When I started exercising more I realized that I'd need to eat more protein if I didn't want to be sore and tired all the time. Here's the type of stuff I eat now regularly:

-peanut butter by the spoonful (with honey... mmmm)
-eggs (boiled, omelette, scrambled, deviled, fried, etc.)
-milk (by the pint)
-quinoa (a high-protein grain, eaten instead of rice)
-tuna, salmon, and other fish
-chicken
-bison jerky

If you're having trouble eating meat just because of the monotony check out Free The Animal, he's got a bajillion different ways to dress up your meat in all kinds of fancy sauces.

Good luck!

-Nik

Sick of chicken!
 

Hey all. I have been 'living a healthier lifestyle' for 7 weeks now and love the results! As of today I am officially down 43 pounds (Wooohooo!). I am finding lately, though, that I am VERY sick of chicken and turkey. So, I am wondering, what sources of protein do you eat? Do you eat hamburger? If so, what kind? I need to switch things up a bit or I know I am going to fail. Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated. :)

I am a meat eater, and I will not give up red meat. And let's face it: there's only so many ways to dress up a boneless skinless chicken breast. You can make it part of a healthy lifestyle if you buy the leanest cuts you can, and are mindful of portion sizes. I use ground sirloin because it's at least 90% lean, and because it's so lean, you don't get the puddle of grease and you don't have to drain it, it doesn't really cook down, so you can use 3/4 lb where you would normally use a full pound of hamburger. That helps to offset the higher price. Some people will mix ground beef with ground turkey to get the flavor of beef with less fat/calories. I also make stew and pot roast, again using the leanest cuts I can find and trimming all visible fat off. Top round roast sliced very thin makes a mean stir fry, I use garlic, cauliflower, broccoli, some water chestnuts and bamboo, and some beef broth and cornstarch to make a sauce.

I also like fish, though I can't get the rest of the family on board with that. The hubs does like shrimp, so I'm looking for more shrimp recipes. I've also been thinking about getting a grilling basket, so I can make myself fish when I'm grilling him chicken.

I also make scrambled eggs with one whole egg and 2 whites. I often will throw in spinach, mushroom, tomatoes, or whatever other veggies are on hand. Greek yogurt is awesome, I have this forum to thank for that find. Those individual packets of tuna fish are perfect for one sandwich or on a salad. Hard boiled eggs and string cheese sticks come in handy too.

lazycritter hit most of the high points there so hopefully you can get a few ideas.

In addition to those, I also buy some of that imitation crab and make salads (like chicken or tuna, but sub in the fake crab stuff). I also buy turkey or chicken 'bratwursts'/sausages when they're on sale because they're kind of expensive otherwise. It's still chicken and turkey, but it tastes way different.

I like to sub in cottage cheese or beans with meals too, added protein and the beans have lots of fiber. So even if I'm eating chicken, I might spice it up with some fajita seasoning and add some beans, gives it a taco flavor.

Sometimes a good old protein shake gets me what I need without the hassle of an actual meal. Find one you like and go with it. I'll make a bowl of oatmeal and add protein powder to it, chocolate is especially delicious in oatmeal!

Wow!!
 

Hi amylee-flippin eck 43lbs in 7weeks that is amazing! A massive well done! How did you do that-you must have worked really hard. I love chicken and turkey but i know it can get a bit boring. I usually get some which is pre-marinated in different seasonings at the supermarket. Chilli and coriander,lemon and pepper,garlic and herb etc.
I grill and bake alot of fish which is a great source of protein and of course low in fat and really quick. Try salmon parcels-wrap a piece in baking parchment or foil (like an envelope) and add some soy,ginger,chilli,half a lemon and few sprigs of coriander and bake til cooked. Its really juicy and tastes good with some roasted veggies or egg noodles. I also have supplies of tinned tuna and mackerel thats nice and quick if aint time to cook and i have these with salad. Eggs are also a great source of protein so omelettes,frittata or poached with asparagus and black pepper. I also like making my own crabcakes with tinned variety using sweet potato and chillies. Not sure if ive helped but hope youve got some new ideas to get am idea from. Keep up the good work! Oh yeah try beanburgers or making your own mini meat ones with turkey mince or extra lean mince-just add some breadcrumbs,herbs and egg to bind,form in patties and cook in frylight to brown and put in oven 15mins til cooked through. Good luck

Lizzy crawled into my head and took my answer ;).

Seriously, what she does is exactly the advice I would give. Yes, I eat hamburger and steak, though I eat chicken more. The only additional thing I do other than what Lizzy described is if I use ground beef in something like pasta sauce or casserole or tacos, I rinse it in a colander in the sink after I cook it, in order to wash away any remaining fat. I read that somewhere about 15 years ago and have just always done it. Our grocery store has 93% lean ground beef and if you use very lean beef it's really not much different calorically from chicken.

Sometimes I use pork tenderloin, also very lean, trimming off all visible fat. I either roast it or make barbecue (I hear Weight Watchers has an excellent barbecue pork recipe..try Google and see if you can find it if interested). Fish, yes, shrimp, yes, Greek yogurt...big thumbs up. I have almonds or pistachios or walnuts for snacks and Cabot makes a 75% reduced fat cheese that is 60 calories an ounce and something like 9 grams of protein. When our deli puts the good lunchmeat on sale (no fillers), I buy it and snack on it, plain.

Looks like you have some good ideas above to work with. Congrats on your loss so far!

I used to do the fake crab too, but then I read the package and realized it's half sugar and potato flour :mad: Beans are great, I forgot about those. I can't bring myself to rinse the ground beef, though it does reduce the fat. My mom used to do that, but she didn't drain it very well or heat it back up afterward. Really, she could screw up boiling water.....I love her dearly, but she's not a cook lol :D

Beans, tofu, soy, soy milk, nuts, bread, oatmeal... that's how I get all of my protein. I also have a protein shake mix, but I find that I rarely need to use it. Granted, my diet is probably very different from others posted here. :P

Aaack...no wonder you were put off by it! No, I rinse and return to the pan and heat in the recipe. Some people will freeze it at that point and just add the beef crumbles in when they cook at a later time, but I'm not that organized.

Thanks for the tip about the imitation crab. I'll avoid that, too. One thing I forgot was the Special K Protein Plus cereal. It's 10 grams of protein, but beware, as there is high fructose corn syrup in it :mad:. For me, the trade off is worth it; for others, maybe not. It's gotta be something you can live with, after all. If I had to make my pie chart look perfect every day and avoid all the things that are supposed to be bad, I'd be bingeing for sure!

Everyone on here has given most of the tips I would have given too. I would second the greek yogurt suggestion - full of protein. 1 cup has as many grams of protein as a piece of fish! I don't know where you shop, but at Walmart I can usually find 96/4 ground beef, which is super lean. I like to fold in chopped red onions, some greek seasoning, kalamata olives (chopped), and a little feta cheese for a greek burger on the grill. The onions, olives, and cheese add some extra moisture so the burger doesn't dry out as much.

I would also say that I like to make an egg salad because it tastes like I'm eating junk food! I hard boil about 3 eggs, cut out 2 of the yolks, add celery, onion, garlic salt and a little fat free mayo or light miracle whip and some spicy brown mustard. Eat alone, with crackers, or my favorite - atop a Thomas multigrain light English muffin for even more protein and lots of fiber.