Protein & dieting

I am not sure I am getting enough protein in my diet.  I read somewhere that for my height and weight I should be getting 60 - 100 grams.  I am only getting about 35 - 45.  Will the protein drinks the baratric  peeps use be good?   Will adding more protein increase or decrease my weight loss?

Deb, I've never tried the bariatric drinks. I think they would be trial and error. Give them a try especially if you have trouble eating high protein foods like meat, nuts, and cheese.

I aim for 50% protein source at each meal. I don't always succeed but that is my goal overall. My doctor just told me yesterday to add a 16oz glass of 2% milk to every meal and snacks if I wish. He told me the milk was a better choice than water because it provides protein, calcium, vit. D and it is a great space fillerin the stomach causing me to get full faster and stay that way for a longer period of time than water does.

He said a good jump start breakfast is 16oz 2%, a pc of fruit and a handful of nuts. Lots of proteinand good fats and a few carbs for a morning energy boost.

For more natural proteins add nuts (especially almonds), cheese (look for low carb cheeses like sharp cheddar), eggs, milk and meats.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.
Beth

My health coach says .5 grams of protein per pound of body weight. I get about 41 grams in my breakfast shake, and 23 in my lunch shake when I do a shake for lunch. I'm at my goal weight of 135 so that's almost enough. Other than that it's lots of lean chicken, fish, raw almonds, etc. All whole, organic, good stuff. And, yes, I firmly believe protein intake and weight loss go healthily hand in hand. I always coach my people to take in protein snacks when hunger pangs strike during the day. Carbs are easy to reach for, quickly digested, and turn to sugar. Your body has to do some internal labor to process that protein. That said, as well, it's a good idea to make sure you have a good digestive enzyme to help your body USE the protein you're ingesting, unless you're very young. These are readily available at most stores, now that people are more aware of the need for them. We like the chewable papaya ones because they taste so good!

Ruth aka MomShap

I can say that 35-45 is too low unless you are like 12! Are you counting all sources of protein, cuz even breads/pastas, cereals & nuts & dairy have an amount? That seems very low. You need at least 60, but i encourage you to try for the 100 g daily.

I am over 50, fairly athletic and my daily goal is 100-15 grams. I do use whey protein shakes and a small amount of soy protein to get there. I definitley find that more protein and good fats help me feel less starving and more likely to stay on my plan.

Make sure that your protein shakes have very little or no sugar or carbohydrates added! EAS is a good brand, look at most grocery stores. Mine were on sale today at Safeway (chain store n the west) for 4 drinks for $5! They have 110 cals each/3 g fat/2g carb/17 g protein!I prefer the strawberry & vanilla. These are portable and convenient to keep on you or at work or int he car, etc. They do taste best chilled off, but in a pinch, you can drink them anywhere.

Most Americans eat plenty of carbs in the form of fruit/veggies/grains! I must assume you are eating mainly those three food groups?

Don't forget even milk, fruit and veggies have some kind of protein.  You can go totally vegan and still get adequate amount of protein.  Overall though, I agree with Necee, I'm a big EAS fan.

I drink a Slim Fast Low Carb shake for breakfast every morning.  It has 20 grams of protein.  I like the fact that I can buy them just about anywhere.  It's easy and it's filling.

You can also add protein powder to coffee or oatmeal.