High-protein, low carb, low-ish fat non-meat foods

[gtg947h]

Over the past few months I have discovered that a high-protein (180-200g) diet, especially with the protein "front loaded" during the day, mostly keeps me from feeling constantly hungry* and helps me go longer between meals.  Meanwhile, carbs just flush on through and I'm hungry again in an hour or three.

Eggs, turkey, and chicken seem to work wonders for this, but I'm looking for suggestions on non-meat foods with a high percentage of calories from protein, so I can mix things up a bit and not have to constantly be buying chicken at Sam's. 

I like lentils but they have too many carbs for what I'm looking for and aren't too practical to have on hand at work. 

Beans are great too, but again, lots of carbs for the protein I'm getting.

I like nuts, but the calories are mostly fats and a serving (ha, you call that a "serving"?!  that's a bite!) is absurdly small volume-wise.  In other words I don't find them filling at all unless I eat multiple servings.

Any suggestions on this?  I'm not cutting out meat, I just want a little variety. 

* to give you an idea... on a work day I'll have coffee (cream and sugar) plus two egg muffins (eggs, turkey sausage, cheese) for breakfast.  I delay the muffins a couple hours, till 7 or so, and deal with early morning hunger.

Lunch around 1130 is 5-6oz chicken, two tortillas, cheese, and a light dressing for some flavor.

Snack around 1400 is a can of tuna and a thing of nonfat Greek yogurt.

Throughout all of that I have a constant, low-grade hunger.  Not audibly rumbling, but a feeling that I could eat a whole extra meal at any time and not feel stuffed.

By the time I get home that night (1830 or so) I am audibly rumbling, and try to eat even more protein with dinner.  I'll finish the day having consumed about 3000 calories or so (maintenance for my activity level and I have the data to back it up).  And yet I'm still hungry.  I don't know what to do with that. 

(See, the dirty secret of losing significant weight is that your "reward" is that maintaining that weight loss means you have to eat fewer calories than your previous maintenance level... "congrats on losing 40lb, now you can eat less!")

[Rgarbe58]

Try the Beyond Meat products. They are meatless but have an awesome taste.  They are a plant protein based product.  They are really good.

Hope that helps

[MechEMom]

A couple of thoughts:

1. Fat is not bad - do you have a specific reason for eating low fat? If you're eating low-carb, to some extent you'll need to make up the calories in either protein or fat. Fat helps slow down digestion, helping you to feel fuller longer. It's flavor also contributes to a sensation of satiety (yes, humans can taste fat).

2. Based on what you described, you are eating very low fiber, and that is likely contributing to your hunger. Fiber slows down digestion, too, helping you to feel fuller longer.  I would try adding at least 10g of fiber per meal (avocados, blueberries, Aldi 90-calorie flatbreads, ground flax seed, etc.).

You don't specify how many carbs you're aiming for - are you trying for a specific ratio of carb/protein/fat?

[MechEMom]

Hit Post too soon...

Most plant-based protein sources (beans and lentils) the best ratio you're going to get is about 1:1 (equal amounts of carbs and protein, once fiber is factored in).

You'll need to get into more processed forms to change that ratio. Tofu, tempeh, highly-processed soy crumbles, plant-based protein powder, etc.

[gtg947h]

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@MechEMom wrote:

A couple of thoughts:

1. Fat is not bad - do you have a specific reason for eating low fat? If you're eating low-carb, to some extent you'll need to make up the calories in either protein or fat. Fat helps slow down digestion, helping you to feel fuller longer. It's flavor also contributes to a sensation of satiety (yes, humans can taste fat).

2. Based on what you described, you are eating very low fiber, and that is likely contributing to your hunger. Fiber slows down digestion, too, helping you to feel fuller longer.  I would try adding at least 10g of fiber per meal (avocados, blueberries, Aldi 90-calorie flatbreads, ground flax seed, etc.).

You don't specify how many carbs you're aiming for - are you trying for a specific ratio of carb/protein/fat?

Most plant-based protein sources (beans and lentils) the best ratio you're going to get is about 1:1 (equal amounts of carbs and protein, once fiber is factored in).

You'll need to get into more processed forms to change that ratio. Tofu, tempeh, highly-processed soy crumbles, plant-based protein powder, etc.

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1. I'm not trying for "low fat" per se--I'm trying for "high protein".  I get plenty of fats from the rest of what I'm eating.  What I'm trying to do is find some non-meat foods that have lots of protein without having to "spend" too many of my allotted calories for the day.  My calories are precious and I need to spend them wisely.

2.  I do a little better on days off just because I have more calories to work with (more like 3600-3800 on a good day), and can eat things like oatmeal in the morning or even have a piece or two of nice grainy bread.  Work days are hard; assuming I remember to (a) bring something like carrots, and then (b) eat said carrots, I can get fiber.  Otherwise I generally only get to vegetables at the end of the day.

I'm trying to hit 170-200g of protein per day, as a general goal.  On a 3000 calorie day that's 22-25% protein.  Past that I'm not super picky as regards fat vs. carbs numbers; I love carbs (too much).  I just discovered over the last few months that reducing my carb intake (relative to my previous levels) helped me reduce total calorie consumption.  Carbs go through me (hunger-wise) almost as if I didn't even eat them, but they add to the calorie number anyway.  

But if I have to go to processed stuff (e.g. tofu etc) to get what I'm looking for it'll probably be cheaper just to keep eating chicken.  Oh well.  One would think plant-derived foods would be cheaper than meat, but I guess not...

[MechEMom]

"But if I have to go to processed stuff (e.g. tofu etc) to get what I'm looking for it'll probably be cheaper just to keep eating chicken.  Oh well.  One would think plant-derived foods would be cheaper than meat, but I guess not..."

Plant-derived *foods*, yes. Plant-derived *protein*, no. There's a reason our ancestors learned to hunt! While it's possible to get enough protein from plants, it's definitely quicker, easier, and cheaper to harvest it from an animal. There's a LOT of waste when distilling a plant down to only protein, whereas with animal-based protein, there's not much waste. Herbivores are much more efficient at doing this than any mechanized or chemical system we've come up with so far.