Protein Goal

ruthiebusybee
ruthiebusybee Posts: 14
in Food and Nutrition
Hi All

I am new to myfitnesspal and love it! I am finding the cals, carbs and fat counters so helpful in staying in line, and so far I have spares at the end of the day, but I always seem to go over on my protein, as I am having low fat cheese, turkey, chicken, low fat yogurts and the like.

I do know a heck of a lot about general nutrition in the weight loss term, but wondered if there was a reason that this also tracks the protein and gives me a red minus for the protein. Surely lean protein is good for repairing/building lean muscle?

Should I be concerned that I am going over?

Replies

  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    the standard protein figure is a minimum really, and is probably a govt guideline. Crank it up under custom goals if you prefer more.
  • ruthiebusybee
    ruthiebusybee Posts: 14
    Thanks you for the reassurance! I am about 22 over today, and that's only based on 2 slices of cheese, chicken noodles (Batchelors dehydtrated stuff, so not really much chicken!) for lunch and chicken salad for dinner!
  • julia6567
    julia6567 Posts: 27
    What total Protein has been set for you at the moment? Sounds like you need to crank it up a notch... or two. Im on 1200 calories with 120grams of protein and I struggle to eat it all.
  • Cait_Sidhe
    Cait_Sidhe Posts: 3,150 Member
    MFP sets your protein goal too low. I manually set mine for 125g and I aim to go over it.
  • Jotell
    Jotell Posts: 139 Member
    I don't know if this is true and haven't done any researching but, according to my trainer for females we should be eating a minimum of 100g of protein a day. So I aim for that and more. Don't know if it's accurate so don't quote me on it. :)
  • ruthiebusybee
    ruthiebusybee Posts: 14
    Thanks everyone

    Where can I change the actual goal figures? I can see how to change the fields but not the actual numbers.
  • ruthiebusybee
    ruthiebusybee Posts: 14
    It's only set at 61 at the moment!
  • fatima147
    fatima147 Posts: 85
    you are lucky u get proteins.... im ALWAYS under and so much under./... its a good hing that u r only over protein, and they dont harm as much as carbs or fats... so u r ok....:bigsmile:
  • ruthiebusybee
    ruthiebusybee Posts: 14
    Have found where to do it, but it does is at % of overall daily calories. What should the split be ideally?

    Carbs - 40%
    Protein - 40%
    Fats - 20%

    ?

    It only had 15% on proteins before.

    I have PCOS, and have read that a low carb diet often works well, and I have had fairly good results on that before.

    My daily calorie goal is 1620ish I think.
  • herownkindofwonderfull
    herownkindofwonderfull Posts: 307 Member
    key point to remember....

    red isn't always bad
    and green isn't always good


    ;)

    I do a high protein diet with moderate carbs and fats. I specifically "try" to eat a lot of protein... so it's actually pretty difficult for me to get in the red but I DEFINITELY don't mind when I do ;)
  • ruthiebusybee
    ruthiebusybee Posts: 14
    Thanks MissHeather............that's a very good point! ;0)
  • lizw123
    lizw123 Posts: 20 Member
    I have trouble getting anywhere near the protein level that MFP sets for me, which might be because I don't eat meat. I will happily eat fish though, but don't like a lot of cheese. In any case I think the fat content of cheese would outweigh (!) the protein benefits for me. I do eat Quorn instead of meat and suppose I need to push that up.
  • ruthiebusybee
    ruthiebusybee Posts: 14
    I tend to go for lower fat cheese, but the Total 0% Greek Yogurt was so high in protein. I was a bit naive to that really, and was pleasantly surprised.
  • Cait_Sidhe
    Cait_Sidhe Posts: 3,150 Member
    Fat is not as bad for you as once thought. Check this out:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/607627-dietary-fat-cholesterol-and-fish-oil-importance

    FWIW, I set mine for
    Carbs 40%
    Protein 30%
    Fat 30%

    But I'm not really all that concerned if I go over in any of those.
  • herownkindofwonderfull
    herownkindofwonderfull Posts: 307 Member
    I have trouble getting anywhere near the protein level that MFP sets for me, which might be because I don't eat meat. I will happily eat fish though, but don't like a lot of cheese. In any case I think the fat content of cheese would outweigh (!) the protein benefits for me. I do eat Quorn instead of meat and suppose I need to push that up.

    Because you don't eat meat, have you thought about using protein supplements? Some of my high protein meals don't have any meat... ie: oatmeal with protein powder. It's GREAT for fiber and protein!! :) Other options are eggs (I'm not sure if you eat them or not), cottage cheese, greek yogurt, tofu, soy products, nuts, and seeds... :)
  • herownkindofwonderfull
    herownkindofwonderfull Posts: 307 Member
    I tend to go for lower fat cheese, but the Total 0% Greek Yogurt was so high in protein. I was a bit naive to that really, and was pleasantly surprised.

    watch those greek yogurts. So many of them on the market are pretty bad for you... high in cholesterol, high in sugars, etc.

    The best I've found so far are Fage and Chobani. :)
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    On a piece of paper calculate 1g protein per pound of lean mass, or if you are lean then total body weight.
    .30-.70g fat per pound of LBM.

    On MFP find the % thats closest to that number.

    for me I eat about 140g protein a day but I cycle carbs and fat throughout the week.
  • LeenaRuns
    LeenaRuns Posts: 1,309 Member
    FWIW, I set mine for
    Carbs 40%
    Protein 30%
    Fat 30%

    But I'm not really all that concerned if I go over in any of those.

    Same.
  • turquoise_elephant
    turquoise_elephant Posts: 83 Member
    If you have a fairly high fat percentage, aim for about 0.8-1g protein per pound of body weight.
    Fat should also be fairly high at 0.4g per pound of body weight. Keep these to healthy fats like olive oil, avocado, pure peanut butter etc.
    Carbs should be whatever you have left from your calorie goal.

    Once you've calculated that, play around with the percentages until you get to those figures.
    Hope that helps!
  • kazaroona
    kazaroona Posts: 60 Member
    Your split should really be Carbs 40% Fat 30% Protein 30%....20% seems quite low.

    Good on you for eating so much protein, I struggle to hit mine!

    If you go into custom where you set your cals it'll be in there. Its good to eat more protein if you exercise too and it'll keep you fuller.

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