Protein- how much are you supposed to get?

Afternoon!

I wondering how much protein you are supposed to be getting?
How much do you actually get?
How much would you say comes from food vs supplements?

I was told I should be getting 75g minimum, 
based on 5"7', 263, 35 yo female
(would love to have that formula if anyone has it)

I'm wondering if that number has changed since I'm down 60#??

Also, I'm curious why bariatriac patients need more protein than 'normal' people? 

Of course I plan on asking the NUT when I see her in 2 weeks but am curious what you all do/think.

:)

Have you ever heard the saying that you shouldn't go too low calorie because your body will burn muscle instead of fat? Well in the absence of protein, that's what happens.

Eating protein convinces your body it's OK to burn the fat. Otherwise, in the presence of a large calorie deficit it will try to preserve the fat and will burn muscle instead. This is bad - it's important to remember your heart is a muscle, which is why anorexic folks often die of heart attacks (think Karen Carpenter here if you're old enough).

So - high protein preserves the muscle and makes your body burn fat. Low protein and very low calorie combined is a dangerous thing.

Also, I don't think there's a magic protein formula. Most women are told 70-80 grams, although I've seen a couple of shorter women on here who were told 60 grams. Most men are told 80 grams or more. Sounds like whoever gave you your target just went with the middle of the 70-80 range.

 Thanks so much, that makes sense!

The NUT actually took those stats I listed (as well as my goal weight, forgot that one) and punched it in a calculator. 

So can you fill me in on how you get your protein?

I started using myfitnesspal to track what I'm eating and it's sorta depressing how little I get from food (just because I can eat such small amounts). I'm still relying heavily on supplements-BLERG!

thanks!

I have a pretty tiny tummy, which is good, and not much appetite, which is also good.

I eat only protein foods at this point, though I plan to start adding veggies if I develop any more capacity. I eat 2 protein meals and one snack, then I drink 2 protein shakes a day.

My favorite protein shake, dirt cheap and good quality protein, is Body Fortress Super Advanced Whey. A 2 lb tub from Walmart is $14.98. I add a little Hershey's Dark Chocolate Cocoa to the chocolate flavor to make it richer. I also add in 2 teaspoons of store brand Benefiber unflavored to help with constipation (a result of a high protein low carb diet).

Excamples of foods I eat:

Chicken (or chicken salad, not too heavy on mayo)
Tuna (ditto)
Eggs (ditto)
Tilapia, Salmon, other non-breaded fish fillets
Turkey or turkey burgers
Occasional smoke sausage
Pulled pork (a little high fat, but still not too bad at 2 oz)
Ham/turkey & cheese roll-up: a slice of ham or turkey (30 cal) and a slice of cheese (60 cal) rolled up together.

Ham and egg cups, recipe is here: http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/VSG/4380783/RECIPE-Ham-and-Egg-Cups-Easy-yummy-and-totally-adaptable/ (sorry that's not coming up as a link, but copy & paste it into the address bar and it works.

Dried beef steak (not the sticks which are all fat). I didn't have these until after 3 months. Look in the beef jerky section of the grocery store for Jack Links Beef Steak, usually in 1 oz packets.

Snacks I eat a half serving of the beef steak, or 14 almonds (that's also half a serving) or a cheese stick. Fat free yogurt one serving a day is OK, not more due to the carbs.

Hey Mom4Jazz----
Glad to see I'm not the only one who makes LaLaMonkey's ham cups.  A staple in my refrig.
Question----can you freeze them?  I usually just make 6 and then do L, D, L, D etc. Would like to makes some in advance.

Sorry---no hijack intended

If you scramble the egg (I do) you can. Not if you leave the yolk whole, I don't think.

I am still doing one protein shake per day.  I tried to get 60+ g protein from food only and just couldn't get enough.  Like today, for example.  I haven't had my shake yet.  I've eaten one scrambled egg w/cheese, 1/4 sausage patty, 2 oz chicken breast, 2 oz pork rib meat, asparagus, greek yogurt... for 49 g protien.  So I guess tonight's snack will be a shake.

At least I've found protein powder I like.  Syntrax nectars.  Lots of flavors to chose from and they don't all taste good to me.  I used the sampler pack to figure out which I liked.  Each scoop is 23g protein, 0g carbs, 90 calories.

Some day my goal is to ditch the shakes, but I'm not there yet.

Using myfitnesspal to do some pre planning really helps.

I usually do about 90 g per day.

Breakfast---1//2 Lean Body Shake
AM Snack---1/2 Lean Body Shake............             260 cals.......40 protein
Lunch---------3 oz (includes shells) Shrimp-----    80 cals.......17 protein
PM Snack----1 oz Shrimp                                          30 cals...... 6 protein
Dinner--------3 oz Shrimp                                          80 cals  ....17 protein
                       1/4 c steamed edamame                100 cals----10 protein
Snack            ?? Popsicle or yogurt
                                                                                                              90 protein

Kind of a boring food day but got called into work unexpectedly and grabbed two shrimp packets; forgot to freeze the rest so I had some for dinner. Usually more varied but lots of fish.
But the numbers are typical. I start with a shake everyday. Makes me feel really good.

Check with your doc but I usually shoot for  100 g of protein each day. Take a protein shake that has 70 grams to get a running start.

What kind of protein shake do you drink? I would love to find one with that much protein.