Struggling to intake enough protein in a high protein diet

[botheredbythis]

Aiming for 100g a day of protein but that's proving harder than I thought - was shocked to see that what I thought was my high protein diet, really wasn't.

So, for those of you on high protein - do you always have to have a protein powder shake/addition?

What do you eat and how much protein is that?

This article was interesting www.cnet.com/health/nutrition/100-grams-of-protein-what-your-daily-servings-should-look-like-on-your-plate/

I aim for 80g can never get there without a protein shake so now it’s my daily breakfast

100g’s is a lot is it for weight loss?

I use a pure whey isolate shake to get there. 30g in one scoop and only 100 calories.

Have you tried protein yogurts/puddings? 20g of protein in most of those.

I can get to 170g a day without meat (I do eat fish) and limited dairy……

It’s not cheap though. I’ll have up to 2 protein bars a day.

My Protein contains 20g per shake. They’re really nice, even when made with water. Most supermarkets do the protein puddings/yoghurts, also 20g each.

Is 100g a lot? I'm not overweight, but I'm post menopausal and I'd like to improve my muscle mass/leanness. Post meno has changed the whole schebang. Was following a programme that broke down macros as such - 50% protein, 25% fat, 25% carb. Finding it very hard to get lean protein in there without upping the other two categories - so, that article is really interesting, but a lot of that protein in that picture is fatty/carby too.

And actually, I'm realising that whilst I'm trying to hit 1300 calories a day, I typically don't actually eat as much of that.

I eat eggs, cottage cheese, chicken, fish - a ton of stuff but clearly not enough

100g of protein is not very much. It's just under 4 oz. Did you miss a zero off?

Yeah, protein powder is key, but overall, not cheap.

A few years ago, before covid and brexit etc, you could easily get kg pure whey for £50... now proteinworks and myprotein are selling these even after discount for £100... it's crazy for what it is!

Look on ebay, it's a bit cheaper. Around £60 for 5 kg, although usually not the best flavours, or if they are, loaded with carbs. I'd imagine you're looking for pure whey, read the label :).

Also, if you read the literature, you probably don't need as much as you think. Media plugs the 2 g/kg rule, but in reality it is about 1.6, and that is for elite athletes, most people can get away with 1, as long as it is spread out through the day every three hours or so, with the main bulk after working out.

I like my coffee, so one in the morning (5 g), shake a few hours later (20 g), lunch with chicken/sandwich meat before working out (20 g), shake after workout (20 g), normal dinner (20 g), casein before bed (20 g).

This was my typical diet when I lost weight a few years ago. Just over 100 g protein a day, no shakes but a lot of meat, fish and cheese.

I was really shocked when I looked at these sites the other day. My Protein was always so reasonable before ☹️

I add EatLean cheese to lots of things, definitely a nice way to up protein.

You need to focus on protein as the main part of the meal followed by veg. Starchy carbs should make up very little in order to get your levels in

So eggs or cottage cheese and mushrooms for breakfast. Snacks of mini babybel and nuts, chicken salad for lunch, fish and veg for dinner. Focusing on the veg which also has protein in it rather than veg which doesnt.

I found I was able to easily reach about 70-80 a day doing that, withough using fake ingredients (shakes) and that should be sufficient unless you are exceptionally tall or weigh a huge amount.

Thanks everyone, really helpful

Can I ask which shake this is please? I've got a 20g/200cal one atm and trying to find higher protein/lower calorie options.

If money is tight, you can buy very low fat yogurts (Lidl sometimes do depending on stock). Also incorporating some pulses into homemade sauces or scattering over a salad as well as chicken or fish . Might not add lots of protein, but still extra and a yogurt can be part of breakfast, snack or afters.

I tend to use:
Skyr yoghurt
Lindahls protein puddings
Protein bar (I like the grenade ones best but they've shot up in price so currently sampling random ones from B&M)

I don't tend to use shakes cos I'm not keen on the taste. It reminds me of milk/milkshake and I don't like them.

I'm sceptical of this. Pure protein is 4 calories, so hopefully you've rounded down there. Likewise with the OP's post with 20 g and 200 calories, that's more than 50% carbs!- I agree, time to shop around :)

The trouble with a lot of the shakes and protein puddings is they are full of artificial sweetners.

please tell me how!! I had a goal of 128g a day, don't eat much meat and don't really do dairy and unless i had chicken and tuna every day I never hit my protein goal!

Are you trying to build muscle ? It's really not hard to eat enough protein , tuna , eggs , chicken breast, babybels. Your body can only absorb a certain amount in one sitting I think max 28 grams depending on weight. Any excess your body filters through the kidneys. Many of the protein companies over estimate how much you need to get sales.

I'd love to know how people think they do it without eating animal protein (or very much) without resorting to fake artificial ingredients.

by the way why is your goal so high?

You can't really get to 100grams easily it would probably have to be soy or pea shakes which are artificial.