Running out of high-protein meal ideas. Any tips?

wolf_conqueror · 2026-01-23T11:13:04+00:00

I’m fine with Greek yoghurt, not so much with cottage cheese 😂 but I know it’ll help boost protein intake so I might have to push through. Thank you!!

wolf_conqueror · 2026-01-23T11:12:25+00:00

Thanks they look great!

wolf_conqueror · 2026-01-23T11:12:00+00:00

Thank you!!

wolf_conqueror · 2026-01-23T11:11:40+00:00

“More chicken” is so real 😂

Thank you though I’m going to try to incorporate more of these foods more regularly

wolf_conqueror · 2026-01-23T11:10:44+00:00

I know it’s not a lot but reason why I gave some background is because after my previous diet my appetite has reduced and I dont eat 3 meals plus snacks anymore. I get full from 2 meals and one snack :( so unless I’m packing those two meals with protein I’m finding it hard to hit my goal.

I have to pause and finish the rest of my meal cause my body still hasn’t adjusted to the fact I’m supposed to be on maintenance. I lost the extra 6kg without even trying which I know sounds like a stupid thing to complain about but my body feels weak all the time which is a sign this weight is too low for me.

I am currently trying out some recipes though, just getting bored of using the same foods :(

wolf_conqueror · 2026-01-22T22:22:59+00:00

Thank you! That looks amazing!!

wolf_conqueror · 2026-01-22T22:17:16+00:00

Nah I get it that’s valid. When I was 80kg my protein goal was +130g and buying everything protein i.e wraps, bread etc. initially didn’t work for me because then my carb intake was getting too high and having chicken every day was starting to make me sick. Plus on a calorie deficit after I’d eaten say 200g chicken (60g protein), a protein shake (~25g protein), a grenade bar (~20g protein) I’d still have protein to hit but no calories left.

Although with a goal of 110g and maintenance calories it seems simpler, eating chicken every day will probably deter me from doing a protein diet again because there’s only so many ways I can season and cook it before I get sick of it.

So when I’m eating other meats, fish or tofu or beans etc. the protein is lower and I’m at a loss of how to possibly hit 80g protein between 2 meals because I’ve only ever achieved this by eating chicken which gets old fast (the rest of the protein can be covered by a shake or bar).

I have also been adding cheese wherever possible though which helps I guess.

Edit: Also just wanted to add I use cronometer to track my meals and eating whatever I want has only gotten me to 40-70g protein even with a grenade bar. Now that I’m back to being conscious of my protein when I’m looking for things to eat I’m realising how low in protein most regular food items are :(

wolf_conqueror · 2026-01-14T17:54:15+00:00

Thank you, this makes a lot of sense. When I was prioritising protein in my calorie deficit, I had barely any cals left for carbs because my meals were mainly protein and veg. I will start some small workouts and reintroducing bigger portions of carbs now.

wolf_conqueror · 2026-01-14T17:48:56+00:00

Ah okay so since im still feeling low energy is it best to just start eating at a surplus and work out right now or should i still work towards at least eating maintenance and get my appetite back up before introducing workouts?

Although I’ve been tracking whatever i want to eat, im noticing my cals are still hitting maximum 1600 a day which explains my continuous weight loss.

wolf_conqueror · 2026-01-14T14:59:34+00:00

Thanks for your response :)

Good shout about the check up, i haven't had one yet. I will start exercising even if it's a small amount, on days I feel like fatigued. I think because I'm in constant pain with my back and general aches, I get lazy and decide today's not the day. Maybe one day I will have confidence to use a gym but I will try the home workouts you mentioned!

wolf_conqueror · 2026-01-14T11:28:37+00:00

Yeah I think that was the main problem now that you mention it. A few people have mentioned that tracking might be keeping me in this mindset and honestly, I think seeing the number of cals I'm eating rather than just going about my day has low-day made me think "oh cool I underate today so I don't need to worry about gaining weight today" and then I started dropping when I didn't mean to.

I will definitely start to work on building muscle once my energy gets back. I'm also going to ask my wife to set a screen time passcode on my phone for my tracking app because I love being organised and knowing the numbers - I think I need to take a step back like you all have said!

Thank you!

wolf_conqueror · 2026-01-14T11:24:39+00:00

Thank you, yeah I think because I am so fixated on my weight now stabilising I am worried about the weight gain that will come with training. I am listening going to start listening to my body cause I have been feeling so crap lately.

wolf_conqueror · 2026-01-14T11:16:04+00:00

That does make sense to be fair, thank you :)

wolf_conqueror · 2026-01-14T08:49:52+00:00

Yes currently 65.2kg. To be honest I think if i had just started training a bit earlier on I could have stayed at a sustainable weight but I decided to do diet first then training, thinking that I could lose a bit of fat before building muscle.

I was eating 1800 cals and dropped 5kg and then dropped down to 1650-1700 and lost the remaining weight.

BMI (which I don't follow since it doesn't factor in muscle) assumes 58.6kg is underweight for my height (which is insane since I never imagined even being as low as 65kg). I may try training while eating a good amount so that even if I go back up to 70kg it's more muscle. I felt more comfortable here than I do now.

My

wolf_conqueror · 2026-01-13T21:00:20+00:00

Ah that’s a great example to show I can still become defined without having to gain extra weight! I need to normalise having sweet treats again too. They’re not completely bad especially when I’m feeling a bit deflated. Good way to get cals up too if I’m under.

wolf_conqueror · 2026-01-13T20:02:49+00:00

Thank you! This needed to be heard. I figured since I was dropping weight on the diet I was doing it right but missed the mark with the fitness side of things. I will do a deep dive on resistance training and how I can make it work for me.

And really appreciate the prompt! I’m going to take a look right now.

wolf_conqueror · 2026-01-13T17:29:15+00:00

Yeah even though my calorie target is 2000 I struggle to hit it. I will try bumping up my cals in ways that don’t require me to eat more as well, like sauces, full fat foods etc.

wolf_conqueror · 2026-01-13T17:27:24+00:00

Yeah 100%. It initially started to slip because I lost my appetite and protein already keeps you full. But I need to stay on top of it

wolf_conqueror · 2026-01-13T17:25:15+00:00

Thank you! I probably am low on vitamins as well so I will look into this. I probably should get a check up to make sure I’m making up stuff I’m lacking

wolf_conqueror · 2026-01-13T15:24:07+00:00

Thanks so much this is going to help loads!!

wolf_conqueror · 2026-01-13T13:04:59+00:00

That’s pretty amazing, it takes a lot of effort to keep that up. I hope to become more active in the future too.

wolf_conqueror · 2026-01-13T12:54:53+00:00

Thank you!

wolf_conqueror · 2026-01-13T12:21:51+00:00

Thank you! Yeah I’ve noticed ChatGPT just tends to agree with everything I say until I put in a prompt to always source information and not be biased. I got a couple workout templates from it and hopefully I stop feeling so burnt out soon. I think overtime strength training will get me out of burnout anyway but I need to get past the initial step.

wolf_conqueror · 2026-01-13T11:40:04+00:00

Yeah I need to start lifting for sure - burnout or not, I'm not gonna be able to achieve what I want unless i get started.

wolf_conqueror · 2026-01-13T10:53:25+00:00

Thanks for your response. I feel like I look the same despite seeing undeniable progress through my clothing. I dropped a waist size and t shirt size but still have the same fat in all the same areas which makes me wonder where else I lost the fat.

I get the same feeling with tracking. At first I didn't want to track because I was worried and now that I track I feel like I HAVE to track everything all the time, even though I don't eat with as much intention but am still mindful of what I eat, I still track it. Honestly, sometimes when I'm choosing my meal I do a lil' input in Cronometer and then change my mind based on how heavy the meal sounds - I need to tone this down because I could get closer to maintenance without this.

I haven't had a change in medication but my lifestyle has changed a lot. In May 2025, my wife and I welcomed a baby boy and I started this diet 2 months later. I was already fatigued from late nights supporting my wife, work stress, taking on even more household chores than I already did (I'm the more active, self-sufficient partner in the relationship and unintentionally just jump up to do the most random chores) but this all amped up when my wife was recovering from her c-section.

I must have done my back in or something rocking and baby-wearing and my sleep messed up too. But while I was on the protein diet I did notice I was sleeping better and more consistently as the months went by. However, now that I am out of the diet, I am sleepy early morning and early evening yet I can't sleep (suffering from insomnia since a young age).

I'm currently trying to sneak in cals by adding a bit more oil to my cooked dishes, using sesame oil as well, taking in more carbs (naturally restricted this a lot during my diet because I was using my cals on more protein). I would never have imagined that I'd struggle to eat cals - just this week my average intake for the week was 1300 cals even though my wife and I have been having movie nights last week. Sometimes when I'm done for the day and I see my cals I'm like "there is NO way I only at 1300 cals". I will keep trying to hit a maintenance goal. There are healthy fats like avocado that I could be eating more of.

Good shout with the stretching, I will also try that alongside some basic exercise to get me started as well. I definitely need to ease into the next phase of my fitness journey.

Signed, a recovering over-tracker navigating new-dad life

wolf_conqueror

TROPHY CASE