Protein.

[Almond_Joy]

Hi everyone,

 

I've recently taken a renewed interest in my health, and I want to stick to it. One of the biggest problems I've always had in the nutrition department is getting the proper amount of the majors - carbs, proteins, and fats.

 

I never get enough carbs and most of the time don't get my daily recommended amount of healthy fats. I always eat way more than my recommended daily amount of protein.

 

I tried taking protein out of my breakfast, but I just ended up eating more protein later in the day. Unless I eat a mountain of high fiber grains, I'm just not satisfied with a meal that doesn't have at least 15- 20 grams of protein in it. My recommended amount's about 50 grams, and at the end of the day I usually end up having consumed between 80 -90 grams.

 

I was looking into low-calorie meals and came across a couple of sites that say too much protein can lead to kidney damage in women. I don't want to hurt myself, but I want to have satisfying meals without spending a half hour munching grape-nuts or granola clusters (meets my grain requirement, lots of fiber, no protein).

 

I'm still roaming the web for info, but this is really frustrating. I've never had a problem with weight, so I'm not interested in cutting back for weight loss purposes. I just want to eat healthy.

 

Has anyone run into this problem, that can give some suggestions or ideas? It'd be greatly appreciated.

[tman666]

It doesn't sound you have a "problem" of any sorts. The recommended daily amounts of protein (per the FDA) are really bare minimum amounts needed by most people to function.

 

Assuming you are an active person, you will likely benefit from a higher protein intake. For endurance athletes (runners, speed walkers, etc.), a good protein amount to shoot for would be .75-1 grams of protein per pound of lean body mass per day. This means that if, for example, an endurance trainee is a fairly lean 165 lbs, they might shoot for between 105-140 grams of protein per day (assuming you're around 15 percent body fat).

 

For general fitness and strength training purposes, it can be beneficial to go even higher (1.0-1.5 grams per pound of LBM/day). If you're training for or participating in sports that require even more power, strength, or muscle mass (bodybuilding/powerlifting/American football/Rugby/strongman/etc.). the amount of protein you need per day may be even higher.

 

I suspect that the last paragraph does not apply to your situation, however. I recommend that you shoot for the .75-1 gram/lb. LBM/day mark.

 

With regards to your other macronutrients, adjust them according to your eating preferences and goals. Remember that a caloric deficit is always needed in order to lose weight. The opposite is true if you're looking to gain weight.

[FitChick]

I have the opposite problem. It's hard for me to get enough protein because I don't eat meat or poultry. Lately I've been having Greek yogurt every afternoon.

[Almond_Joy]

It doesn't sound you have a "problem" of any sorts. The recommended daily amounts of protein (per the FDA) are really bare minimum amounts needed by most people to function.

 

Assuming you are an active person, you will likely benefit from a higher protein intake. For endurance athletes (runners, speed walkers, etc.), a good protein amount to shoot for would be .75-1 grams of protein per pound of lean body mass per day. This means that if, for example, an endurance trainee is a fairly lean 165 lbs, they might shoot for between 105-140 grams of protein per day (assuming you're around 15 percent body fat).

 

For general fitness and strength training purposes, it can be beneficial to go even higher (1.0-1.5 grams per pound of LBM/day). If you're training for or participating in sports that require even more power, strength, or muscle mass (bodybuilding/powerlifting/American football/Rugby/strongman/etc.). the amount of protein you need per day may be even higher.

 

I suspect that the last paragraph does not apply to your situation, however. I recommend that you shoot for the .75-1 gram/lb. LBM/day mark.

 

With regards to your other macronutrients, adjust them according to your eating preferences and goals. Remember that a caloric deficit is always needed in order to lose weight. The opposite is true if you're looking to gain weight.

 

I can't believe it never occured to me in all these years that the FDA recommended amount is the minimum . I feel special lol.

 

Thank you very much. The bolded part would mean I'm actually not eating enough protein, and could probably do well by eating 15 - 20 grams more a day. More dairy and more meat makes me very happy lol.

 

Do you (or anyone else) have any websites you'd recommend where I can get more information, and maybe a popular quality forum where I can talk with others about ongoing fitness? It'd probably save me some time instead of scouring the net.

[Almond_Joy]

I have the opposite problem. It's hard for me to get enough protein because I don't eat meat or poultry. Lately I've been having Greek yogurt every afternoon.

 

But you eat fish/seafood? Does that not pack as much protein?

 

I don't eat any seafood - only red meat, poultry, and dairy.

[tman666]

Do you (or anyone else) have any websites you'd recommend where I can get more information, and maybe a popular quality forum where I can talk with others about ongoing fitness? It'd probably save me some time instead of scouring the net.

 

One of the best resources that I can think of is a group called "Girls Gone Strong". It's a very cheesy name, haha, but it's basically a conglomerate of 7 or so female trainers who support each other but also run independent websites/fitness consulting businesses. From what I've seen, they tend to be one of the best resources for females interested in fitness. They are a no-nonsense bunch.

 

Some of those in the group include (not limited to):

 

Molly Galbraith

Neghar Fonooni

Jen Comas Keck

 

Some other great resources (not necessarily aimed at females):

 

JCDFitness.com

Roger Lawson

FitJerk

Bret Contreras

Anthony Michael

Martin Berkhan at Leangains.com (intermittent fasting guru)

 

Of course, you can also find good info on bigger sites like T-Nation, Bodybuilding.com, CrossFit.com and others, but they tend to be a little bit tougher to glean individually useful information from due to the wide variety of opinions and topics discussed.

[fucpcg]

Go buy the book The Zone Diet. You can thank me after you've read it. It is the perfect book for any person looking to be healthy. A few tweaks here and there, and you have the essence of bodybuilder's diets.

[Feelin Frisky]

Almond Joy and no weight problem? I'm jealous.

 

Anyway, if you don't have a weight problem the only thing I can think of to be more healthy is to think about vitamin absorption, enzymes and nutrients. I just got a new "juicer" two weeks ago and that is a good "feel good" kind of diversion. Mine cleans up so much easier than the old one and now I'm getting those extras that I don't from anywhere else. When I make a mix of carrot, beet and spinach juice, I make a nice little sort of cake out of the pulp by adding an egg and some seasoning, stuffing it into a little Pyrex pot and microwaving for 6 min. That pulp with egg and a little butter is yummy.

[Almond_Joy]

Almond Joy and no weight problem? I'm jealous.

 

Almond_Joy's my alias to throw online stalkers off the trail. I'm actually a Mounds girl, and the coconut fiber helps keep my weight down . Jk jk. I get a kick out of myself sometimes.

 

 

Anyway thanks for the suggestions all.

 

I ended up getting the following:

 

Amazon.com: Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook (9780736074155): Nancy Clark: Books

 

I'm only a few pages in but I definitely recommend.