Member
Follow up question
Jordan-
I wrote you last week, and I really appreciated your help. Unfortunately, my financial situation changed drastically in the last week. You recommended that I do a 300 pro, 200 carb, 100 fat set up and maintain weight while improving body composition. As I'm sure you know, protein is the most expensive macro. I'm living off student loans with a wife and infant child, and I think I can afford about 200 g of protein daily. What would you do in this situation? Get as much protein as possible and fill in the rest with fat and carbs to maintain weight? Will body comp still improve like this, or is there a better plan?
Thanks again,
Rick
✓ Member
Well, if you HAD to cut back on protein because of whatever reason, I'd bump carb and fats up to compensate, so something like 200, 250, 125. On the other hand, I think you could swing a higher protein intake with cheaper sources, i.e. eggs, tuna, fattier cuts of meat, and wholesale type meats. You'll be fine either way.
Member
Obviously it's less than ideal, and I will be getting as much protein as I can. Thanks for the advice. With the fattier cuts of meat, is it worth the extra protein even if my total daily fat gets higher? I don't know enough to know if that's a good trade-off.
✓ Member
Honestly, it depends on you the individual. Some people end up running better on higher protein and fat and a touch lower carbs, vs. higher carb, moderate protein, low-ish fat. When trying to lean out, I prefer a bit more protein, especially if someone is new to the weigh and measure game. I don't know if I could say with any certainty that you'll have better results with fattier cuts of meat and more protein, or leaner cuts of protein, more carbs, lower fat.
My approach is relatively simple in this regard, I like to set a baseline and then tweak from there. You'll have to do this and modify things accordingly.
Member
Awesome. Thanks for all the help.
Member
Im also in a bad way financially I eat on about $6-7 a day. My saving grace has been ground turkey and canned black beans. The ground turkey I get is 3.79 for a 1.25lbs package which yields about 125g of protein. The canned black beans also give about 25g of protein for $0.88. The black beans also have about 25g of fiber as well so I was able to cut back on my bulking veggies. The ground turkey and black beans together is about 1400kcals which aint too shabby for $4.67. I usually throw in a bag of frozen broccoli for $1. To fill the rest of my calories for the day I take ON protein which amounts to $0.63 per serving and 25g of protein and of course whole milk.
I stock up on chicken when it's on sale. Occasionally I'll buy an oven bake pizza. most of them are 100g of protein and cost about $5 on sale.
✓ Member
This is pretty cool. I used to live off of tuna, chicken, peanut butter, rice, and broccoli in college. Pizzas were 5 dollar pies from a local place but I'm sure 100g of protein was a stretch for those monstrosities.Originally Posted by Manimal
Member
Never thought of black beans before. Good idea.
Member
For those with limited finances, may I suggest my cheap 2800 cal shake?
1.5 cup of raw oats, rolled = around 500 cal
1 cup of peanuts = 863 cal
3 tbsp olive oil = 358 cal
0.5 liter of milk = 320 cal
0.2 liter of heavy cream = 690 cal
1 banana, medium = about 100 cal
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Total cal per shake = 2831 (used fitday to calculate) Total cost per shake = about $1.25
This is from the food and drink section of the forum: http://startingstrength.com/resource...ad.php?t=36398
When I workout I add a scoop of ON whey, which makes it around 3000 calories. I'm not sure how much protein is in it, maybe around 100 gr. More if you put whey. For those not looking to gain weight and don't need as much calories, you can skip the heavy cream. It's very 'thick' so you may want to water it down with some more milk, or water, if you can't stomach it.
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