Transcription
For the past few months, I've been eating a minimum of 150 grams of protein a day, all from whole foods. No protein powders, bars, or supplements. I did it as a bit of an experiment, and I'd go as far to say it's been revolutionary for my body composition, my health, and how it makes me feel. I've got lots to tell you. So, in this video, I'll show you what I eat in a day to get a minimum of 150 g of protein, and share all the things that's happened as a result.
While I wake up and prepare my first meal of the day, which I call my mini breakfast, let's look at why it's important to eat protein. Protein is the building block for muscle, for repairing, maintaining, and growing muscle. And having good muscle mass and strength is vital for our long-term health. This is especially important as we get older, as we tend to lose muscle as we age. I never used to eat breakfast, but several months ago, I learned it's important for women to have a small amount of protein in the morning and before exercise. 15 g of protein is enough to take the body out of muscle breakdown mode and into muscle building mode.
So, I start my day with three eggs scrambled in a pan. Super easy. And that gives me around 18 g of protein. I don't really want to be doing this first thing in the morning. However, it's made such an enormous difference to not only my performance at the gym, but also my energy for the rest of the day. It can be a bit of a faf making eggs first thing in the morning. A protein shake would be much quicker and easier. However, whey protein and dairy gives me a weird acne rash on my chest and my stomach goes a bit well, you know, gassy. And the thing for me, if I was to have that sweet-tasting protein shake first thing in the morning, it would just give me the taste for something delicious, which would then likely set me off on a cascade of poor choices later in the day.
Saying that, protein shakes are a great source of protein. And if you don't want to be messing around with eggs and pans in the morning, having a protein shake may have more benefits than eating nothing at all.
Next up is exercise. The majority of exercise I do is weight training, which is perfect for this 150 g of protein plan. I can't wait to tell you what's happened as a result of doing this. However, on the day I filmed this, I was doing high-intensity interval training with my friend John. On a Tuesday, we do the Norwegian 4x4 and then four sets of heavy kettle bell swings. It's a brutal session. That is so tough.
When I tell some people that I eat a minimum of 150 g of protein a day, sometimes they say things like, "Are you a bodybuilder? Is it necessary to eat that much protein in a day? Isn't that bad for your health?" Well, I'm not a bodybuilder. Clearly, you do muscle salam. I'm just a regular 42-year-old woman who works at a desk most of the day. And I'm interested in doing health stuff. And I do understand the "isn't that bad for your health" question because if I was to follow the advice from let's call them traditional health websites, they advise to eat 0.7 g of protein per kilogram of body weight, which for me at 64 kg would be just 50 g of protein a day. 50 g. No, just no.
In contrast, when it comes to health and fitness, the typical formula for how much protein to eat a day is 1.6 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight or 1 g of protein per pound of body weight, which for my body weight, it works out to 140 g of protein a day. That's more like it. But for the purpose of this experiment, I pushed it to 150 g a day. And in fact, by the time I've added the nutrients from vegetables and plants, most of my days I end up eating 160 to 170 grams of protein a day.
This is a good time to mention, and not a lot of people talk about this. As we get older, our body becomes more protein resistant, meaning the body isn't as efficient at utilizing the protein we eat to repair and build muscle. So, as we get older, we need to eat more protein to get the same effects as someone younger.
I finish my interval session with a bit of prehab and mobility stuff. Laura Try 20 for 20% off Vivo Barefoot shoes. And then it's home for my main breakfast to replenish my body. Food is my priority after exercise. And I do not stop for anything. I do not pass go and I do not collect 200 lb. My breakfast isn't a typical breakfast. I say typical in the sense that it's not cereal, avocado toast, overnight oats, that kind of thing. My breakfast, which I've been doing for over 2 years, is an actual meal. Fish and vegetables. And this is the part that I know some people will say, "Fish and vegetables for breakfast? That's disgusting." But bear with me. Just because I eat fish and vegetables doesn't mean you need to. And you know what? It's not actually that weird to eat this for breakfast. This is real food. What is weird is that it's marketing and society that has conditioned many people to think that this is breakfast.
Anyway, my current favorite breakfast because it's quick and easy is sardines. Two tins. Each tin has got about 18 g of protein. So, that's nearly 40 g. I know the idea of sardines doesn't sound appealing for breakfast. It's actually not that bad. It's not that exciting, but it's really good nutrition and I feel so good after. Sometimes I have salmon fillets, smoked salmon, or some other fish. And if you're not a fish for breakfast kind of person, you could have chicken, beef, or turkey. Don't get fooled into thinking that this is breakfast. Quick and easy way to give my family a breakfast they'll want to eat, and I feel good that they're ready to tackle the day. The key is eating real foods with plenty of nutrients, and that's where the magic happens. The protein in the food that we eat latches onto the receptors in our stomach, which then sends a signal to our brain to release CCK, a hormone that switches off hunger. That means no more cravings or needing to snack. And no cravings or snacking means not eating as much junk food. What a winner.
So, it's half past 8 and I've already had 48 grams of protein. If I can get 50 grams of protein by the time I've eaten my breakfast, then I know that I can easily achieve 150. My body and brain have the nutrients they need to function well. I have the energy and clarity, and I'm fueled for my day ahead. And what I'm going to do is actually just make myself a pre-workout snack. So, this is my first meal of the day. And I've got some rice here that I've just taken out.
Okay, it's 11:40 and it feels too early to be making lunch, but actually, I'm so hungry. So, by the time I've made it, it's probably going to be just after 12. So, let's go make lunch. In the past, if I got hungry earlier than my regular meal times, I'd often snack, whether that be a healthy snack or an unhealthy snack. But now, when I get hungry, I just have a meal. The problem I have with snacking is I'd often choose something quick, easy to digest, often something sweet that didn't have much protein in, something like fruit. But whatever I ate as a snack, it would only satisfy me for about 30 to 60 minutes because it was a snack. Then I'd miss my regular meal time, miss my next bit of protein, and even worse than that, I'd get over hungry. And you know what over hungry means? Poor food choices.
For lunch, I find stir fries really easy. I throw everything in a pan and let it do its thing. I mostly have chicken or turkey, but sometimes I have beef mince and make a chili. So, this is coming out at 95.7 g of protein. I throw in loads of different vegetables, different colors, nutrients, and plenty of fiber. Different herbs and spices to change the taste each day, and they give some added health benefits. This is real food. So much better than a sandwich and a packet of crisps that would give a measly amount of protein and very few nutrients. With this, I'm getting 50 g of protein, loads of fiber and nutrients.
You may be watching this thinking, "It's all right for you, LT. You work from home and you can cook your lunch each day." I understand that some people may not have the time or the facilities to do this. You might have a jam-packed schedule or a low income that might restrict you. Eating like this does take time, money, and effort. And it might mean a bit of forward planning and preparation. But the good thing about meals like stir fries is that they're quick to make. They can be cooked the night before or in bulk, and the ingredients are pretty reasonably priced. I've been eating like this for 2 years, and I sometimes think I'd like it if my food stuff was quicker to do. I can sometimes feel not resentful but in that kind of category about how much time I spend per day preparing food, eating food, and then tidying up after. But then I realize it's an investment in my health. Not only short-term on a day-to-day basis, but I'm hoping it's going to be an investment in my health long term, as in weeks, months, years, decades ahead.
You might be looking at this thinking that's a lot of food for lunch. I've put 400 g of chicken in the pan, which gives me 100 g of protein. I'm doing a mini cook-up, making a double serving, so I'll have enough for lunch and dinner. And that will take me to 150 g of protein by the end of the day. And this is the part where I know some people come after me in the comments. How boring that you eat the same thing for lunch and dinner. Variety is the spice of life. I know. I just want things to be easy. And this isn't as boring as it sounds. I change the meat each day, change the vegetables and spices each day. And for those thinking it's boring to eat the same thing for lunch and dinner, I reckon if you came to my house and I made you this, you'd love it and you wouldn't mind eating it twice in a day.
Given that I'm having lunch and dinner, I tend to have more for lunch. So, I probably take about three-fifths. So, I've got not as much in my tummy closer to bed. That looks so good. I actually look forward to having the rest for dinner. I know some people like my mini tangents, so here goes. In what world is it considered boring or weird to eat food like this? The Western world with its marketing and the big food companies telling us what they want us to eat. The way I see it, what a privilege it is to have this kind of food available to me, that I have the places to buy it and the resources to cook it. I'm pretty sure there are thousands of people in this world that would give anything to eat food like this every day. And there's people telling me it's boring.
As long as I eat all of that by the end of the day, it means that I've got 170 g protein in. If you're wondering how I track my daily protein, I use an app called Chronometer. When I started this experiment, I spent hours researching the best food tracking apps, I tried the free version of this one, and I liked it. So, I paid for the upgraded version because I wanted to delve in deeper and get more details about the food I'm eating. I use the barcode scanner or search the food, enter how much of it I eat, and then up here, I've set my protein target to 150 g a day. And I've had such great results with Chronometer, I reached out to them to ask if they wanted to sponsor this video and they said yes. But even if this video wasn't sponsored, I'd show you this bit anyway because it's been such a helpful tool in me being able to track my protein. I chose Chronometer because it not only shows the usual stuff, calories, protein, carbohydrates, and fats. It also shows the nutrients in food, things like vitamins, minerals, and fiber, and I can see how much of those things I've had during the day. And it's a way to identify nutrient gaps in what I'm eating. You can see on this day I had lots of fiber, vitamin C, vitamin A, folate, and potassium. But I was low on iron and calcium, which seems to be a common pattern with how I'm eating at the moment. So, the app makes suggestions on what foods to eat to fill the nutrient gaps. And this bit is really important. Unlike other food tracking apps which rely on their users to enter foods into their database, so it's like me entering a food and then I make a mistake, but the app accepts it anyway and now the wrong information is available to everyone else who uses it. Chronometer is one of the few food tracking apps with a verified database of food. So each food that's been entered has been checked and verified to make sure that all of the information is correct, which makes perfect sense if you're using a food tracking app. If you want to try Chronometer, the free version or the paid version, I've left a link to it in the description.
Hello. This is one of the rituals that we've got as a family. I'll be working in the snug. Nanny will come in and see us. Okay, I'm at work. It's the afternoon and I'm getting that feeling again. I'm getting that hungry feeling. My initial reaction is, "Let's go downstairs and see what I can have for a snack." Then I realize it's 400 p.m. I'm only about half an hour to an hour away from my regular meal time. So I'm just going to go and have my dinner early. Even though I've been eating like this for a long time now, I still have that initial habit and that initial thought of "I'm hungry. Let's go and get a snack." And it's taken months, probably even the full 2 years for me to train myself that I don't snack. I just have proper meals and that if I'm hungry, it's because my body wants food, a certain amount of food, and the right kind of food.
Having my dinner already made means at the end of the day, after a day at my desk and I'm getting tired, I don't feel motivated to make food at all. My meal is already done. And the last thing I want to be doing is making dinner. So, it's great because I'm just going to have what I made for lunch. And all I need to do is eat what's in the pan and I've reached my 150 grams of protein. It's so easy. I'm just going to eat this cold. I know some people are going to think that's totally gross, but I don't mind eating cold food, especially when it's this tasty. Notice how she now has an arch in her foot. While arch support can be helpful for some, I don't eat like this all the time. I eat like this in the week and then I'm far more relaxed at the weekend. Oh, although I still aim for 150 g of protein a day because I've seen such significant results. Double chicken shish kebab and salad is one of my favorites at the weekend. When I go out, meet friends or go to a barbecue. It's still quite easy to get 50 g of protein in a meal. Sardines, lentils, five eggs. It took a bit of practice, but like with most things, it gets easier the more we do. And I'm so into this when I'm away or going on a long hike. I take a packet of pre-cooked fish. I pre-cook a steak, some potatoes and vegetables.
Okay, that's me done for the day. By the end of the day, I've usually eaten 150 g of protein from meat and fish. And by the time I've added the vegetables in, my day usually finishes on about 170 grams of protein. And I can't wait to tell you what I've experienced as a result of doing this. I know what I've showed you isn't revolutionary. There's nothing new and exciting about this, but from the videos I've seen of people who eat 150 g or more of protein a day, many rely on protein shakes to get their protein number up. Now, I'm not saying that that's bad. It actually makes it so much quicker and easier to achieve a high-protein day. But the issue I have with that is, like me, some people can be sensitive to whey and dairy, which can cause acne and stomach issues. And I don't need to tell you that ultra-processed food, even the stuff labeled high protein and healthy, isn't the best choice. There is a place for stuff like protein shakes and bars, but someone like me definitely doesn't need that dopamine spike on a daily basis from those delicious high-protein snacks. That sweet taste would just set me off on a roller coaster of poor choices. Ultimately, this comes down to me wanting and functioning so much better on real food. Nutrient-dense food is the key.
So, what have been the results of eating a minimum of 150 g of protein a day? The magic thing about eating high protein, it fills me up and it stops the constant food noise that I used to have. So, no more cravings. And by the time I've eaten the protein, then there's not as much room in my body for the ultra-processed foods, which then has its own benefits. And because protein is filling, it's easier for me to eat within my calorie range, so I can stay on top of my body fat with not much effort at all.
I've been weight training and eating high-protein meals for just over 2 years. Before doing this 150 g experiment, I was eating about 120 to 140 g of protein a day. But since increasing to 150, 160, 170 g a day, the results have been remarkable. My muscle mass and strength have increased significantly. I reached a plateau with my exercise and stayed there for months and couldn't break through. But with the extra protein, I broke through that plateau. I will say for transparency, at the same time as increasing the protein, I also increased the amount of creatine that I'm taking, going from one dose a day to three doses a day. That likely made a difference to my strength and muscle mass, too, but not all of what I've experienced from doing this. With more muscle, I'm able to work harder and generate more output during my interval training sessions, which is then allowing me to increase my V2 max. And a high V2 max is associated with living a longer and healthier life. Each time I get my haircut, my hairdresser tells me that my hair is growing thicker and faster than before. And I've actually been able to grow my hair longer over the past few months. And I haven't done that before because my hair was so thin and wispy. My blood sugar is stable throughout the day because of the high protein and vegetables. As a result, I have sustained energy, which then leads to better concentration, which for someone like me is an absolute bonus.
And this is a good bit. This is what I looked like when I was eating 120 to 140 g of protein a day. It was a vast improvement from me being skinny fat 2 years previous. And this is what I look like now on 150 to 170 grams of protein a day. There's obviously another nine months of weight training in this picture, but I'm much stronger now. And you know what? I feel really good.
Do you know how much protein you eat in a day? What do you think about this 150 g plan? I'd love to hear from you in the comments. I'm not sure if I'll stay on this eating plan forever, but for now, it's suiting my health and fitness goals, and it's making me feel great. If you found this video interesting, you might also find this one interesting, too.