Protein

[mitzimarie]

OK, guys...

What is your favorite way to add protein without also adding a lot of fat?

GO!

[Tired of Chub]

Re: Protein

Tuna packed in water.

salmon

[not2late]

Re: Protein

I eat lean meats: chicken, turkey, fish and shellfish. The times I eat fattier meats, I drop back on my "added" fat by a serving or half serving.

[julirama723]

Re: Protein

I prefer lean meats like grilled chicken and turkey. You can also eat tofu for a boost of protein with very little fat.

[mitzimarie]

Re: Protein

You can also eat tofu for a boost of protein with very little fat.

Oooo, Julie, I knew you would mention tofu!

I am very scared of it.

Talk to me about it... the different kinds, where to find it, and what in the world to do with it. I don't know a single thing about it... not even what it looks like.

[sadie147]

Re: Protein

soy milk in my smoothies, cottage cheese (i mix it with yogurt). I also like protein shake mixes and make smoothies with them as well.

[sweetgirl2]

Re: Protein

sometimes I make "egg white only" pancakes - beaten till stiff then cooked
around 90% protein with zero fat

[sallyseachange]

Re: Protein

I'm usuallly worried about oveating the proteins. I average between 80-110 grams per day. How does this compare with you guys?

When trying to increase without adding too much fat I eat cod, skinless chicken breasts and water packed tuna also.

[sadie147]

Re: Protein

Sally I eat about that much as well, and have often wondered when i'm not working out on a regular basis, if i should lower that?

[mitzimarie]

Re: Protein

I'm usuallly worried about oveating the proteins. I average between 80-110 grams per day. How does this compare with you guys?

When trying to increase without adding too much fat I eat cod, skinless chicken breasts and water packed tuna also.

Hi, Sally

Up until this week, I had been able to stay at around the 30% Protein figure, but I have been high in fat this week. I attribute this to a few things... having nuts one day and I also discovered Broccoli Slaw which I dearly love but uses a 1/4 cup of mayo in the dressing. True, that is divided into 4 servings, but I am used to having *zero* mayo. I also rarely use butter, oil, or cream, so it is hard to shave fat from those sources since I already rarely use them. Cheese is the other source to cut, and I have cut one of the servings out, but it didn't affect the percentages that much to cut it out. I ate chicken last night instead of my usual extra lean ground beef patty even though I don't like chicken very much. It was OK. I really don't like tuna anymore; burned myself out on it last go-round on Atkins. I am going to try to grill some fish - maybe I will like that and it will help. I am also interested to hear more about tofu - maybe I will get brave enough to try that. I have never paid attention to how many grams of protein or fat I have eaten, only the percentages. I could go back and look at my Fitday to get the gram numbers.

We have discussed percentages here fairly recently and I remember you saying that you don't stress too much over percentages and that your fat percentage has always been a little high and that has worked for you so far. I remember being glad to hear you say that, because it is a very concentrated effort for me to keep my protein up to 30%. This week, I am going to try not to overstress on the percentages. Of course I will do what I can, but my calories this week have been right on so I am going to see what happens if I leave my fat percentage a little high as long as my calories are in check. Still interested in ideas for a quick protein boost, though, and for some reason I am feeling curious about the tofu. It depends upon what you can do with it. I am really not much of a shake or smoothee person, so I hope there is something else tasty to do with it besides put it in a shake... although if the shake is tasty enough, I may try that.

Thanks for your response.

[julirama723]

Re: Protein

Do you like prawns or shrimp? Those are great grilled, boiled, or steamed!

Do you like stir frys? You can use tofu in a stir fry (in place of meat) and it will take on the flavor of whatever else its being cooked with.

[ValidRouge]

Re: Protein

See, I have the exact opposite problem. I end up with too much protein on a regular basis. It's nothing for me to eat between 110-130 grams or more a day. I'm having a hard time getting the protein down, yet still feeling full. I have days when I know I'm not working out, yet my stomach is absolutely growling and I've eaten over 100 grams of protein and it's not even dinner time yet.

[not2late]

Re: Protein

Don't stress out too much about the percentages...They are rough estimates. If you have 25% to 35% of protein calories daily, that's okay. It's really the carb and fat percentage you should worry about the most.

For most of us, eating the typical Atkins meat/fish serving size of 4-6 ounces will more than satisfy that protein percentage.

[mitzimarie]

Re: Protein

Don't stress out too much about the percentages...They are rough estimates. If you have 25% to 35% of protein calories daily, that's okay. It's really the carb and fat percentage you should worry about the most.

For most of us, eating the typical Atkins meat/fish serving size of 4-6 ounces will more than satisfy that protein percentage.

Thanks, Megs!

[mitzimarie]

Re: Protein

Do you like prawns or shrimp? Those are great grilled, boiled, or steamed!

Do you like stir frys? You can use tofu in a stir fry (in place of meat) and it will take on the flavor of whatever else its being cooked with.

I love, love, LOVE shrimp. In fact, it is one of my favorite foods. Trouble is, I love them when someone else has made it for me. Gosh, I need to learn to cook! Since I live in Louisiana, there is always an abundance of fresh shrimp everywhere. I need to learn how to cook with it. I tried using frozen cooked shrimp in a recipe before so I wouldn't have to fool with the fresh kind, but it was gross to me. I am sensitive to the taste of salt, and that is all I tasted. I will definitely have to go fresh, which is better for you anyway.

I also love stir frys... again, though, I have never done one myself. I have been considering getting a wok. Do any of you use a wok, or do you use a conventional pan or skillet? I really love shrimp in stir fry!

OK, the tofu thing... What does it look like? I mean, what kind of container is it sold in and in what part of the store. And you say it can be eaten in stir fry? LOL... I'm getting scared of it again... The only experience I have ever had with tofu was when I went to this kind of "new age" seminar thing and they had a buffet set up with tofu in some kind of sauce... it was highly disgusting. The other people who were there attending who normally love tofu said it was really bad, so I know I can't base my decision on whether I like it or not on that one incident.

Thanks, everybody, for responding. I love learning stuff about this WOE.