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Protein and the vegetarian athlete

jkruger13jkruger13
in General Training Discussions

Looking for some advice from the other vegetarian athletes out there - how much protein do you typically try to incorporate into your diet during IM training?

I have been tracking my calories this week on the Lose It! iPhone app, and it turns out I'm getting around 60% carbs, 23% fat, and 17% protein.  Is this enough?  I already drink a whey protein supplement after my hard workouts - which is about the only dairy-based protein I get.  I'm just wondering if I need to actively try to get more protein into my diet, or if this 17% level is enough! 

Comments

  • William JenksWilliam Jenks
    I'm a vegetarian too, though I eat dairy. I'm a fan of fat free cottage cheese (which may make me a member of a very small club) and (not fat free) nut butters. We also eat a lot of beans and legumes. Not very "paleo", but you knew that already. Honestly, i have not really sat down and calculated what percent protein I am getting. However, I know of no one more or less on my diet (family, friends) that suffers from anything related to protein deficiency. My 10 year old daughter is probably the strongest kid in her class. :-)

    That said, if I knew I were as low as 17%, I might try to bump it up a bit.
  • penlynwilsonpenlynwilson
    Hi Janine,

    Glad you are using a tracking app. That will help a lot. Before commenting on your intake, I have a question. What are your goals? Performance? Weight loss? Weight gain?
  • jkruger13jkruger13
    William - thanks for the input. My daughter loves fat free cottage cheese, too! image

    Penny - thank you for jumping in (I was hoping you might!). My goals are: 1)weight loss - I'm at 125 now, would like to get down to "race weight" of 116 by September if possible, and 2)performance (obviously!) - lighter = faster, right? image

    Thanks,
    J
  • penlynwilsonpenlynwilson
    @Jamie: I would go for aboutg 20% calories from protein, 50 - 55% from carbs and the rest from fat. If you are trying to change body comp, I would recommend putting starches around (before/after) your workouts and minimizing them at other times. Starches = breads, pasta, rice, potatoes, grains, etc.

    Lighter doesn't always mean faster. It depends on what you are carrying - fat or muscle. :-)
  • jkruger13jkruger13
    Thanks - I think I can do 20%. Above that looks like it would be tough to pull off.
    I appreciate the advice!
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