Protein powder and protein prepared drinks become super handy because there is so much protein in each serving. But yes, sometimes finding the right one is key. Here are a few extra tips and brands:
- I am currently enjoying a protein powder from a brand called “Ghost”. I have tried the coconut ice cream and the cinnamon bun flavor and they are both tasty. Another brand to try is Promasil which mixes easily with water. Both of these can be found at Popeyes Supplements.
I also do find that protein drinks on their own can upset my stomach as well. Here are some tips for that:
- Try mixing protein powder with plain 0% Greek yogurt. I typically mix about 1/2 a scoop of protein powder with ~150g of yogurt. You can change up the ratios based on your protein needs. If it gets too thick, just add a bit of water to change the consistency.
- Try having a protein shake (powder or pre-mixed versions) with some sort of carbohydrate such as berries/fruit or popcorn/pretzels. I find that if I drink a shake on its own it can upset my stomach too, but if I have it accompanying a carbohydrate of some sort, that seems to help significantly.
- Try a clear protein drink. I really like this one. My favorite flavor is Dragonfruit but I also like mixing the lemon and strawberry. They often have sales, but you can also get a discount either through this link, or by using ANN-R4CR at check out. I drink this one quite a bit after a workout or after playing Pickleball! If you find them to be too sweet, you can water it down. If you enjoy the flavor, you can just sip a few servings through your day as they basically add protein flavor to water.
- For pre-packaged protein drinks, my favorite is Fairlife (you can get cases from Costco but they are always sold out!!) or else Core Power (made by Fairlife). You can get Core Power in strawberry, vanilla and chocolate and they are all tasty. I buy them in singles at Walmart. There are also cases of Premier Protein at Costco and I’ve tried the chocolate, vanilla, peanut butter chocolate and coffee. These are not as tasty in my opinion, but a good way to try them is a 4-pack which are also available at Walmart. At Walmart, I find them over by the pharmacy type area, not in the grocery area.
- There are many varieties of protein powder…whey isolate, whey protein, and plant based protein are a few. It may be that one of these types are more agreeable for you than others
Having 3 versus 6 meals is up to you and your personal preference. If you find yourself getting hungry between meals, it is advantageous to add in more meals so you are not ravenous for your next meal. A snack is also considered a meal, so if you find you need a snack between meals, I recommend adding protein to these snack meals as not only will the protein help keep you feeling satiated and energized through your day, but you will not need to eat as large a serving of protein per meal/snack.
Yes. Absolutely. Not only does protein help keep you feeling full longer through the day due to it being digested slower, it helps avoid blood glucose level spikes followed by slumps.
Protein also provides the amino acids which are building blocks to maintain lean muscle mass. As we age, we naturally begin to lose our muscle (this is particularly true for women). Loss of muscle mass and bone density can lead to osteoporosis. This is a leading reason for broken bones during a fall or mis-step with age.
For women in particular, the loss of muscle as we age (along with hormone changes during menopause) leads to ongoing weight gain. The more lean muscle that one has, the easier it is to lose or maintain body weight as we age.
The % allocation of carbs and fats will be dependent on the amount of calories you set your goal to be in MFP. If you input your current weight along with your goal, MFP will automatically set a “goal” for calories and adjust your protein, carbs, and fats as it sees fit.
I do not recommend following MFP’s recommendations as it typically sets protein too low for overall maintenance of lean muscle mass.
My recommendations for calories will vary per person, but if you are new to tracking your macros, I recommend using MFP to track what you are currently eating for a solid 2 weeks. Hit your protein goal daily and then see what your numbers look like overall for calories, carbs and fats. If your goal is weight loss, you will need to adjust your caloric goal to be less than your average calories over the 2 week tracking time.
Once you have your calories input, set your % protein based on the protein goal you have already calculated in week 1. If it ends up being less than 30-35%, I suggest increasing your protein goal based on your caloric goal. From there, I recommend setting your % fats goal to 25-30% of your caloric goal. Your carb goal will be the % difference between the 2.
This will be your starting point. Track your foods and listen to how your body is feeling. You may find you need to adjust carbs or fats slightly. As we have discussed in week 2, the calories for carbs and fats are inversely proportionate.
Of course, this is a general answer as everyone’s answer to this question will be unique to them. But feel free to reach out if you would like a more personalized answer.
As per our week 2 video module, it is true that not all nutritional labels are 100% accurate. However, it is typically a somewhat negligible difference in the grand scheme of a week of eating.
The MFP scanner is a handy tool to use in the app, but if it is a food that you will be eating daily, you may want to input the macros of the food manually and then use your own macros/caloric entry each time you eat that food. It is a bit more work up front, but it will be more accurate for your tracking moving forward.
When using MFP for foods that do not have a nutritional label, I recommend searching the food and adding “USDA” after the food name.
For example, for potatoes or lean ground beef, I would search “potatoes usda” or “lean ground beef usda”.
The options presented will likely show up in serving sizes of grams or ounces. From there, you can choose an option where you will input your serving size in terms of the measurement you are using on your food scale.
Another good thing to look for when searching the MFP database are options that show up with a ✅ . This often indicates the macros have been verified.
No, you do not need to be eating fats at every meal. However, I do recommend eating protein at every meal in order to achieve your daily protein goal.
The one thing I do recommend for timing of macros is planning your meals/snacks around workouts. Eating carbs and protein prior to and following a workout is great. The carbs fuel you for the workout and then replace lost glycogen afterwards. The protein post-workout helps with rebuilding muscle fibres to grow lean muscle.
I do not recommend surrounding workouts with fats as it slows digestion which slows the absorption process of your protein and carbs post workout. Although everyone is different, and it depends on the workout and the amount of fats, eating fats prior to the workout can also make one feel sluggish. Again, this is due to the slower digestion of them.
I recommend looking at the menu for your protein source first. For example, grilled chicken, fish, steak, etc. From there, your meal will often come accompanied with some sort of starchy carb (ie. pasta, mashed or roasted potatoes, rice) and a vegetable. You may find this meal to be more filling than a similar meal made at home, because most restaurants use additional “hidden calories” such as cooking with more butter or oils than you may be used to.
Often, people order salads in restaurants hoping for less calories in the meal, but salads often have as many or more calories than the meal suggested above due to added dressings, seeds and nuts, dried fruits and cheeses.
If you order by prioritizing your protein first, you have a greater likelihood of adding to your protein goal for the day while enjoying a highly satiating meal.
There is no magical number of meals or time of day that will help or hinder lifestyle fat loss.
The key is to determine what works for you. Perhaps you enjoy breakfast an hour after you wake up, 3-4 meals/snacks through the day, and a snack before bed. Eating later in the day (or even shortly before you go to bed) will have no hindrance on fat loss as long as you are not exceeding your caloric deficit for the day.
Your food will contain the same calories whether you eat them at 2pm or at 10pm. The main reason that people have been told “not to eat before bed” is the fact that most evening snacking tends to be salty/sugary/high calorie foods. However, if your evening snacks still fit within your daily caloric goal, then there is nothing wrong with snacks before bed (even if they are salty/sugary).
By eating a snack between meals, there is benefit to energy levels continuing through the day versus becoming so hungry that energy levels drop and you feel like you want to eat everything in sight at your next meal.