Four months ago I was unhappy with how I looked and decided I needed to change.
I’ve been intermittent fasting and exercising and dropped about 10kg, so I’m down to about 70kg.
Now I’m looking at building muscle, but I almost certainly don’t get enough protein. When I looked up how much I should be eating, it’s about 1.6g per kilo, or for me about 115g.
I’ve been drinking a meal replacement shake for lunch which is advertised high in protein at about 14g, then eating a reasonably low fat dinner which is definitely not 100g of protein.
I need to get more in, but I just don’t know how, and looking online it’s lots of specific recipes but I’ll end up cooking 3 dinners a day for family which is a lot.
I’m looking at that Surreal cereal which is 15g a serving, which if paired with a protein shake I can bump up to about 35, but I’m still a way out.
How can I bump up the intake relatively easily?
First of all, congrats on dropping 10 kg and good luck on your muscle-building journey!
I’ve been having luck by adding a bit more protein to every meal. For breakfast, I usually have a protein-powder boosted smoothie or low-fat Greek yoghurt with frozen fruits. For lunch, chicken breast cold cuts or a tin of sardines with cottage cheese and/or light mozzarella, along with whole-grain bread and lots of seasonal vegetables with a yoghurt dip. For dinner, some roasted or grilled meat with roasted veggies and rice, sometimes with beans or lentils on the side. For snacks, vegetables with hummus or fruit with peanut butter, maybe a protein bar.
You can try this out but my point is that I was already eating yoghurt in the morning and I added a bit of protein powder before moving on to smoothies. I was already having smoked sausage and salami for lunch when I switched to sardines and chicken breast. From a cheese spread on white bread to cottage cheese on whole grain. From granola bars to protein bars. You’re better off taking a thorough look at what you eat in a day and finding a high-protein alternative to some things.