Hi, I'm new. I've been counting calories for the last year or so and I've had alot of success with that. I've lost about 40 pounds. However I noticed recently that some of what I have lost was muscle. I've done alot of research online and am considering trying the high protein 5-6 meal a day approach. The only problem is that everywhere I've read suggests one gram of protein for every pound of body weight. That's 130 grams of protein for me! Which would be challenging enough but my doctor has me on a high fiber diet for digestive issues. There don't seem to be any foods that are high fiber and high protein? It seems to get that much protein I'd have to sacrifice alot of fiber rich foods. Any suggestions? This just seems impossible.

Sarah

Have you thought of protein shakes (with protein powder)? You can add a lot of fiber like Glucomannan, flax seeds, etc. to the shake.

Uhmmm ... I thought it was a gram of protein for every 2 lbs of body weight; that would then be 65 grams a day for you, which you could work up to over time.

You can get protein from other sources besides lean meats & fish, like beans & lentils of all kinds, low-fat cheeses, yogurt, milk, cottage cheese, eggs, peanut & other nut butters, nuts & seeds, quinoa, tempeh, soy milk, soy curd, and whey protein powders too ...

Many other foods have some protein, just not as much as those listed above, i.e. grains like barley, tapioca pudding, breads & some veggies like peas, kale, spinach, broccoli, brussel sprouts, and sweet potatoes, etc.

I've been buying the Carb Smart bread from Julian Bakery. It's carried at my local health food store, but you can order it online too. It's high in both fiber as well as protein.

Struggled with too many carbs while trying to get more fiber in my diet. I've recently started using the Primal Fuel powder and have added some psyllium husks to it. But cutting calories means I have to be careful what I'm adding to the diet, so I also added a really good probiotic and am eating foods rich in magnesium too (like spinach) to help me "move things along".

I'm curious as to how you've determined you've lost muscle. From what I've read, you don't really "lose" muscle unless you're at an extremely low bodyfat and you're cutting calories a lot. You don't build muscle from eating protein. The protein feeds the muscle being built only if you're exercising those muscles.

A high protein diet is great if you want to build muscle, but I think you would be better off counting your calories and mixing your diet with a wider variety of foods.

I got into the high fiber thing back in the day after my cousin passed away from a long battle of cancer, which stemmed from colon cancer originally. I got scared cause I was always having problems with my stomach...and couldn't do a BM for a few days....

Anyways now I have worked fiber into my low calorie diet quite well. There are a lot of high fiber low cal foods....like the bread I have is 50 cals a slice with 5 grams of fiber....

I also have high fiber cereals...high fiber eggo waffels, fiber one bars/brownies, beans (which are good for protien and fiber) and even high fiber pasta noodles. Just pay attention to the food lables and you should be able to find some good stuff. Fiber is super important to weight loss..make sure to keep hydrated though..that fiber needs water to soak up and pass!

*don't forget your veggies!*

You may find you will eat more as protein has more calories than grains and vegetables. Same amount of calories, but more food!

According to the CDC you only need about 46 grams a day.
http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/everyon...s/protein.html

You're choice though! I think it is really hard to eat that much protien and count calories!

Try adding ground chia seed to everything you can! I put it in protein shakes, sprinkle it on salads, etc. It is high in omega 3's, high in protein, and high in fiber. But low in carbs, calories and fat.