Low calorie protein sources

[FoxBlossom]

Hi all, just wondering if you could advise on any low calorie sources of good protein? I know it might sound a bit lame but I'm struggling to keep my protein macros up now I've started lifting heavier and increased my macros a little. I'm guessing egg whites would be the best way to go but not sure if I can stomach gulping em down raw!

[elainedeluca]

Who says you have to eat them raw. Bottom line, 1 gram of protein = 4 calories. It's just a matter of measuring and weighing. Stick to lean proteins like chicken, turkey, white fish, a little healthy fat is good for your body! A little steak or salmon once in a while will do you good!!!

[acrawlingchaos]

All protein sources are low cal in small enough quantities. A single 8 oz piece of sirloin has 50 grams of protein and only 350 calories (give or take). Greek yogurt has 14 grams (140 calories), etc etc.

Why the hell do you even want to bother with food you don't like?

[FoxBlossom]

Why the hell do you even want to bother with food you don't like?

I suppose it's a case of just wanting to do whats best for my aspirations really, like I know I need to boost my protein intake for the best results and to feed my muscles, so therefore that's what I'll do, and in regards to eating stuff I don't like, it's easier and cheaper slamming down several egg whites (brief few seconds of discomfort and it's done) than buying and cooking sirloin steak - I was just curious to see if there were any other good and convenient sources I was overlooking.

[TwistedPandora]

Low fat cottage cheese, tuna, any white fish, quorn or eggs (if you don't want all the cals you can always have one whole egg and 2 or 3 egg whites and make an omlette, I find it a bit nicer than an totally egg white version, plus there is a lot of good stuff in the yolk!)
As suggested Greek yogurt is great, again if you are watching the fat Total 0% is amazing and tastes great.

Protein shakes are always an option as an addition to real food if you want to, there are plenty which are low fat and you can mix with either water of things like 0% milk or almond milk or 50/50 milk and water.

Hopefully that gives you some ideas.

[oregonchick76]

I suppose it's a case of just wanting to do whats best for my aspirations really, like I know I need to boost my protein intake for the best results and to feed my muscles, so therefore that's what I'll do, and in regards to eating stuff I don't like, it's easier and cheaper slamming down several egg whites (brief few seconds of discomfort and it's done) than buying and cooking sirloin steak - I was just curious to see if there were any other good and convenient sources I was overlooking.

Keep it simple. What's 'best for your body' is making sure you have adequate protein and calories.

[FoxBlossom]

Thanks guys, appreciated

[kimm4]

All protein sources are low cal in small enough quantities. A single 8 oz piece of sirloin has 50 grams of protein and only 350 calories (give or take). Greek yogurt has 14 grams (140 calories), etc etc.

Why the hell do you even want to bother with food you don't like?

This.^^

Seriously, you don't have to cook everyday. Cooks your meals in bulk and freeze them for the week. The more variety you have, the easier it will be to stick to your plan.

Good luck!

[Aquaria]

My favorites are lean sliced ham (feels like a treat from chicken!) and also cocktail shrimp makes a GREAT change from normal if you go easy on the sauce. They are cheap if you buy a big bag frozen and only cook the portion you need

Elite casein cookies and cream is a protein blend that I liked the flavor of, needs milk though

I also like ON Whey banana cream protein mix -- delicious with milk OR water

Finally, my favorite:
sushi! SUSHIIIII, salmon, yellowtail, etc.
Kinda hard to get though. ;D

[tasnana]

I have a hard time reaching my protein macros also. I found this awesome protein shake that has no Calories, Carbs or fats and one scoop has 25g of protein. Get the orange flavor it taste like tang. HumaPro Protein humaproprotein.com

[rdferguson]

Lean meat of all varieties -- steak, ham, pork, chicken, lamb, beef, turkey...just don't eat an inch-thick slab of fat on the side of it if you're worried about excessive calories -- prepared in all kinds of ways, such as grilled, baked or deli.

Fat-loss oriented protein shakes -- the ones I've had have been 25g protein/30g serving, which doesn't leave much room for a great deal of CHO or fat to provide extra calories.

[rdferguson]

I have a hard time reaching my protein macros also. I found this awesome protein shake that has no Calories, Carbs or fats and one scoop has 25g of protein. Get the orange flavor it taste like tang. HumaPro Protein humaproprotein.com

1g protein = 4kcal, therefore 25g protein = 100kcal, therefore that protein shake most definitely does have calories in it. However, it may have a very low or non-existent amount of CHO and/or fat.

[acrawlingchaos]

What is your protein goals? 120-150 grams?

Whey is always useful alternative. If you are looking for convience, I know Wal-mart sells protein shots. It doesn't get much more convienent, and it's about $2.00 for a quick 42 grams (may get them cheaper here).

As far as meat... you don't have a cooked meal daily? You could cook enough for a week (any meat source will be an easy protein source). Dieting can be a bit of work... if you want an easier time hitting your macros, I would strongly suggest you spend some time in the kitchen (no sexist).

[Vartze]

chicken/turkey, fish, egg whites and whey are all good - and as others have said really if you don't want to eat your eggs raw (who would) then don't.. they're just as good if not better cooked. Both macro-wise and taste

[flyingeek]

What is your protein goals? 120-150 grams?

Whey is always useful alternative. If you are looking for convience, I know Wal-mart sells protein shots. It doesn't get much more convienent, and it's about $2.00 for a quick 42 grams (may get them cheaper here).

As far as meat... you don't have a cooked meal daily? You could cook enough for a week (any meat source will be an easy protein source). Dieting can be a bit of work... if you want an easier time hitting your macros, I would strongly suggest you spend some time in the kitchen (no sexist).

Agree with this, the time spent in the kitchen makes it easy. Its the simplest way to get to the goals.
I spend some time on Sundays making three type of dishes and freeze them in, in portions w known macros and calories. That way I dont have to spend so much time calculating each day and as the meals are pre planned, I know I hit my macros. I usually lag w fat at the end of the day and thats where my beloved Justins almond butter comes in handy:-)

I also usually have cooked chicken and eggs in the fridge as extra protein if needed. Sometimes I just have to force it down tho:-)
Never ate much red meat but I have started to add sirloin, not too costly and lean and tasty:-)

[Jemima92]

if you don't want all the cals you can always have one whole egg

...

A single egg has ~ 71 calories... one serving (1 - 2 eggs) is hardly going to break your calorie bank for the day. Half of the egg's protein is in that yolk, which also contains many other micronutrients such as calcium, phosphorus, potassium, folate and vitamins A E D and K. If you're looking to maximise your invesment ($), don't buy a dozen eggs and only egg the whites! PS - all those "nasty" calories in the egg yolk are probably going to be due to the fat content in the yolk. But fats are important so getting some essential fatty acids through one or two eggs per day would be ideal. Also eating 2 whole eggs on a slice of whole grain toast is much more likely to keep you satiated for a lot longer than eating 5 egg whites. True story. I know which one I'd prefer.

[TwistedPandora]

...

A single egg has ~ 71 calories... one serving (1 - 2 eggs) is hardly going to break your calorie bank for the day. Half of the egg's protein is in that yolk, which also contains many other micronutrients such as calcium, phosphorus, potassium, folate and vitamins A E D and K. If you're looking to maximise your invesment ($), don't buy a dozen eggs and only egg the whites! PS - all those "nasty" calories in the egg yolk are probably going to be due to the fat content in the yolk. But fats are important so getting some essential fatty acids through one or two eggs per day would be ideal. Also eating 2 whole eggs on a slice of whole grain toast is much more likely to keep you satiated for a lot longer than eating 5 egg whites. True story. I know which one I'd prefer.

Originally Posted by TwistedPandora View Post
if you don't want all the cals you can always have one whole egg

I am not saying that your post is not valid, but please don't misquote me. You posted half a sentence from my post which is not the comment I made.

I suggested the OP used a ratio of 1 whole egg to 2-3 whites to add protein at a lower calorie level than using all whole eggs. All protein has 4kcal per gram, it is the additional fat and carbs which make up the total value of any food item. The OP asked specifically for Low Cal options therefore, it seemed reasonable to suggest a way of reducing some of the calories would be achieved by reducing the ratio of yolks to whites- hence reducing the calories from fat.

Egg yolks do contain good things, but egg whites are a good option (one of the reasons some BB supplies sell egg whites in cartons!) and when all macros are important and the fat etc in the protein source is of pertinent to daily calculations.

I don't think anyone, except you made any reference to calories being "nasty", that word has no place in sensible eating, it is extremely unhelpful language. The object is creating optimum conditions to achieve a specific goal, fat loss, muscle building etc. There are no "nasty" calories involved!

There was absolutely no reason to use my post, and specifically to chop it in half. If you wanted to suggest the OP eat whole eggs you could have just done so as a stand alone comment.

[oregonchick76]

I have a hard time reaching my protein macros also. I found this awesome protein shake that has no Calories, Carbs or fats and one scoop has 25g of protein. Get the orange flavor it taste like tang. HumaPro Protein humaproprotein.com

LOL. No calories? Not possible.

[tasnana]

Here's a link to the web site.

http://www.alrindustries.com/products/humapro/

[TwistedPandora]

Here's a link to the web site.

http://www.alrindustries.com/products/humapro/

I read about this stuff, there is another manufacturer of the same stuff http://humapro.com/ and the focus seems to be treating people with obesity issues, and bariatric surgery patients.
The concept appears to be that it is pre-digested (Eugh) protein, so the standard 4 kcal aresomehow removed, reducing the protein to the smallest, most easily digested (for the second time) component.

I am wondering how a 'protein shake' with absolutely no calorific value as such, which does not actually provide any energy (it physically can't, if it has no calories - the body uses calories as fuel) is useful. I use a shake as a post work out fuel boost, to add protein, a few carbs, and some energy - part of my daily calories, and it keeps me going till lunch.

It's a bit like using stevia, it makes things sweet, but won't fuel your body at all, where as agave will give sweetness and energy, simply because one has no calories and the other does. Or am I being too simplistic?

Therefore I am wondering if something like this would do the same job s a whey shake...not to mention the fact that the name makes it sound like it is made from human parts!

At the end of the day we all use what works for us as individuals, but this one is a bit too made in chemistry lab for me. (the blurb makes my eyes hurt just reading the pages of info!) I understand how standard macros in food work, and protein shakes made from whey, and are still just basic food really, and I trust that. Maybe I am just old school, but I am not quite ready for that level of engineered 'protein' in my life.

[acrawlingchaos]

They state that there version of protein has a higher equivalency in nitrogen exchange to the amount of 1 gram of their protein to 5 grams of whey. In other words, there is actually only 5 grams of protein in a serving, they are just claiming it is worth 25 grams of whey .

1 gram of protein is 1 gram of protein. You saw this come up when whey isolate came around and was touted as a superior protein. If you plan on taking this, I would count 1 gram of Humapro as 1 gram of protein. Otherwise, you may find yourself deficient in protein and a victim of deceptive marketing.


EDIT: After looking further into the product,

. They claim that meal timing should be utilized.

. They recommend taking (for an avg sized woman 125-150lbs) up to 42 tablets a day. (this would equate to a supposed 210 grams of whey, beef or soy protein).

. They do not have a caloric profile on the label, yet state there is a caloric value on advertising.

. This product is nothing but BCAA's, B vitamins, magnesium and caffeine.

It's a decent product, just nothing special and most certainly has a caloric value. Buyer beware.

[tasnana]

I read about this stuff, there is another manufacturer of the same stuff http://humapro.com/ and the focus seems to be treating people with obesity issues, and bariatric surgery patients.
The concept appears to be that it is pre-digested (Eugh) protein, so the standard 4 kcal aresomehow removed, reducing the protein to the smallest, most easily digested (for the second time) component.

I am wondering how a 'protein shake' with absolutely no calorific value as such, which does not actually provide any energy (it physically can't, if it has no calories - the body uses calories as fuel) is useful. I use a shake as a post work out fuel boost, to add protein, a few carbs, and some energy - part of my daily calories, and it keeps me going till lunch.

It's a bit like using stevia, it makes things sweet, but won't fuel your body at all, where as agave will give sweetness and energy, simply because one has no calories and the other does. Or am I being too simplistic?

Therefore I am wondering if something like this would do the same job s a whey shake...not to mention the fact that the name makes it sound like it is made from human parts!

At the end of the day we all use what works for us as individuals, but this one is a bit too made in chemistry lab for me. (the blurb makes my eyes hurt just reading the pages of info!) I understand how standard macros in food work, and protein shakes made from whey, and are still just basic food really, and I trust that. Maybe I am just old school, but I am not quite ready for that level of engineered 'protein' in my life.

I use the product thats in the link not the other. My Bodybuilding personal trainer recommended this product its what he uses also.
I use this protein to fullfill my macros by the end of the day. It does help give me energy and has BCCA's to help with recovery at the end of workout.
Whey usually gives me an upset stomach so I never drink a whey shake before wo.