Really struggling to get protein, help please?

[user1465023742]

Really desperate for some help about my food. I'm having a problem getting enough protein. Protein is the only thing that fills me up properly but I have a very limited budget as I'm on disability benefits and I just can't afford to eat meat or fish every day. I can't eat cheese because I have migraines. Quorn is out because I'm allergic to mushrooms, I can't have eggs because I'm allergic to the white so things like omlettes and scrambled eggs are out. That leaves lentils, which I do like, but the only way I know how to make them is in things like bolognese which i can't have because I'm allergic to tomatoes.

I'm really really struggling and surviving on carbs, which are just making me fatter and fatter and I'm constantly hungry because carbs leave me starving after 2 hours. What can I do?

Definitely brown rice!

Do you have time? Because of you're not confident and people are giving you lots of vague-ish suggestions, it's going to feel overwhelming. Why not sit down, look at some of the blogs and websites suggested, and make a list of recipes to try. Then there is no winging it in the kitchen.

My suggestion for getting flavour in are stock cubes/stock concentrate and Worcestershire sauce.

High fat food does have more calories per gram, so you do have to eat fewer grams of it in order to keep within your calorie goal. The good news is that most people find they don't need as many grams of it in order to feel full.

Pancakes - 1 cup rolled oats out in kitchen whizz or smoothie machine and break it down to a finer flour. Put in bowl with 1 tsp baking powder, 3 egg whites, sweetner, vanilla and 1-2 cup - 1 cup cottage cheese. (Find your own texture). Mix together and put in pan like a pancake mix. It's high protein and delicious!

I agree with thefallen maybe sit down and write a meal plan for a couple of days, then you just eat what you've planned and don't have to think about it. You could add in new ingredients and recipes gradually so you don't feel you're constantly having to learn how to cook new things. You could try upping the fat a bit and as a pp said reducing sugar (if you find you eat a lot of it) which would balance out calorie wise? You might find that it does fill you up more once you're a few days in so can change the balance of fat to Carbs overtime.You do sound a bit down about it all and I know it can be overwhelming so for you. Hope you find something that works for you.

I think you should visit BIWI's threads on low carb high fat and see what is suggested before dismissing it.

I now make my own bread so that I can control what goes in it and its much better - spelt or strong wholemeal or sourdough even better as its comparatively lower in sugars.

Peanut butter is excellent for keeping me full on home made bread.

Could you also look at meal times so there are less gaps between them and you stay fuller? I can't do this because of where and how I work but when I can I know I snack less and stay fullers.

She can't eat eggs another, which is a shame because that recipe looks great.

Sorry, I thought I read that omelettes would be ok for you.

I've just realised you can't have nuts either, can you OP?! Is it all nuts? Seeds would also be cheap and achieve the same ends.

Oh sorry. I didn't see the no eggs :( maybe someone can suggest an egg alternative. I agree don't give up. There is plenty of protein to be found. I like brown rice and find it very tasty with the right accompaniments on a plate :)

Sorry, hard to keep up with the thread! To answer a few questions:

No, not on steroids, but I am on beta blockers and a lot of painkillers and high strength Lanzoprazole for reflux which likely isnt helping.

Yes, anything with egg whites is out. I can eat things like cake, where it's baked in (typically), but not things like omlette, scrambled eggs, poached eggs, fritatas etc - I don't know the scientific explanation exactly but it's something to do with the long cooking time destroying the protein that causes the problem. So yeah, anything healthy and eggy is out which is very frustrating because I liked eggs.

Cheese - again, nope, migriane trigger, even cottage cheese.

Snacking on fruit in between meals has also never worked for me. It leaves me hungrier than I was before I ate it :(

I tried making my own bread. I bought a bread machine and everything. I piled on even more weight. It seemed even more fattening than normal shop bread, probably because I couldn't' cut it thinly enough, I dont know.

It is completely overwhelming, yes. I just want to not be hungry. It's not "peckish, i could eat something" hungry or food cravings , its "i'm going to pass out" hungry and the only way i've found to stop that to date is protein, a lot of which is off limits b/c of either intolerances or cost.

Standard fodder for losing weight, ie, chicken salads and the like, leaves me ravenous without the carbs or ravenous without the protein when I can't afford enough chicken. I don't know what to do :(

Lunch is a problem because I can't think of what to eat apart from sandwiches and a lot of things that go in sandwiches trigger migraines (ie processed meat like ham, pastrami etc). Soup just doesn't fill me up, I'll be ravenous again within 90 minutes, I've tried. Even home made.

Tuna mayo works, but tuna is getting pricey these days. I remember when it used to be cheaper to make a tuna bolognese than a meat one - not any more!

Asda do a bag of 20 frozen sausages for 99p, might not be high in protein but i buy frozen baguettes 2 packs of 2 for £1, cook them both and have a sausage baguette for dinner.

What about researching all the veggies with high protein, cooking them til soft and blend them together to make a soup with croutons in and a frozen baguette (see above)
Maris piper potatoes turn into mush when boiling so they will help thicken the soup up, don't add too many though or it's too thick to eat. 3 will do it. 2kg bag of those £2

Jacket potatoes, maybe find a creamy sauce to pour on top, eat the skins for the highest amount of protein.

Asda sell multi seeded naan bread, 6 pack for £1, i have peanut butter but because you can't have nuts, try toasted with butter on for a filling breakfast.

I suggest shopping at Iceland i buy Stirlion steaks 2 for £5. 2 packs of 500g each mince meat for £4 and 4 chicken beasts pack £3.

I buy a lot of the smartprice range and enjoy it especially the feta cheese(yummy) and i do tuna, pasta, mayo and sweetcorn for a meal.

Research Vegan diet, they need protein but don't eat anything from an animal, obviously a lot is soya related but there will be Vegans out there that are allergic/intolerant to nuts and/or soya, get yourself on a Vegan forum, they will be able to help :)

I can't be trusted with my own bread either

The ravenous hunger (the sort where you could scream and cry from the frustration of it, if you're anything like I was) does not sound normal. I experienced it with steriods (glad to hear you're not on those) and with fluctuating blood sugar levels. Have you tried a sugar detox?

Just remembered that I also used to feel lightheaded and nauseous after sugar crashes too. Not fun.

Another recommendation for Biwi's low carb Bootcamp.

You will have to rethink your whole approach. I agree it seems to be against everything we've been told for years and years. Fat doesn't make us fat. Honestly. It really doesn't. You are right that you need protein. And that carbs make you hungrier.

Basically with low carb, high fat and medium protein the fat helps keep you full longer so you need LESS protein. You eventually become 'fat adapted' and your appetite reduces. Your blood sugars stay stable and you will not have that horrible hunger.

There is a bit of a discussion on the current thread (we are in Week 3) about portion size. A poster posts a pic of her meal - a pork chop cooked with a cheesy crust and some green beans. Another poster said she eats much more. The poster who had posted the picture said that a few months ago she would have eaten two chops and a pile of potatoes. Due to the higher fat content in her diet she is full now on much less.

We are all adjusting now in week three and finding we are full on less.

Please try to forget the low fat advice, it's not true. As a race humans have been getting fatter and fatter and fatter by trying to follow this advice. Low carb and low fat is both miserable and will leave you starving.

Your body will adjust. You will feel more satisfied on less. And you won't be spending money on crappy carbs. Your money will go on veg, protein and fats.

Come and have a look at the threads. Everyone is friendly, supportive and happy to help.

What Cider said is true. The gnawing hunger I used to feel disappears when I eat low carb, high fat. It's very satisfying. Though with your dietary restrictions and tight budget, it would take a lot of careful thought to manage.

I do understand what you're saying and i can see it works for some people but I have never been able to get by without carbs or on low carb, I am absolutely ravenously passing out hungry unless I double my protein intake- like, two chicken breasts and roast veg and financially i simply cant afford it. I just dont see how this is an option for me. I also need to keep my calories much lower than the recommended because of disability otherwise I will gain even more weight. and im not talking i only have a couple of stone to lose here.

The thing is your two chicken breasts and roast veg is probably low in fat. So that's why you need two chicken breasts. If you added some more fat it would fill you up more.

Even with a disability you will lose weight.

What do you eat in a typical day at the moment?

Veg soup is great - try using different vegetables and see what you like best. Include lentils/black beans for protein and some Greek yogurt/fresh herbs for flavour (you can grow herbs on a sunny windowsill). Have a slice of bread with it if you like but not more.

OP, have you got undiagnosed diabetes ? If so, and if you can't low carb for whatever reason, medication may be the only thing that will calm your feeling of hunger.

Believe me, I have tried this. Adding fat is empty calories, and lots of them. The oil needed to roast vegetables for example is more than 200 calories. For nothing. I'm 45 years old, probably menopausal, very overweight and with a disability that means I can't exercise. I can not add empty calories to my food.

I even tried a vegan meal replacement system that is high in protein and should have given me everything I needed. It did not. I was ravenous after two hours and it was a nightmare. I asked them for help, why was I so hungry when this was supposed to supply all the nuttrion my body needs? They were suggesting that I needed more and that I should take over 2000 calories a day. That would be ridiculous. I would gain a stone a month because I simply can't burn it off because I can't exercise (and I mean can't evne walk to the shops).

To lose weight I need to keep my calorie intake at around 1600 a day and in order to not be hungry I just can't have empty calories in that, I just can't. I gain so quickly.

No, I'm not diabetic.

I don't add oil to roast veg. If you feel you need to , try putting veg oil in a spray bottle or use one of the 1 cal bottles so you use the barest amount.

The oil isn't empty calories. It really isn't. It's good for you. (Good oil that is). It helps fill you up.

You really need to change your entire way of thinking.

You NEED fat. Fat is not empty calories. Unless you have it with carbs. Carbs plus fat will lead to weight gain. Fat plus protein plus veg will lead to weight loss.

The whole study which led to us being taught that fat is bad was WRONG. It has led to us getting fatter.

The reason you need to limit your calories is you are eating a mix of protein and too much carbs and not enough fat. If you up your fat you will eat less. Which will lead to you consuming less calories. And not being crazy hungry.

Please please believe me and others who say the same!