I started 16:8 about 2 weeks ago and also ding CICO. I am struggling getting enough protein with 2 meals and not going over calorie intake. What are some foods y’all eat that are low calorie and high protein?
Are you willing to eat more meat? Meat is about the best answer. Like deli turkey. 54 calories an ounce with 3.5 G protein.
If not, you can add in a protein supplement shake. That’s pretty common in here. The ones I use are Orgain brand because I can’t do whey protein and they’re 20g protein in a 150 calorie drink. Not especially satisfying on their own though. You need a plan to feel full.
Nuts and cheese have protein but are super high calorie per bite.
Buy some frozen fish of your choosing and cook it in a pan with a spritz of oil and some salt, pepper and lemon juice. Check the label, but most fish is very low in calories and high in protein. Also:
Shrimp cocktail: 6 large shrimp = 50 calories/12g protein. Cocktail sauce is a relatively low calorie condiment.
Trader Joe’s shrimp burger: 90 calories/13g protein.
Tuna: One 5oz can packed in water has 130 calories/29g protein. Mix it with a large egg (also a good protein source with 70 calories/6g protein), some bread crumbs and some spices and throw it into a pan to make a tuna burger.
Canned salmon: 3 oz has 100 calories/20g protein. Make salmon salad using nonfat Greek yogurt instead of mayo.
Trader Joe’s sells a 96% lean ground beef. A quarter pound burger has 130 calories/22g protein. You could even throw some cheese on there and not break the calorie bank.
Not all veggie burgers are created equal, but the Boca burger is soy based and has 110 calories/14g protein.
Tyson has an air-fried frozen chicken breast which I love: 3 oz has 150 calories/16g protein. It satisfies a chicken nugget craving and I just need to throw it in the toaster oven.
They now sell pouches of different kinds of beans and lentils that have been fully prepared (Mexican, Cuban, Indian) and you can just heat them and serve them as a side dish to another protein.
I eat at least one nonfat Greek yogurt per day, either a Chobani Less Sugar (120 calories/12g protein) or coffee yogurt that I make myself (nonfat Greek yogurt, a sprinkle of cold brew coffee mix and a couple of teaspoons of sugar). I also use plain nonfat Greek yogurt as a base for all dressings.
I add 1 TB of pea protein powder (30 calories/4g protein) to my overnight oats. Trader Joe’s ancient grains oats have more protein than regular oats (1/2 cup has 180 calories/8g protein) and when you combine that with a cup of 1% milk (110 calories/8g), it comes out to 20g of protein, which is what I aim for per meal.
I’m dealing with this now as I finally had to accept that I am in no way getting enough protein, especially with lifting weights. I broke down and bought some plant protein powder because I don’t eat dairy or egg. I felt like I was eating a lot of protein rich foods (meat, nuts, tofu, etc), but like you said, I would have to go way over calories to get what I need.