Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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For fat loss. I'm getting in around 40g protein a meal, and sometimes it's difficult to finish the whole meal! For a 5'4 128lb female, I feel like it's a lot of food, but I was told that it's an ideal amount to get in for fat loss.

How can I make eating so much protein easier? Should I space it out throughout the day instead of 3 meals a day?

flag	asked Aug 16 at 18:43 paleono 1,358●3●18

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I edited my response, you should check it out. Basically if your goal is fat loss then you having a hard time eating all the food is what you're going for. If you make it easier to eat the food you'll make it harder to eat in a caloric deficit and lose fat. – JakeA Aug 16 at 19:48

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One of the reasons for the high protein recommendation is that it will help you retain muscle mass while you're losing fat. As others have pointed out, it's also more satiating. Just aim for that number (or maybe just 0.8g/lb body weight), but don't stress if you don't get there. I start every meal with a good bit of protein, then add carbs and fat for energy and caloric needs. Don't forget about eggs! I frequently do a couple of fried eggs over a hamburger patty or some other left-over meat. – Crystal Aug 16 at 22:47

Omg Crystal I have to try that with the eggs. – PlantGirl Aug 17 at 0:20

^ ^ In Hawai'i they have a dish called "loco moco" which is fried egg on top of a burger patty smothered in gravy, on top of rice. Instead, I use fried egg on top of a patty with paleo gravy and sometimes cauliflower in sub for the rice ( : us paleo hawaiians call it "paleoco moco" – paleono Aug 17 at 14:12

Dragonfly · Answer 1 · 2012-08-16 18:52:02Z UTC

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You really don't need that much protein.

Unless you are an athlete/bodybuilder, .7 gm of protein per pound of lean body mass is sufficient. For you, that would be more like 70-80 gm/day.

answered Aug 16 at 18:52

Dragonfly
31.2k●1●8●41

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I wonder what their reasoning for it is? I have had two nutritionists/trainers confirm that this is a good plan for fat loss, which sounded like a lot, but I figured they'd know. – paleono Aug 16 at 18:57

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How can you tell if a nutritionist/trainer is spouting BS? Their lips are moving. – Domer88 Aug 16 at 19:51

@Domer88 -- not ALL nutritionists, thank you. Just like MDs, there are fantastic ones and utterly terrible ones. – Amy B. Aug 16 at 21:04

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Because protein is more satiating per gram than fat or carbs, and also has less cals than fat, it is easier to be on a higher protein calorie restricted diet. – dsohei Aug 16 at 23:23

Yeah, that's too much protein. You need 1g (or some say .7g or .8g) per pound of LEAN body weight. Not your actual weight but your weight minus your body fat. So maybe somewhere around 100lbs for you. – Diane Aug 17 at 0:42

JayJay · Answer 2 · 2012-08-16 18:52:38Z UTC

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At your size I bet it is tough. Fat makes protein go down like a champ. I eat about that much and I'm a 160lb male with good amount of muscle. Eat plenty of fat with your protein (like 65% fat by calories is what 80/20 ground beef has....I would not go leaner than that) and let the chips fall were they may.

Oh, and I agree with dragonfly on the .7/lb of lean mass as a good amount.

answered Aug 16 at 18:52

JayJay
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	Hmmm. I have had two nutritionists/trainers confirm that this is a good plan for fat loss, and it sounded good 'until I did the math like, "OMG thats kind of a lot for me to eat," it's only 30g away from what my boyfriend eats. – paleono Aug 16 at 18:57
	Yeah, many trainers focus on protein when the goal is fat loss. It is very satiating and can help you reduce calories. That is likely the reasoning. In the long run, I don't see it being very healthy or sustainable if you cant reach it comfortably utilizing whole food. – JayJay Aug 16 at 19:38
	I'd say make it a priority to include healthy portions of protein at each meal....that should be enough to be certain that your getting a good amount of protein. – JayJay Aug 16 at 19:39

Rob · Answer 3 · 2012-08-16 19:01:54Z UTC

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It's much easier with a whey shake or two.

Cold or microfiltered whey is best.

answered Aug 16 at 19:01

Rob
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	I use whey isolate because it lacks some of the ingredients in milk that arguably aren't Paleo. It's how I get my morning protein. – Toni Aug 16 at 22:04
	I use isolate myself, but there's a pro concentrate camp as well and this being the internet I was trying to avoid isolate vs concentrate wars. Your example of proud isolate consumption has made me aware of my cowardice though and I will no longer hide my preference. – Rob Aug 17 at 0:40

JakeA · Answer 4 · 2012-08-16 19:45:30Z UTC

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Perhaps you should eat denser forms of protein. It's easier to eat 40g of protein from tuna than from eggs.

What are you eating currently?

EDIT If you're trying to eat lots of protein, and having a hard time finishing your meals, and trying to lose bodyfat... That is what you want.

The point of eating high protein when trying to lose weight is for increased satiety so that you don't overeat.

edited Aug 16 at 19:45

answered Aug 16 at 18:52

JakeA
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	I'll get in 3-4 eggs with a few slices of bacon and maybe a small piece of meat, 8oz of meat for lunch, and 6-8oz/meat for dinner. – paleono Aug 16 at 18:55
	If you use chicken breast as an example, 16 oz has about 140g of protein. If you use 80% ground beef cooked, 1 oz had 7g protein so 16 oz is 112g of protein. I don't see how you're not making the 128g of protein from your described meals. – JakeA Aug 16 at 19:43
	I added an edit. Was overlooking an obvious detail. – JakeA Aug 16 at 19:46
	Plus one Jake.......it is all about nutrient density. but if youre a human you need to match the density with neural requirements to max it out. Few people do that. They just us USDA tables. Not good enough. – The Quilt Aug 16 at 23:04

ukpaleomama · Answer 5 · 2012-08-16 18:56:27Z UTC

I don't find it a huge issue to eat a lot of protein, but then I eat it for my snacks too. I actually crave it, which helps. Do you exercise a lot? Because that does sound like a high amount to be aiming for daily. Your stats are pretty much the same as mine, I'm 125lbs, and that amount of protein is what I eat on days when I've lifted heavy or done a long run/workout.

Mia · Answer 6 · 2012-08-16 19:14:50Z UTC

i have the same problem, tried to force me to eat that much protein, only ended up eating way too much to loose weight...

and i IF, so its even harder, how should i eat that much protein in 1-2 meals? no way!

now i average around 60gr. a day, that's 1gr per kg. of ideal weight. but i stopped tracking everything... iam on a ketogenic paleo diet, so my hunger is pretty little and i guess naturally i now just eat what my body needs.

oh and i agree, tuna and ground beef really helps, could never eat lean protein or eggs for that amount. i have insulin issues (pcos), so whey is not really a option for me, and i do try to go as natural as possible.

August · Answer 7 · 2012-08-16 19:17:20Z UTC

The way I figure out these questions is by technologically assisted guessing. So, I go over to Wolframalpha.com and put in your stats.Wolframalpha tells me you've got 93.5lbs lean body mass. I figure 90g is a much better number than 120g. You can add in your age too, if you want to play around with the stats. These are averages, so I don't know how well they describe you personally, but I found them handy in figuring out my needs. My assumption was that I needed enough protein to maintain muscle mass, but that more would probably be unhelpful because I needed to maximize nutrition and maintain a calorie deficit.

dsohei · Answer 8 · 2012-08-16 23:26:16Z UTC

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Is say as long as you're getting around a 100 g a day on average you're fine. Dry lean protein needs fat to be eaten but then its easier to overeat calories.

answered Aug 16 at 23:26

dsohei
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Is it just me, or is it difficult to take in 120g/protein daily?

8 Answers