Protein intake...HELP!?

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chocciechip
chocciechip Posts: 207 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I should start with a brief intro and set the scene - so I've been trying to lose weight, lost about 2 stone in the last year and go to the gym probably 5 times a week but have noticed a plateau for the last few months and of late I've had very achey joints and muscles. I've started on my fish oil supplements and vit sups to help a bit. Having looked back at my food diary and having spoken with a friend they've commented that I should have a higher dose of protein every day and should have about 50g a day. But unless I'm having a bit of a meat fest then I rarely make that (and it seems I struggle to make half that some days).

Has anyone got any advice on ways to increase protein other than eating a whole chicken a day ? (slight exaggeration I know)


Heeeeeeeelp :smile:
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Replies

  • Hendrix7
    Hendrix7 Posts: 1,903 Member
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    You rarely make 50g of protein per day? Even the "aaaaarh too much protein is dangerous" crowd would think that is a little low.

    How much do you get and what's your weight?

    Get a bare minimum of 1g gram per lean body mass (body mass minus your body fat%) if you do any weight lifting you might need more than that.

    Protein is essential for muscle repair, you should be able to get 100grams without even trying.

    chicken/fish/red meat
    fish
    eggs
    some dairy/nuts depending on fat allowance
  • dr3wman
    dr3wman Posts: 205
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    You definetly need some more protein. Get closer to a gram per pound of body weight. A popular option for woman is greek yogurt, very high in protien relative to calories, just make sure you watch your sugar. My favorite is just a whey protein shake, 25 grams of protein for only 140 calories..ill take it
  • tinksmommy2006
    tinksmommy2006 Posts: 575
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    Egg, large - 6 grams protein
    Milk, 1 cup - 8 grams
    Cottage cheese, ½ cup - 15 grams
    Yogurt, 1 cup – usually 8-12 grams, check label
    Soft cheeses (Mozzarella, Brie, Camembert) – 6 grams per oz
    Medium cheeses (Cheddar, Swiss) – 7 or 8 grams per oz
    Hard cheeses (Parmesan) – 10 grams per oz
    Tofu, ½ cup 20 grams protein
    Tofu, 1 oz, 2.3 grams
    Soy milk, 1 cup - 6 -10 grams
    Most beans (black, pinto, lentils, etc) about 7-10 grams protein per half cup of cooked beans
    Soy beans, ½ cup cooked – 14 grams protein
    Split peas, ½ cup cooked – 8 grams
    Peanut butter, 2 Tablespoons - 8 grams protein
    Almonds, ¼ cup – 8 grams
    Peanuts, ¼ cup – 9 grams
    Cashews, ¼ cup – 5 grams
    Pecans, ¼ cup – 2.5 grams
    Sunflower seeds, ¼ cup – 6 grams
    Pumpkin seeds, ¼ cup – 8 grams
    Flax seeds – ¼ cup – 8 grams

    These are the non meat forms of protein I know....and to be honest hun you should be getting at least 60 g (or maybe a little more) of protein a day. Especially going to the gym 5 days a week...you need it to help repair your muscles.


    Hamburger patty, 4 oz – 28 grams protein
    Steak, 6 oz – 42 grams
    Most cuts of beef – 7 grams of protein per ounce
    Chicken breast, 3.5 oz - 30 grams protein
    Chicken thigh – 10 grams (for average size)
    Drumstick – 11 grams
    Wing – 6 grams
    Chicken meat, cooked, 4 oz – 35 grams
    Most fish fillets or steaks are about 22 grams of protein for 3 ½ oz (100 grams) of cooked fish, or 6 grams per ounce
    Tuna, 6 oz can - 40 grams of protein
    Pork chop, average - 22 grams protein
    Pork loin or tenderloin, 4 oz – 29 grams
    Ham, 3 oz serving – 19 grams
    Ground pork, 1 oz raw – 5 grams; 3 oz cooked – 22

    There is the list for meat.
  • chocciechip
    chocciechip Posts: 207 Member
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    Current weight 156 - having looked at my tracker for the past month I've gone over 50 only about 5 times, it seems to be bobbing mostly above/below 30g.

    I think I've probably just stuck to a lot more plain veg and soups, and been a lack of fish and eggs so will try that, and made add in a handful of nuts to boost it up.
  • chocciechip
    chocciechip Posts: 207 Member
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    Ah yeah - should point out as well before any further suggestions - I'm coeliac and lactose intolerant - so rules out dairy and wheat products.

    Defo need to start having my eggs in the morning.

    It was just something I hadn't fully thought through and probably explains the excessive aches and pains!

    Thanks guys
  • jlbrigl
    jlbrigl Posts: 2 Member
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    I eat an Isagenix whey protein shake nearly every morning, blended with ice, and am almost always over on my protein with MFP.
  • watchyourthoughts
    watchyourthoughts Posts: 10
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    Even if you start introducing egg white omelettes into your meals? They are packed full of protein, delicious and very easy to do! Thanks for posting this because it's made me think about my own protein intake. I hope you manage to find a way that works for you :)
  • Sharyn913
    Sharyn913 Posts: 777 Member
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    I was never into protein shakes, every whey I had tried was gross and I couldn't even stomach it. Than I found a brand called "Show Me the Whey" and whenever I mix it into something, I can't even tell!

    I generally do one scoop, mixed with one cup of almond milk and than throw some other random things into the blender with it. It's 18g of protein per scoop, so each drink comes to 20-30g and it's about a 12z cup!

    Ex 1:
    1 scoop whey
    1 cup almond milk
    1 tbls of peanut butter
    dab of hershey syrup
    ice cubes

    Yummy!
  • chris1816
    chris1816 Posts: 715 Member
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    Ah yeah - should point out as well before any further suggestions - I'm coeliac and lactose intolerant - so rules out dairy and wheat products.

    Defo need to start having my eggs in the morning.

    It was just something I hadn't fully thought through and probably explains the excessive aches and pains!

    Thanks guys

    I would test the field with whey protein as it contains very minimal amounts of lactose; it depends on how intolerant you are. If that doesn't work; hemp, soy and pea protein supplements are all viable options there. I use both hemp and whey, as hemp gives a ton of other bonuses like high fiber, vitamin a, potassium, omega-3 fatty acids etc.

    Eggs as others have mentioned but yeah, even a decent sized chicken breast of 3.5 oz has over 20 grams of protein right there.

    Tuna is one of the most protein heavy fishies in the sea (and don't sweat mercury concerns, those are so overblown it is not even funny).

    Quinoa is a good grain for protein if brown rice bores the *kitten* out of you like me.
  • damonava
    damonava Posts: 1
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    Beans are a great option too! Mentioned up above. You can add them to salads, and blend them to make black bean brownies.
    4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
    1 cup unsalted butter
    2 cups soft-cooked black beans, drained well (hs: canned is fine)
    1 cup walnuts, chopped
    1 tablespoon vanilla extract
    ¼ cup (granulated) natural coffee substitute (or instant coffee, for gluten-sensitive)
    ¼ teaspoon sea salt
    4 large eggs
    1½ cups light agave nectar
    http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/amazing-black-bean-brownies-recipe.html
    They are awesome treat, you can replace the beans with pretty much any bean and they work pretty well. You will be suprised. And you get a great protien boost too. But I agree with everyone, you need protien to rebuild what you are working so hard to build up. Try to eat it within an hour of those workouts. that way you are supplying rebuilding blocks to those muscles quickly.But great job on the working out 5 days! That is awesome! Fuel those muscles though!
  • RealSouthpaw
    RealSouthpaw Posts: 14
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    Here is list of high protein foods in case it's helpful.
    http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/whattoeat/a/highproteinfood.htm
    I also suggest that instead of white bread you start to eat more rye bread because it contains more proteins.
  • patchesgizmo
    patchesgizmo Posts: 244 Member
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    bump
  • charitas32
    charitas32 Posts: 58
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    If you are lactose intolerant you can still eat yoghurt, as the lactose has converted to lactic acid by the yoghurt making bacteria
  • msmariebrown
    msmariebrown Posts: 19
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    Edited--everyone has already given great suggestions.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Meat and fish are great, but there are good non-meat sources of protein such as beans, hummus, tofu, edamame, greek yogurt, nuts, reduced fat cheese, and eggs. Or you could always add a protein shake or bar to your diet.
  • fallonrhea
    fallonrhea Posts: 388 Member
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    Here are a few things that I do (I'm trying to take in a gram of protein per pound of body weight every day):

    I eat 2 greek yogurts a day each with a 1/4 cup of kashi go-lean crunch which gives me 33 g of protein a day
    I eat 1/2 cup of old fashioned oats every morning with fruit which gives me about 8 g of protein
    I usually eat 4 oz of chicken every day which gives me 30+ g of protein
    I drink the special k20 drink mix which has I think 5 g of protein in a packet that you put into 20 oz of water
    I bit the bullet and decided to get whey protein powder as well. I use the dymatize iso elite powder which is freaking DELICIOUS! No joke. I really didn't want to do protein powder but this stuff tastes so good I'm mad that I didn't do it sooner. If you drink it with milk that gives you a few grams extra too. Sometimes I even put it into milk/yogurt/fruit smoothies.

    Also! You can FR me if you'd like :) My diaries are open and I'm really really good about my nutrition and protein intake every single day...I don't cheat :)
  • feliciaboots
    feliciaboots Posts: 440 Member
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    I'm with everyone else - your protein intake is far too low. I know for me I try to make sure I'm under with my calories, carbs and fat but always over when it comes to protien - I will sacrifice fat often to make sure I hit my protien target. I commute to work and back on my bike at least 3 times a week which is about 50 minutes round trip and if I miss my protein intake even for two or three days I instantly feel it - achy, sleepless and not myself.

    I'm currently big into 1% cottage cheese, beans and poultry. Nuts a bit but I find they are high in fat which limits me.
  • MtnKat
    MtnKat Posts: 714
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    Turkey is a great source of protein.

    I buy a whole breast for around $7-$10 and cook it up on the weekend.

    Not only does it serve dinner for that night, but I also have days of lunches (mmnnn turkey sandwiches) and dinners afterwards. One breast goes a long way for my family.

    You can also cook the bones and make a great turkey vegetable (or noodle if you don't mind the carbs) soup. Turkey makes very cheap meals.
  • fallonrhea
    fallonrhea Posts: 388 Member
    Options
    Here are a few things that I do (I'm trying to take in a gram of protein per pound of body weight every day):

    I eat 2 greek yogurts a day each with a 1/4 cup of kashi go-lean crunch which gives me 33 g of protein a day
    I eat 1/2 cup of old fashioned oats every morning with fruit which gives me about 8 g of protein
    I usually eat 4 oz of chicken every day which gives me 30+ g of protein
    I drink the special k20 drink mix which has I think 5 g of protein in a packet that you put into 20 oz of water
    I bit the bullet and decided to get whey protein powder as well. I use the dymatize iso elite powder which is freaking DELICIOUS! No joke. I really didn't want to do protein powder but this stuff tastes so good I'm mad that I didn't do it sooner. If you drink it with milk that gives you a few grams extra too. Sometimes I even put it into milk/yogurt/fruit smoothies.

    Also! You can FR me if you'd like :) My diaries are open and I'm really really good about my nutrition and protein intake every single day...I don't cheat :)

    Ahhhh very sorry - didn't realize your food restrictions. You could totally replace a lot of the milk based stuff with non dairy versions very easily though!
  • ericlws66
    ericlws66 Posts: 3 Member
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    Its a common misconception that the recommended protein intake is .8 to 1 gram of protein per pound. Its actually .8grams per kg of body weight.
    As published in the Harvard School of Public Health
    http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/questions/protein-questions/

    "How much protein do I need each day?
    There is no one-size-fits-all answer to that question, and research on the topic is still emerging. The Institute of Medicine recommends that adults get a minimum of 0.8 grams of protein for every kilogram of body weight per day—that's about 58 grams for a 160 pound adult. In the U.S., adults get an average of 15 percent of their calories from protein; for a person who requires a 2,000-calorie-per-day-diet, that's about 75 grams of protein. In healthy people, increasing protein intake to 20 to 25 percent of calories can reduce the risk of heart disease, if the extra protein replaces refined carbohydrates, such as white bread, white rice, or sugary drinks. Higher protein diets can also be beneficial for weight loss, in conjunction with a reduced calorie diet, although long-term evidence of their effectiveness is wanting.

    For people in good health, consuming 20 to 25 percent of calories from protein won't harm the kidneys. For people with diabetes or early-stage kidney disease, however, the American Diabetes Association recommends limiting protein intake to 0.8 to 1.0 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight (roughly 10 percent of energy intake), since this may help improve kidney function; in later stage kidney disease, sticking to the 0.8 grams per kilogram minimum is advisable. Consult a doctor or a registered dietitian for individualized protein recommendations."

    Another good side with all the protein information you could possibly need.
    http://www.livestrong.com/protein-content-in-foods/

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