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?

[anotherbusymum14]

Yes you need fat. I agree. Eat full fat Yoghurts plain without fruit flavored (they just add sugar). I add a teaspoon of xylitol fruit sugar still better than sugar and cinnamon. Makes a nice breakfast.
Also snack cut up an apple and smear with almond butter yum! If j want something sweet and just something more wholesome this helps me fill a gap so to speak.
Eat cheese too. In moderation, like with salads, this is good for you. Avocado. Yum. Seriously with done tomatoes and olive oil yum!

[IrenetheQuaint]

If oil was so bad for you, the Mediterranean diet, which uses lashings of olive/vegetable oil, wouldn't be one of the healthiest in the world.

[user1465023742]

Well, apart from all the extra calories in the fat in the first place! The numbers don't add up for me, sorry.

[anotherbusymum14]

Sort just retread about cheese. Can you have feta? It seems a lighter cheese compared to the rest.

[user1465023742]

another, I'm not even going to answer that, since you obviously haven't read the posts where I detailed that almost every single thing you list is foods I can't have, so I presume you're just trying to be funny.

Thanks to the rest of you for your helpful suggestions, I'm going to try that daal recipe later.

[CiderwithBuda]

Forget the calories. You are making this really hard on yourself by eating low fat and calorie counting. You are hungry all the time. It's not working is it?

[Footle]

If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got.
You say what you're doing isn't working for you, so forget the calorie calculations and try something different for a month or two.

[PrimalLass]

You obviously know best OP ...

[OurBlanche]

user I think you need to stop and have a re-think.

Either there is much more behind your dietary needs than you have/can say here or you have, over time, constructed a lot of information from many sources into your own 'truth'.

You do seem to have a few misunderstandings / set ideas about some foods and this may be making your desire to lose weight more complicated.

[LIZS]

Are you drinking plenty of water, as that can help with both filling up and weight loss? Is a physio involved with your disability, who could advise on what you can safely do to burn off calories and feel fitter.

[CiderwithBuda]

User - I'm 52, post menopause and a lazy cow. I started the low carb Bootcamp almost three weeks ago. In the first two weeks I lost 7.5 pounds. With no exercise. I wasn't hungry. I ate well. Drank lots of water. Ate fat/protein/veg.

[Newquay]

What about a low sugar protein powder which you could add to a breakfast smoothie?

[user1465023742]

Either there is much more behind your dietary needs than you have/can say here or you have, over time, constructed a lot of information from many sources into your own 'truth'.

Sigh. There's always someone who assumes you're lying because you don't agree with them, isn't there? Yes, of course, it's all in my head. Well, no, it isn't actually. I know my body, I know what I can eat and what I can't, I know what foods trigger my migraines, I know what foods give me stomach pain. Thank you, though, for assuming you know my body better than I do.

Newquay, I've thought about protein powder. I tried Huel for a while, which I really liked, but had the same problem. Supposed to be filling and high in protein (but pea protein, not meat, obvs) and also fat; ravenous within an hour of consuming it.

[OurBlanche]

Sigh. There's always someone who assumes you're lying because you don't agree with them, isn't there? Yes, of course, it's all in my head. Well, no, it isn't actually. I know my body, I know what I can eat and what I can't, I know what foods trigger my migraines, I know what foods give me stomach pain. Thank you, though, for assuming you know my body better than I do.

To be fair I haven't said you are lying, I have said that, like others, I have noticed some misunderstandings in your previous posts. Not about how certain foods affect your mood, migraine or digestion, why would anyone suggest that? We don't know you!

But you have posted some things that suggests misunderstandings about some nutrients, others have also noticed this, some far less politely than I did!

Basically, if you really are ravenous after eating adequate portions of high protein meals then you need to see your GP... your body is not acting as most human bodies do! Which is why it is more likely that you have, over time, constructed your own truths about food, portion sizes, etc. Many people who find weight loss impossible do that.

If you are not open to considering all suggestions with an open mind then posting in a forum may not get you the help you want. No one sensible is going to offer you a magic protein powder...

[BIWI]

Are you really hungry? I wonder if it's an emotional thing rather than real hunger?

If you're genuinely still hungry after eating high fat and high protein food, then perhaps it's not really about the food itself?

[BarryMerry]

Op, a calorie from one food is not the same as a calorie from another food source. 500 calories from eating a chicken supreme will have a totally different effect on your body as eating 500 calories of sugary doughnut... ie they may be isocaloric but they are not isometabolic. Carbs & sugar will have minimal effect on your satiety response, unlike protein & fat... hence the ability to gnaw your own arm off after eating a mountain of spaghetti.

Can you get to the supermarket late afternoon/early evening/an hour before closing on sunday for the reductions? I can nearly always pick up a pack of half price/66% off mince/chicken pieces/beef skirt when I pop in. Add a scoop of red lentils to mince meals like shepherds pie or a tin of cannellini beans to a beef or lamb stew. If you're concerned about fuel costs, look into hay box cooking... bring to the boil, then wrap the pan in old blankets/duvet & place in a box with packaging chips or hay. Or get a slow cooker for cheaper cuts of meat.

Tinned & frozen fish are economical, along with bulk buying frozen chicken portions.

[Artandco]

I would look into soups again

I mean chunky soups with lentils or beans. They will fill you up with lots of veg and protein

Bacon and lentil soup

Carrot and butterbean

Chorizo and chickpea

All you can make and freeze. All have same base of onions/ celery and carrots. You can add potato and wholemeal rice to soups also if needed

Like this recipe - says it takes less than 15 mins to make.
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2628/chorizo-and-chickpea-soup

[Artandco]

Sorry not that it has tomato in

But this one
www.thekitchn.com/recipe-chickpea-18885

[Artandco]

Lentil one

www.thekitchn.com/recipe-red-lentil-soup-recipes-from-the-kitchn-212392

[Artandco]

What is your weekly budget?

[Jemmima]

List exactly what you can eat please

[horizontilting]

If the hunger you experience is painful and leaves you in tears (I had this) then have a google for the symptoms of duodenal ulcers. Stomach ulcers cause people to eat less and eat weight. Duodenal ulcers cause people to eat more and gain as the pain is relieved by eating. Just a thought.

[Footle]

Horizon, can you rewrite your post so it makes sense ?

[anotherbusymum14]

How about overnight oats? There's lot of recipes on Pinterest which you could make to suit your needs :)

[whitershadeofpale]

I know you feel like nobody is listening to you and that what people are telling you doesn't make sense based on past experiences but I hope my story can help a little bit:

I have been overweight all of my adult life and only lost through serious calorie restriction and tracking everything (I'd lost 3 stone at WW). I gradually put this back on as after my DF died I couldn't get into the right mindset to track everything. I'd also suffered from debilitating migraines (I once lost the ability to speak for 6 weeks) and couldn't eat cheese, drink red wine or have msg without triggering a migraine (other things periodically set them off too like processed meat).

Then last year I broke my foot really badly and had to be immobile for 3 months. After 2 weeks I could feel the weight piling on, I was depressed, fat, sweaty and uncomfortable. As I couldn't move and was reliant on others I couldn't control my diet and couldn't move. Obviously I had lots of time for mnetting and read the boot camp threads. Honestly it made no sense to me, and I couldn't imagine it working. However, I thought it was worth a punt as it was possible to do in my situation. I honestly just hoped I could avoid putting weight on. I was absolutely amazed that within a few days I could feel that I was getting slimmer. Amazingly I lost 2 1/2 stone in a period where the most I moved was to the bathroom and back. I ate lots of fat and probably more than usual in the beginning due to boredom.

Alongside the weight loss the incredible thing is I have had NO migraines for months and now eat all the things that triggered me before. The one time I had one was when I decided to see what it would be like to have chocolate a few months after beginning low carb eating (it's vile- your tastebuds totally change so it's all just sweet and oily) and demolished a tomblerone .

I would be lying if I said it was cheap, BUT- only got the first few weeks, you really start having so much smaller portion sizes. Today for example I was so full from a late lunch I had out (moules) I've just had some Greek yoghurt and a few raspberries with a splash of cream and I'm absolutely stuffed! I never would have believed that before and could easily have eaten 4x that amount. There are cheaper things too like chicken wings and legs, lamb ribs, curries with coconut milk and cauliflower rice, corgetti and meatballs with cheap mince.

I've done quite a bit of reading around it since and understand the science a bit more but even I can't quite get my head around it at times. It involves such an adjustment to what we've always been told (and sometimes even seen in our own bodies-eg migraine triggers) that it's hard to believe and I still feel weird doing things like asking for cream to go in coffee.

What I can say is that I've never been slimmer or healthier. If my broken foot hadn't pushed me into that corner I'm not sure I would have tried it (honestly I thought it was unhealthy, dangerous and not likely to work long term) but I'm so grateful. I now have just 10lbs to be a healthy BMI (I needed to lose 4 1/2 stone at first) and don't live in fear of migraines, my dodgy joints are better and my acne has cleared up. I'm not as strict as bootcamp and very occasionally have something carby (a special occasion where there's no other options or to share something homemade at work) but it really is occasionally as I don't want to eat that stuff now.

OP you obviously have more challenges than most but I really think it's worth a shot, if you stick to it you will lose weight and your health might just improve. I'd say give it at least a fortnight as by then you should have got over the carb hold and started wanting smaller portions ergo it becomes cheaper.

Good luck!