Protein?

[WhyArePiratesCalledPiratessss]

Hi
Im really happy with my losses and the suppression is an absolute game changer. I've started exercising and stopped drinking entirely. Its all REALLY positive.
My only concern is protein. I KNOW not eating enough.
I need a supplement but there are so so many!
I was looking at huel but seems expensive (30 something quid for 17 meals) and the bars i was looking at in Asda seem to have a bazillion calories.

I thought the Mumsnet hive mind might have some suggestions... so, what are we using?

Thanks!

Myprotein has good tasty varieties, I'm currently using their meal replacement as I have it at breakfast. If you buy it direct from their website they offer massive discounts. Look on holland and barrett also and even amazon. The best ones would be less additives and high protein. I find whey protein better tasting than pea protein. Also the website sealions uk has some good cost effective versions which I'll probably buy from next. If a shake is too thick, clear protein is great as its like juice so easy to drink.
I tried Huel for months but the flaxseed in it made me ill all the time and my ibs worsened.
I also buy a few high protein yoghurts/desserts or skyr to have as snacks and nuts and cottage cheese are also great.

If protein powders are too pricey how about focusing on cheap high protein foods. Cottage cheese, tuna, chicken and Greek yoghurt are all cheap and healthy. I eat a lot of them to get my protein up without spending too much. Lentil and beans too though the protein isn’t complete.

edit - just noticed you posted this to WLI board. I’m not on them so my advise may not apply.

I don't mind paying for them, just don't wanna get done over! There's so many to choose from, and im really not clear on the difference! Since when was this a thing???

Thanks for the suggestions for foods. Its easy to forget which ones I can chuck in!

I buy Bulk protein powder. No crap in it (some flavoured protein powders are full of E numbers and all sorts and the flavoured ones always taste awful and synthetic to me) and it's a good price. 23g protein per scoop:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00SP2ZWF8?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

I used it as the base for a shake diet for 3 weeks but now I just have a scoop when it looks like I might not hit my protein goal in a day. Either in water or in milk if I have enough calories left. It dissolves into either beautifully with a shaker.

Huel is horrendously expensive but I think they're meal replacements, not just additional protein.

These guys are much cheaper than huel and the nutritions looks decent.
Thanks for the recommendation!

Supplements not replacements are probably what im aiming for.
I might do a mix.
Supplements some days... replacements other.
Bloody mine field!
Thank you!!

Eggs for breakfast really help me.

I have some MyProtein that I use occasionally if I haven’t had enough. As much as possible you need to try and get it from real food. The ‘magic’ of protein is getting your calories from stuff that is high protein too.

Already mentioned, cottage cheese, tuna, whole grains (lentils, chickpeas, quinoa), chia seeds, lots of green veg is high in protein (for the calories)- broccoli as example.

Pumpkin, hemp, chia and sunflower seeds, and peanuts, almonds and other nuts are high in protein and good fats and oils, although also high in calories so only small quantities are needed.

I use the vanilla Optimum Nutrition whey protein powder every day for a breakfast smoothie. I keep it really simple. I mix the powder with water and then add frozen fruit. Aldi has a really good selection of frozen fruit, including some protein ones that contain flax or chia for an extra protein boost. My personal favourite is the mango and passion fruit gut health one, but all of their frozen fruit mixes are good and very reasonably priced.

I have the chocolate Optimum Nutrition whey powder too but I really only have that as a milkshake. I bought them from Amazon as it was the best price, even compared to the ON website.

I have some clear protein powders too but I don't really enjoy them. Something about them tastes 'heavy' to me. I've tried MyProtein vimto and cranberry/raspberry. Also Optimum Nutrition apple/raspberry. They do taste nice but I don't prefer them.

Food wise, yoghurts are a good choice. Aldi sell some really thick protein ones made from Quark, or Lidl do some that are more like normal yoghurt texture. Greek yoghurt and skyr are great too, also from Aldi. Lastly, Aldi sells really nice chocolate protein mousse and the Lidl lemon protein mousse is dreamy. I've tried protein pudding but I'm not a fan of the texture (a bit like blancmange).

I quite often have a babybel, mini cheddar stick or a small chunk of cheese if I'm peckish. Fridge raiders (or the Aldi own brand) or deli meats like ham or sliced chicken are an option too.

I'm not normally an Aldi shopper (it's not that close to me) but they really do have the best yoghurt and frozen fruit selection of any of the supermarkets IMO. They also have their own 'protein' range of products. It might just be marketing but it makes it easy when shopping 🤷‍♀️

I use Myprotein clear protein powder - 50cal for 10g of protein and I have that twice a day. Costs about £2 per day for that much.

nuts are a very poor source of protein in a calorie deficit as you'd have to eat loads of them and that would knock the calorie content into the stratosphere

I love My Protein, some of the clear protein drinks are really nice - especially in this heat! Current favourites are Raspberry lemonade or Orange and Mango. Grape is disgusting 🤣 20g of protein and 37 cals.
I'm also in love with their Banana milkshake powder.

I use Aldi for protein milkshakes, 89p for 25g protein and 207 calories.

Aldi chicken satay sticks 220 calories for the pack, nearly 19 grams of protein for £1.59ish

Muller do a fab chocolate mousse or salted caramel Morrisons currently have them 5 for £5 or Home Bargains 3 for £3 and are 170 calories and 21g protein.

Don't forget to order a 'shaker' cup!

I saw Huel described as 'SlimFast rebranded for gym bros' and I think of it every time I see it. It's a meal replacement rather than specifically a protein supplement.

I like My Protein. I have their whey protein powder and their bovine 'clear' collagen. They also do a clear protein which is a bit like squash if you don't like milky textures.

I use collagen powder in my water. It’s good for hair, skin and nails and has 15g of protein in each scoop too. It’s about £18 on Amazon and keeps me going all month.

Also, as others have said, eggs for breakfast is a good start. Also if I’m having a salad, I’ll throw in some prawns or chicken strips and I’m another fan of fat free cottage cheese. When I’m planning my meals, I think ‘protein first’ and then I build around that. If you’re a meat eater, that’s relatively easy to do. I used to build my meals around carbs!

Try to get as much as you can from whole foods, then use the drinks/bars to top up further.

ChatGPT is really good for helping or getting ideas tell it - create a 5 day menu with 100g protein from whole foods, 1400 calories without cottage cheese, show in summary table with macros. It will produce something like this, then you can ask it to replace anything you don't like anything, or reduce protein requirement to 80g if you are getting 20g from a protein drink.

I echo trying to get as much as you can from foods. I can’t touch protein boosted bars/yoghurts/drinks or powder as it really leaves me struggling to eat.

I started collagen powder last month as well
Pretty skeptical as I am not usually one of the supplement types but thought I would give it a go.
No difference yet but guess I need to give it at least 6 months. It’s adding to the protein anyway.

get some myprotein clear whey isolate. Just like drinking a soft fruit drink.

I use a scoop of protein powder (25gprotein) in my overnight oats, I like the ProteinWorks Vegan protein. I have chicken (35-50gprotein depending on type) in some form for lunch and dinner. A scoop of collagen 360 (13gprotein) also from ProteinWorks, each day. Add in the rest of the day's food, oats, milk, veggies, fruits, rice, lentils, eggs etc and I easily hit at least 100g of protein per day.

I've also got clear whey from MyProtein (20gprotein) for an extra top up on days when I've not had chicken at lunch or dinner eg having lunch with vegetarian friends yesterday

I’m vegan and finding it hard to get my protein in

Thanks all.
I've bought some supplements, some meal replacements and added some high protein foods to my.shopping list!
I feel a mixed economy of all 3, depending on mood, is the best plan!
Thank you all!