Not paring with carbohydrates.

Exercise—especially high-intensity workouts or strength training—breaks down muscle fibers. A solid recovery and nutrition plan helps build those muscle fibers back up to make you stronger and fitter. While protein amino acids are critical to helping repair your muscles immediately following a tough workout, carbohydrates help transport those amino acids into your body’s cells for muscle growth. That’s why low fat chocolate milk is a post-workout favorite among athletes. It has an ideal blend of carbs and protein (about three times more carbs carbs than protein).

Not getting enough with every meal & snacks.

If you’re like most women, you get the bulk of your protein at night. You eat oatmeal for breakfast, a salad for lunch, and a big slab of meat for dinner. While your muscle probably won’t suffer as a result, your energy levels and waistline sure will, she says. Protein is what keeps your blood sugar stable throughout the day. Start your day right with protein packed breakfast! (Recipes will be up on our Facebook Page soon ;))

Thinking you have to get complete protein at every meal.

The bulk of plant-based proteins lack at least one of the nine essential amino acids, which is why they’re called ‘incomplete’ proteins. So to make each meal ‘complete,’ many women pair complementary ‘incomplete’ proteins together at each meal. As any vegetarian or vegan will tell you, it’s tedious, cumbersome and definitely unnecessary. Just eating enough of these plant-based foods to reach your recommended calorie intake and eat a variety of sources throughout the day.

Eating the same source of protein everyday.

Every protein source comes with different blends of vitamins, minerals, fats, and carbs. You need a wide array for optimal health, weight loss, and fitness gains.

Relying on shakes & bars for protein source.

They are crazy convenient, but often come loaded with sugar, and many don’t contain all that much protein, either. Some are almost no better than a candy bar, riddled with hard-to-pronounce ingredients. Your best bet: Stick with real foods whenever possible. Nuts, seeds, single-serving Greek yogurt cups, string cheese, and hardboiled eggs, for instance, are all just as convenient as bars and contain naturally occurring protein along with tons of other good-for-you nutrients.