Diana 1234's Journal, 19 February 2023

I struggle to get to 40 grams of protein. My doctor said no to protein bars or powder because they are highly processed foods and not good for inflammation. I don't eat much meat. My weight varies at least 3 pounds during the day, so I bet that .8 pound will be gone soon 

Fritzy, I know the feeling about protein. I don't like meat that much so I've had to train myself to include it. It is necessary for weightlifting. My nutritionist doesn't like me to eat processed protein either. I do have 1/2 a built bar once in awhile and I think I've mentioned before that I use protein powder to make homemade protein bars. She says amount I use in my bars is minimal so she doesn't worry to much about that. I feel like I do well for 2-3 weeks and then I hit a wall. Life gets in the way sometimes too and adjustments are necessary. I'm trying to keep a good attitude about it.💜 

Get well soon to Hubby!!! 

Mainecoon, thank you. He still has the residual cough but no fever and has a bit more energy. He still has to watch activity. He does one thing and is done for the day.💜💜 

Diana, I just try to piece together enough "snacks" to get my protein grams up. I usually drink 24 ounces of fat free milk for over 20 grams of protein, then things like low fat mozzarella cheese sticks, roasted pumpkin seeds, and other nuts like almonds, walnuts or pistachios. Low fat or non fat dairy is okay on anti inflammatory diet otherwise I should avoid other cheese and probably the half and half I put in my coffee. I keep frozen chicken breast in the freezer, weighed at 4 to 6 ounces. Canned tuna seems to have alot of protein for low calories. We just keep trying. You've had much more success at this than me! 

sorry you had such a tough week but I did want to respond to your YouTube workout comments. I follow and do YouTube workouts from Caroline girvan. she has whole series plus stand alone workouts for free. they are INTENSE. I am currently doing her iron series. this is my second time doing that. I've also done her two week beastmode series that almost killed me. check it out...let me know what you think.  

Only1robey, what a coincidence! Caroline Girvan and Vera laRue are my go to utube at home workout out choices. They are tough but I lift pretty heavy and the heaviest weights I have at home are 15lb. I will admit that I was tired afterwards though. We have an RV and go camping quite a bit so I use them both alot when we travel! 💜💪 

Fritzy, I'm lactose intolerant so milk and most cheeses are a no go for me...I can only tolerate feta and parmesan. I eat almonds but not pumpkin seeds. I'll have to try those. Thanks for the suggestions!!💜 

I LOVE Caroline. But yes, if you don't have the weight you need it can be tough. I have select tech weights thar go up to 50 lbs. Not that I'm there. Lol I use 20-25 each hand for legs. I might be able to do more if there was less reps, and more time in between, but damn I think she's out to kill me! Lol  

Diana, I'm lucky I am not lactose intolerant since skim milk provides a big portion of my daily protein. JustBananas had suggested the pumpkin seeds. I get somewhere around 5-7 grams of protein with just 2 to 4 tablespoons. They are anti inflammatory. I bought a container of roasted salted sunflower seeds by mistake today. I actually like them better but tend to eat too many. It's so hard when you don't eat much meat because I get just a few grams from several food items trying to reach an acceptable number while I could get so much more if I had a burger or steak. Even when I eat chicken or ground beef I have small portions 

Fritzy and Diana: another whole food source of protein is mushrooms -- 8 oz container of Baby Portobellos is 80 calories and 8 grams of protein, plus 20% of RDA of potassium. I stir-fried mine in a little olive oil with a shallot and a couple sliced garlic cloves. Much easier on the stomach than dairy! 

I did notice the protein in mushrooms. Also asparagus and Brussels sprouts, they make a nice stir fry with 10-12 grams of protein depending on the serving. Sometimes mushrooms and onions can upset my stomach while skim milk seems to sooth it. My mom used to have a cup of warm milk in the evenings to calm her stomach. Funny how we react differently to food. 

Fritzy and jb, I do eat a lot of vegetables high in protein. In order to get a desired 100-125 grams of protein I find I need to eat at least 50-60 grams by lunchtime and the rest by dinner. Tonight I had salad and tri tip. I had soup for lunch so I didn't get a lot of protein there so I had to eat a lot of meat for dinner to even make 100 grams tonight. Good thing I love my husband's grilled tri tip. Tomorrow is a heavy workout day so I'll probably have egg whites for breakfast💜 

Neither of you mention beans. Other high-protein vegetables include green peas, spinach, artichokes, sweet corn, avocado, asparagus and Brussel sprouts 

I feel better with more protein too.  

Shirl, you are right! I forgot to mention beans but it's probably because I don't eat them to often. I watch carbs ( usually land between 80-100 grams daily) so I don't generally include them. That being said, I am planning on making a 12 bean soup this week for my husband. He likes it when I add ham and make cheesy garlic bread to go along with it. Not diet friendly but he loves it so I'll do it. It's all about balance, right?💜👍 Morticia, I find that protein and complex carbs help build and fuel my workouts. My pre workout breakfast is usually egg whites and Parm or if I do a double or hard workout I'll have oatmeal with egg whites mixed in.💪 

I eat legumes like lentils or beans daily and, combined with high protein vegetables, hit 70 grams of protein on 1,000-1,250 kcal — no powder/shake/bars needed. If I ate animal products, I could simply have a daily piece of fish or chicken to boost protein to 100 grams. I think people turn to highly processed items (bacon, sausage, lunch meat, powders, cheese) because they haven’t explored other options yet. When I first went vegetarian I met with a registered dietitian (at 18) to figure out how to get natural protein woven into my diet. The downside is that there’s not a lot of calorie room leftover for junk unless you’re very active, so every bite counts. 

That's wonderful of you to do that! Unfortunatley, there are a lot of bad people out in the world that is selfish. But people like you makes a ton of Difference. 

Izaiah, thank you for your kind comment.💜