Been looking a bit more closely at my diet and I think more protein might help as the training load increases.

I keep hearing good and bad things about whey protein (even the isolate) so I’d like to do it with natural foodstuff if possible. However, it doe seem hard to get more protein without also taking in more calories over all.

So, anyone have any good tips for getting complete protein (9 amino acids you can’t make yourself) without piling on the weight?

99% of the people claiming that Whey protein gives you brain damage / liver failure just seem to have issues with body building…..

yazoo chocolate milk.

Halva, corned beef, tinned fish and peanuts are all around 25-30% protein. So a tin of 300g corned beef for example, would be plenty after a 30-40km 2-3hr off-road ride.

as the training load increases.

How much is this training?

Tuna and chicken breast. Lean and high in protein.

Of course you could just use whey, but you might grow an extra head.

as the training load increases.
How much is this training?

Just about the move into the build phase of an ironman programme. Maybe not much to some but more than I’ve done before and it increases each week.

Rest, sleep, hydration. Look at protein when you’ve sorted that – I’d be willing to bet you already get enough.

Eat Quinoa

Pffft. Who needs protein, when you have Synthol.

Not looking to get bigger, just want to make sure I recover fully from one session before going into the next.

No point constantly chipping away at what I’m starting with.

As always, low cal/high protein source is chicken/tuna.

Total greek yogurt is also a good source, but also comes with the calories and is quite pricy.

Just get the powder.

You’ll know afterwards how much and what to eat. There is a difference between just sore muscles and the feeling of them breaking down (catabolism, which you want to avoid) as you’ve not eaten enough protein. The problem with isolates is. They can be quite addictive and it’s quite easy to consume too much as it’s not like eating a whole roast chicken for example.

Quinoa, and it’s delicious. Google it on yahoo.

When I was marathon training this time last year a protein+carb shake was great after a hard workout (speed work or LSR) – perhaps it wasn’t 100% necessary, but it tasted great and was a real psychological booster. It was also a lot easier to sort out than roast chicken or quinoa, however delicious they may be!

Chocolate milk would probably be just as good, though.

Tripe and liver

Why focus on protein? Your body needs a whole host of stuff after exercise. Protein is only on thing and only needed for one specific job – to repair damaged muscle tissue, so assumes that you’ve beasted yourself hard enough to damage muscle tissue in the first place. 1g of protein contains the came calories as 1g of carbs, so if you’re just chucking protein down your neck for the sake of it when you’re body doesn’t need it.

I suspect that for all but the most hard core of amateur athletes and full time pro’s a simple healthy balanced diet will provide all the body needs without extra supplements.