80g/day of protein on average?

[flyingforjesus]

I'm losing weight and find a good diet for me has me coming in at 75g of protein (mostly tofu) on Day A and 88g of protein on Day B, and these just alternate. Day B is the harder exercise day, so I eat a little more protein.

This averages to 81g, so let's call it 80g a day.

I'm M49, 163 lbs, 5'9" and want to lose about 16 lbs of fat and also continue to gain muscle. I seem to be making some progress in terms of push-ups, running, dips, etc. on this amount of protein. If I'm strict about it, I can lose 2-2.5 lbs of weight/week and it feels great to make that progress. Once I hit my goal weight, I'll increase calories to maintenance.

Anyone else about my proportions make long-term progress at about 80g of protein a day and a serious caloric deficit?

 

[dawn16]

@flyingforjesus I mean sounds like you got your own method down, but I'd still advise upping your protein intake much more, esp for your height and body weight. Your body burns more calories through thermo-genesis if you eat more protein. Meaning along with your workouts and daily activity, your body is burning more calories to just break the protein down.

I recommend these two videos as they helped me the most in cutting fat as well as gaining/maintaining muscle. Cheers!

Video 1

Video 2

 

[flyingforjesus]

@dawn16 Thanks. It seems like it might be very challenging to be a) vegan, b) losing weight, and c) getting enough protein for optimal muscle growth--or even maintenance--without d) things getting expensive due to the need for vegan protein powder or just more tofu or whatever. Also cuts into my calories from other nutrient types.

 

[dawn16]

@flyingforjesus You do have a point, though I will say getting great protein sources for a cheap price is alot easier these days even if you want to avoid protein powders. Beans and lentils are almost always dirt cheap, and at my local walmart, such things as a block of tofu is under a dollar per block. Tofu and edamame being excellent choices imo. I would also say nuts. Quinoa is also maybe $3 a bag(depending on the volume) and trust me a little goes a long way.

Also maybe try legume based store brand pasta, those are packed with protein. Got a whole box of store brand whole grain spaghetti for a dollar and that packs alot of protein per serving.

Again not saying to increase it expeditiously, but I'm sure eating maybe at least 100 instead of 80 might be more effective for your goals in the long run.

 

[flyingforjesus]

@dawn16 Yeah, the only issue with beans, pasta, quinoa, etc is that they all have a lot of carbs too so though you're saving on $$ you're spending on calories.

It's like that software vendor joke--fast, cheap, or good: Pick any two. In this case, it's like Cheap, Low-Cal, High Protein: Pick any two.

Under $1/pack tofu at Walmart? How many ounces? I think it's about $2 where I am. But I buy tofu bulk from an Asian market and I think it works out to about $1.40/lb which is OK.

 

[11blessings]

@flyingforjesus Honestly if you break it down into numbers and ratios it’s not that bad.

For reference I’m 21M 156lbs and I’m cutting at 1500 calories aiming for 130g of protein daily. And I’ll be honest at that number it’s difficult and all my meals are planned around getting enough protein because it’s a lot. But the way I look at it and at most foods at this calorie level is the protein to calorie ratio. So 130:1500 means I need to get ~ 1g of protein per 11.5 calories I consume. At 75g of protein the ratio would be a nice and easy 20 calories per gram. And 100 grams of protein leads to a ratio of 15 calories per gram.

A quick google search I found tofu was 90 calories per serving with 9g of protein or 10 calories per gram of protein. So this fits nicely. I like lightlife tempeh that is 18g of protein for 160 calories per serving or 8.9 calories per gram. I make a seitan recipe that is 270 calories for 33 grams of protein or 8.2 calories. And while I understand this may not be everyone’s cup of tea it makes it easy for me.

My current “cheat code” for getting in protein is TVP. I recently found a recipe for tvp overnight oats where you replace oats with tvp. So I make a protein shake and then mix it with 2 servings of tvp and let it sit overnight. For me this comes out to ~300 calories and 50 grams of protein which is huge. And tvp is typically pretty cheap if you can find it at a bulk store or healthy food co-op. I’m currently visiting my parents and the co-op near me is quite expensive with tvp being $4.89/lb, but a serving of it is 22g and is 60 calories and 11g of protein. This averages out to a cost of like $0.24 a serving which is incredibly cheap when you think about it.

Edit: can’t believe I forgot to talk about beans. Cooked lentils have 230 calories per cup with 18g of protein. This is slightly lower at 12.8 calories per gram. Black beans are pretty much the same. So while slightly below my average requirements it’s super easy to make up for with some of the other options. And if you can make your meals average out to that 12.8 calories per gram of protein that would get you up to 117g of protein daily.

There’s also plenty of vegan protein powder out there. I know formnutrition offers some with 24 or 25g of protein per serving at 110 calories per serving. That right there is like 4.6 calories per gram, which should be plenty to swing your average around to whatever you find yourself needing it to be.

 

[picturingchrist]

@flyingforjesus I have very different proportions than you (F/5'2/100lb). I eat about 80g of protein a day. I lost about 25 pounds last year eating in between 1400 - 1200 calories. For your size I would recommend a little more protein, but what is most important is what you can maintain and feel good at! Here are some low-calorie high protein meals I used to lose weight that I put together for another thread.

 

[andi777777]

@flyingforjesus I would definitely recommend more protein.

I am 5’8, 200lb. Although I am a lot heavier than you and trying to pack on more muscle mass I am eating about 160-180g per day.

If you are losing weight then you will want to have a higher protein intake than someone bulking or maintaining. This is to prevent losing muscle as well as fat, and to promote growth of any new muscle.

Protein powders are a great, cheap and convenient way to get a big boost of protein without spending all your calories. For example my shake is about 210kcal and 48g of protein.

 

[flyingforjesus]

@andi777777 Thanks, this is helpful. Although I think that many athletes (non-vegans, e.g.) go overboard with protein beyond their bodies' abilities to use it, I am starting to get the sense that I'm just not eating enough protein.

Is your 5'8/200 mostly on the muscular side? If so you must be a tank of muscle. I was 213 at one point, but in my case, it was basically all fat.

For example my shake is about 210kcal and 48g of protein.

May I ask what brand? I'm trying to get a sense for the costs of added protein powder. Thanks.

 

[panngree]

@flyingforjesus Bulk Powders pea protein costs about 25€ for 2.5kgs.

Im on a diet now for 35 days and have gone from 87 to 79 kg now, didnt lose any strength so far.
24M/181

My plan:

Breakfast: 50g oats with 10g flaxseeds and a little soy milk (dont track it)

3 meals over the day: 150g rice, 750g brokkoli, 300g tofu (all dry weights)

Smoothie: 150g frozen berry mix with ~50g pea protein and water

I take 5g creatin everyday aswell and supplement b12 and a multivitaminpill everyday and make sure to have about 2-3 hours between these 5 meals.

Get 8h of sleep, dont drink any water before sleeping and workout 3-4 times a week.

I know this isnt healthy longtime but for once in my life i wnt to have visible abs, and with corona it's easier to stay on a plan when you're at home most of the time anyway.

Maybe this or something similair works for you too.