I've had trouble getting protein to add up to more than 20-25% of my diet with natural foods. The main foods I eat that are all or mostly protein are chicken, tofu, and fat free cheese. After being a vegetarian for 20 years, I couldn't get myself to like fish or turkey for some reason, so I've had trouble finding extra sources of protein that aren't high in fats (nuts, granolas, etc.) or carbs (veggies, beans, whole grains).

For a 2000 calorie diet, I should be eating 200-250 g of protein to be in the 40-50% range, but I have trouble just getting to 150, and most days it's closer to 100. I need more convenient sources of protein without high carbs and fats, especially ones that can be carried around with me during the day to eat at school or elsewhere.

Is it going to be possible to get this much protein without drinking whey shakes or eating protein bars? Short of eating over a pound of chicken every day, I don't see how I can do it.

Well, you can eat Almonds which are high in fat, but they are high in good fat which is Monosaturated Fats and Polysaturated Fats. Other than that and what you are currently eating, it will be kinda hard to reach your goal of 200-250 w/o the help of shakes. You can purchase very cheap protein from GNC for about 25$ for a month supply.

you should either eat more chicken, or suppliment with a protein powder. Whey protein is low in fat and carbs, and has quite a bit of protein. If you have 4 scoops a day, that's just over 100g of protein.

I should also state that the 4 scoops should either be on 4 seperate occasions or 2 seperate occaasions, not all at once. If you drink it with Skim milk, you will get more protein with the milk too. 8oz of milk per scoop of protein powder and you'll be fine!

Although nuts have fats in them, they are healthy and natural fats. They wouldn't be a bad thing to include in your diet, and you can mix whey protein in quite a few different things too. That might not be enough to get you in the 40-50% range, but it should at least help.

Well it looks like I'll either have to use a bunch of powder every day or just live with a lower ratio. I wasn't saying I don't eat things like nuts. I do eat nuts and other foods with good mono and polyunsaturated fats, and I keep that to about 20% of my diet. It was more about me needing to trade out carbs for protein as efficiently as possible. I don't think I can eat a ton of chicken every day since just having 6oz a day starts to get old.

For those of you actually getting up to the suggested 40-50%, are you only doing this with the help of 3-4 scoops of whey every day?

are you suppose to be getting that much protien?

I am almost dead on in my %'s for phase 1 and i do 3 scoops of protein each day. 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 after workout with a banana. Also eat high protein foods most of the day

Thanks for all the responses guys. I think I'll try to aim for as much natural protein as possible since i don't think powders sit too well with my stomach.

I just realized I can add egg whites to my grocery list too. With 6 oz of chicken and an equal amount of calories from the egg whites, I can get 100g right there, and if I squeeze in smaller amounts of protein here and there maybe I can at least get it to 30-40%.

Soybeans have quite a bit of protein (29g per serving), and it sticks with your vegetarian roots as well. Edamame is becoming more common is stores, just try to avoid the salt.

Yes they do. And they have some phytoestrogens in them, too. Phytoestrogens are plant-based estrogens. They can cause weight gain and feminizing effects. In most cases, it isn't an issue. But if you're using them as a major source of protein, I'd be careful.

Zach, there really isn't an "unnatural" protein, although many people find certain protein sources more palatable and tolerable than others. At least, it's a nice opportunity to find what works for you and what doesn't.

Bon Appetit!!

Kevin

I get the correct amount of protein and I use shakes.

2 scoops with my breakfast shake, 1 chicken breast or similar lean meat (that's 2 - 2.5 protein portions each) for lunch, 1 for dinner, protein shake after P90X workout. That's 7 portions not including the recovery drink.

BTW,
you shouldn't include your recovery drink as a protein. it is a separate portion.


If you get bored with chicken, try cooking it different ways. Eggs are a good source. Chick peas, baked beans, milk, peanut butter (high fat.,..be careful) are all good sources.


I would suggest you drink a protein shake for breakfast and see how you like it. If you make it good, you will really look forward to it.

I've been pretty successful getting around 35-40% protein without using shakes the last few days. I've been having a lot of chicken, turkey, egg whites, fat free cheese, and milk. I've made breakfast burritos, grilled cheese sandwiches, low fat turkey chili, quesadillas, etc. by mixing and matching that stuff. It's funny because it's a lot of the stuff that I used to eat and thought I had to give up because it was full of carbs and fats.

The only foods I'm eating each day that aren't huge sources of protein are whole wheat bread, 2-3 servings of veggies, and a few pieces of fruit. It's been working well so far.

Have you thought about cottage cheese?

Fatfree cottage cheese is mostly protein, if you can stomach the taste. Egg whites are all protein. Chicken is almost all protein, as well as fish. Those are the major foods everyone eats that has protein. Me, I try to get a minimum of 200g of protein. 300 is my personal ideal. My goal is 50% protein per day. I almost never make it to that, but I always come close. It's nearly impossible to get 300g of protein while staying under 3000 calories while hitting a goal of 50% protein intake without protein shakes.

I didn't like the taste of cottage cheese so that was out.

35-40% protein seems good for me. I've been needing a bit more carbs for doubles anyway.

And I've realized that the chicken, egg whites, and some of the fat free cheese I get are more pure forms of protein than a lot of whey products. I get the fat free tyson chicken breasts at costco that are 50g of pure protein for a total of 200 cal. The egg whites are something like 6g protein to 1 gram carb, and the fat free cheddar I buy is 9g protein to 1g carb.

Even some of the better whey products are only 80-85% protein, so for the same amount of calories I can get just as much protein or more from these foods. I think the main thing that keeps my ratio that low is all the fruit I eat since I often have 3-5 pieces a day, but I'm not really worried about that. I've been eating around 1700-1800 cal a day and 160+g of protein.

Thank God for fat free cheese. Am I right?

They probably do not sit well on your stomach because your stomach is wondering what just went down it. Go more natural if you can. I only go grass fed organic locally...

szgorzelski wrote:

QUOTE:
Thank God for fat free cheese. Am I right?

Amen to that.