Simulated.......Stuff

And some protein shakes....

Early out only, unless you have a protein deficiency...

You know, at 9 months out, I try to stay away from protein shakes unless I'm using them for recovery after a workout.  They don't fill me up like they used to, and my sleeve has matured enough in capacity that I can generally get in 80-100 grams of protein a day without a shake.  Call me a fattie, but I'd rather eat my calories than drink them lol. 

My only exception to this is when I strength train.  Then I will have a protein shake immediately after working out because it helps with muscle recovery.  Sometimes this ends up being all I have for dinner (I work out in the evenings) because my restriction seems to be tighter after exercise for some reason.  But as far as planning to use shakes as a source of meals for life, no thanks.  But that's just what works for me. 

How do you do it and stay within the right low calorie range? Your food diary on MFP is not visible so can you give me an idea of what an 80-100 gr protein day looks like without a shake? I would love to be able to do that but at this point I just don't see how.

You're what... three months out?  At three months I could not have done it, honestly... at least not regularly. Basically, if I shoot for less than 150 calories and more than 15 grams of protein per meal, at eating five meals per day (I don't differentiate between snacks and meals; I try to eat about the same amount each time I eat so that I don't get overly hungry and want to eat too much later) my maximum calories for the day would be 750 and my minimum protein would be 75... and that 75 is a minimum; 80-90 is more where I usually fall naturally.

Example:

Breakfast: 2 oz of grilled chicken

Mid morning snack: 2 pieces of low fat string cheese (WW smoked swiss is my favorite) and a few nuts (and I do mean very few... those things are potent in calories!)

Lunch: more dense protein

Mid afternoon snack: either a quest bar or more dense protein, depending on my schedule for the day

Dinner: Usually whatever dense protein my husband is in a mood for with a few bites of veggies. 

Forgot to add: one of my favorite things to do when I'm in a hurry these days is to eat about 2 oz of deli-style meat with about a half of an ounce of cheese, or even a piece of string cheese... for example, 2 oz of Boar's Head buffalo-style chicken is 60 calories and 12 grams of protein.  Add a low-fat cheddar cheese stick and you have 120 calories and 17 grams of protein.  I like to get deli meats that are custom sliced because then I can control how much I take home... otherwise I would get sick of having the same flavor over and over again.

Sigh, I know it's going to be a very long road.

The saving grace is that we can use all kinds of spices and herbs, to give our food that lusciousness. That is something we don't have to skimp on!