100g of Protein for weight loss

Jo7_9
Jo7_9 Posts: 10 Member
Hi! I'm new here and feel a little overwhelmed... I'm a pescatarian (rarely eat fish, maybe once a week), 42 yo, female and need to lose around 15 kilos, sedentary. My TDEE is 1758 so I calculated that I should eat around 1250 cal per day. My big problem are the bad carbs, that's how I gained weight over the years (and the lack of physical exercise, I know!).
I figured that 30/35/35 would help me lose weight and keep the cravings take control, but it's so hard to get around 100 g of proteins! I really tried the last 3 or 4 days and I'm sick of fish, eggs and ricotta :tired_face:
Please help me with ideas of meals that are around 40g proteins and no more of 400 cal.
It's hard to find tempeh or seitan in my country, and the greek yogurt 2% from the market is 58 cal / 6g protein (it seems in other countries is higher in protein than here).
Any advice is welcomed! Thank you!

Best Answers

  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,768 Member
    edited August 3 Answer ✓
    I would recommend skyr yogurt if you have access to that, mine is 54 calories for 9.2 protein, per 100gr.

    You mention being tired of fish, but how about other seafood? Shrimps are great too.

    Also: something you haven't mentioned as a source of protein: beans, lentils, chickpeas. Some wheat products are surprisingly high protein too (for example whole wheat pasta). All those smaller amounts add up too.
  • VegjoyP
    VegjoyP Posts: 2,770 Member
    Answer ✓
    Carbs are not bad. If you swap out wholemeal, hi fiber, complex good carbs you will feel more satisfied, more energy and fiber nourishes our microbiome. Non fish sources of protein I eat since going from pescatarianto vegan -

    Beans- white kidney, black beans, butter beans, chick peas, mung beans,, fava beans, adzuki beans, pinto beans
    Lentils- black lentils, brown and red lentils
    Tofu, edamame, tempeh
    Plant protein, hemp protein, pea protein
    Broccoli, spinach and asparagus have protein.
    Soy milk, select soy and peaproteon foods on occasion
    Peanut butter, peanut butter powder, almonds and almond butter, cashews andcashrw butter, walnuts, Brazil nuts, sunflower seed butter
    Tahini, hummus, bean dips
    You may want to consider a different ratio
    50/20/30- 50 carbs, 20 fat, 30 protein. Also, don't be too tied to percentages and every day doesn't have to be perfect. O e day your percentages can be different them the next. Focus on quality and calories, and stick to unprocessed foods as much as possible. Fill upon wonderful vegetables of all kinds.

    Exercise is important for heart health, muscles and longevity. Try walking some every day and light weights 3 times a week to start.

Answers

  • Retroguy2000
    Retroguy2000 Posts: 1,820 Member
    You can get vegan protein powder. I think pea protein is an option. You could do 25g of that to supplement, to make it easier to hit your daily goal.

    If you're genuinely sedentary, getting up to 10K steps per day will make a big difference, and won't leave you much hungrier. Go for an hour walk. Catch up on phone calls or podcasts or audio books or whatever while you do. Or do several shorter walks after meals. If you don't have a step tracker your phone probably does it, e.g. Samsung Health on Android or various free apps.

    I strongly recommend lifting weights 2-3x per week to improve body composition and preserve muscle mass, maybe even build some assuming you're a beginner.

    Last thing, how do you know that's your TDEE? An online calculator is a population statistical guess. Track your input calories and track your weight change over time. If your weight is constant, then your input calories is your TDEE.
  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 11,294 Member
    This thread is dedicated to providing a variety of protein sources, some obvious, some less so.

    carbs-and-fats-are-cheap-heres-a-guide-to-getting-your-proteins-worth-fiber-also/p1
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,892 Member
    As nobody has mentioned it yet: Carbs are not bad. You gain weight if you eat too much. You gain weight if you eat too much carbs, too much protein or too much fats. Or a mix of all. It's just all about calories.
  • Jo7_9
    Jo7_9 Posts: 10 Member
    You can get vegan protein powder. I think pea protein is an option. You could do 25g of that to supplement, to make it easier to hit your daily goal.
    I do walk around 8.000 steps daily but i don't think i should relay on Garmin activity calories burned and count them, they are to high in my opinion (for ex 7.988 steps / 2.194 cal - i think overall). I know lifting weights is recommended but i find difficult to start, i will probably do that in the near future. For TDEE i used an online calculator as you guessed to have a starting point, I'll keep in mind to watch how things evolve.
    I'm using already some protein powder but still hard to hit 100g proteins and stay around 1250 cal.
  • Jo7_9
    Jo7_9 Posts: 10 Member
    Lietchi wrote: »
    I would recommend skyr yogurt if you have access to that, mine is 54 calories for 9.2 protein, per 100gr.
    I didn't notice skyr yogurt on the market but I'll look around more carefully, the protein/cal ratio is great!
    I do have some shrimps in the freezer but i used to eat them with pasta or noodles, I'll try them with salad.
    About pasta, i ordered some chickpea pasta (30g protein/100g) and let me say that i will probably eat some again in minimum 1 week :( Tried them with 1 can of tuna and some mozzarella and tomato sauce - my highest protein meal ever 68 grams! But the texture was off.
    I do eat beans and chickpeas but for 110g of canned chickpeas I only get 5.4 protein and 97 cal... even if i eat 300 g at one meal it's not enough to hit my protein goal. I'll try to use more lentils it seems to have more protein/100 grams.
  • Jo7_9
    Jo7_9 Posts: 10 Member
    yirara wrote: »
    As nobody has mentioned it yet: Carbs are not bad. You gain weight if you eat too much. You gain weight if you eat too much carbs, too much protein or too much fats. Or a mix of all. It's just all about calories.

    I know! that's why i started to log food and try to make wise choices regarding what food i eat :)
  • lisakatz2
    lisakatz2 Posts: 524 Member
    I don't think anyone has mentioned cottage cheese. Good stuff!
  • Jo7_9
    Jo7_9 Posts: 10 Member
    lisakatz2 wrote: »
    I don't think anyone has mentioned cottage cheese. Good stuff!
    I'm using ricotta, i think it's similar with cottage cheese? I ate daily this week :) used to make protein waffles, scrambled eggs and so on... Any other tips? Thank you!
  • lisakatz2
    lisakatz2 Posts: 524 Member
    edited August 3
    I like to make cottage cheese (or you can use ricotta) pancakes, using cc, yogurt, one egg, and a couple of Tablespoons of flour. Cook them in a nonstick pan sprayed lightly with nonstick spray. Delicious!

    Another thing I thought of are cheese sticks (the skim milk mozzarella kind) only 70 calories per stick and 6 grams of protein. I eat them two at a time.

    Do you like to snack on nuts? An ounce of almonds has 165 calories and 6 grams of protein.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,046 Member
    Jo7_9 wrote: »
    Lietchi wrote: »
    I would recommend skyr yogurt if you have access to that, mine is 54 calories for 9.2 protein, per 100gr.
    I didn't notice skyr yogurt on the market but I'll look around more carefully, the protein/cal ratio is great!
    I do have some shrimps in the freezer but i used to eat them with pasta or noodles, I'll try them with salad.
    About pasta, i ordered some chickpea pasta (30g protein/100g) and let me say that i will probably eat some again in minimum 1 week :( Tried them with 1 can of tuna and some mozzarella and tomato sauce - my highest protein meal ever 68 grams! But the texture was off.
    I do eat beans and chickpeas but for 110g of canned chickpeas I only get 5.4 protein and 97 cal... even if i eat 300 g at one meal it's not enough to hit my protein goal. I'll try to use more lentils it seems to have more protein/100 grams.

    Chickpea or other legume pasta varies by brand (in texture and flavor). Personally, I've found red lentil pasta to be the legume pasta with a texture and flavor most similar to wheat pasta.

    There also exist edamame/soy or black bean pastas. The ones I've tried have much more protein than chickpea or even lentil pasta, but have a chewier texture, at least in the skinny shapes like spaghetti or fettuccine. Personally, I don't care for those in pseudo-Italian preparations (such as tomato sauce or cheesy sauce), but do enjoy them in pseudo-Asian preparations, such as with stir-fried (or stir-steamed) veggies and seasonings like soy sauce or miso. (I've found the larger shapes of black bean pasta to be kind of mushy and non-ideal, OK in soup, but not great, so I skip those now and stick with the thin shapes. Your tastes may vary.)

    Can you get tofu, and if so, do you eat that? It can be blended into many things rather invisibly, if you don't care for the texture. I think I'm weird in this way, but I also like it cut into strips or thin slabs, baked until crispy, then dipped into some flavorful dip. Pressing it changes the texture, as does baking (such as in cubes) it to a point short of crispy where it's just sort of firm.

    Also, think about things that can be eaten as sides or even flavorings that add a bit of protein. It adds up. The thread nossmf linked will help you find veggies and such with at least a bit of protein. Some examples of flavorings with a little protein would be miso and nutritional yeast.

    I'm ovo-lacto vegetarian. I made a lot of progress on getting my protein in on fewer calories (when I was losing) by reviewing my diary often, finding relatively higher-calorie foods with little/no protein, then thinking about whether there were other things I enjoy that I could eat instead that would play a similar role, but bring along some protein. Over time, that brought my protein total up nicely.
  • Jo7_9
    Jo7_9 Posts: 10 Member
    lisakatz2 wrote: »
    I like to make cottage cheese (or you can use ricotta) pancakes, using cc, yogurt, one egg, and a couple of Tablespoons of flour. Cook them in a nonstick pan sprayed lightly with nonstick spray. Delicious!

    Another thing I thought of are cheese sticks (the skim milk mozzarella kind) only 70 calories per stick and 6 grams of protein. I eat them two at a time.

    Do you like to snack on nuts? An ounce of almonds has 165 calories and 6 grams of protein.
    good idea with the pancakes, i should try instead of waffles, thanks! and i'll look for cheese sticks or try to make myself in the airfryer 🙂 will try to incorporate nuts somehow, i always thought they are too caloric.
  • Jo7_9
    Jo7_9 Posts: 10 Member
    [quote="AnnPT77 I'm ovo-lacto vegetarian. I made a lot of progress on getting my protein in on fewer calories (when I was losing) by reviewing my diary often, finding relatively higher-calorie foods with little/no protein, then thinking about whether there were other things I enjoy that I could eat instead that would play a similar role, but bring along some protein. Over time, that brought my protein total up nicely. [/quote]

    So there is hope! 😁 protein intake regarding...
    I do eat tofu and use some nutritional yeast but not as often as i should, it seems i lack inspiration and not in the mood to cook when i have to. The fact that i have to stick or get close to the macros makes it worse!
    I'm going to make a meal plan for the next week and try to stick to it. Thanks for the ideas!
  • Jo7_9
    Jo7_9 Posts: 10 Member
    VegjoyP wrote: »
    Carbs are not bad. If you swap out wholemeal, hi fiber, complex good carbs you will feel more satisfied, more energy and fiber nourishes our microbiome. Non fish sources of protein I eat since going from pescatarianto vegan -

    Beans- white kidney, black beans, butter beans, chick peas, mung beans,, fava beans, adzuki beans, pinto beans
    Lentils- black lentils, brown and red lentils
    Tofu, edamame, tempeh
    Plant protein, hemp protein, pea protein
    Broccoli, spinach and asparagus have protein.
    Soy milk, select soy and peaproteon foods on occasion
    Peanut butter, peanut butter powder, almonds and almond butter, cashews andcashrw butter, walnuts, Brazil nuts, sunflower seed butter
    Tahini, hummus, bean dips
    You may want to consider a different ratio
    50/20/30- 50 carbs, 20 fat, 30 protein. Also, don't be too tied to percentages and every day doesn't have to be perfect. O e day your percentages can be different them the next. Focus on quality and calories, and stick to unprocessed foods as much as possible. Fill upon wonderful vegetables of all kinds.

    Exercise is important for heart health, muscles and longevity. Try walking some every day and light weights 3 times a week to start.

    I'll ty to keep this ratio because i don't crave sweets at all and feel full, sometimes too much (and i used to eat bad carbs daily, that's how i got fat ☹ little control on my cravings and no willpower)
    But if i'll find it's to difficult to meet the ratio i'll probably switch the percentage a bit.
    I try my best daily, hopefully for the long term, thank you for the advices!

    amounts)
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,046 Member
    Jo7_9 wrote: »
    [quote="AnnPT77 I'm ovo-lacto vegetarian. I made a lot of progress on getting my protein in on fewer calories (when I was losing) by reviewing my diary often, finding relatively higher-calorie foods with little/no protein, then thinking about whether there were other things I enjoy that I could eat instead that would play a similar role, but bring along some protein. Over time, that brought my protein total up nicely.

    So there is hope! 😁 protein intake regarding...
    I do eat tofu and use some nutritional yeast but not as often as i should, it seems i lack inspiration and not in the mood to cook when i have to. The fact that i have to stick or get close to the macros makes it worse!
    I'm going to make a meal plan for the next week and try to stick to it. Thanks for the ideas!
    [/quote]

    With nutritional yeast, it doesn't need to be elaborate: I put it on cottage cheese for some extra protein (and B12, with which most brands are fortified, and which plant foods don't contain). I put it on beans or bean soup, really anything that would work with it's vaguely cheese-like flavor, and that will moisten it enough to be a reasonable texture.

    Miso, I often just put a blop of it into hot veggies and stir it around, maybe add some rice vinegar. Miso broth is also easy. If you want the probiotics, get a brand that's live culture, and just don't cook it. Should be OK to add it to a hot food (that's at eating temperature).
  • DrBenja
    DrBenja Posts: 32 Member
    Try lentil soup with veggies or a chickpea salad with quinoa, both high in protein. Cottage cheese with berries or a protein smoothie can also help.
  • Jo7_9
    Jo7_9 Posts: 10 Member
    I struggle with vegan protein... i bought some blend (peas, rice, hemp), rice powder protein and pumpkin seeds protein... First smoothie with rice powder protein - 86cal and 86 proteins!/100 grams - was a disaster (i forced myself to drink it, i used milk, half a banana and some berries).
    Any thoughts about recipes to incorporate those powders? Smoothies and yogurt mix are a big no, i can taste it and it's awful...
  • Hobartlemagne
    Hobartlemagne Posts: 514 Member
    The powders might be made into pancakes.
    Can you get PB2 powdered peanut butter? That can be a yummy addition.
  • stianjl
    stianjl Posts: 15 Member
    Actually, protein helps fat and weight loss. So if you eat even more than 100g it will help. Eat any kind of meat with low fat.
  • p8m6bwghh9
    p8m6bwghh9 Posts: 102 Member
    lisakatz2 wrote: »

    Another thing I thought of are cheese sticks (the skim milk mozzarella kind) only 70 calories per stick and 6 grams of protein. I eat them two at a time.
    .
    and i'll look for cheese sticks or try to make myself in the airfryer 🙂

    I think pp was referring to plain cheese not the breaded cheese sticks.
    Sorry if I misunderstood.