If you’re trying to get in shape, you gotta have protein!

Protein is an important building block for our muscles—but it’s also important if you are trying to lose weight.

Eating enough protein will help you to maximize your gains in the gym by giving your body the raw materials it needs to effectively recover from your workouts.

Remember—we don’t actually build anything while we’re in the gym working out. When we train effectively, we actually create microscopic tears in our muscle fibers. After the workout, given enough rest and proper nutrition (including plenty of protein), our bodies will repair the damaged tissue, increase the size of the muscle fibers, and make them stronger.

But if you don’t give your body enough protein, you’re limiting your recovery and the amount of muscle you’ll be able to build.

Eating plenty of protein is also helpful if you are on a fat loss journey.

In order to burn fat, our bodies need to be in a calorie deficit (meaning, you eat fewer calories than what your body burns every day).

When we’re in a calorie deficit, however, our bodies not only burn fat—but they also break down muscle tissue to make up for the energy you’re not taking in through your food. As we lose muscle, the metabolism slows down—making it harder and harder to continue to lose fat over the long run.

Eating plenty of protein will help to minimize the break-down of your muscle tissue and to keep your metabolism high.

High protein foods also tend to be less calorie dense and more satiating. This means that you’ll get more of a sense of being “full” for longer on fewer calories.

Eating a High Protein Diet

To make sure you’re getting enough protein, a good rule of thumb is to eat .8 grams of protein per pound of your body weight. To calculate your body’s protein needs, take your body weight in pounds and multiply it times 0.8.

So if you weigh 150lb, aim to get about 120 grams of protein per day:

150 x 0.8 = 120

If you measure your weight in kg, aim to eat between 1.2 and 2 grams of protein per kg of bodyweight.

Once you know roughly how many grams of protein you need to eat every day, divide that number across the amount of meals and snacks you typically eat each day.

For example, if you need 120 grams of protein and you eat three meals and one snack per day, you could shoot for each meal to have 30-36 grams of protein and your snack at least 10 grams of protein.

When choosing meals and snacks, you’ll want to prioritize lean sources of protein—that is, protein-rich foods that have little or no saturated fat. Vegetarian sources of protein (like soy products), white meat (like chicken breast or turkey breast), and lean cuts of red meat are good lean sources of protein.

In my diet, I personally try to include a lean source of protein at every meal (at least 25g) and in both of my 2 daily snacks (at least 10g). This allows me to hit my daily goal of between 90 and 115 grams of protein.

I think it’s generally easier to plan a meal around a source of protein than it is to choose high-protein snacks. Most people (at least in the US) are used to thinking about snacks as high carbohydrate foods—like chips, cookies, and other similar processed foods. But in order to maximize your gains by eating plenty of protein, you’ll want to rethink how you approach your snacks.

Below are a few examples of high protein snacks that you can begin to incorporate into your weekly meal plan to boost your protein intake.

If you’re interested in more recipes like this, check out my Patreon page and consider subscribing to get exclusive weekly recipes and training tips! (click here to check out the Patreon channel).

Recipes

Simple Tuna Salad

5 ingredients · 10 minutes · 1 serving

Ingredients

• 1 can Tuna (drained)

• 1/2 Green Apple (chopped)

• 1 stalk Green Onion (finely sliced) 

• 1 tbsp Mayonnaise

• Sea Salt & Black Pepper (to taste)

Directions

1. Add all ingredients to a large bowl and mix until well combined. Enjoy!

Notes

• How to Serve: Enjoy alone, on crackers, on a sandwich, or over greens.

• Leftovers: Refrigerate for two to three days.

• Canned Tuna: One can of tuna is equal to 165 grams (5.8 ounces).

Turkey Wraps with Almonds, Cucumbers & Blueberries

6 ingredients · 10 minutes · 1 serving

Ingredients

• 1/4 Apple (cored, sliced)

• 1 oz Havarti Cheese (sliced)

• 3 1/2 ozs Sliced Turkey Breast 

• 1/2 cup Blueberries

• 1/4 cup Almonds

• 1/2 Cucumber (large, sliced)

Directions
1. Layer the apple and havarti on top of the sliced turkey. Roll into wraps and serve with the blueberries, almonds and cucumber. Enjoy!

Notes

• No Turkey Breast: Use ham, prosciutto, salami, collard greens or lettuce instead.

• Dairy-Free: Use avocado instead of havarti.

• Nut-Free: Use pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds instead.

• Leftovers: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to three days.

Granola, Yogurt & Berry Snack Box

3 ingredients · 5 minutes · 1 serving

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Plain Greek Yogurt 

• 1 cup Strawberries (sliced) 

• 1/3 cup Granola

Directions

1. Assemble all ingredients into a storage container and refrigerate until ready to eat. Enjoy!

Notes

• Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 3 days.

• Gluten-Free: Ensure a gluten-free granola is used.

• Dairy-Free & Vegan: Use a dairy-free yogurt.

Jayd Harrison (Jaydigains)

Jayd Harrison (Jaydigains) is a personal trainer and affiliate streamer on Twitch. She has been an active trainer since 2014 and now specializes in comprehensive weight loss coaching. Check out some of Jayd’s coaching videos on Youtube, or join Jayd live on Twitch on Tuesdays & Thursdays 11am EST for a Fit Q&A session.

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