Protein help!!

[tebah]

Hey all!

I'm currently eating on a deficit trying to cut my BF %. Those familiar with basic weightlifting/fitness knowledge know that protein nutrient requirements are ~.77-1g of protein per pound of body weight to maximize muscle growth. I weigh ~200 lbs, so I need to eat anywhere from 150-200g of protein a day. I try to eat in this range, but I'm finding it very difficult to hit this value while eating a deficit (if I was bulking I'd be totally fine.) I currently go to the gym four times a week and do yoga/play basketball on my off days. I'm trying to eat ~1800 calories a day which is 600 calories under my TDEE value (used a TDEE calc for this.) If you're wondering why 600 less see this link: https://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/wiki/faq#wiki_other_q_and_a ("Can I lose fat and gain muscle at the same time").

My current diet looks like the following:

Morning: 300 calories, 30g protein

Vegan Protein powder (140 cals, 20g protein)

Protein+ Almond milk (70 cals, 10g protein)

Banana (~80 cals)

Lunch: 800 cals, 21g protein

Can of beans, i.e. Garbanzo, Kidney, Black beans, ... (385 cals, 21g protein)

Greens, i.e. baby kale or spinach (40-50 cals)

Olive oil (180 cals)

Cucumbers (100 cals)

Dinner: 1390 cals, 101g protein

Extra firm protein tofu (750 calories, 75 grams protein)

Lentils (360 cals, 26g protein)

Vegetables, i.e. Broccoli, Green Beans, Kale, Zucchini, ... (100 cals)

Olive oil (180 cals)

Total: 2490 calories, 151g protein

I tried to over estimate the amount of oil I use, and had to guess on the calories in the various vegetables I eat. What you can see from this is I'm eating almost 700 calories over my deficit value while BARELY getting enough protein. I've read up on different protein sources but I'm not sure how to squeeze in the protein while eating under my calories. I'm also not sure if I should simply be trying to prioritize protein over calories and rely on cardio or some other form of exercise to decrease my overall calorie intake. Even so, doing cardio 7 times a week seems unrealistic for me. Is there some magic food unbeknownst to me? I've dabbled with seitan quite a bit in the past, but I've recently read online that it actually isn't good for you and nutritionists don't recommend eating it. I'm open to any and all suggestions, also, let me know if you have any other questions for me.

 

[suomisidney]

@tebah Your breakfast is the weak link here.

You're not eating any whole food protein in the morning. Why is that?
It's very easy to include a legume/seed/grain meal in the morning that provides you with 30-40 grams of protein.

 

[tebah]

@suomisidney What do you mean when you say "whole food protein," I'm getting 30g which is pretty good for a single meal I think. Any recommendations on those "legumes/seeds/grains"?

 

[suomisidney]

@tebah By whole food protein I mean protein that comes from actual food, not supplements.

From the OP it looks like your only protein source in the morning is powder supplement. I don't see any whole foods like oats, chia seeds, buckwheat, etc.

Please clarify.

Morning: 300 calories, 30g protein

Vegan Protein powder (140 cals, 20g protein)

Protein+ Almond milk (70 cals, 10g protein)

Banana (~80 cals)

 

[tebah]

@suomisidney There is nothing to clarify. I'm relatively new to being vegan and nutrition conscious. The reason I asked is because I didn't know what you meant.

 

[suomisidney]

@tebah Ah, that makes sense now.

So what I think is that you should use a protein supplement as just that - a supplement to whole food protein.

For example, in the morning you can make a porridge (with oats, chia seeds, and pumpkin seeds) that is 30 gram protein and on top of that you can mix in 30g protein powder for a total of 60 gram protein for breakfast.

In short: don't use protein powder alone. Mix it in with whole foods for a higher protein meal.

You're doing a good job, keep it up.

 

[tebah]

@suomisidney Ok I'll definitely look into that! Thanks again for the recommendations

 

[maniel]

@tebah I disagree with your basic premise of .77-1g/lb. The preferred amount is 1-1.4g/kg and/or 12-15% of calories when eating at maintenance or above. Also, frequency matters more than sheer amount; eating 100g at dinner is really not going to do very much for you because the kidneys cannot deal with that much at once so excess is gonna be used as calories instead of muscle building.

If you can hit 25-35g of protein 4x a day, you should be solid. That's what I recommend to all my patients who are trying to gain muscle.

Also switch out your olive oil for a spray olive oil (5-10 calories). Other than that, your food looks really great. I enjoy tofu Jerky, seitan Jerky, roasted chickpeas as snacks.

Your food looks really good, and you're getting a few grams of protein from the veggies too. I think you maybe miscalculated the Cala at lunch, too. Looks more like 600 than 800 to me.

If keep your meals about the same, maybe blend some berries into the morning shake. Cut out the oils or switch to spray. Have the tofu or another protein snack in the afternoon as a smaller portion (instead of at dinner). Then keep the rest of your dinner the same.

Signed, vegan dietitian nutritionist