Idiots guide to getting more protein - help!

[onetwonetoo]

I've been going to the gym for the last few months, l mainly use weights/machines and a blast of cardio at the end 2/3x p/w

While I'm definitely seeing some improvement in tone I think I could do better if I could work out how to use macros and up my protein intake.

I've looked online but can't seem to work it in to my real life. I have two children I need to think of when cooking.

I also think I may be out on my cal intake. I thought I should be having 1700 to maintain my current weight but after speaking to someone at the gym they said given my height, 5ft, and weight, 50kg, that I should be on around 1200.

If anyone can point me in the direction of some helpful information, or has any advice it would be much appreciated

Following please
I see supermarkets do 20g protein yogs

My PT told me to eat a protein snack as soon as I get back from the gym - I normally have something like Ryvita with cheese / almond butter / sliced banana.

1200 calories is NOT enough for maintenance if you’re lifting heavy. I can highly recommend Team RH if you want nutritional advice and sensible calories, it’s great.

I am for around 100g of protein per day, always food first and then top up with a protein shake if I need it. Eggs, tuna, chicken breast and fish are all great sources of lean protein. The protein yoghurts from Aldi are great too, plus you can bulk out snacks with additional protein such as rice cakes with cream cheese.

You're 50kg and want to restrict to 1200 calories a day? That seems incredibly low.

Standard 'gym bro' recommendation is about 2 g protein per kg of body weight... or roughly 1 g per lb.

In reality, scientific literature states you can get away with about 3/4 of that, and that's for actual bodybuilders.

So for you, if you're 100 kg, you're easily ok with 80 g protein per day.

A chicken breast is 30 g, a mug of milk is 8 g... so just with that you're halfway there. Throw in a scoop of protein powder after your workout (typically around 25 g), and with the residual protein in all your other food (e.g. small amounts in pasta, rice, snacks etc), you're set :)

My high protein go to's

Sardines on ryvita for breakfast
Eggs / chicken / tuna
Turkey mince curry's / bolognese

Greek yoghurt with protein powder I love this!

Easy ways to get protein into your food and avoid protein powders are chicken - I always have a pack of plain roast chicken breast in the fridge for days I am low on protein in my meals. I also eat a lot of Fage Greek yogurt. Cottage cheese is good if you like the taste (I don't!)

Thank you this is so helpful!

I may have been making this very complicated for myself!

I went down a macros rabbit hole a few weeks ago and felt I was doing everything wrong.

Will definitely be keeping my cals at 1700, I can feel full on that amount but also like I'm not missing out, or eating loads of rubbish.

Will also check out the group mentioned up thread and get some yoghurts and chicken in the fridge

Thank you, that's really helpful. I've just had a Google and apparently I only need 37.5g of protein a day.

So one chicken breast and a glass of milk and I'm getting enough? My mind is blown 😂

Can you show how you arrived at 37.5g. This seems far too low.

I make it 3/4 of 50x2 = 75g.

@PaminaMozart I used...

Reference Nutrient Intakee_ (RNI) is 0.75g/kg of body weight.

So 50kg x 0.75 = 37.5.

However I've just read this

www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/how-much-protein-to-build-muscle#

Which says women in midlife should aim for 1.2-1.6g per kg. Which takes me up to 80g per day which seems more realistic?

75-80 makes sense sense to me!

Also, cottage cheese and crispy tofu if you've got an air fryer (good for kids snacks too)

As you're finding, guidance on how much protein you should eat varies!

Do you know your % macros currently?

Why not just have a go at increasing protein % and see how you get on?

You need to work out your personal BMR and then from that add on the calories you burn through exercise to give your TDEE (daily energy expenditure). To maintain weight, stick to that. To lose weight at 1lb per week, knock 3500k/cal per week off it (ie 500k/cal per day)

Try to have your protein as quickly as possible after working out, within 30 mins if possible.

Longley farms full fat cottage cheese

It is wonderful stuff, taste and texture is soooooo much better than every other cottage cheese.

I second packs of sliced chicken breast. Eggs, yoghurt, nuts etc oh and Complan with milk

Chicken breasts, salmon, tuna, eggs,full fat Greek yoghurt and cottage cheese are my go to sources of protein.

I pan-fry/braise a pack of chicken breasts - cut into 3-4 pieces lengthwise - after marinating in mustard + olive oil or curry spices + yoghurt. Dead easy, versatile and delicious.

Try and have a decent amount of protein in each meal.
Eggs, tuna, chicken breast are all high in protein and low in bad stuff!

I put half a scoop of protein power in my porridge for breakfast too. My other meals today were a stew made with tuna and mixed beans and spice (nicer than it sounds!), and a chicken curry - came to 90g without having to use protein shakes or bars.

Oh and please be careful with Team RH. The poster earlier may be recommending them on outdated information as I've heard they were quite good ONCE - they aren't any more! They seem to encourage very unhealthy behaviours. I deleted the app after a week despite having paid a year up front.

Have a look at James Smith Academy - much more laid back but very informative with a great selection of high protein recipes on the app - there's a free trial and different tiers of membership, starting at very cheap!

The Body Coach is also good for high protein recipe ideas - the recipes rather than the actual plan though, the books are worth a look.

I cook a couple of chicken breasts in the air fryer. I cut one in half and eat as a snack. In the fridge 2 chicken breasts will last 4 days once cooked. I sometimes cook a few pork steaks too and nibble on one of those for a snack.

You should watch videos by a YouTuber called Chiara Pugliesi - she explains what to eat and breaks down protein intake. By the way she calculates it, you should be eating double your body weight - 1200 cals is not enough to fuel your body. The more protein the better!

If you want to bulk you need the protein to feed and build the muscle. Chicken, tuna, minced beef 5% less fat, egg whites and high protein yogurts are what I eat. I'm at about 100g of protein a day but I tend to eat more as I want to build muscle.

My husband's a PT & bodybuilder , so I've learnt a few things over the years.

The 37.5 g is maintenance. That's the key word there. That amount is enough to sustain you. If you want to build muscle, you need double that.

That amount is enough to keep you ticking over, but not enough to build more muscle.

What people fail to realise is timing is also key. Eating 80 g in the morning when you wake up will do nothing. Better to eat say 10 g at breakfast, 10 g at lunch, 10 g before gym, 20 g after gym and 30 g before bed. Ideally, eat no more than 3 hours apart.

If I'm short on protein I mix protein powder into Greek yoghurt and add some fruit

I'm waiting for the day that someone recommends toast and butter 😫😫 I know it's protein that I need to focus on. But it's SO unappealing 😫