When I think back to what I use to think about protein, I thought about body builders. Less is more right? Wow, was I wrong. In my younger years I could get away with eating less protein, but now it is super important for me to track and make sure I am getting enough to keep the unwanted weight off. I eat about 500 more calories than I was and I have probably tripled my protein intake.
4 reasons why you need to hit your protein goals this week:
- It boosts our metabolism: protein revs up your metabolism, helping your body burn more calories even at rest. It's like a metabolic booster in a cup!
- It reduces your appetite: protein keeps you feeling full and satisfied, making it easier to resist those tempting, unhealthy snacks.
- It preserves lean muscle: when you are losing weight, you want to lose fat, not precious muscle. Protein helps protect your muscle mass.
- It repairs and builds: protein is the building block of a leaner, stronger you. It's vital for recovery and muscle growth.
My favourite protein go-to's:
- smoothies: I usually have one smoothie a day whether that is with fruit or chocolate and peanut butter. It depends on what my macros look like. See my favourite chocolate recipe below.
- air fryer salmon: super easy to make and salmon is high in protein. I usually have Salmon on Monday and Tues on my low carb days because we eat higher fats on those days and salmon has good healthy fats in it.
- FASTer Way Collagen is 11 g of protein so I add it at least once a day to something: coffee, smoothie, soup.
- turkey breasts and ground beef are easy to make ahead and are high in protein. I like making bowls for lunch so I always have some protein already cooked so I can just warm and add to my bowl. I like to add about 4-5 oz of meat, 1 cup of lettuce (arugala, spinach, romaine), some beets, some raw or roasted vegetables and usually 1/4 cup of rice or quinoa.
- if I am in a rush and on the go, I grab one of my oatmeal protein bars or a pre-packaged RX Bar - I like the sea salt one. It has 11 g or so of protein as well (full of egg whites, and nuts).
Chocolate Protein Shake 54 g of protein
- 1 scoop FASTer Way chocolate protein powder
- 1 scoop FASTer Way collagen powder
- 1/2 cup of greek yogurt (I only add this if I am low for the day for protein)
- 1/2 banana
- 6 ice cubes
- 1 scoop of Peanut Butter Powder (PB2)
Blend.
Quick little trick. If you need 120 g of protein in the day and you eat 5 meals that meals each meal make sure you have 24 g of protein and you will always be good. If I get my protein intake for the my first meal, I am usually set up good for the day.