Ep. 80: Simple Strategies to Eat More Protein as Vegan

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Transcript

 Well, hi, everyone. It's Joe with Couture coaching. And today we have our very newest coach Christie Carter as a guest today.  We're going to be talking about simple strategies to eat more protein as a vegan. So why don't we start out with Christie? Do you want to tell us a little bit about yourself and your journey to becoming a fitness and nutrition coach?

Sure Taking a step back, my veganism and vegetarian journey began when I was very young. I was 7 when I became a vegetarian. That was simply because I finally realized that meat was an animal, and then elected to not partake in that. And then about 15 years ago, I became a vegan.

What was interesting when I made that transition when I was so young was that my mom, who was bless her heart, very supportive of it did not know how to feed me. So, my diet. From 7 years old, basically till just a few years ago was very heavy on  carbs, like really heavy into carbs.

No thought about protein. No thought about macros  at all. My mom would feed me macaroni and cheese half the week, just because she didn't know what else to do. Or I'd have sides of green beans and macaroni and cheese back when I was vegetarian. And so eating like that. I've always been a little bit on what I considered growing up a little bit of the chubbier side weight was always something that even though I didn't when I was younger and through my teen years didn't necessarily restrict  and diet a lot then it was very much.

I held on to. Any weight that I gained, and so that really continued through my adulthood again, not not being cognizant of what I was eating, just eating for my, my ethical desires, but not necessarily my health. And then that leaned into, me being an adult that was did not feel like I had a lot of muscle tone did not feel like I could.

Lose weight  was very much a struggle. And so I went to eating really like a predominantly planet based whole foods diet,  which was very it was great. I felt like it was very healthy. I was eating a lot of plants. I was eating a lot of smoothies and all of those things. But again, not being cognizant at all about. Protein or any other macro. And so from there, I went to it's still gaining weight, although I was just eating like, so what I thought was so healthy. And what I thought was like, why, you know, if I'm just eating vegetables and smoothies, like, why shouldn't.

Thanks. Why shouldn't the weight just come off of me? And from, and had then joined your Couture and was able to then see that all of this time I had been not, I'd been probably wasting away any muscle that I had. I hadn't been prioritizing any sort of maintenance of muscle. I hadn't been any, any exercise I had done just from. All all of my years of, you know, people telling you that you need to do cardio, you need to do cardio. So I was doing a lot of hit cardio. A lot of it daily Tabata and all kinds of things around that. And notice that I was losing weight a little bit, but I was eating. a thousand calories a day or less and not, and then it still wasn't coming off in the way that I thought it should.

So that's when I came to Couture and was able to then balance all of that out and be able to see that like, okay, maybe, maybe I do need to be a little bit more cognizant of other things that I'm eating, add in more protein and go. And try a different way to less focus on even losing weight, but more focused on gaining muscle.

Yeah, let's back up for a second because we always as coaches we'll kind of meet you where you are. And so where you are as a vegan is, it doesn't sound like you are a vegan because you think it's the healthiest choice or.  You just are not going to be a person that's going to start eating meat for ethical reasons.

Probably it sounds totally disgusting to you. So meeting you where you are means, you know, figuring out a way to get the protein in as a vegan, right? Absolutely. Yeah. So for me veganism could be the most unhealthy thing and I would still do it  for me. It is an is an ethical choice. So it has been.

So the question then is then, like, how, how do I, how can I do that and still maintain my ethics? Yeah. Okay. So it sounds like you were eating before you came to us. What probably on paper looked extremely healthy. You said whole foods, plant based once you learned or started working with us, what did you realize was going on with that diet?

How healthy was it, or how sort of imbalanced was it in terms of getting all the macros that you needed to support your body and a thriving physique? It was very it was extremely carb heavy. You know, everything has some level of protein, of course, but I was not there was no protein goal.

There was no attempt to even I never even thought about looking at that number ever. It was literally just eating carbs. Now, I think maybe where I went wrong with some of that is that sometimes you don't realize. When you're eating a smoothie and you're adding in all these fruits and you're adding in all of these things that the calories are a little higher than you probably think they are. 

Then when you start, when you realize you're putting in mangoes, you're putting in bananas, you're putting in these things that you're eating multiple ones of those a day. It's more calories than you think sometimes. So I think it,  I think that it was, it was helpful in the, in the Vitamins and minerals department.

It wasn't necessarily healthful in the macros department and making sure that all of my true nutritional needs were met.  And I still today follow a very plant based diet, plant based whole foods diet, but it's, I am definitely cognizant of the protein that I get. Yeah, so it sounds like very hitting all the micronutrient targets that you would want in terms of vitamins and minerals.

But we've said over and over and it sounds like it's proof that, like, in terms of managing weight. Maintaining muscle on your body, building muscle, macronutrients are where it's at. And so maybe deficient on that  or out of whack in that regard. And so it also sounds like you had some metabolic adaptation.

Do you think that was when you started with us or that you were not eating very much and still having trouble losing weight? Tell me about that part of your journey. I think what had happened and I may have stumbled Overlook this part in the story previously, but about a year. Well, no, that's not true about 2 or 3 years before finding couture.

I had. 8 really restrictively done tons of hit.  Lost about 30 pounds and was like, wait, this is great. And then ended up slowing down on my hit eating,  starting to slowly eat a little bit more in the same way, just more volume of what I was eating and then just gained and gained and gained and gained everything plus some back.

And which of course I had stopped the restriction. So of course I was going to gain it back. But then right before I came to couture, I tried to lose weight again. By restricting and it wasn't working.  So I, you know, I, then it wasn't, um, all the levers that I knew to push with, like, eating less and doing more cardio just was not helping.

I remember my husband saying, you can't eat any less than this. Like, like, you just, you can't continue to do this.  And and so I was like, there's got to be a different way. You know, there's just has to be a different approach to this because I have to be able to fuel my body. So  what did you do when you came to took a tour in terms of helping your metabolism out? 

I stuck to the plan. I ate my, I got my 100 grams of protein a day,  which at 1st was, challenging. It took a lot of kind of figuring it out. And my coach was really patient with me through that process while I tried to figure it out. But how I ate did look, I did look very different. I still like lots of vegetables.

I still like what I consider to be. Lots of carbs, but really try to focus in on on that protein goal.  And then what did you change in terms of exercise? Well, I stopped doing cardio or I did very little very little and then lifting weights, which I have really never done. Like, I had, I thought lifting weights was you get your 10 pound hand weights and you do like, 20, 3 reps of 20, you know, and you're, and you're feeling the burn and that's how you were going to like hone up your body.

 But I actually started lifting like legitimate amounts of weight and, and seeing that progression and lifting heavier and heavier weights. And then it was like, oh, my goodness, I have shoulder muscles, which was amazing because I didn't know they existed.  Yeah, I remember, when I started on this journey, yeah, I found my shoulder muscles again in my waist, which I thought was amazing.

I hadn't seen them in years. Well, it's amazing how just that I remember the day that I found my shoulder muscles, I went and I was trying on this dress and it was like the strapless dress. And I was like,  Oh, I, I think I have, I think I have muscles.  I think I have some muscles in my shoulder and it just, that right there is such a, a boost to help you keep going.

It's like, Oh, it's, it's actually, it's actually working. Like something is actually happening in all of that. So it was, it was amazing. Yeah.  And so I guess from what you've said, did, did these changes that you made to your diet and exercise regimen change your body? Yes, yes, absolutely. I was able to now, not like it was a process.

It definitely was a process. It wasn't it wasn't that. I immediately started dropping weight. We actually started in kind of like a little maintenance mode to see. What, you know, I attract calories, but not that great before starting the program. And so we kind of started and and figured out.

Okay. What is where do I need to be? What do I need to be eating? And the weight just.  It kind of just slowly started to come off slowly started to come off and at the same time. I was feeling stronger, which was almost more motivating weight for me. You know, as I was feeling stronger, I was seeing the progression in the, in the weights that I was lifting.

And so it took it took time. And I had to, of course, adjust my expectations just because everybody, you know, wants it to be quick, but realizing that I was feeling my body properly eating, being able to to eat food and feel more full. I, I remember the 1st.  The 1st, few weeks, I thought I have never eaten this much food in my life, you know, and it really was just about getting the protein.

I'm like, I don't even think I can eat this number of calories because. It's, you know, you just feel so like, full and, like, energized. But, yes, it took time, but eventually I was able to decrease my weight. Increase my like, loose fat and then increase my muscle, which was very apparent in what I could see in my body. 

 Well, very good. So looking good and feeling good now after sort of going through all this. Okay. Yes. Absolutely. Good. Great to hear. Okay. And so now you are coaching for us. What, what do you want to tell us about, what you like about coaching or made you want to coach other people on this journey? 

I think that for me, what I enjoy about it is I have been in their shoes, like,  I know how it feels. And so I feel like I can bring that unique perspective to it. I have not been, you know, I've had my own struggles with everything. And so I can empathize with them a lot more. I enjoy now learning about nutrition and talking about nutrition and talking about health and, and so it gives me the opportunity to offer that knowledge that I've gained through my own journey with with my clients, which is amazing. 

Yeah. And so right now you are working with vegan and vegetarian clients. You can coach anyone but are really enjoying working with our vegan and vegetarian clients, which.  I think that that is like a lot of women it's maybe not for the same reasons as you, but a lot of women just prefer to eat, you know, a more plant based, less animal based diet.

So if that's you Christie may be the perfect fit for you as a coach. Okay. So today you have three tips for us for eating a hundred grams of protein as a vegan. So first let's talk about why a hundred grams of protein.  So, 100 grams is kind of the minimum of what you need to be eating every day in order to not only build, but preserve the muscle mass that you have.

So, I think with my clients and with myself, it's always been like, a really great goal to start with  and just kind of where you were that baseline of where you want to be. Yeah, so you know, our kind of the rule of thumb is that you want to be eating a gram of protein for every ideal pound of body weight or whatever your ideal body weight is take that amount.

And that's really the number of grams of protein. You should be eating. But. That being said, it can be very difficult to hit that mark as a vegan. You're going to give us some tips for how to do that. Just out of curiosity, how much protein do you think you were eating before you started working with us a day?

That's a great question. I actually have a few times.  Like not count like eight more, what I consider normally, or like before eight before and tractos. And those days it was probably 25 to 30 grams. Yeah, quickly without being cognizant in it, that's probably how I would normally eat. Yeah. So you're really talking about you probably like quadrupled your protein intake.

So that's a lot. That's a lot. That's a lot more protein to be eating. So again, I think with like vegan and vegetarian, with all of our clients, if we can get them to a hundred grams a day, most women are eating so much less than that, that we're really happy with that. When we can get them to a hundred grams of protein, but always just want to give the disclaimer, you can eat more and really a gram per ideal pound of body weight is where you want to be.

But, you know, like I said, we're, we want to meet you where you are, and that may be just really difficult, especially if you're a vegan or a vegetarian, because a lot of the typical protein sources are not available to you. I, Personally, don't know how I would do it. So I'm excited to hear your tips.

Okay. So tell us, tell us how you do it. I know you have three tips for us. Three tips. So the, the first tip actually, I think applies to everyone, not just vegans and vegetarians, but it's, you really have to kind of make a plan. You've got to know how you are going to get your protein. And so my loose plan Every day is that I'm having 3 meals and 1 snack.

And so I'm getting 30 grams of protein at each meal and 10 grams and a snack at a minimum. And so, if I know that going into it, and I plan out my day, it is super helpful to be to kind of know that it's taken care of. Otherwise, like I said, if I'm not planning for it, then I'm probably eating about 30 grams naturally. 

So, yeah, and protein. I would say protein is 1 of those things. Like you said, it's a good tip for everyone. It's just kind of miserable to have to eat 100 grams of protein in 1 setting. Like, it's, it's really hard to do. So it really needs to be spread out through the day to realistically meet your goal.

And then also, in terms of optimizing what that protein is going to do for your body, you, you want it kind of.  Sprinkled in throughout the day. That's what I would say in different not consumed all at once. Yeah, for sure. Yeah.  So, my 2nd tip, which I think a lot of people who are vegan vegetarian may be surprised about is that beans are not going to get you.

Where you need to be protein wise. So beans are amazing. There are so many health benefits to beans. I love beans, but I treat them in my diet like a carb. I think growing up vegetarian and vegan, a lot of times. People tell you, Oh, you should just eat beans for protein. And like, like I said, they do have protein, but in order for you to be able to get the protein that you need in a day, you're going to blow your carbs out the window.

You're going to not be able to fit it into your macros very well. And you're going to be eating a lot of beans more than you probably want to  in order to get it. So, so really treat beans like a carb source. Don't treat them like your protein source.  Okay. And maybe this is part of your third tip, but what do you eat instead of beans to hit your protein?

Is that your third tip? Yes, that is my third tip. So my, my third tip is so don't be fearful of processed foods. Like a lot of people who choose to eat a whole foods, plant based diet is, is they, you know, Obviously, they don't want any sort of processed foods,  which is how I was. I thought they were not good for you.

And obviously you know, there are arguments to be made about some levels of processed foods, but, eating processed foods like seitan are definitely protein powders. Even protein bars are definitely how you're going to be able to hit that minimum goal of 100 grams of protein per day. So for me I also initially felt bad about, you know, some days, depending on my day, I'm having two protein shakes.

And normally I probably wouldn't want to have to rely on powder protein, but It, it,  you can make it work. That's how you can get, get hit your goals. Now, seitan is my number one source for protein. And there are a lot, which is basically for people that don't know what seitan is, it's essentially wheat gluten.

And so it is a wheat based product, but it is very, for being a wheat based product, it is very low in carbs and very high in protein equal to Beef even and so you can get. It's great and there's so many forms that can take you can have it. And something that reminds, you know, something that's like a sausage that you could have, like, in the mornings, or it can, I make a really delicious vegan pot pie with satan chunks in it to that.

That are almost similar to, like, what would somebody would think of? It's like a chicken. So really satan is also, I guess, the. Also, part of this tip is that that is a huge benefit, but don't be fearful of adding more foods like that. Or even I don't eat them very frequently, but even some of the like, beyond burgers and and things like that have a really great protein profile and can really help you meet those goals.

Without and stay within your in your macros.  Okay. Yeah. What, what are your thoughts about tempeh and tofu? I know that those are other things that I think of about for hitting your protein goals. Yeah. Tempeh and tofu are definitely a huge part of my diet. Tofu can be depending on the kind you get a little higher in fat.

So depending on where your fat goals are you want to Just be cognizant of that. But yes, I do. Every day I probably have tofu  most days and I also have seitan most days. So I kind of like to mix that up. Okay. And is that is that a change from what you were doing before? Yes. Okay. Yes. But what I was doing before I I ate tofu, like, from time to time before, whereas now it is definitely. 

A big part of my diet for sure. Okay. And I'm, I'm sort of not in this world in terms of, I'm not, I wouldn't say that I'm like a whole food zealot or anything. So our tofu and Tempeh and Satan.  Viewed as like, evil processed food and sort of the whole world could be just because, I mean, you can make it at home and it's very simple, but a lot of, like, the way that it comes prepackaged are things like.

Veggie dogs, there's say, 10 veggie dogs, 1 would not think of that as like, a healthful, healthful food, even though, if you look at the nutrition facts, it is and it can and it's definitely high in protein. But. Tofu, a little less, so people don't consider that as much of as a processed food, but and tempeh is probably your best, you know, your least processed way to to eat soy.

But a lot of times. Yeah, and if you are concerned about processed foods, you would, in a lot of times, avoid seitan, you would avoid the powders, you would avoid any, anything like that. Okay, and then what's your favorite type of protein powder that is plant based protein powder? I, I've tried a lot of them and my favorite 1 right now is a brand called true Vani.

I hope I'm pronouncing that right. It is a really great protein powder. That's like it's a P and it's multi different proteins mixed together. And so that 1, and it's, it's it has 20 grams of protein per scoop, which is great.  Okay. And how do you spell that? You said true Vani. Yes. T. R. U. V. A.

N. I, I believe. Okay, where do you get that? I buy it online, although they do have it at Whole Foods.  Okay, excellent. Yeah, and they have a lot of different flavors. My personal favorite right now is for an after which I, I just drank 1 is they have a macho 1 and so you can make kind of an afternoon matcha and get 20 grams of protein in your macho, which is amazing.

Nice. Okay. Would you be willing to kind of run through just a typical day of eating for yourself and hitting that a hundred grams of protein and how you do that with your three meals and a snack? Yes. So Typically breakfast for, for me, a lot of times it's like a tofu scramble on some toast.

And depending on what the day looks like sometimes I'll have a little seitan like sausage or a little seitan link of some sort. And, That will be breakfast and then lunch a lot of times I will have like, either a salad with a bunch of veggies and greens and satan for, like, satan chunks  on that.

Or I will do baked tofu chunks on that as well and some dressing and then lots of fruit with that. And then dinner usually is is.  Sometimes it's very basic, and it's just a whole bunch of green veggies and a baked tofu steak. Or it is a, like I said, we do pot pie quite a bit too,  because our little pot pie quite a bit too with the seitan. 

It's a family favorite, even beyond me. Yeah. Okay. Sounds very nice. I think one last question for you that I think, or as a way I can see a lot of people getting themselves tripped up is what are your thought on nuts as a source of protein? I love nuts and I think they're great. But in order to get a good amount of protein for them, you're going to be eating a large amount of calories and a large amount of fat.

Yeah. So I think it would be difficult to fit that in now. So, I, I will add some to a salad and things like that, but I definitely don't treat it as a protein source to me. It's I treat it as a fat source.  Yeah. So I think it's similar to beans, like beans are a carb source. Nuts are going to be more of a fat source.

And so you will get a little bit of protein, but the amount of protein or the amount of the serving size you would need to eat to get a full serving of protein is just going to blow  those macronutrients in your calories out of the water. So and I personally, I don't find that's very satiating. So I have to eat a lot to even.

Feel like I'm eating anything. Yeah. Well, and to me, they're so easy just to,  to grab and snack on that. You can, you can, yes, they are for me. They're not satiating at all. And you can eat a lot before you have ever known that you've eaten any.  Yeah.  Okay, well, this was very helpful. I'm sure that we will have you back again in the future to give us more tips, but I think For people just starting out or trying to get their head around how they're going to eat this much protein.

I think these are some really, really great tips.  So, if you are interested in working with us, or with Christie, specifically, if you're listening to this, and you're a vegan or a vegetarian and Christie's story  sounds like you, or you would like some help  adapting this lifestyle of lifting weights, eating enough protein, but also keeping in touch, or keep being a vegan or vegetarian Christie could be a really good fit for you.

And you are welcome to schedule a consult call with us links for that are in the show notes. Okay. Thanks everyone. Bye.