Why do I talk about protein so much? Because getting my protein right was a huge piece of the puzzle for getting my health back. I got well from chronic migraines by using a high fat ketogenic diet cycling off 1 day a week to add in a sweet potato meal. I never cheated on the diet and I could tell from the beginning it was healing my migraines. It still took time, but after I was well for a while I decided it was time to get in shape. I lost a lot of muscle when I was sick as I could not even go for walks easily and the migraines would hit one after another. They were debilitating so the idea of “getting fit” during that time wasn’t a thought. My goal was to make it to bed each day in one piece.
The first thing I did was make a commitment 6 months out so I had a goal, something to shoot for. I chose a Spartan Sprint obstacle course race. I was pretty sure I could master the racing part of it just fine as I was a marathoner prior to getting struck with the migraines, and with muscle memory plus knowing how to train I was okay on that part. But muscle. . .I barely had any. I was saggy and soft, and got winded walking back in from my garden.
After being sidelined for so long I knew I needed help to fix my lack of muscle, plus I had a goal to reach. I made a public announcement on my social media, then joined a gym. On day 2 at the gym the trainer was talking to me about my food choices. I was still ketogenic because I had a bit of fear of leaving the healing power of that diet, but it was time to change it up. What he said to me was “Linda, you’re an athlete now. You need to eat like one.”
WHAT? Me? An athlete? I loved how that sounded and I ran with it. I dressed like an athlete, I thought “what would an athlete do” type of thoughts, and, most importantly I ate like an athlete. When I was doing those long races of ½ and full marathons I was a carb-o-holic as many endurance people were back then. “Load up” they’d say and I did. Bagels, bananas and chocolate milk were my training foods. Pizza, tater tots, pub burgers, black bean burgers, lots of almonds, pasta, and homemade bread not to mention I ate so many salads. . .it was a diet nightmare to be honest. I had no idea what my macros were or calories. It never occurred to me to track any of it. All I knew was to eat a lot of carbs, fill up with salads and whatever other food I wanted. . .and that was good enough to do the races. Also, I looked amazingly fit back then.
What I did was increase my protein from 18-22% of my diet to 35%, and lowered the fat to a moderate amount. I continued to do my 1 sweet potato meal a week, and ate oranges after training. That worked. That really worked. That’s not what I do now, but I continually dial in my nutrition to meet what is going on in my life and my training, also for the season as I prefer to eat a seasonal and local diet.
What I did not know then but know now is why that works. That’s what I want women to understand. Protein and lifting weights is where the metabolism FIX is. Muscle burns calories all day and all night, so by building muscle, we can be lean, strong, healthy, resilient. . .all the things. In order to build muscle, we need optimal protein. Not too much, not too little – but that Goldilocks amount of protein.
In another post I will go into protein distribution and meal timing because those do play a role, but not as much as getting in that right amount of protein. That will be your biggest lever.
Here are the take-a-ways:
- Aim for 1 gram per pound protein per pound of healthy body weight. We can dial that in later, but aim for that to start.
- Figure out your calorie amount for your height, gender, age and activity level by using an online calculator. I like this one https://criticalcarnivore.netlify.app/ and this one https://fabulousbody.com/tdee-calculator/ The number we want to calculate – the amount of calories we need each day – is called Total Daily Expenditure, or TDEE. I have an example below to show the math.
- Now you know how much you are supposed to eat in a day and how much protein you need each day. These will be your guidelines.
- Track your food for a few weeks in a tracking app like My Fitness Pal https://www.myfitnesspal.com/ or Carb Manager https://www.carbmanager.com/ I like both.In the apps you can plug in your calorie amount, and your protein amount. What about fats and carbs? I have found that those vary per person as well. I have thrived on zero carb even while training and have thrived eating carbs. There is no one right way. BUT, if you focus on getting your protein amount in FIRST AT EACH MEAL, then eat whatever is left of your meal after that, you’ll be in a good spot. Don’t overthink it. Increase the protein, eat it first, then finish your normal meal staying within your calories. Some people need 4 meals a day and others prefer 2. . .you do you. There is no one right way. I used to eat one meal a day and thrived, but that no longer works for me and I need at least 2 meals a day with breakfast at sunrise being my first.
- Lift heavy weights at least 2x per week. If you need help, hire a trainer for a few weeks to teach you what to do. Non-negotiable.
- Last tip is to walk for 10-15 minutes after your meals.
If you do these few take-a-ways, you will see change. Again, don’t over think the food part. Eat whole foods as much as possible and prioritize protein (eat it first) at every single meal. Last tip on the protein, do what you can to get this from meat, eggs, chicken and fish, and not protein powders. They do have their place, but food has all the cofactors that go along with the protein so it is usually the better choice. But, by all means, if you need to use one due to whatever reason, do so. Just be sure of the ingredients. I recommend Equip Prime Protein https://www.equipfoods.com/products/prime-protein-beef-isolate-protein (I am not an affiliate, it is just the cleanest protein I have found that doesn’t cause insulin spikes)
EXAMPLE of the MATH:
Let’s say I weigh 170 but my healthy weight is 130, I would aim for 130 grams of protein a day. If I put my numbers into the calculator above, I would find out my calorie amount to maintain my weight, my TDEE, is about 1960 calories. If I want to lose weight I would eat in a calorie deficit. The calculator will give you that number, too, so for me it gave me a daily calorie amount of 1468.
When I put this number into my food tracker, then log in my protein amount which is 130 grams, I let the calculator distribute the rest between fat and carbs. As long as your protein amount is set, and you stay in that deficit, the carbs and fat can be distributed in a way that you feel best. Personally, I prefer lower carb, but a few of my family members do better with higher carb. We are all different.
Just a word of advice. . .if you are not hungry after you eat your protein portion, do not stuff yourself to get in your calories. Eat until you are comfortably full, then stop. Most people find protein so satiating that they have trouble eating all the food. It is a huge eye opener how powerful our choices of food can be, and how a nutrient dense diet that is protein focused can make maintaining muscle and managing weight loss.
As always, you can set up a one on one consulting call with me if you need help dialing this in.
Disclaimer: Linda is a not a medical provider. She is also not your nutritionist. This post is informational and entertainment only, and is based on Linda’s own experiences. Be sure to check with your own healthcare provider before making any changes to your diet.
