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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