Eating 'enough' calories with little protein?

theycallmelinz

I'm very very new to eating healthy. I was raised on McDonalds and have been largely overweight (like 50-100+ lbs) my entire life. I know I'm not going to lose all my extra weight before the wedding but I'd like to lose a little so I'm dieting/trying to change eating habits. I use MyFitnessPal to help calculate what I should be eating everyday. I've already entered my meals for today, and I'm over my 'protein goal' for today and still have like 800 calories left. How can I eat enough today to not put my body in the mysterious, controversial 'starvation mode' but not eat empty calories just to say I've had enough today?

Or should I ignore the calorie intake or protein goal all together and just eat what I have planned? Any other tips would be awesome!

cafarrie

The DRI (Dietary Recommended Intake) for protein is .36 grams per lb of body weight.  To get "enough" calories, veggies and fruits are fantastic.  Lots have protein, but barring large amounts of beans or nuts/seeds it's not going to be enough to put you way over your protein goals.  

In my experience, as long as you're eating fresh, healthful foods the total calorie count is more important than the breakdown of protein/carb/etc.

KatWAG

What did you eat today that was so high in protein but left a ton of calories?

Maggie0829

cafarrie said:

The DRI (Dietary Recommended Intake) for protein is .36 grams per lb of body weight.  To get "enough" calories, veggies and fruits are fantastic.  Lots have protein, but barring large amounts of beans or nuts/seeds it's not going to be enough to put you way over your protein goals.  

In my experience, as long as you're eating fresh, healthful foods the total calorie count is more important than the breakdown of protein/carb/etc.

This.  Just make yourself some healthy meals and don't worry about the ratio of protein to carbs to fat that you have going on but rather that the meals aren't over 800 calories.

The only thing on MFP that I tend to really look at is my sodium and fat intake.  I don't like to have those two things get out of hand.

How many calories are you giving yourself anyway?

theycallmelinz

@KatWAG I had baked skinless and boneless chicken breast for lunch and will have the same for dinner. 

@Maggie0829 I just went with what MFP set up in the beginning, its 1680/day

cafarrie

If you're worried about too high protein intake vs. calories, just remember that a serving size of meat is 4-5 oz.  I know for me, that's usually only about half a chicken breast even though I could easily eat the whole thing!  I stand by what said about total calories being the most important thing though

KatWAG

theycallmelinz said:

@KatWAG I had baked skinless and boneless chicken breast for lunch and will have the same for dinner. 

@Maggie0829 I just went with what MFP set up in the beginning, its 1680/day

that sounds really really boring. I know you are new to this. But try to mix up what you eat. It is teh only way you are going to stick with eating healthy.

Try making this. Its really easy and tastes great. It stays really well so I bring it to work for lunch Add some cheese.

http://damndelicious.net/2014/04/09/one-pan-mexican-quinoa/

theycallmelinz

KatWAG said:

theycallmelinz said:

@KatWAG I had baked skinless and boneless chicken breast for lunch and will have the same for dinner. 

@Maggie0829 I just went with what MFP set up in the beginning, its 1680/day

that sounds really really boring. I know you are new to this. But try to mix up what you eat. It is teh only way you are going to stick with eating healthy.

Try making this. Its really easy and tastes great. It stays really well so I bring it to work for lunch Add some cheese.

http://damndelicious.net/2014/04/09/one-pan-mexican-quinoa/

I eat steamed vegetables also, but yeah it's not the best in the world. I had to google how to pronounce quinoa, and I'm not sure FI will eat it but it does look good! I'll give that one a try.

cafarrie

theycallmelinz said:

KatWAG said:

theycallmelinz said:

@KatWAG I had baked skinless and boneless chicken breast for lunch and will have the same for dinner. 

@Maggie0829 I just went with what MFP set up in the beginning, its 1680/day

that sounds really really boring. I know you are new to this. But try to mix up what you eat. It is teh only way you are going to stick with eating healthy.

Try making this. Its really easy and tastes great. It stays really well so I bring it to work for lunch Add some cheese.

http://damndelicious.net/2014/04/09/one-pan-mexican-quinoa/

I eat steamed vegetables also, but yeah it's not the best in the world. I had to google how to pronounce quinoa, and I'm not sure FI will eat it but it does look good! I'll give that one a try.

Quinoa AND this recipe are delicious!!!!!!

KatWAG

cafarrie said:

theycallmelinz said:

KatWAG said:

theycallmelinz said:

@KatWAG I had baked skinless and boneless chicken breast for lunch and will have the same for dinner. 

@Maggie0829 I just went with what MFP set up in the beginning, its 1680/day

that sounds really really boring. I know you are new to this. But try to mix up what you eat. It is teh only way you are going to stick with eating healthy.

Try making this. Its really easy and tastes great. It stays really well so I bring it to work for lunch Add some cheese.

http://damndelicious.net/2014/04/09/one-pan-mexican-quinoa/

I eat steamed vegetables also, but yeah it's not the best in the world. I had to google how to pronounce quinoa, and I'm not sure FI will eat it but it does look good! I'll give that one a try.

Quinoa AND this recipe are delicious!!!!!!

I was positive that my H was going to hate this recipe and quinoa. H is a meat and potatoes type of guy. But he loved it. You can add some shredded chicken if you want but I think its hearty enough as is.

arrrghmatey

All of the PPs gave great advice. Also, do you have an exercise routine to incorporate with your healthier eating habits? 

And if the chicken starts to get old, look into recipes using lean ground turkey. My FI and I cook with it a lot, and it makes a good small burger on a whole wheat english muffin

Check out some health or meal supplement shakes that offer you a boost of super foods to bring you closer to your calorie goal. I have a Shakeology every morning and it has been great for me.

jay788

I wouldn't worry about eating too much protein. Your body will regulate itself with protein; if you have too much you won't want any more (when was the last time you wanted to chase a steak with another steak?)

But I agree with others that you should focus on fruits and veggies for non-protein food. What you want to avoid eating is processed foods and empty carbs for filler.

theycallmelinz

GARION said:

I wouldn't worry about eating too much protein. Your body will regulate itself with protein; if you have too much you won't want any more (when was the last time you wanted to chase a steak with another steak?)

But I agree with others that you should focus on fruits and veggies for non-protein food. What you want to avoid eating is processed foods and empty carbs for filler.

Definitely will addmore fruits and veggies, but just wanted to say that I was hungry earlier but didn't want to eat my lunch too early because tonight is my long night at work, so I had an apple. Now my stomach is growling angrily! I think I just made it worse lol

kat1114

GARION said:

I wouldn't worry about eating too much protein. Your body will regulate itself with protein; if you have too much you won't want any more (when was the last time you wanted to chase a steak with another steak?)

But I agree with others that you should focus on fruits and veggies for non-protein food. What you want to avoid eating is processed foods and empty carbs for filler.

100% agree with this. People are afraid of eating too much protein because our food pyramid tells us you should only have 2-3 servings of meat a day. I eat tons of protein and good fats (olive oil, omega-3, etc.), but not as many carbs. If I feel like I need more carbs, I eat things like sweet potatoes, or fruit. My diet keeps me fuller longer, and it makes it super easy to maintain or lose weight, depending on my goals.

theycallmelinz

@kat1114 Can you come plan all my meals for me? I'm good at following directions lol

klk111415

@theycallmelinz  Read Fit For A Bride 

http://www.amazon.com/Fit-For-Bride-4-step-wedding-ebook/dp/B00JCJBWIE

It's around $5 for the kindle (I don't have one but I use the online reader which works just as well) It helped me figure out what I should be eating and how much.  I lost around 5lbs in a week just by following the meal plans.  It breaks things down in an easy to understand way and it also has a great workout plan which is easy to follow.  The author has a lot of great meal ideas and he's a personal trainer for brides specifically. 

teddygirl9

Nuts, avocados, sweet potatoes? Delicious, nutrient dense, and on the higher cal side. 

kat1114

theycallmelinz said:

@kat1114 Can you come plan all my meals for me? I'm good at following directions lol

Haha, you can do it on your own! I pin recipes on Pinterest and sort them by protein type (chicken, beef, fish, etc.) On Sundays, I try to review the grocery ad for the store I shop at to see what proteins and produce are on sale. Then, I go to my Pinterest board and plan recipes from there, building meals around the protein.

I usually plan every meal from M-F, including snacks. Breakfast is easy because I generally eat the same thing everyday (eggs/sausage, sometimes a veggie). I like to make a frittata Sunday nights, so then I don't even have to think about breakfast the rest of the week.

Lunch is usually leftovers, so really I'm just planning dinner, and sometimes I even have enough leftovers for 1-2 dinners. If I'm tired of something by day 2, I just freeze it, and then I have a quick easy meal on a day where I don't have time (aka am feeling lazy) to cook.

If I'm feeling like I really need to hammer down my eating after a bad week (or two), I like to enter all my calories into MFP for the week after I meal plan. I find that it helps keep me in check with eating, and it helps avoid surprises like not eating enough or eating too much.

But don't be afraid of good fats and protein. I promise it will not make you fat, and you will feel fuller longer. And don't become a slave to MFP. It's easy to let the numbers dictate your life, but if you eat good foods, and focus on not eating when you're not hungry (easier said than done), you will be fine.