Snacking and protein



    does anyone have an idea of how many grams of proteins/carbs you should be having with each meal? i know they are measured by portion but since i'm trying not to buy a whole ton of the protein drinks (expensive) i'd like to try to use food as a supplement but i want to make sure i'm measuring things right.  also i'll try drinking half the shake at one meal and the other half at another because i like the variety of having a few things at a time.

    I have all my lunches and dinners for the next two weeks prepared and frozen - it includes a protein and a carb plus a salad for veggies.

    When it comes to breakfast i usually have oatmeal  - i need to add a protein so that's why i've been drinking half a protein shake + one hard boiled egg.  Maybe when i'm not so lazy (ahha) i will have egg beaters+ a bagel thing.

    For other snacks in the evening i got cliff bars and fiber one bars - how do people feel about those?

    Also, when is an appropriate time to stop eating for the night? i found myself only eating 5 meals due to not wanting to eat after 9 since i wasn't really hungry anyways.

    Lastly, how is milk fitting in this program? I drink one cup with dinner of fat free organic milk.

    Any help would be appreciated :) thanks!

  • bagel thin***

  • look at the nutrition info on the back of the stuff you're eating.  strive for a balance of protein/carb ratio.  For example, I buy Myoplex Lite RTD's sometimes.  They have 20 grams carb, 20 g protein.  perfect!  I recently started doing the same as you, buying the bigger thing of Myoplex, and dividing it in 1/2, then I get 2 meals out of it.  

    Also, for cheaper protein shakes, i take a cup of milk and mix it with a scoop of flavored whey protein powder.    Since milk has 13 carbs, 8 protein, and would add that to the nutritional info on my powder.  Once particular kind I had had 4 carbs, 15 protein.  So add the 2 up=17 carbs, 23 protein.  pretty balanced.  

    i'm concerned that your cliff bars and fiber one don't have enough protein.  I also buy the AdvantEdge Carb Control RTD's.  They are cheaper than myoplex, but work nice as an added protein since they have more protein than carbs.  I see them at my Walmart, cheapest place for me.  (they also work good as a creamer in your coffee!)

    I do eat my last meal late, but I've always had late night munchie problem since I can remember.  So I AM hungry at night.  If you're not hungry that late, then I personally wouldn't worry too much about it.  As long as it's not affecting the rest of your meals or cravings.

  • thanks!! there is so much to learn! i just try to adjust as i go :)

  • you can also add a scoop of flavored whey protein powder to your oatmeal.  I do that if I'm out of eggs or need to make breakfast quick.  

    There are so many flavored whey protein buckets out there!!  chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, chocolate peanut butter, chocolate caramel pecan, vanilla praline, cookies and cream, chocolate fudge, etc.  I always have a bucket of vanilla on hand 'cuz that flavor goes with everything.  I currently have Muscle Milk's choc. carmel pecan and it tastes like CAKE BATTER!  oh yummy yummy

    and you asked how many grams per meal to have?  I've read on here in various threads that you can take your weight divide 6.  For instance, if you weigh 130, then have about 22 grams of protein and carbs per meal.  I don't get that detailed, but I did track my meals for a few days just to see if I was in the ballpark.

    that's great that you already have some meals ready to go in your freezer!!  When mine are running low, I get nervous and can't wait to stock up again for peace of mind.

  • oh yeah its awesome.  me and my sister did everything on monday (there is also a biggest loser competition going on my work that started tuesday)  and basically just thought up recipes that soudned good but still fell within the guidelines of the program.  we made three different kinds of chicken with a vegetable and either rice or noodles - unfortunately the rice is white rice so i went out and got those microwaveable brown rice cups so that i don't have to do any work - just dump otu the white rice before i go to eat it and add the brown instead.  i actually like brown rice better but we forgot to get it and i didn't realize the difference was so big.  we also made two different types of soups and just portioned everything out.  last night i hardboiled a carton of eggs so i have those to bring around as snacks too.  everything is already ready for me i think thats why the food has been so easy - eliminating that stress is relieving!

    i know that yolks in hardboiled eggs aren't the best - but i feel wasteful throwing them away.  do you think eating two full hardboiled eggs a day is alright? i dont really have any other fats in my diet other then whats in chicken or the very very small amount in my homemade salad dressing.  i have eggbeaters for when i make omlets i just like having the hardboiled ones as snacks on days i don't eat omlets.

  • If that's pretty much all the fat you're getting, I wouldn't be too worried about eating those whole eggs.  There are good things in yolk too.  What I do to justify waste, is if I buy the cheap carton at $1.25, I use a lot of whites, maybe some of the yolks, if I throw some out, I didn't spend much on it.

    However, if I bought the $4 organic cage free eggs--then I tend to eat the whole thing 'cuz I look at it as 100% whole natural goodness.  And THOSE yolks were expensive.

  • yeah i also really like eggs.  the more i read up on them the more comfortable i feel with eating two yolks a day - they have alot of nutritional value besides just protein that the whites don't have.

    im thinking i want to ditch the cliff and fiber one bars too - i dont think are really doing any good.  i guess i just have trouble thinking about 6 full meals a day - but those cliff and fiber one bars are filling because the do have fat and alot of carbs in them so i think if i switch those things out for healthier things it will be more food but have the same effect as far as feeling full (does that make any sense?)

    on day 4, weighed myself and i've gained a pound.  hopefully this is just some muscle.  trying not to let it get me down. i also weighed in after a workout and a protein shake. it makes the idea of a free day seem less appealing.

  • Sami-

    I always do 20 grams of protein and 20 grams of carbs. I had great success when I did this. I lost 50 lbs in 3 months.

    Check out your myoplex nutrition facts and see how much is in there. Most of them are both a carb and a protein which is good because its a great, quick, on the go meal if you have the pre made shakes.

    I also drank soy protein with water for just a protein. Whey protein has carbs in it. With the soy you can have a shake AND a carb. It also makes a good snack if you mix a scoop of protein (or 20 g equivalent) with sugar free pudding instant pudding mix and milk. It has an after taste, but its a good alternative to nothing!

    As far as bars go. I stick with either EAS bars OR Pure protein (cheaper!). I look for something with around 20 grams of protein and under 6 grams of sugar- my guess is cliff bars and fiber one are pretty high on the sugar. These would also count as a whole meal- carbs+protein.

    I always stop eating at 8pm. This all would really depend on what time you get up in the day and go to bed though. You want to stop eating at least 2 hours before you go to bed as a general rule of thumb.

    I always treat milk as a carb

  • Coscto has a coupon out for muscle milk with the coupon it's 23.99 for 24 ct does anyone know if that is a good price or should I stick with regular protein.  I haven't herd of anyone using this product and and don't know if it is a good one



  • Sarebear: Just FYI, there are many different types of Whey protein out there, and they do not all have carbs in them, or they have very limited carbs. For example, I often use Body Fortress Super Advanced Whey Isolate and it only has 2 grams of carbs and it has 30 grams of protein per serving. The Whey Isolates are typically very low in carbs and very low in cholesterol, which is something else you need to watch for. I know there are differences in opinion, but I have read more positive nutritional evidence supporting whey protein vs. soy.

  • I was backwards. I meant soy usually has carbs. Whey ususally does not. My bad!

  • Tulip -

    You might be better off buying a big bag of powdered protein and making your own shakes.  We bought a bag at Costco for about $40, and we (my husband and I) will easily get 30 or more servings out of it.  You can choose to mix the protein in water, or like we do, in almond milk  - any liquid will do.  

    It's not that the shakes aren't good for you, but I think you'll get more bang for your buck with the bag of powdered protein.



  • Kris,

    I am going to get powder for sure, however I was thinking if I had some shakes on had for when I am on the go I can just grab one and take it with me so they would be more of a back up when I am not at home



  • They could be good for just that reason =)   We're thinking of making a pitcher of the shakes at a time... we'll see how that goes!