If you’re new here, check out part one of my healthy habits journey. Last week I challenged myself to get at least 10,000 steps every day. I’m on track to finish this month-long journey strong!

How it started

The goal this week was to eat 120g of protein every day. I managed to achieve it 6 out of 7 days, but it took a lot of planning. I kept to the same breakfast and lunch Monday – Friday, but allowed myself some wiggle room on the weekends. Let’s dive in.

What I did

Since I planned ahead for 15 out of 21 meals, I mostly had to plan ahead for dinner. Here’s a breakdown day by day:

Day 1: 132g protein

Breakfast- Protein coffee (black coffee with your choice of protein shakes. I love this one and this one), chunky monkey overnight oats

Lunch- Lighter Caesar salad w/ chicken

Dinner- Tuna steak w/ rice

Day 2: 143g protein

Dinner- Chicken tacos w/ corn tortillas and pineapple

Day 3: 117g protein

Dinner: Homemade chili with shredded cheese

Day 4: 125g protein

Dinner: Chili cheese turkey dogs (2)

Day 5: 132g protein

Dinner: Ham & egg bake with SF syrup

Day 6: 128g protein

Breakfast- Protein coffee, protein granola w/ almond milk

Lunch- Chicken nuggets & red grapes

Dinner- Homemade shredded BBQ chicken (I like this SF sauce.) on a low carb bun

Day 7: 152 g protein

Breakfast- Protein coffee, ham & egg bake

Lunch- Chicken tacos w/ corn tortillas & homemade Pico de Gallo, black grapes

Dinner- 6- chicken wings at a local restaurant, banana

Some of my favorite snacks: Built Bars, Halo Top ice cream, grapes, banana bread, Chobani Key Lime Flips yogurt, Healthy Chickpea Cookie Dough Dip

What I noticed

I think I noticed a slight increase in satiety due to the extra protein, but I was also trying to listen to my body more. I have a habit of eating out of boredom or habit, rather than when my body is actually telling me I’m hungry. I wish I had more interested feedback for you, but I don’t.

Conclusion

Though there are many benefits to a higher protein diet, I don’t think this is sustainable for regular folks such as myself. I’m not doing any powerlifting or extreme sports- which would require extra protein and calories in general. I’m also unclear if the way I was consuming the protein was beneficial. Most days my breakfast alone equaled 56 grams of protein. According to The Mayo Clinic, “Research indicates that consuming protein in amounts exceeding 40 grams at a single meal offers no additional benefits compared to adhering to the recommended 15-30 grams at once.”¹ To be honest, I probably won’t continue this habit. I had to put a lot of thought into each meal I was preparing and I don’t enjoy tracking foods.

As for my Healthier Habits Series, I’ve been able to maintain having one salad most days, drinking more water (maybe not 1/2 gallon daily), and completing at least 10,000 steps every day. Did I fail this experiment? Of course not. I’ve determined which habits are attainable, and which may be out of my realm for the time being. I still introduced 2 healthier habits into my daily life. For me, that’s a win.

On the subject of Part Two of this series, I don’t think I will be continuing. I have seen minimal interaction on these posts, which take time to develop and chart. I’m curious what you do want to read about. Let me know in the comments, and thanks for following along so far.

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