Food Diary / hitting protein goal - without protein shake
Replies
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kshama2001 wrote: »Count me as another vote for 40% protein being unnecessarily high.
Here's another protein calculator:
https://examine.com/nutrition/protein-intake-calculator/
I shoot for @ 500 calories of exercise per day, and when I do, using the MFP default of 20% protein aligns with the protein recommendation from examine. If I were completely sedentary, I'd need to bump it up to 30%.
Thanks! I'll check it out! I'm not gonna hit 500cals burned with yoga and a walk, so I definitely won't be going as low as 20%. Probably gonna drop it down to 30/35%.0 -
goal06082021 wrote: »Lowfat cottage cheese + diced tomatoes + canned tuna + whatever you want to zhuzh up the tuna with is a good breakfast with about 30g protein. I was thinking about those single-serve pouches of tuna that come in all those flavors, and then realized hey, I have a vacuum sealer! I bet I could make those myself! And sure enough I could and did. A handful (~7) cherry tomatoes, quartered; a can of tuna; the chosen seasoning mix; all on top of a bit over half a cup of cottage cheese (136g, 1/5 of the container - I just bought a big thing of it and planned to eat this for breakfast all week) comes to ~200-250 cal depending on what you season it with.
The flavors I made were:- EBTB - you can buy premixed "everything but the bagel" seasoning, but I happened to have onion powder, garlic powder, poppyseeds, and sesame seeds so I just DIY'd it. The sesame seeds add the most calories but even so, unless you're really pouring it on, you're looking at maybe 50 additional cals.
- Vaguely-Asian Spicy - garlic powder, ground ginger, and red pepper flakes. This was a little dry, I think I would have preferred fresh garlic/ginger and a sauce like sriracha or gochujang, but liquids don't fare well in a vacuum sealer. It wouldn't have been too onerous to mix this up "live" as it were, I'm just really into meal prepping.
- Cincinnati-style chili - 3 parts chili powder to 1 part each cinnamon, cumin, clove, and allspice, with a shake of cayenne to taste. If you like Cincinnati-style chili, you will like this.
- Dill and capers - I haven't tried this one yet but I'm excited to, it's breakfast tomorrow.
- Chile-lime - I used Tajin spice blend, but if you're not prepping vacuum-sealed packets, you could use hot sauce and lime juice. I also haven't tried this one yet, but I am excited for it as well.
Ok, I LOVE this!!! Well, I don't love cottage cheese, but I'm willing to try it again in one of these tuna recipes!
Thank you! Thank you! I do have a vacuum sealer too, but I will probably just make a batch one food prep sunday in grab n go storage containers.0 -
LastMinuteMama wrote: »goal06082021 wrote: »Lowfat cottage cheese + diced tomatoes + canned tuna + whatever you want to zhuzh up the tuna with is a good breakfast with about 30g protein. I was thinking about those single-serve pouches of tuna that come in all those flavors, and then realized hey, I have a vacuum sealer! I bet I could make those myself! And sure enough I could and did. A handful (~7) cherry tomatoes, quartered; a can of tuna; the chosen seasoning mix; all on top of a bit over half a cup of cottage cheese (136g, 1/5 of the container - I just bought a big thing of it and planned to eat this for breakfast all week) comes to ~200-250 cal depending on what you season it with.
The flavors I made were:- EBTB - you can buy premixed "everything but the bagel" seasoning, but I happened to have onion powder, garlic powder, poppyseeds, and sesame seeds so I just DIY'd it. The sesame seeds add the most calories but even so, unless you're really pouring it on, you're looking at maybe 50 additional cals.
- Vaguely-Asian Spicy - garlic powder, ground ginger, and red pepper flakes. This was a little dry, I think I would have preferred fresh garlic/ginger and a sauce like sriracha or gochujang, but liquids don't fare well in a vacuum sealer. It wouldn't have been too onerous to mix this up "live" as it were, I'm just really into meal prepping.
- Cincinnati-style chili - 3 parts chili powder to 1 part each cinnamon, cumin, clove, and allspice, with a shake of cayenne to taste. If you like Cincinnati-style chili, you will like this.
- Dill and capers - I haven't tried this one yet but I'm excited to, it's breakfast tomorrow.
- Chile-lime - I used Tajin spice blend, but if you're not prepping vacuum-sealed packets, you could use hot sauce and lime juice. I also haven't tried this one yet, but I am excited for it as well.
Ok, I LOVE this!!! Well, I don't love cottage cheese, but I'm willing to try it again in one of these tuna recipes!
Thank you! Thank you! I do have a vacuum sealer too, but I will probably just make a batch one food prep sunday in grab n go storage containers.
Enjoy! LOL. I was out of containers when inspiration struck and then I remembered the sealer, LMAO. But yeah, little to-go cups should work fine, too. I just put the tuna in the vacuum bags, I'm still weighing out my serving of cottage cheese and slicing the tomatoes fresh every morning before cutting open one of those bad boys and emptying it into the bowl with the rest of the stuff. You could use a plain Greek yogurt and make it more like a tuna salad if cottage cheese just doesn't do it for you.0 -
goal06082021 wrote: »LastMinuteMama wrote: »goal06082021 wrote: »Lowfat cottage cheese + diced tomatoes + canned tuna + whatever you want to zhuzh up the tuna with is a good breakfast with about 30g protein. I was thinking about those single-serve pouches of tuna that come in all those flavors, and then realized hey, I have a vacuum sealer! I bet I could make those myself! And sure enough I could and did. A handful (~7) cherry tomatoes, quartered; a can of tuna; the chosen seasoning mix; all on top of a bit over half a cup of cottage cheese (136g, 1/5 of the container - I just bought a big thing of it and planned to eat this for breakfast all week) comes to ~200-250 cal depending on what you season it with.
The flavors I made were:- EBTB - you can buy premixed "everything but the bagel" seasoning, but I happened to have onion powder, garlic powder, poppyseeds, and sesame seeds so I just DIY'd it. The sesame seeds add the most calories but even so, unless you're really pouring it on, you're looking at maybe 50 additional cals.
- Vaguely-Asian Spicy - garlic powder, ground ginger, and red pepper flakes. This was a little dry, I think I would have preferred fresh garlic/ginger and a sauce like sriracha or gochujang, but liquids don't fare well in a vacuum sealer. It wouldn't have been too onerous to mix this up "live" as it were, I'm just really into meal prepping.
- Cincinnati-style chili - 3 parts chili powder to 1 part each cinnamon, cumin, clove, and allspice, with a shake of cayenne to taste. If you like Cincinnati-style chili, you will like this.
- Dill and capers - I haven't tried this one yet but I'm excited to, it's breakfast tomorrow.
- Chile-lime - I used Tajin spice blend, but if you're not prepping vacuum-sealed packets, you could use hot sauce and lime juice. I also haven't tried this one yet, but I am excited for it as well.
Ok, I LOVE this!!! Well, I don't love cottage cheese, but I'm willing to try it again in one of these tuna recipes!
Thank you! Thank you! I do have a vacuum sealer too, but I will probably just make a batch one food prep sunday in grab n go storage containers.
Enjoy! LOL. I was out of containers when inspiration struck and then I remembered the sealer, LMAO. But yeah, little to-go cups should work fine, too. I just put the tuna in the vacuum bags, I'm still weighing out my serving of cottage cheese and slicing the tomatoes fresh every morning before cutting open one of those bad boys and emptying it into the bowl with the rest of the stuff. You could use a plain Greek yogurt and make it more like a tuna salad if cottage cheese just doesn't do it for you.
I'm at the weighing most everything stage too! I'm probably going to go with the greek yogurt, sorry cottage cheese!0 -
LastMinuteMama wrote: »@Justin_7272 Thank you! I copied the link from my diary...who knew it wouldn't work?
I've got meat/protein in my lunch and dinner. Breakfast is a struggle. I don't love eggs, figured greek yogurt would help, but it's not enough.
I'll look into making breakfast bars with protein powder. And yeah, I'm not opposed to the powder, just don't find them satiating.
I've found that breakfast is my difficult meal to get protein in as well. I have recently started making oatmeal and adding the protein powder to it. I especially like to add chocolate protein powder and some peanut butter. It has helped me to up the protein. I also find drinking it is not satiating for me.1 -
@LastMinuteMama - low fat cottage cheese with a banana or frozen fruit is a yummy breakfast with a good amount of protein
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TinaLeigh67 wrote: »LastMinuteMama wrote: »@Justin_7272 Thank you! I copied the link from my diary...who knew it wouldn't work?
I've got meat/protein in my lunch and dinner. Breakfast is a struggle. I don't love eggs, figured greek yogurt would help, but it's not enough.
I'll look into making breakfast bars with protein powder. And yeah, I'm not opposed to the powder, just don't find them satiating.
I've found that breakfast is my difficult meal to get protein in as well. I have recently started making oatmeal and adding the protein powder to it. I especially like to add chocolate protein powder and some peanut butter. It has helped me to up the protein. I also find drinking it is not satiating for me.
Ooh, chocolate and peanut butter oatmeal - I think I can handle that! Yum!2 -
@LastMinuteMama - low fat cottage cheese with a banana or frozen fruit is a yummy breakfast with a good amount of protein
I can't believe how many people like cottage cheese....am I doing it wrong?
I've tried it several times and it just doesn't work for me. I'm gonna have to stick with greek yogurt...even though that tastes like sour cream. 1 -
I stir an egg white into my oatmeal. No real egg taste just makes the oatmeal a bit fluffier. Not much protein but some.1
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LastMinuteMama wrote: »@LastMinuteMama - low fat cottage cheese with a banana or frozen fruit is a yummy breakfast with a good amount of protein
I can't believe how many people like cottage cheese....am I doing it wrong? I've tried it several times and it just doesn't work for me. I'm gonna have to stick with greek yogurt...even though that tastes like sour cream.
I don't like it, at all, but I've found if I add froze blueberries the blueberries freeze the cottage cheese enough to make it palatable. LOL. It helps my struggle to hit my protein goal when I tire of egg whites quite a bit. The frozen fruit is really key for me though. 1 -
LastMinuteMama wrote: »@LastMinuteMama - low fat cottage cheese with a banana or frozen fruit is a yummy breakfast with a good amount of protein
I can't believe how many people like cottage cheese....am I doing it wrong? I've tried it several times and it just doesn't work for me. I'm gonna have to stick with greek yogurt...even though that tastes like sour cream.
I don't like it, at all, but I've found if I add froze blueberries the blueberries freeze the cottage cheese enough to make it palatable. LOL. It helps my struggle to hit my protein goal when I tire of egg whites quite a bit. The frozen fruit is really key for me though.
Well, I feel better know you don't actually "like" cottage cheese! Why does the good food have to be so awful!!
I'm gonna experiment with it!0 -
@LastMinuteMama
Try vanilla flavored Greek yogurt. I can't handle plain yogurt but the vanilla mixed with fresh fruit is pretty good.1 -
@goal06082021
I thought I was the only one who added tomatoes and tuna to their cottage cheese! I love it. Eat it most days for lunch. I get the strangest looks from people 1 -
I don't like cottage cheese at all!
150gr of skyr yogurt (11gr of protein per 100gr) with a scoop of protein powder and fruit (blueberries or banana) has been my staple high protein breakfast for months now, despite the fact I don't even like yogurt all that much.1 -
I don't like cottage cheese at all!
150gr of skyr yogurt (11gr of protein per 100gr) with a scoop of protein powder and fruit (blueberries or banana) has been my staple high protein breakfast for months now, despite the fact I don't even like yogurt all that much.
Lucky for me, I do love yogurt, especially the greek kind. (the plain does taste like sour cream, but I mash up fruit to make it taste good)0 -
Nutritional yeast is another add-in (for soups, casseroles, etc., mostly - savory things) that adds a bit of protein. I like the flavor - vaguely but not exactly cheesy. I put it in cottage cheese when I eat the cottage cheese plain, or put it the cottage cheese on salads as a dressing. Some thicker brands of cottage cheese, the consistency is better if I add a little nonfat milk with the yeast.
I suddenly started hitting my protein goals and my dietitian wondered how I was doing it. My answer was "a ton of nutritional yeast on everything!". My morning grain bowls get some, my cottage cheese gets some, roasted vegetables get some....I was skeptical of it when a vegetarian friend mentioned it to me, but now just 6 months later I find myself going "hmmm, should I just go ahead and buy the 5lb bag".
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MercuryForce wrote: »Nutritional yeast is another add-in (for soups, casseroles, etc., mostly - savory things) that adds a bit of protein. I like the flavor - vaguely but not exactly cheesy. I put it in cottage cheese when I eat the cottage cheese plain, or put it the cottage cheese on salads as a dressing. Some thicker brands of cottage cheese, the consistency is better if I add a little nonfat milk with the yeast.
I suddenly started hitting my protein goals and my dietitian wondered how I was doing it. My answer was "a ton of nutritional yeast on everything!". My morning grain bowls get some, my cottage cheese gets some, roasted vegetables get some....I was skeptical of it when a vegetarian friend mentioned it to me, but now just 6 months later I find myself going "hmmm, should I just go ahead and buy the 5lb bag".
I just read up on it and am sold!!! Sounds like a wonder food!!1 -
Just for comparison purposes, I lift weights as my primary exercise, weigh a reasonably-trim 192 at present, eat plenty of protein for muscle...and most days I'm tapping out at 150g protein or less. So your goal of 165 may be accurate for you, but it sure caught my eye.2
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Just for comparison purposes, I lift weights as my primary exercise, weigh a reasonably-trim 192 at present, eat plenty of protein for muscle...and most days I'm tapping out at 150g protein or less. So your goal of 165 may be accurate for you, but it sure caught my eye.
Gosh...I used a TDEE calculator and that's what it gave me - 40P, 40F, 20C, ...the protein goal has since been lowered.
Still looking for ideas on how to sneak in protein based off of yesterday's entry.0 -
LastMinuteMama wrote: »Just for comparison purposes, I lift weights as my primary exercise, weigh a reasonably-trim 192 at present, eat plenty of protein for muscle...and most days I'm tapping out at 150g protein or less. So your goal of 165 may be accurate for you, but it sure caught my eye.
Gosh...I used a TDEE calculator and that's what it gave me - 40P, 40F, 20C, ...the protein goal has since been lowered.
Still looking for ideas on how to sneak in protein based off of yesterday's entry.
There's nothing magical about the macros any of these TDEE calculators give you and at the moment, protein is all the rage, so they pump it up and up and up and up. It is important, but the amounts of protein recommended by a lot of these calculators and websites these days is obscene and ultimately you just end up making expensive glucose.
Even a lot of my bodybuilder friends say it's gotten friggin' ridiculous. Most of the guys I know do 1g per Lb of lean mass...and they're competitive bodybuilders who practically live in the gym, not just me or you trying to get fit and in shape. In general, .6-.8 grams per Lb of a healthy weight is more than fine and well over the RDA. Unless you're just shredding it in the gym and tearing your muscles to pieces every day with training, you don't really need copious amounts of protein.
The guys I know that are into bodybuilding and eat a ton of protein eat a lot of meat...and then some more meat...and then some more chicken...and then some more fish...and then some more meat. There diets are basically meat, poultry, or fish and veg and rice or potatoes and they don't deviate much from that. Unfortunately, many of these lofty protein recommendations are born out of the bodybuilding industry...but I myself am hardly a bodybuilder and I do just fine with the amount of protein I get.2 -
For added protein, I put lots of hemp seeds in my oatmeal (as well as berries and flax, psyllium and chia).1
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cwolfman13 wrote: »LastMinuteMama wrote: »Just for comparison purposes, I lift weights as my primary exercise, weigh a reasonably-trim 192 at present, eat plenty of protein for muscle...and most days I'm tapping out at 150g protein or less. So your goal of 165 may be accurate for you, but it sure caught my eye.
Gosh...I used a TDEE calculator and that's what it gave me - 40P, 40F, 20C, ...the protein goal has since been lowered.
Still looking for ideas on how to sneak in protein based off of yesterday's entry.
There's nothing magical about the macros any of these TDEE calculators give you and at the moment, protein is all the rage, so they pump it up and up and up and up. It is important, but the amounts of protein recommended by a lot of these calculators and websites these days is obscene and ultimately you just end up making expensive glucose.
Even a lot of my bodybuilder friends say it's gotten friggin' ridiculous. Most of the guys I know do 1g per Lb of lean mass...and they're competitive bodybuilders who practically live in the gym, not just me or you trying to get fit and in shape. In general, .6-.8 grams per Lb of a healthy weight is more than fine and well over the RDA. Unless you're just shredding it in the gym and tearing your muscles to pieces every day with training, you don't really need copious amounts of protein.
The guys I know that are into bodybuilding and eat a ton of protein eat a lot of meat...and then some more meat...and then some more chicken...and then some more fish...and then some more meat. There diets are basically meat, poultry, or fish and veg and rice or potatoes and they don't deviate much from that. Unfortunately, many of these lofty protein recommendations are born out of the bodybuilding industry...but I myself am hardly a bodybuilder and I do just fine with the amount of protein I get.
Thank you! I appreciate you taking the time to formulate that response. But I get it, my protein goal was too high. I fixed it. I want to move on from there and still get suggestions on how to get more protein into my diet because even when I lower it to a reasonable amount I’m still having difficulty reaching it.0 -
HabitRabbit wrote: »For added protein, I put lots of hemp seeds in my oatmeal (as well as berries and flax, psyllium and chia).
Thank you!0 -
LastMinuteMama wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »LastMinuteMama wrote: »Just for comparison purposes, I lift weights as my primary exercise, weigh a reasonably-trim 192 at present, eat plenty of protein for muscle...and most days I'm tapping out at 150g protein or less. So your goal of 165 may be accurate for you, but it sure caught my eye.
Gosh...I used a TDEE calculator and that's what it gave me - 40P, 40F, 20C, ...the protein goal has since been lowered.
Still looking for ideas on how to sneak in protein based off of yesterday's entry.
There's nothing magical about the macros any of these TDEE calculators give you and at the moment, protein is all the rage, so they pump it up and up and up and up. It is important, but the amounts of protein recommended by a lot of these calculators and websites these days is obscene and ultimately you just end up making expensive glucose.
Even a lot of my bodybuilder friends say it's gotten friggin' ridiculous. Most of the guys I know do 1g per Lb of lean mass...and they're competitive bodybuilders who practically live in the gym, not just me or you trying to get fit and in shape. In general, .6-.8 grams per Lb of a healthy weight is more than fine and well over the RDA. Unless you're just shredding it in the gym and tearing your muscles to pieces every day with training, you don't really need copious amounts of protein.
The guys I know that are into bodybuilding and eat a ton of protein eat a lot of meat...and then some more meat...and then some more chicken...and then some more fish...and then some more meat. There diets are basically meat, poultry, or fish and veg and rice or potatoes and they don't deviate much from that. Unfortunately, many of these lofty protein recommendations are born out of the bodybuilding industry...but I myself am hardly a bodybuilder and I do just fine with the amount of protein I get.
Thank you! I appreciate you taking the time to formulate that response. But I get it, my protein goal was too high. I fixed it. I want to move on from there and still get suggestions on how to get more protein into my diet because even when I lower it to a reasonable amount I’m still having difficulty reaching it.
How about a process answer? It looks like you've visited the thread with the protein spreadsheet, and that has pretty much aaallllll the "what food" answers, IMO. So, process: It's what I personally did, as a vegetarian, to get my protein intake where I needed it on reduced calories (it should be easier for an omnivore, I think).
Every day or two, look at your food diary. Notice things that have relatively many calories, but not much protein. Consider whether you could reduce or eliminate some of those things, and still be happy with your eating (sated, tastiness needs met, no major nutritional sacrifices, etc.). When you find some, use the protein spreadsheet to find some other food you enjoy, that would help you meet your protein goals for similar calories. Keep doing that, tweaking what you eat, and inching your protein upward.
As that stops yielding results, look at pretty much anything that has zero protein, even if moderate calories. Is there some alternate food you could eat, that you like as much, that has a little more protein? (Here again, the spreadsheet is a resource. There are veggies with more protein, snacks with more protein, grains/starches with more protein than others, even some fruits with protein, etc.).
Also, look at the calorie efficiency of your protein sources. Is there something you're eating now that has meaningful protein, but kind of many calories? Consider whether there's some alternate food you enjoy eating, that's more calorie efficient for the protein. Again, the spreadsheet is a reference.
(I even developed a couple of rules of thumb for myself for assessing. The specific numbers won't work for you as an omnivore, but for me as a vegetarian, I figured out that individual foods (vs. multi-ingredient dishes) with around 10 calories (from any macro) per gram of protein were good individual protein sources. There will be more for omnis that are better than that, I suspect, but you can use that idea to evaluate. If your, I dunno, slice of pork has X calories per gram of protein, can you identify things on the spreadsheet you enjoy eating, that have fewer than X calories per gram of protein, that would make you equally happy?)
As a final thought process, look at prepared foods you're using, like bread, pasta, snacks, whatever. Read labels on the shelf at the store. Is there something that looks good, has more protein, at reasonable calories?
If you ask yourself questions like this as you have time to deal with it, keep making tweaks, adding little bits (or big bits) of protein through your days by substituting foods you like for what you're eating that isn't hitting your goals as well, you'll get there.
It's not like you're going to develop kwashiorkor or even lose significant muscle mass instantly by coming in under your protein goal for a bit. You can tune it up gradually, and you'll probably find some quick wins pretty fast that make a reasonably significant difference.
Protein is probably the main thing I used this kind of thinking for, but it's not the only one. If you're trying to improve multiple aspects of nutrition, it gets a bit multidimensional, but it's pretty amazing what can be achieved over time by reviewing one's diary, chipping away at goals via happy substitutions.
Just a thought.4 -
Re: cottage cheese - I know you said you don't like it and that's fine, but perhaps for anyone else reading the thread:
I find it makes a really big difference what brand you use. I prefer a very thick texture and whole milk instead of lowfat. There's one brand I can get locally that is lowfat that I like, but I don't like the texture of pretty much any other lowfat kind, and forget nonfat.
I have found similar for a lot of foods. I grew up thinking I didn't like a lot of things, but as it turns out I just hadn't been exposed to those things made well or to a variety I liked. I don't think anybody has to force themselves to eat something they don't like, but I think it can be worth experimenting a few times before giving up, too. 3 -
@penguinmama87
I totally agree. I can't eat just any cottage cheese. I have had to try multiple brands and fat levels to find just the right one. I've had the same issues with certain vegetables. Have found that some that I hated in the past are great if just prepared differently. Experimenting is the way to go. You just may surprise yourself.1 -
I've just watched a little video which basically says that you can't actually process more than around 20-30 grams of protein per meal, any more is a waste. Aim for around 0.8-1.2 g protein per kilo of body weight. That's plenty.0
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LastMinuteMama wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »LastMinuteMama wrote: »Just for comparison purposes, I lift weights as my primary exercise, weigh a reasonably-trim 192 at present, eat plenty of protein for muscle...and most days I'm tapping out at 150g protein or less. So your goal of 165 may be accurate for you, but it sure caught my eye.
Gosh...I used a TDEE calculator and that's what it gave me - 40P, 40F, 20C, ...the protein goal has since been lowered.
Still looking for ideas on how to sneak in protein based off of yesterday's entry.
There's nothing magical about the macros any of these TDEE calculators give you and at the moment, protein is all the rage, so they pump it up and up and up and up. It is important, but the amounts of protein recommended by a lot of these calculators and websites these days is obscene and ultimately you just end up making expensive glucose.
Even a lot of my bodybuilder friends say it's gotten friggin' ridiculous. Most of the guys I know do 1g per Lb of lean mass...and they're competitive bodybuilders who practically live in the gym, not just me or you trying to get fit and in shape. In general, .6-.8 grams per Lb of a healthy weight is more than fine and well over the RDA. Unless you're just shredding it in the gym and tearing your muscles to pieces every day with training, you don't really need copious amounts of protein.
The guys I know that are into bodybuilding and eat a ton of protein eat a lot of meat...and then some more meat...and then some more chicken...and then some more fish...and then some more meat. There diets are basically meat, poultry, or fish and veg and rice or potatoes and they don't deviate much from that. Unfortunately, many of these lofty protein recommendations are born out of the bodybuilding industry...but I myself am hardly a bodybuilder and I do just fine with the amount of protein I get.
Thank you! I appreciate you taking the time to formulate that response. But I get it, my protein goal was too high. I fixed it. I want to move on from there and still get suggestions on how to get more protein into my diet because even when I lower it to a reasonable amount I’m still having difficulty reaching it.
How about a process answer? It looks like you've visited the thread with the protein spreadsheet, and that has pretty much aaallllll the "what food" answers, IMO. So, process: It's what I personally did, as a vegetarian, to get my protein intake where I needed it on reduced calories (it should be easier for an omnivore, I think).
Every day or two, look at your food diary. Notice things that have relatively many calories, but not much protein. Consider whether you could reduce or eliminate some of those things, and still be happy with your eating (sated, tastiness needs met, no major nutritional sacrifices, etc.). When you find some, use the protein spreadsheet to find some other food you enjoy, that would help you meet your protein goals for similar calories. Keep doing that, tweaking what you eat, and inching your protein upward.
As that stops yielding results, look at pretty much anything that has zero protein, even if moderate calories. Is there some alternate food you could eat, that you like as much, that has a little more protein? (Here again, the spreadsheet is a resource. There are veggies with more protein, snacks with more protein, grains/starches with more protein than others, even some fruits with protein, etc.).
Also, look at the calorie efficiency of your protein sources. Is there something you're eating now that has meaningful protein, but kind of many calories? Consider whether there's some alternate food you enjoy eating, that's more calorie efficient for the protein. Again, the spreadsheet is a reference.
(I even developed a couple of rules of thumb for myself for assessing. The specific numbers won't work for you as an omnivore, but for me as a vegetarian, I figured out that individual foods (vs. multi-ingredient dishes) with around 10 calories (from any macro) per gram of protein were good individual protein sources. There will be more for omnis that are better than that, I suspect, but you can use that idea to evaluate. If your, I dunno, slice of pork has X calories per gram of protein, can you identify things on the spreadsheet you enjoy eating, that have fewer than X calories per gram of protein, that would make you equally happy?)
As a final thought process, look at prepared foods you're using, like bread, pasta, snacks, whatever. Read labels on the shelf at the store. Is there something that looks good, has more protein, at reasonable calories?
If you ask yourself questions like this as you have time to deal with it, keep making tweaks, adding little bits (or big bits) of protein through your days by substituting foods you like for what you're eating that isn't hitting your goals as well, you'll get there.
It's not like you're going to develop kwashiorkor or even lose significant muscle mass instantly by coming in under your protein goal for a bit. You can tune it up gradually, and you'll probably find some quick wins pretty fast that make a reasonably significant difference.
Protein is probably the main thing I used this kind of thinking for, but it's not the only one. If you're trying to improve multiple aspects of nutrition, it gets a bit multidimensional, but it's pretty amazing what can be achieved over time by reviewing one's diary, chipping away at goals via happy substitutions.
Just a thought.
Yes, yes, yes to all of this!! Thank you so much for your response. That is exactly what I want to do and am starting to do.
Yesterday, I wrote down all of the suggestions from this thread and I will be using your food spreadsheet as well. And although your spreadsheet includes EVERYTHING I could need and I also could have googled high protein foods, I love hearing from other people (like you). Another set of eyes sees that I could add protein powder to my yogurt instead of making a shake or add tuna to breakfast...little things that I just didn't think of.
As an aside, I wish I had formulated my question better. Many people put a lot of focus on the high amount of protein for a goal (which I have lowered), but my real problem is the balance of macros. When I look at the pie chart at the end of the day the slice of pie for protein is always much smaller in proportion to the Carbs and Fat. I want it to be more balanced and I thought the best way to do that would be to increase my protein intake. I also need to lower my carb and fat intake. It will take time, but the suggestions I received here will definitely help me get there.
Thank you again for your help and insight!
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penguinmama87 wrote: »Re: cottage cheese - I know you said you don't like it and that's fine, but perhaps for anyone else reading the thread:
I find it makes a really big difference what brand you use. I prefer a very thick texture and whole milk instead of lowfat. There's one brand I can get locally that is lowfat that I like, but I don't like the texture of pretty much any other lowfat kind, and forget nonfat.
I have found similar for a lot of foods. I grew up thinking I didn't like a lot of things, but as it turns out I just hadn't been exposed to those things made well or to a variety I liked. I don't think anybody has to force themselves to eat something they don't like, but I think it can be worth experimenting a few times before giving up, too.
Yes, this is very true! The wrong brand can totally make a type of food a real turn off! I'm willing to try another brand.0 -
Pipsqueak1965 wrote: »I've just watched a little video which basically says that you can't actually process more than around 20-30 grams of protein per meal, any more is a waste. Aim for around 0.8-1.2 g protein per kilo of body weight. That's plenty.
I've also heard that our body slows down digestion/the transit of food in our gut to allow for larger quantities of protein to be processed.2
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