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In combination of the Nutrisystem Weight Loss Program and exercising frequently or involved in a strength training program, you may want to think about adding a few more calories—in the form of protein—to your diet. This will help repair and build up muscles.
When it comes to adding protein, you have a couple of choices about how to do it. You can either add high-protein items to your meal plan (which will increase calories slightly, but may not affect weight loss) or you can simply make a couple of replacements.
Before you do either, we suggest you talk about any meal plan changes with your counselor. He or she can answer any questions you have and make sure that you have the most effective program possible. Here are some of the ideas you can discuss to boost your protein intake:
1. Bump up breakfast. At breakfast, you can replace the fruit serving with a protein serving—one egg, three egg whites, or ½ cup of Egg Beaters. Just be sure to get the other two fruit servings in during the day for recommended fiber and vitamins.
2. Trade out the milk. By replacing your milk servings with higher protein choices, you can get more protein with the same or less calories. We use the limit of 100 calories for a milk replacement, since most light yogurts are about this amount. Try substituting in things like water-packed tuna (1/4 cup), an NS Chicken Pattie, 3 egg whites, low-fat cottage cheese (1 oz.), imitation crabmeat (2 oz.), tofu (3 oz.), or deli roast beef (1 oz.). Some lean protein replacements don't have as many carbohydrates as milk does, so you may actually get more protein for fewer calories. Just be sure to take your calcium supplement if the protein replacement is not a good source of calcium.
3. Cheese it up. If you can afford a few additional calories, sprinkle one Tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese on any of your entrees or salads (23 calories, 2 grams protein). Or, add one slice of fat-free cheese to the hamburger or chicken sandwich (25 calories, 4 grams protein). You can also try sprinkling 1 oz. of grated, fat-free mozzarella on any of the entrees (40 calories, 9 grams protein).
4. Make it a super salad. A plain old bowl of greens can easily be made into a muscle-building protein powerhouse by simply adding the egg white (chopped) of one hard-boiled egg. You will get almost four more grams of protein, with only 17 more calories. Another choice is to add a few nuts to your salad and count them as your fat serving. You'll get the fats you need plus a little extra protein to boot.
5. Make good carbohydrate choices. If you have carbohydrate servings in your meal plan, you can have 1/3 cup cooked dried beans (kidney, pinto, navy) for each serving. This will give you extra protein and keep you within your calorie limits.
6. Check the food store and food labels. And of course, you can review the Nutrition Facts for any NutriSystem food item in our website's food store. Just click on the name of the food to see its food label, and begin incorporating the ones with higher protein amounts into your plan. If you can find the time to do this, it's a great way to fine-tune your plan.
US $284.99
