Trouble Getting Enough Protein

austinbeals

I have searched through the forum (90+ search results) and didn't see this particular question so I created this thread (for all you veterans, I am really trying to comb through Dave's site and past forum threads before asking anything - definitely want to respect forum policy! Thanks for having patience with a newbie. I'm trying to learn quickly, and I take correction well so feel free to let me know if I ever do something contrary to BP forum culture!)


Now for the topic: I'm finding it hard to consume adequate protein while participating in BP intermittent fasting.

 

My typical day consists of the following:

 

Breakfast: 26-32 oz. Bulletproof Coffee (Upgraded Beans, 4-6 tbls Kerrygold grass-fed butter, 1-2 tbls MCT oil, liquid stevia sweetener). Average calories: 550. Fat: 62 g. Carbs: 0 g. Protein: 1 g.

 

Lunch / Dinner: From 2:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m., I eat a combination of the following staple meals...

+ 4-5 free range eggs with 2 tbls grass-fed butter. Average calories: 607. Fat: 53 g. Carbs: 5.4 g. Protein: 27 g.

+ Salad with 1/3 pound grass-fed beef, mixed organic vegetables, and a homemade dressing consisting of olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and various herbs/seasonings (I'm in the process of switching over to fresh rather than bulk). Average calories: 756. Fat: 60 g. Carbs: 15 g. Protein: 44 g.

+ Smoothie consisting of canned coconut milk, organic blueberries/raspberries/strawberries, cinnamon, and vanilla Jay Robb protein powder (using up what I have left, and will most likely invest in Upgraded Whey in the near future). Average calories: 548. Fat: 34 g. Carbs: 31 g. Protein: 29 g.

+ Soup made of free-range chicken breast (I know it's not BP, I'm simply using up what I have left and will switch to something more BP. Can you just throw ground beef in soup? Suggestions would be appreciated, I've just recently started making soups to lower food costs), organic carrots/celery/onion, coconut oil, grass-fed butter, and miscellaneous herbs/spices. Average calories per serving: 550. Fat: 40 g. Carbs: 15 g. Protein: 36 g.

 

I stick to the above meals pretty regularly to save time/money and diversify my nutrients.

 

(My apologies if I am going to in-detail - simpy trying to give as much context and data as possible)

 

I am averaging a daily intake of 156 g. fat (78%), 32 g. carbs (8%), and 71 g. protein (14%).

 

I am 5'7", 165 lbs with moderate to decent muscle, and about 13 lbs of excess fat to lose.

 

Should I be consuming 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight? I know that Dave recommends about 25% of your calories coming from clean protein. But since my breakfast is purely fat, I am finding it difficult to cram enough protein into my feeding period.

 

Even if I were to eat five eggs (with 2 tbls butter) and 1/2 lb of grass-fed beef (with 2 tbls butter) during my feeding period (more than enough to fill me up), the daily intake would still only be 93.5 grams of protein and 18% of my calories. (Plus a day like this contains no veggies, so that's a no go for the long-term.)

 

I am not doing a lot of heavy lifting at this point, mostly bodyweight exercises for 10-20 minutes, 3-5 times throughout the week. My main goal is to strip fat and make the six pack show for the first time in my life. But I obviously want to build muscle in the process. (My real goal is obviously total health, not just "weight loss," but you know what I mean.)

 

Now that you know the context...how much protein do I likely need? AND (since I'm pretty sure that I am not getting enough), how do I incorporate more into my diet?

 

I have thought about maybe cooking chicken breast (high in protein), throwing it in a blender with some herbs and broth, and drinking it warm (like soup) throughout the day. I'd be willing to do that, but I can't afford it right now.

 

Fortunately my internet business has been growing so I will be able to afford more supplements and diversified foods in about two months, but I'm somewhat limited for the time being. Am I getting enough protein, and if not, what are some ways that I can increase this while only having BP coffee for breakfast?

 

Any suggestions and advice are completely welcome!

 

Thanks!

 

- AB

drumminangoleiro

yeah i've kind of wondered what exactly is meant by "moderate" protein, and at what point does protein become excessive to the point that you are taking too much. what are ways of knowing if you've had too little or too much protein? or do you have to count all of your calories and check to see if 25% of them are protein? cause i am not really into the idea of calorie counting.

austinbeals

"...or do you have to count all of your calories and check to see if 25% of them are protein? cause i am not really into the idea of calorie counting."

 

 

---

 

I use a phone app called "Lose It!" which makes it very easy to track calories and macronutrients. (There are plenty of calorie-counting apps out there, that's simply the one that I first downloaded and have come to know.) It actualy starts to become fun to track it all!

drumminangoleiro

which thread?

jmayer

If I feel like I meed more protien I'll just skip bulletproof coffee in the morning and eat something like eggs, bacon, beef and a vegetable. Or I'll just add more meat to my meals even if it increases my calories substantially.

hackergirl

add home made bone broth to your diet it wii reduce your protein requirements

MrJBSmith

-protein is the most expensive macro 

-typically you can eat bp fat and carb for less than $1 / 1000 cals

-cheapest green side protein sources - whey conc, rice, tuna (where I live this is the top 3, in order, cheapest first)

-if you can get protein $1 / 200 cals you are doing well

-no science supports more than 0.8g/lean body mass, but a lot of people building muscle, will take more

-protein "completes" at this level of intake, so just eat cheapest green side protein sources, and check your macros

-what are the macro percentages you are aiming for? Forum members seem to use all sorts of random combinations...

joeld123

I have seen rice protein sold.  Maybe it's crap, I assume it is, but it is available.  I don't think you have to sweat this getting enough protein thing frankly.  I have put on muscle pretty rapidly in the last few months and just did the math based on this thread and am getting about 20% less than the optimal amount of protein.  One could argue I would be a freak if I went hog wild with the protein but results are results.

joeld123

Ok, now I am confused rice protein and tuna are not green, rice is not mentioned and tuna would be higher mercury I guess unless it's abacore.  Dig this:

http://www.davidsuzuki.org/what-you-can-do/queen-of-green/faqs/toxics/is-there-tuna-with-low-levels-of-mercury/

 

Whey is green, no argument.

drumminangoleiro

well, whey concentrate is green, but isolate is yellow/orange. i still don't get why that is.

J.T.

There is no evidence that we need more than 1.2g per KG to optimize muscle growth.

 

With that being said, I have a food sensitivity to dairy so I have a hard time getting enough protein even at that amount because I do intermittent fasting.

 

So I use Vega Sport Performance Protein as a way to supplement my protein.

 

http://www.nutraways.com/Vega-Sport-Performance-Protein--Vanilla-Flavour_p_1547.html

 

And no, I'm not a vegan. I eat grass fed meat often. But I have a slight intolerance to beef, and a high intolerance to chicken and eggs. So it's tough for me to get all the protein I need to meat every day without doing tons of cooking. Hence, I supplement.

MrJBSmith

Jason, rice is closest to cheapest protein source you can get, if you don't want the carbs just take rice protein. "completeness" of amino acid profile is irrelevant at 0.8 g / lbm.

MrJBSmith

Jason, agree with what you are saying.

 

op is concerned with cost, and not eating 100% bp, so my comments are in that context.