Been using 16:8 intermittent fasting. Recently checked protein consumption and it seems I am way low. 162 grams per day in only 8 hours is a lot. Anyone have tips for increasing protein?

FYI peloton or walking 45 minutes 6 days a week (AM). Strength training 3-4 days a week. Total body weight 258. Lean body weight 162. Obviously looking to drop fat.

This is what I started doing. Use chicken thighs instead tho just bc they're cheaper.

When I need a break from that I'll just make ground beef or turkey patties.

Sarge 91 said:

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Been using 16:8 intermittent fasting. Recently checked protein consumption and it seems I am way low. 162 grams per day in only 8 hours is a lot. Anyone have tips for increasing protein?

FYI peloton or walking 45 minutes 6 days a week (AM). Strength training 3-4 days a week. Total body weight 258. Lean body weight 162. Obviously looking to drop fat.

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I aim for 200-220 a day. Usual day is a protein shake first thing AM, morning snack (Greek yogurt is a good choice here), lunch, afternoon snack is 2 chicken thighs or 1 chicken breast, dinner, and a casein shake before bed.

Obviously that isn't doing IF but I think if you mixed a scoop of protein powder with Greek yogurt and had that with a chicken breast in the afternoon between lunch and dinner, you could knock out 100+ grams there alone.

Lots of different protein snacks available now too- chips, cheesy puffs, crackers, etc. Most of them are animal-protein based, so they're complete protein

You could also consider that intermittent fasting isn't the best fit for your overall goals

Focus on 30-50 grams per meal and if you still need more throw in a protein shake. Growing up protein powder and chicken were cheap but I got burned out, now I would much rather some kind of beef

For how many days do you do fasting? I am planning to follow this fasting routine https://betterme.world/articles/16-8-intermittent-fasting-7-day-meal-plan/. What can you say about it? Is it suitable for a complete beginner? I never tried even diets before, just did some sports , but that's all. I would really appreciate some advices here.

neronero said:

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For how many days do you do fasting?

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Daily from 9 pm to 1 pm the following day.

Thought I would post an update on progress. Down from 258 to 229. Lean body weight down from 162 to 159, so not too much muscle lost. What really supercharged the progress was going to 36:12 fasts. 36 hours fasting (after dinner on Sunday to breakfast on Tuesday, eg) followed by 12 hours of eating. On non-fasting days, getting about 160 grams of protein and about 2200 calories, with carbs only from low glycemic fruits and vegetables like leafy greens, caulifower, and broccoli.

PSA: So long as you are under your maintenance you lose weight.

All this basically does is limit your ability to stuff your face all day. If in your window you ate over maintenance, you will gain weight.

But hey, so long as its working, rock on. Good work Sarge! At least you aren't keto.

HTH.

CC09LawAg said:

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Sarge 91 said:

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Been using 16:8 intermittent fasting. Recently checked protein consumption and it seems I am way low. 162 grams per day in only 8 hours is a lot. Anyone have tips for increasing protein?

FYI peloton or walking 45 minutes 6 days a week (AM). Strength training 3-4 days a week. Total body weight 258. Lean body weight 162. Obviously looking to drop fat.

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I aim for 200-220 a day. Usual day is a protein shake first thing AM, morning snack (Greek yogurt is a good choice here), lunch, afternoon snack is 2 chicken thighs or 1 chicken breast, dinner, and a casein shake before bed.

Obviously that isn't doing IF but I think if you mixed a scoop of protein powder with Greek yogurt and had that with a chicken breast in the afternoon between lunch and dinner, you could knock out 100+ grams there alone.

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Here's a breakfast with 55 grams of protein and really good

3/4 cup non fat greek yogurt- 16 grams protein
1 packet quaker protein banana nut oats- 12 grams protein
1/2 cup strawberries and 1/2 cup blueberries- about 2 grams of protein
scoop of vanilla whey- 24 grams protein

mix the yogurt, oats and whey and can add some honey or vanilla...layer the mixture with the fruit and refrigerate over night.

I've been fasting for a month, eating clean (keto) and yet I'm up a couple of pounds. I'm at 281 and cant seem to break below 280. Started at 308 in January. I'm not sure how little I can eat to get down the weight.

I do a protein shake as meal 1.
Salmon or chicken with rice and veggies for meal 2.

Thats it. I'm ****ing miserable and actually went UP a couple pounds this week.

Are you weighing your portions? Exercising at all?

The math doesn't seem to add up so something is out of wack.

Talon2DSO said:

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I've been fasting for a month, eating clean (keto) and yet I'm up a couple of pounds. I'm at 281 and cant seem to break below 280. Started at 308 in January. I'm not sure how little I can eat to get down the weight.

I do a protein shake as meal 1.
Salmon or chicken with rice and veggies for meal 2.

Thats it. I'm ****ing miserable and actually went UP a couple pounds this week.

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Hormones do weird stuff. Sometimes you'll retain water and make your weight go up one week, and then it'll drop the next. Just gotta watch the overall trend.

That being said, sometimes it doesn't hurt to have a cheat day, or 2, or 3. Sometimes I'll cave and eat like trash one day, feel bloated, and be sure I'm gonna be a pound or 2 heavier the next day, but I end up weighing less. Doesn't make sense. But hormones, water/salt retention, etc, make a big difference. See what happens

Chicken and rice and Veggies isn't keto. It's low calorie but definitely not keto.

Talon2DSO said:

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I've been fasting for a month, eating clean (keto) and yet I'm up a couple of pounds. I'm at 281 and cant seem to break below 280. Started at 308 in January. I'm not sure how little I can eat to get down the weight.

I do a protein shake as meal 1.
Salmon or chicken with rice and veggies for meal 2.

Thats it. I'm ****ing miserable and actually went UP a couple pounds this week.

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Rice on a keto diet?

And sometimes weight just fluctuates as water weight. I weigh myself every day and have days where I'm up 2-3 pounds over the day before, but I can tell where my body fat is trending. Inevitably, the weight comes back to my trend...sometimes miraculously overnight in one swoop.

Talon2DSO said:

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I've been fasting for a month, eating clean (keto) and yet I'm up a couple of pounds. I'm at 281 and cant seem to break below 280. Started at 308 in January. I'm not sure how little I can eat to get down the weight.

I do a protein shake as meal 1.
Salmon or chicken with rice and veggies for meal 2.

Thats it. I'm ****ing miserable and actually went UP a couple pounds this week.

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How stressed are you? How much sleep are you getting? How much screen time do you have (social media, apps, etc)?

I'm a big believer in the idea that weight loss really starts with improving your mental health. If your body is stressed, that leads your mind to think you are in danger and therefore should be storing energy. Also maybe take 2 weeks with no scale and just focus on improving and enjoying your fitness improvements thus far.

Talon2DSO said:

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I've been fasting for a month, eating clean (keto) and yet I'm up a couple of pounds. I'm at 281 and cant seem to break below 280. Started at 308 in January. I'm not sure how little I can eat to get down the weight.

I do a protein shake as meal 1.
Salmon or chicken with rice and veggies for meal 2.

Thats it. I'm ****ing miserable and actually went UP a couple pounds this week.

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Talon, there is something going on that needs to be looked at here. At that body weight, fat should be melting off fairly easily. I wouldn't worry about one week of data for up or down. Its the overall trend. If you are still trending down about a pound a week (averaged out), then you are doing just fine. Still though, if that's all you are eating, then you should down alot more weight.

Are you doing any exercise like walking some resistance training?

Good work so far thought!

And dont listen to the keto nimrods just yet. Work out what your maintenance is, drop calories from there....eat plenty of protein, with some carbs and fat.

The only reason keto was brought up, is because OP brought it up. If he's trying to do keto, rice and veggies aren't it. I don't care what diet he follows but if he's trying to follow keto but not doing it properly, it won't work. We all know your thoughts on keto. You don't have to **** on every damn thread that mentions keto.

Jbob04 said:

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The only reason keto was brought up, is because OP brought it up. If he's trying to do keto, rice and veggies aren't it. I don't care what diet he follows but if he's trying to follow keto but not doing it properly, it won't work. We all know your thoughts on keto. You don't have to **** on every damn thread that mentions keto.

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Oh look, I responded to Talon and not you. You can follow a dumb as eff diet all you want, but he had a question.

And moreover, he was somewhat listening to a keto person at some point (may or may not on texags) and needs actual advice, not some diet that all it does is get you under maintenance calories. (And maybe that is the move at some point due to many other reasons, but not now until he can figure out what's going on)

Shrimp or Cod. High protein/low calorie.

bam02 said:

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Tex117 your obnoxious anti-keto schtick is lame as ****. You sound pathetic going out of your way to rail on keto every chance you get. Get a life, man.

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Keto needs to be addressed and properly contextualized. If it was that sarge dude I've been discussing this with, I wouldn't have bothered. This was responding to Talon. He does not need to be on keto (at least not yet).

Sorry this does not square with your misguided view on nutrition. But so long as it's being mentioned, I'll keep saying it's the bs that it is

And what are your credentials?

bam02 said:

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And what are your credentials?

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Years of studying this for my own life. My dietician girlfriend, and my strength coach who also advises on nutrition.

As well as almost all reputable athletic training nutritionists.

Sure you can find some off research that says this or that about keto. But it's all bs other than eating under maintenance loses weight. (May keep some muscle).

Tx transplant does a much better job at explaining this than I do in that other thread.

This is just how losing (or gaining) weight works.

So none. Ok. It works for a lot of people. It's funny how belligerent you are about it. You really come off as an ass. Makes you sound very credible.

bam02 said:

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So none. Ok. It works for a lot of people. It's funny how belligerent you are about it. You really come off as an ass. Makes you sound very credible.

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Okay, so, plenty. (Though not a certified dietician, admittedly).

Yeah, I am. What I'm saying is backed by decades of research. Countless. I'm impatient with people taking advantage of this trying to gain influence or sell a product. (That's who I'm impatient with… not with normal folks).

It confuses basic nutrition. It's simple. Eat more than maintenance gain weight. Eat less than maintenance, lose weight. Eat enough protein (about a gram per lean lb of body mass) when below maintenance with resistance training and you will hold on to a bit more muscle while you are losing muscle and fat. Same with gaining weight. This is effing gospel. It's accurate in 90 percent of people (drugs and disorders are different).

Cutting carbs simply is an easy rule to keep someone under maintenance. Carbs are not evil. It's doesn't make you fat. Your brains runs on it exclusively (or you get in ketosis which… was found to help seizures in children because of that).

For whatever reason. People just don't accept this simple formula.

Eat nothing but bacon and steak at one's own peril.

bam02 said:

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Just because someone chooses to do keto or any other type of diet doesn't mean they don't accept that basic formula.

When someone who's credentials include their girlfriend and gold's gun trainer speaks in absolutes they come off as an ignorant blowhard.

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And countless other research article that backs it up. Reading comprehension not a forte? It's not up to debate. At all in any way shape or form.

Actually, yes… some do argue against that formula. Or some other nonsense about it only burning fat… yada yada. It's nonsense.

I don't care if I come across as a blow hard. I'm 100 percent correct.

There is so much misinformation out there. Look, if someone wants to do it, go for it. Just understand the risks. And understand why it's working (or not).

What I'm sick of are other less informed idiots than me trying to advise on keto or defend it, when it's just a fad diet with real risks.

Some of the keto mob refuses to acknowledge it.

I didn't even want to get into it on this thread. I was just offering Talon a piece of advice to stay away from keto (for now). Try and take stock where he is. And potentially go get some lab work done depending on what he found out. You know, reasonable nutrition advice.

As far as loading up protein, lately I've been mixing protein powder in with my Greek yogurt.

Two servings of Greek yogurt with a scoop of strawberry protein powder is essentially strawberry yogurt, which makes a great base to throw in a banana for desert, or some simple bran for breakfast.

The yogurt and powder alone is 66g for 380-ish calories

Builder93 said:

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Tex117 said:

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bam02 said:

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Just because someone chooses to do keto or any other type of diet doesn't mean they don't accept that basic formula.

When someone who's credentials include their girlfriend and gold's gun trainer speaks in absolutes they come off as an ignorant blowhard.

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And countless other research article that backs it up. Reading comprehension not a forte? It's not up to debate. At all in any way shape or form.

Actually, yes… some do argue against that formula. Or some other nonsense about it only burning fat… yada yada. It's nonsense.

I don't care if I come across as a blow hard. I'm 100 percent correct.

There is so much misinformation out there. Look, if someone wants to do it, go for it. Just understand the risks. And understand why it's working (or not).

What I'm sick of are other less informed idiots than me trying to advise on keto or defend it, when it's just a fad diet with real risks.

Some of the keto mob refuses to acknowledge it.

I didn't even want to get into it on this thread. I was just offering Talon a piece of advice to stay away from keto (for now). Try and take stock where he is. And potentially go get some lab work done depending on what he found out. You know, reasonable nutrition advice.

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You sound just like a Keto Bro the way you are arguing. You refer to other studies without seeming to know the depths of your own research.

I've been doing Keto and I feel great. I have the most muscle mass I've ever had and I was pretty athletic growing up. My bloodwork is good. My friends tell me I look great and my cardio is the best it's been in decades. At 52 I had to buy new pants because my waist got to my college size, then I had to step back up because my thighs and ab muscles made my new pants too tight. Good problem to have doing stupid keto.

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The "depths" of research. Calories in vs. Calories out has proven both in research and in real world application millions of millions of time. Don't approach this as somehow what I'm saying is some "new" way of thinking. It isn't. It is consistent with literally thousands of years of human nutrition.

Look, I'm glad keto works for you. I didn't say it wouldn't cause weight loss. It can and does when the overall calories consumed do not exceed "maintenance." But its not magic. No one is "hacking" their body. We are stupid, your body isn't.

I have absolutely no idea where you started from. What your numbers are now. Etc. Etc. A body as a untrained person, can do a "recomposition" in some conditions where you are right on the line where your weight stays relatively the same, you drop some fat, but newbie gains on your muscles pump up and get stronger (but they are not getting sustainably bigger nor does your body stay in this state). Think of it as two cars passing in opposite directions...they are long side each other for a bit, but ultimately moved passed each other.

Again, glad its working for you man. Sounds like you are happy with your results.

Builder93 said:

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I think you are simplifying the calories in calories out concept. I can eat 2000 calories of beef or salmon I will maintain weight whereas if I eat 2000 calories of donuts I will gain weight. It has to do with how your hormones respond to and are manipulated by the type of food you eat.

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Not necessarily. Since donuts have very little protein, you will likely lose muscle mass relative to what you started with, compared to eating the 2K calories of beef or salmon. But, if you plotted out your weight over a month with consistently eating 2K calories of anything it should remain relatively the same, +/- a pound or two. Has very little to do with hormones.

Theoretically, if these 2K of donuts had the same protein amount as the beef or salmon, then your weight should be even more steady

The composition of food does matter, but the absolute underlying equation is still energy in vs energy out

True Anomaly said:

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Builder93 said:

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I think you are simplifying the calories in calories out concept. I can eat 2000 calories of beef or salmon I will maintain weight whereas if I eat 2000 calories of donuts I will gain weight. It has to do with how your hormones respond to and are manipulated by the type of food you eat.

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Not necessarily. Since donuts have very little protein, you will likely lose muscle mass relative to what you started with, compared to eating the 2K calories of beef or salmon. But, if you plotted out your weight over a month with consistently eating 2K calories of anything it should remain relatively the same, +/- a pound or two. Has very little to do with hormones.

Theoretically, if these 2K of donuts had the same protein amount as the beef or salmon, then your weight should be even more steady

The composition of food does matter, but the absolute underlying equation is still energy in vs energy out

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Well said.

Too many people are getting hung up on the details and missing the forest for the trees. (Yes, there are some discussions about the quality of calories to be had...especially from an overall health perspective).

Eat under maintenance, if actively exercising, about 1 gram of proteins per lb of body weight (this can be less if you are sedentary), fill in the rest with carbs, and a little fat. Boom. Lose weight while minimizing muscle loss (you are going to lose some).

There is alot of work on the front end to doing this. Learning macros. Likely eating the same thing everyday. But do this, and the lessons will last a life time in terms of sustaining a healthy diet where there is freedom to eat and enjoy the things you want.

Yall can come get my French Baguette smeared with butter sprinkled with flaky salt and a bottle of wine out of my cold dead hands.