Eating too much protein?

sunshinebee
sunshinebee Posts: 29
in Health and Weight Loss
I used to do the atkins diet and therefore ate a lot of protein. I enjoyed having eggs and bacon for breakfast and not feeling guilty. I also ate a lot of chicken and ham. Now I am on MFP I am only allowed 45 protein a day. This seems like so little? For instance yesterday I had 110g chicken in a stir fry and that was 32 gone straight away. My breakfast smoothies normally have 5 in too. This means I cannot really have eggs or ham for lunch, which I'm so used to. Obviously there's a lot of other foods high in protein too which I have to miss out on; nuts etc.

Am I the only one struggling with this?

At the moment I can't exercise. If I put in that I exercise each day, would it increase my protein level?

Replies

  • Symonep
    Symonep Posts: 181 Member
    My macros are set for me to have 180g of protein. Though I am following the eat more to weigh less philosophy http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/3834-eat-more-to-weigh-less
  • yarmiah
    yarmiah Posts: 325 Member
    I too did atkins years ago and lost weight, only to have it come back on. I stopped doing it after many weeks because evn though I was losing weight, having a fresh orange or similar healthy fruit or certain veggies was a no-no(that seemed so WEIRD to me!). That, and I was bored of eating so much meat!

    That being said, I currently shoot for a minimum of 100g of protein a day at my trainers suggestion. Eating betweem 1300-1500 calories and getting in 100G of protein, and tryin to limit my sugars to @50g of sugar has contributed greatly to my recent sucess.

    You can customize your caloric and nutrient goals if you like- and/or not pay attention to "getting in the red" in your totals at the bottom.

    I can't really comment regarding yor exercise question, as I too am confused about the "eating back your calories" thing. I am fortunate to have a trainer I trust, who recommended my caloric target and exercise target(I work out 5x a week, for an hour at a time and burn between 350-450 calories).
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    MFP has protein set fairly low, so I wouldn't worry about going over. I aim for 100g per day
  • wantstolooseweight
    wantstolooseweight Posts: 166 Member
    I ALWAYS!!!! Go over my protein on here.... I dont worry about it though, it seems set really low and I stick to following the calorie limit :)
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    Think of MFP's protein goal as a minimum to reach or exceed instead of a maximum to stay under.

    The protein goal is quite low on here, only 15% of your total calories. Personally, I adjusted mine to 25% and aim to get at very least 100g a day.
  • LatinaGordita
    LatinaGordita Posts: 377 Member
    I aim for 30% Carbs, 40% Protein and 30% fat on a 1200 calorie diet that is 90 grams of carbs, 120 grams of protein and 40 grams of fat. I am not following atkins but due to my diabetes reducing my carbs has helped me tremendously.

    MFP estimates carbs WAY too high and estimates protein WAY to low. you can change your macros in your goals. Find the amount that works best for you.

    If you exercise yes your macros will increase in grams as MFP uses percentages of your allowable consumable calories.
  • olong
    olong Posts: 255 Member
    MFPs limits are not necessarily the right ratio for everyone. 40-something grams of protein does not work for my body. Read more about macros and customize your percentages to better suit your body. My ratio 40C - 30P - 30F. Though I usually don't reach my carb grams with healthy food, I continue to lose weight with the protein goal of 30% (with a lot of help from Whey Protein powder).

    Don't just assume MFPs macro numbers are best for your body... do a little more reading.
  • lcroftraider31
    lcroftraider31 Posts: 17
    45 grams or percent of protein? Assuming it's 45 grams, I think that's way too low. My daily calorie goal is 1290 and 36% of that should come from protein, which is 97 grams, that's without exercise. When I factor in the exercise part, it jumps up to 134 grams. I stay consistent with burning 500 calories from exercise by running for 33 minutes 6x/week. My major source of protein everyday are 3 egg whites , protein shake, almonds and lean meat for dinner. And I also get small amounts of protein from other foods like quinoa on my salad, feta cheese with my breakfast or extra serving of lean meat at dinner. Sometimes I still don't meet my protein requirements but I aim to get as close to the number as possible.
  • sunshinebee
    sunshinebee Posts: 29
    Thanks for all of your advice. I've now changed my goals to 45C 30P 25F from 55C 15P 30F. I feel this is a better balance and I can eat more chicken, ham and eggs :)
  • skinnylove00
    skinnylove00 Posts: 662 Member
    i want to start eating like 160g of protein a day hahaha
  • happyfeetrebel1
    happyfeetrebel1 Posts: 1,005 Member
    i want to start eating like 160g of protein a day hahaha

    So do it :)

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