How do you eat enough protein without feeling disgustingly full be the end of the day?

@tryn2getright I agree. The sedentary part is a huge thing. 2 years of consistent exercise will change the OP's life and body.

My wife recently began walking 10k steps a day and strength training 2x a week with me for a work challenge thing, she's down about a pound a week and she is loving it, no diet changes so far. She was also pretty sedentary and works from home.
 
@tryn2getright Every day is a new day to get back in to your routine! My wife and I have been at a destination wedding this week, I'm ready to get back and get a good workout in! I think my app will deload me, but it will be fine to get back at it.
 
@thetreehugger12345 Tofu is the biggest protein source for me on most days. I also have oatmeal, field roast apple sage sausage, pea protein, soy yogurt, soy milk, beyond steak, impossible meat, a couple types of beans, nuts and seeds (almonds, hemp hearts, pecans and walnuts), veggies (broccoli, peas, carrots, spinach, kale, mushrooms, etc etc), and occasionally lentils and quinoa.

Examples of the meals I had today, with everything weighed on a food scale.

Breakfast 19g protein:

Soy vanilla yogurt with hemp hearts, sliced almonds, and shredded coconut. Cold coffee with soy milk.

Lunch 33g protein:

1 diced avocado with everything bagel seasoning and a little hot sauce. 1 apple sage sausage air fried. And 2 small pieces of homemade sourdough air fried with a little olive oil.

Dinner 37g protein:

“Beef” and mushroom stroganoff over noodles, made with beyond steak and button mushrooms. Rainbow baby carrots on the side.

Breakfast and lunch felt light and satisfying, same as every other day, and dinner was difficult to finish as usual.
 
@amalthea333 You could boost your protein amount with a few things.

I'd recommend to eat oat bran for breakfast, with nuts and seeds. If you use chronometer, you will see that you can easily hit 30g of Protein in the morning while getting all Omegas you need. Best healthy breakfast if you ask me.

Don't forget to eat green peas, because they add one of the essential amino acids that you often don't get enough of in a plant based diet.
 
@amalthea333 I would say for sure front load your protein. I make an effort to have two scoops of whatever protein powder I have to get ~50g. You obviously don’t need to do that, but try and think of some more high protein meals during the morning, that way you just don’t have to worry about it during the rest of the day. Maybe add the baby carrots and such to your lunch, so that the added volume of them doesn’t make you uncomfortable for dinner. Just spitballing here, but here are some general ideas for how I’d try and navigate that situation.
 
@amalthea333 Look for high protein tofu. The same size brick packs twice as much protein as regular. You can find them at trader Joe's or sprouts but I think regular grocery stores will have them also
 
@raveningwolf If she's having trouble getting enough protein with higher protein foods like tofu, legumes would make it even harder. Because legumes have a lot of carbs (they're primarily a carb source, not a protein source) and fiber. Legumes are extremely healthy and should be part of her diet if she wants, but may not be the best way for OP to get her protein.
 
@amalthea333 1) Do things gradually. Instead of jumping from a sedentary lifestyle to an active one and from a low calorie / protein diet to one with a lot of calories and proteins. This will give your digestive system time to adjust in many ways, including capacity and digestion.

2) You don't need to eat 3 meals a day, split them into more if you want/can. You splitted your dinner, split your snacks, your lunch, your breakfast. Eat all you can and then eat again when you feel like it. And again it's gonna be way easier if you increase your food intake gradually.
 
@alm Don’t worry, I didn’t just jump right into exercise. I used to workout in my 20s a lot, and I started out with a few months of physical therapy this time since I had been sedentary to the extreme from issues for a few years. Jogging is the most difficult thing I do at the moment, and I use a treadmill so I can’t accidentally run too fast or anything. I did mess up the protein amount, so I’m going to bump it down to stay between 40-60g.
 
@amalthea333 I have my highest calorie and protein meal in the morning. No am almost never hungry these days and have to remind myself to eat. It’s a pain. I try finish dinner by 8 and then go for a walk after.

I try joy to eat anything that doesn’t align with my goals. I’m also petite so I don’t have the luxury of being able to fit in a ton of food. It’s different for us petites. While it’s not vegan the petite fitness sun has tons of advice, tips and tricks. Id post there too.
 
@forwhatitsworth I don’t mind non vegan subs. It’s easy to convert any food things into a vegan version. :) Yeah, I’m never feeling hungry after lunch, so I’m going to try out 40-60g of daily protein instead. Maybe increase it a little as I become more fit and active, but we’ll see.
 
@amalthea333 Sounds like you need to eat more calorie dense foods. I’ve seen people suggest nut butters, which are great, compact sources of some protein and a good amount of calories.

When I wanted to gain weight after getting extremely skinny I would take down a few spoonfuls of peanut butter before bed. It helped a lot.
 
@amalthea333 When I was about to embark on a vegetarian eating lifestyle, I read a lot. A lot. I remember reading that it is nearly impossible to be protein deficient unless you are malnourished. I believe that, and I do zero work trying to specifically accommodate my protein intake.

Of course this is bad advice and nobody should follow it, even. (disclaimer)
 
@amalthea333 yes, I really studied up on macro levels and decided what's the best target for me. i am a really lazy vegan, mostly because i don't like going to the market and i never really learned how to cook vegetables. when i first started i ate home made vegetable soup every day for the first year!!
 

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