I feel like the dumbest person in the world when it comes to protein. I knew I needed a high protein, low carb diet to lose weight. But truthfully, I didn’t know just how much protein I needed until recently.
Last year I went on a “high protein, low carb diet”. The doctor said to download one of those apps to keep track of what I was eating and just follow that and I would be fine. So I did. I got the app, I stopped eating things like bread, pasta, rice and sweet treats. No soda for me!! I really watched my carb intake. I was faithful to enter every morsel of food I ate into the app.
At the end of each day the app would congratulate me and tell me how good I was doing and that if I kept it up I would reach my goal by a certain time. It all sounded great!!
After the first week I got on the scale. It did not budge!! Not even an ounce lost!! Give it time I said to myself, your body is adjusting, it will come off, just keep doing what you are doing. It will be fine. I waited a month until my next way-in. I wanted to see some progress. Nothing! Nada!! Not even an ounce!! OK so now I am like ticked off and thinking the scale was not working properly. So, I got a friend to step on the scale. It weighed him up perfectly to what he knew was his current weight. Ugh!! What is going on?? I’m really not cheating on the diet. I truly am being diligent in my efforts.
So to shorten this story up a bit, I kept at the diet being very careful of what I ate. Entering everything into the app. I weighed myself after a total of 3 months. Hanging my head in shear exhaustion, I did not lose a thing. Three months into this and nothing to show for it. I was seriously disgusted and depressed. I gave up!!
Recently, while doing some research on some of my health issues I stumbled upon an article about protein. Did you know your protein needs change with age, health, activity level, etc.? Did you also know that all the food labels out there give you the protein level based on an active, healthy, 20 year old and not for older people?
Once finding this I really dove into researching protein. Could this have been why I did not lose even a pound of weight? Yes, I believe it was. From what I found, the average 20 year old healthy person who is active needs between 40 and 50 grams of protein a day to maintain good health and weight. Well, I have not seen 20 in more than 30 years and I am severely over-weight and in poor health. Further study showed I needed about 90 grams just to maintain where I am at now, which sucks, and upwards of about 120 grams of protein a day if I want to lose weight, regain muscle that I have lost due to the illnesses and sedentary lifestyle. I am in bad shape!!
So, now armed with this new information I am going to start the diet trail again. I have ordered protein shakes that claim they have 30 grams of protein each. They are not cheap and I can barely afford them. But I know I need the added boost because I just do not eat enough to get enough protein from food alone. If I eat too much I get sick to my stomach. I never was a very big eater but you would not think that to look at me.
Also during my research I found a very good list of some of the symptoms of protein deficiency. It scared the dickens out of me. I experience everyone of those symptoms!! Migraines, fatigue, muscle pain and weakness, joint pain, edema, etc. I know some of these symptoms can also be caused by other things. And I have been through the mill with doctors and tests to find out what in the heck is wrong. Yes, I had cancer 3 years ago and I have a myriad of health issues. But, every doctor I saw always told me there was nothing more they could do for me. I just have to live with it. None however, even considered the possibility of something as simple and as fixable as a protein deficiency. So I am!!
Why do I think I have a protein deficiency? When I was entering all the information into that app it would give me my daily protein intake for the day. I was averaging about 50 grams, sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less. It sounded great at the time, after all, I was hitting the averages that the CDC and most doctors go by, so I should be good. Wrong!! I was way low compared to what I actually needed. My carbs were excellent by the way, so that was not the problem. It was not enough protein.
I truly believe if I can get this weight off I will feel much better. I will be able to be active again. Maybe not run any marathons but it would be so nice to be able to walk unassisted, to stand and cook a meal without having to sit several times to rest my legs and back. And what I hope for most is relief from all the pain I live in 24/7.
I would so much appreciate your prayers and thoughts. And to be totally honest, up-voting and re-steeming would help too as it would boost my funds a bit to help pay for the protein shakes.
Perhaps you have been struggling in your life too. If so, I sure hope this post helped you in some small way. Thanks so much for taking the time to read it!! God Bless!!
