yogurt, skyr, or cottage cheese.

    What do you have for dinner? Try out some mockmeats. there are higher protein alternatives. Alternative is beans and lentils.

    If you open your diary we can see what you eat and suggest alternatives.
  • Rimtimtim
    Rimtimtim Posts: 21 Member
    sapnajivtani2106 wrote: »
    Which protein powder should I go with? I am lacking around 35-40g of protein daily and don't want to increase the calorie count

    What I did to find protein powder was to ask for samples and buying portion packs until I found one that I liked both the taste and the price.
  • wunderkindking
    wunderkindking Posts: 1,615 Member
    I'd second just finding one you like, via samples or similar as suggested.

    That said given the calories in them - and they're going to have them - I do better just eating some protein oats (kodiak cakes) or cottage cheese. A cup of even full fat cottage cheese will hit at about 26ish (varies by brand, good culture has more) grams of protein for 220 calories. Go reduced fat and calories will drop, but I need the fat in my diet.

    I just do better with calories I actually chew
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    Sizuka_cc wrote: »
    I am not a vegetarian , but may I suggest you to check on collagen Peptide ? You can also have plant peptide . I am using the animal once and is really convenient as you can dilute in a protein shake and almost double it in protein .

    Just to point out, collagen peptides are some of the worst sources of proteins. The amino acids profile is pretty bad from my muscle protein synthesis perspective. Whey/casein would be better since the OP is low on protein and probably already consuming suboptimal sources of protein. Overall, animal sources of protein are superior than plant based sources of protein.

    Do you eat seafood? If so, there are plenty of protein sources there. If not, Greek yogurt and cottage cheese would be the best sources of lean protein

    I wwould also recommend planning your meals around a protein. For example, add tofu or seitan as the main component of your meal and then add in the veggies/fruits.

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