How do you eat enough protein?
Discussion
Hi All
Have neglected the gym lately and inevitably ate and drank too much following getting married which has put me somewhere I don't want to be, so I've been back to the gym and generally taking better care of myself.
I was wanting to put some muscle back on and lose some of the tubby I've put on, though I'm struggling to get enough protein.
I see the guidelines are usually 0.8 - 1g per kg of body weight when following a proper workout regime, but even when eating lots of protein-rich foods and throwing a shake in there too, I'm still ~30-40% under where I'm "supposed" to be at.
I'm in a decent calory deficit and I'm not struggling with eating less than usual, but aside from having a chicken breast milkshake for breakfast, does anyone have any advice please
Have neglected the gym lately and inevitably ate and drank too much following getting married which has put me somewhere I don't want to be, so I've been back to the gym and generally taking better care of myself.
I was wanting to put some muscle back on and lose some of the tubby I've put on, though I'm struggling to get enough protein.
I see the guidelines are usually 0.8 - 1g per kg of body weight when following a proper workout regime, but even when eating lots of protein-rich foods and throwing a shake in there too, I'm still ~30-40% under where I'm "supposed" to be at.
I'm in a decent calory deficit and I'm not struggling with eating less than usual, but aside from having a chicken breast milkshake for breakfast, does anyone have any advice please
Froomee said:
Very roughly…
Breakfast
3/4 eggs (20-25g), beans (5-10), pint of milk (20g) = 40-50g
Snack
Arla Yoghurt (20g)
Lunch
150-200 of chicken/steak/fish = (40-50g)
Dinner
200-250 of chicken/steak/fish = (50-70g)
Plus sides, fruit, veg, etc and you should be there.
Good to see it laid out, thanks. I've never been one for breakfast or snacks really so that won't be helping. Breakfast
3/4 eggs (20-25g), beans (5-10), pint of milk (20g) = 40-50g
Snack
Arla Yoghurt (20g)
Lunch
150-200 of chicken/steak/fish = (40-50g)
Dinner
200-250 of chicken/steak/fish = (50-70g)
Plus sides, fruit, veg, etc and you should be there.
biggbn said:
This should be worked out on 'lean' muscle mass, not overall weight, is that right? I always try to consume (supplement) enough for a 16.5st person even though I weigh much more than that!!
I think so, I used calculators online to sort it. I can't remember But I'm still down on where I ought to be. Time to crack out the meat. Food, that is.
Yes meat is your friend, depend on the type usually it’s at least 25% protein but can be over a third.
Skipping breakfast or snacks is going to make it harder. Better to graze protein foods every 3 hours than trying to lump it all in 2 meals only
I have a whey protein shake with milk in the morning. Easy 30g and a bit of calcium which I otherwise don’t get enough of.
Skipping breakfast or snacks is going to make it harder. Better to graze protein foods every 3 hours than trying to lump it all in 2 meals only
I have a whey protein shake with milk in the morning. Easy 30g and a bit of calcium which I otherwise don’t get enough of.
I'm vegan so rely on shakes quite a bit.
Scoop and a further third of a scoop of protein powder (30g) plus 250ml soya milk (7.5g).
The same as above but whisked up and left to set in the fridge for desert. Thats 75g.
Lunch cous cous packet and scoop of soya mince gets 15g. Or a bagel and tofu gets similar. Upto 90g now.
Tea is generally veg heavy, some carbs with some lean protein on the side such as tofu, soya mince, soya chunks or fake meat and dinner generally bags 20g so 110g all in with little effort.
Amazing how fixated I was with protein. Of course it's important, but turns out my biggest gains were made when I actually went to the gym and lifted LOL
Scoop and a further third of a scoop of protein powder (30g) plus 250ml soya milk (7.5g).
The same as above but whisked up and left to set in the fridge for desert. Thats 75g.
Lunch cous cous packet and scoop of soya mince gets 15g. Or a bagel and tofu gets similar. Upto 90g now.
Tea is generally veg heavy, some carbs with some lean protein on the side such as tofu, soya mince, soya chunks or fake meat and dinner generally bags 20g so 110g all in with little effort.
Amazing how fixated I was with protein. Of course it's important, but turns out my biggest gains were made when I actually went to the gym and lifted LOL
Adults generally don't have much trouble getting enough protein. A single chicken breast provides half of the daily amount for an average male. A glass of milk provides a quarter. Are you sure you're really that far under the recommended amounts?
Edited by CLK-GTR on Wednesday 28th August 11:26
Sycamore said:
Hi All
Have neglected the gym lately and inevitably ate and drank too much following getting married which has put me somewhere I don't want to be, so I've been back to the gym and generally taking better care of myself.
I was wanting to put some muscle back on and lose some of the tubby I've put on, though I'm struggling to get enough protein.
I see the guidelines are usually 0.8 - 1g per kg of body weight when following a proper workout regime, but even when eating lots of protein-rich foods and throwing a shake in there too, I'm still ~30-40% under where I'm "supposed" to be at.
I'm in a decent calory deficit and I'm not struggling with eating less than usual, but aside from having a chicken breast milkshake for breakfast, does anyone have any advice please
Chicken, fish, eggs, quark and shakes (as a supplement)Have neglected the gym lately and inevitably ate and drank too much following getting married which has put me somewhere I don't want to be, so I've been back to the gym and generally taking better care of myself.
I was wanting to put some muscle back on and lose some of the tubby I've put on, though I'm struggling to get enough protein.
I see the guidelines are usually 0.8 - 1g per kg of body weight when following a proper workout regime, but even when eating lots of protein-rich foods and throwing a shake in there too, I'm still ~30-40% under where I'm "supposed" to be at.
I'm in a decent calory deficit and I'm not struggling with eating less than usual, but aside from having a chicken breast milkshake for breakfast, does anyone have any advice please
I have a couple of shakes a day, eat eggs, mackerel or quark in-between main meals. Not sure if you have delved into macros, works for me, guides you to how much you should be eating of what.
I usually consume in a day
eggs/bacon medallions
5% mince
steak and or chicken breast
tuna
yogurt (Fage)
When restricting calories, the trick is to cut out more of the higher calorie sources like carbs and replace them with more protein sources, so for example if you were gonna have 100g chicken with 100g rice, have 150g chicken and 50g rice etc.
eggs/bacon medallions
5% mince
steak and or chicken breast
tuna
yogurt (Fage)
When restricting calories, the trick is to cut out more of the higher calorie sources like carbs and replace them with more protein sources, so for example if you were gonna have 100g chicken with 100g rice, have 150g chicken and 50g rice etc.
Sycamore said:
I see the guidelines are usually 0.8 - 1g per kg of body weight when following a proper workout regime, but even when eating lots of protein-rich foods and throwing a shake in there too, I'm still ~30-40% under where I'm "supposed" to be at.
Official guidelines as a munimum to prevent a deficiency in young adults and I'm pretty sure that is based on total bodyweight. I've heard arguments that should be significantly increased for older adults as we don't recycle proteins in our body as efficiently as we age.Aiming for up to 1g per lb (not kg) of your target bodyweight is widely considered more optimal consumption, particularly if your doing any strength/fitness training.
As a heavier fairly lean guy, *that* is hard without planning ahead, and eating when I'm not hungry, so I don't normally get to that level.
The great thing is protein really satisfirles your hunger, so you dont feel the need to eat the high calorie dense foods/snacks making calorie controll much easier. When i started training I just ate more protein and let the rest sort itself out. Far less pasta, rice, chips, sausage rolls etc. just because I wasn't hungry enough to eat them.
To get to the target just make sure you have a decent serving with each meal. I have a large omelette with cheese or bacon for breakfast 45-50g, lunch chicken legs/thighs/tinned fish 50g, proper dinner >50g. I may also have a protein shake to make up the numbers especially if I've missed lunch.
Big packs of chicken legs are fairly cheap and make a much healthier snack then a pack of biscuits
Whey protien shake have 2 scoops around 40g protien
Arla or similar yogurt 20g
A steak is about 50g I think
Or a packet of chicken breasts from Tesco
Grenade bars 20g
Tins of Tuna are 15g (have 2)
UFit protien shakes 25g or 50g
Pork Chiken Beef are all good, eggs also
It's not that hard if you pick high protien products
Arla or similar yogurt 20g
A steak is about 50g I think
Or a packet of chicken breasts from Tesco
Grenade bars 20g
Tins of Tuna are 15g (have 2)
UFit protien shakes 25g or 50g
Pork Chiken Beef are all good, eggs also
It's not that hard if you pick high protien products
2xtuna tins is 56g
200g chicken is an easy 65g
Thats 121g for about 600 cals which is easily put alongside other foods and pretty lean.
When i was on a high protein diet it was pretty much
Chicken,tuna,grenade bars, red meats(pretty much gammon and mince/meatballs) steak is
and could get around 200g in. Still built like a snooker cue though.
Have a look on youtube though for meal preps and daily food diaries for x amount of protein
200g chicken is an easy 65g
Thats 121g for about 600 cals which is easily put alongside other foods and pretty lean.
When i was on a high protein diet it was pretty much
Chicken,tuna,grenade bars, red meats(pretty much gammon and mince/meatballs) steak is
and could get around 200g in. Still built like a snooker cue though. Have a look on youtube though for meal preps and daily food diaries for x amount of protein
I have protein bars and shakes a fair bit, plus my main meal is always heavy on meat.
I'm usually about 250g of protein a day, 2350 calories.
MyProtein do cookies that are 38g of protein for 320cals, there's a couple of flavours of those I like. Other protein bars are 20g protein and maybe 200-250cals, I find Grenade ones taste pretty good, especially the Oreo ones.
Curators pork puffs are an easy swap where you'd normally have crisps. Pack of those is 17g of protein and 130 calories.
Protein shakes are very much a personal taste thing. As a general daily one, I like MyProtein casein in strawberry flavour, as I find the taste is ok made with water to keep the calories down. I do 45g powder in maybe 400ml of water, that's 40g protein and about 160 calories.
For a post gym shake I like chocolate whey from Optimum, though in this case I'd usyslly make it with whole or semi skimmed milk as I want more calories.
As well as the typical chicken breast, a regular meat dish for me is homemade burgers in the simplest way possible - 5% fat mince, 250g of it squashed into a couple of patties, that's 75-80g of protein for 420 calories, plus some bread buns, pittas or flatbread to put them in and whatever else I fancy in there.
Ultimately, it depends what you like, what fits your daily routine, and what supports your goals etc. No point going crazy if it's not sustainable and you hate the taste of what you're eating etc, you don't get bonus points for making a hairy shirt of it.
The one thing I'd recommend, though, is if you're going to have protein shakes, buy a small quantity and try lots of different ones until you find one you like. Some of them are bloody awful.
Also, yeah, protein farts are very much a thing if you're going great guns on it!
I'm usually about 250g of protein a day, 2350 calories.
MyProtein do cookies that are 38g of protein for 320cals, there's a couple of flavours of those I like. Other protein bars are 20g protein and maybe 200-250cals, I find Grenade ones taste pretty good, especially the Oreo ones.
Curators pork puffs are an easy swap where you'd normally have crisps. Pack of those is 17g of protein and 130 calories.
Protein shakes are very much a personal taste thing. As a general daily one, I like MyProtein casein in strawberry flavour, as I find the taste is ok made with water to keep the calories down. I do 45g powder in maybe 400ml of water, that's 40g protein and about 160 calories.
For a post gym shake I like chocolate whey from Optimum, though in this case I'd usyslly make it with whole or semi skimmed milk as I want more calories.
As well as the typical chicken breast, a regular meat dish for me is homemade burgers in the simplest way possible - 5% fat mince, 250g of it squashed into a couple of patties, that's 75-80g of protein for 420 calories, plus some bread buns, pittas or flatbread to put them in and whatever else I fancy in there.
Ultimately, it depends what you like, what fits your daily routine, and what supports your goals etc. No point going crazy if it's not sustainable and you hate the taste of what you're eating etc, you don't get bonus points for making a hairy shirt of it.
The one thing I'd recommend, though, is if you're going to have protein shakes, buy a small quantity and try lots of different ones until you find one you like. Some of them are bloody awful.
Also, yeah, protein farts are very much a thing if you're going great guns on it!
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