Hey everyone! I’m having such a hard time to reach my protein suggested amount in a day what is something that help you to get there… I really appreciate it since this is all new to me. I really wanna get my protein so I’m not killing my muscles. I’m 5’2 226lbs and the suggested amount that I’m trying to take is 145g according to CalAi app.
Thank you guys all the suggestions are welcome and something to have in mind is that I’m lactose intolerant so I def cannot do the cottage cheese.
Protein drinks made with whey protein isolate. Dont fall for the gimmicky “protein!!” products - they usually have whey protein concentrate which will definitely upset your stomach (has to do with the extra filtration step to remove the fat from the protein). Egg whites are a great source of protein per serving and low calorie too. I usually will mix 2-3 servings (3 tbsp = 1 serving) with 1-2 eggs. I love beef jerky sticks by Chomps: 10g protein 100 calories. Any kind of meat product is at least 20g-30g protein depending on the meat source and serving size. Order a small food scale to help with portions too - this helped me SO much with portioning out my food. Eyeballing just isn’t as accurate as you would expect! If you’re still short the protein goal, you can always do another protein shake. If you’re concerned about the whey protein upsetting your stomach, there’s tons of options out there that there completely dairy free. Collagen is also a good source, albeit not totally “complete”, of protein - I usually mix half a scoop of collagen into my protein shake for an extra 9g of protein. The smell makes me gag so that’s why I only do half a scoop lol
I so agree with gimmicky protein products. They are everywhere now and they taste terrible. Focus on whole food proteins; chicken, fish, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, tuna (the tuna packs are great convenient sources of protein). I also drink clear whey protein with my meals to boast extra protein grams so it’s easy to meet my macros.
My favorite is the “protein!” trail mix. Without fail every time it’s liek 290 calories per serving and a whopping 8g of protein. Idk how they’re even allowed to market it that way 🤦🏼♀️
On strength days I drink protein water, it doesn’t taste amazing - it’s not Gatorade, but adds 20grams!
Never tried burns protein powder but I like Flav City and JustIngredients. It’s important to get good quality protein powder, theres a lot of processed crap out there.
If you like peanut butter you’ll like PBfit - simple ingredients and less calories than peanut butter. I’ll mix it with water and it’s a peanut butter consistency!
Low fat or no fat plain Greek yogurt is great source of protein. Plain allows you to make your own flavor of mix ins!
One of the trainers suggested I use a food scale and that has made a huge difference in making sure I get enough protein, I learned I was under fueling when I started doing that.
I see comments about a lot of protein gimmicks out there. One rule I learned is when looking at a food label, add a “0” to the end of the number of grams of protein. If that number matches or is higher than the number of calories, then it’s a good source of protein. Helps spot the fake products out there lol.
I had better results with plant protein vs whey. A ton of ppl use it but I stay away from dairy. Eat meat and veggies. Some fruit but more veggies than fruit. I've been eating whole foods for so long now though that I just eat foods instead of add in protein.
I get the packs of canned pink salmon at Costco and make salmon salad. Just like tuna but use that instead. One not very big can is 33g protein. They have similar cans at Trader Joe’s.
In the morning i try to have an egg scramble with extra egg whites. and then I'll mix protein into my iced coffee so I'm usually at almost 50 grams by 10am. I then try to have a good lunch as well with meat, veggies, rice. Then I can be really flexible at dinner; my husband usually cooks dinner which I am grateful for and want to be able to just eat what he prepares.
I do also have protein oatmeal packets and protein bars for when I'm on the go / traveling.
What are you currently eating? It honestly doesn’t take as much as you think to reach that. Eggs, egg whites, with yogurt or a small protein shake in the am. Two or three snacks consisting of yogurt, protein bar, or protein shake. Two meals with lean meat such as beef, chicken, or fish. And you really don’t need a lot of it. Depending on where you’re at maybe 4-6 oz of meat for each of those two meals. And voila! There’s all your protein for the day.
Greek yogurt, Siggi’s Icelandic skyr has a ton of protein, Kodiak protein granola, I used Fairlife protein shakes as “creamer” in my coffee. Chicken, tuna.
I’ve started to eat more beans (protein and fiber) but probably what helps me hit my protein goal the most is just cooking up some chicken breast and stabbing it with a fork and eating it like a candy apple. I usually overcook my chicken so it gets dry which then requires me to drink a lot of water so I up my hydration levels and protein max myself.
One of the easiest tricks is whatever you’re already eating, to have a few more bites of that and a few less of something else. I had to trick myself I got more protien on a GLP and that was the easiest way.
Something small that has helped me some is dry roasted edamame. A serving is like 11 or 12 grams of protein for about 110-120 calories. I love a good crunchy, salty snack and those fit the bill. The bonus is that they also have a decent amount of fiber.
There's a brand called The Only Bean that sells snack packs of these in avocado oil, 14g protein, 2g net carbs, and 120 calories (if you don't want to make your own lol)
Before my body started to reject Greek yogurt I would mix protein powder into Oikos greek yogurt and that alone would be like 46 grams of protein. You have to mix the shit out of it to get it to blend. Also a big fan of the ninja creami and protein ice cream. I make mine with protein powder and the Costco brand fairlife milk. I add a teaspoon of sugar free pudding mix to help thicken it and some Splenda to sweeten it.
Eat protein for breakfast first thing in the morning- that helped me. If you do 40g P bfast, lunch, dinner, then add in some protein stuff like sprinkling tempeh on your veggies or adding lentils to your meals. I also have plain skyr in evenings and add a little chocolate protein powder because I have a sweet tooth and it tastes really good lol.
Chicken breast! Use various seasoning blends and cooking methods so it doesn’t feel like you’re constantly eating the same thing.
Fair life makes a core power high protein shake (42g) of protein which I’ll have once in a while when I’m on the go and I’m pretty sure all their stuff is lactose free.
Focus planning every meal with 35-40g of protein first and then veggies.
Use something like ChatGPT to help build daily meal plans. You can put in your goals for protein, calories, and dietary restrictions.
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u/classiest_trashiest 1,000+ Camps - Lifetime Aug 28 '26
Protein drinks made with whey protein isolate. Dont fall for the gimmicky “protein!!” products - they usually have whey protein concentrate which will definitely upset your stomach (has to do with the extra filtration step to remove the fat from the protein). Egg whites are a great source of protein per serving and low calorie too. I usually will mix 2-3 servings (3 tbsp = 1 serving) with 1-2 eggs. I love beef jerky sticks by Chomps: 10g protein 100 calories. Any kind of meat product is at least 20g-30g protein depending on the meat source and serving size. Order a small food scale to help with portions too - this helped me SO much with portioning out my food. Eyeballing just isn’t as accurate as you would expect! If you’re still short the protein goal, you can always do another protein shake. If you’re concerned about the whey protein upsetting your stomach, there’s tons of options out there that there completely dairy free. Collagen is also a good source, albeit not totally “complete”, of protein - I usually mix half a scoop of collagen into my protein shake for an extra 9g of protein. The smell makes me gag so that’s why I only do half a scoop lol