Protein bars?

[illninofan21]

In your opinion, what protein bars are good to eat if you're losing fat?

Most protein bars have a lot of sugar and sugar alcohols in them, and I'm looking for something to add variety to my diet, just in case I don't feel like cooking up a chicken breast or mixing up a protein shake, lol.

[lucidfighter]

If you plan on using it as a meal replacement, I'm sure that it's fine. Haha, just keep an eye on your calorie intake and you should be good!

[NoFace525]

haven't really heard anything great about protein bars. Though they are definitley better than grabbin a candy bar. I tried supplementing various bars for meals but I felt cruddy compared to just throwing in some whey in a water bottle and shaking it up.

I guess that they are using a low-grade protein in the bars along with sugar and other crap that is hard to digest.

IMO try whey powder and throw it in the shaker if your on the go a lot. The bars just seem to be over priced for what they offer.

Also what I like to snack on;

-cottage cheese (low fat)
-raw almonds
-sliced turkey
-string cheese
-albacore and relish

to name a few. Sometimes grilling chicken can get old if you do it 3x a day everyday, I found (thanks to Jay Cutler's advice) that grilling Orange Roughy takes about half the time and sits lighter.

[switch270]

I'm a big fan of clif builder bars.

Have a look at the ingredients - what stands out to me about them...nothing that looks like it came from my college chem book! The numbers are easy for me to fit into my macros as well: 270 Cals, 8g fat, 30g carbs, 20g protein.

Ingredients: Soy Protein Isolate, Beet Juice Concentrate, Organic Brown Rice Syrup, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Palm Kernel Oil, Organic Rolled Oats, Unsweetened Chocolate, Cocoa, Organic Soy Protein Concentrate, Vegetable Glycerin, Natural Flavors, Organic Dry Roasted Almonds, Rice Starch, Cocoa Butter, Inulin (Chicory Extract), Organic Milled Flaxseed, Organic Oat Fiber, Organic Sunflower Oil, Soy Lecithin, Salt.

[joen270]

celery is the **** for snacking. i put the smallest hint of PB on it. just enough to taste it

[MAGUI]

I hear there's a lot of unnecessary sugars in protein bars. So I just mix up some protein pudding and eat that instead. I think there's a thread somewhere that shows how to make it. Just some protein powder, natural peanut butter and cold water or fat free milk all thrown together in a bowl, chill it in the fridge and eat it.

I used to eat Cliff bars and Nitro Tech bars, they taste really good but I felt like ...I don't know...it wasn't my thing (and it didn't look like it was helping). But that might just be me.

[switch270]

I hear there's a lot of unnecessary sugars in protein bars.
...
I used to eat Cliff bars and Nitro Tech bars, they taste really good but I felt like ...I don't know...it wasn't my thing (and it didn't look like it was helping). But that might just be me.

I hear that depending what month you were born in, there's a bunch of stars that look like something in the sky that match that month, and they determine how your life will go.

Joking aside, there are very many protein bars out there, and you can't really make a blanket statement like that. Also, "unnecessary" is a matter of opinion. If it makes a particular protein bar taste good, and it fits into your daily requirements/macros, it doesn't really matter.

Also, how can you really say that eating Cliff Bars and/or Nitro Tech bars didn't look like it was helping? Were you also eating candy bars and a few glasses of wine every day? McDonalds? You can't really blame your results on any one food you eat, it's the sum of everything in your diet, and the excercise you do, that will determine your results.

[ChristianBBer]

There is nothing wrong with protein bars with a lot of sugar in them.

You're not going to go sugarless or high intake sugarless for the rest of your life. Eat them from time to time but don't make them consistent.

[MAGUI]

I hear that depending what month you were born in, there's a bunch of stars that look like something in the sky that match that month, and they determine how your life will go.

Joking aside, there are very many protein bars out there, and you can't really make a blanket statement like that. Also, "unnecessary" is a matter of opinion. If it makes a particular protein bar taste good, and it fits into your daily requirements/macros, it doesn't really matter.

Also, how can you really say that eating Cliff Bars and/or Nitro Tech bars didn't look like it was helping? Were you also eating candy bars and a few glasses of wine every day? McDonalds? You can't really blame your results on any one food you eat, it's the sum of everything in your diet, and the excercise you do, that will determine your results.

You don't have to get all upset about it, I just simply said it wasn't my thing and that there are other choices than protein bars. Clearly I found something that worked well for me and it wasn't protein bars.

[switch270]

Wasn't upset at all, just trying to put out correct information.

[MAGUI]

Right, well okay then.

[RideOn12]

I am yet to come across what I would call a "good" protein bar. There are best of the worst, but it doesn't get much better than that. If you have to pick one, I would say just look for lowest sugar and saturated fat content.

[TheNewestGuy]

Make your own.

[th3pwn3r]

Make your own.

They pack waaay too much sugar to make them worth the price but in a bind and there was nothing else I'd probably have one, I'd grab some Jack Links dry beef jerky if that's available instead. It costs about the same amount as a "protein bar" but has far less carbs and fat. If you need all the sugar and fat then there's nothing wrong with a bar.

[TheNewestGuy]

I'd take a home-made bar over most beef jerky. Some of them have a preposterous amount of sodium.

There are hundreds of great bar recipes. I've made some that rival commercially available ones for taste but are much better nutritionally.

My favorite is just blended oats, raisins, protein powder, egg, honey, almonds. I bake it @ 200 for 2 or 3 minutes and then stick it in the fridge. You can just leave out the egg and put it directly into the fridge. I think they were something like 25g protein, 20g carb, 8g fat and about 8g sugar.

[th3pwn3r]

I'd take a home-made bar over most beef jerky. Some of them have a preposterous amount of sodium.

There are hundreds of great bar recipes. I've made some that rival commercially available ones for taste but are much better nutritionally.

My favorite is just blended oats, raisins, protein powder, egg, honey, almonds. I bake it @ 200 for 2 or 3 minutes and then stick it in the fridge. You can just leave out the egg and put it directly into the fridge. I think they were something like 25g protein, 20g carb, 8g fat and about 8g sugar.

HAHAHA, OH NO SODIUM. Big F'ing deal, sodium is nothing to worry about for anyone who is fairly active. A Jack Links beef jerky does have about 1,320 MG of sodium per each 150calorie serving though. That's something I'd worry about if I were about to compete but probably not.

For those concerned:

Dangers/Side Effects of Excess Sodium

"Excess sodium intake is linked to: hypertension/high blood pressure and heart disease, fluid retention (oedema) and kidney stones. A high-sodium diet increases the need for potassium."-Source http://www.annecollins.com/sodium-diet-advice.htm

[TheNewestGuy]

My point wasn't OH NOES SODIUM, it was why not make something that's even better for you without the sodium?

[HulkHagen]

I get Marathon Protein bars from Wal Mart because they're fairly cheap. Probably not the greatest in terms of macros or whatever but it's a quick, easy, convenient meal replacement that is much better for you than a regular candy bar or some other random junk, and helps me get in that much more protein.

[Billy_The_Kid]

This thread is awesome.

[TheNewestGuy]

So true.

[EUROTEKM3]

haven't really heard anything great about protein bars. Though they are definitley better than grabbin a candy bar. I tried supplementing various bars for meals but I felt cruddy compared to just throwing in some whey in a water bottle and shaking it up.

I guess that they are using a low-grade protein in the bars along with sugar and other crap that is hard to digest.

IMO try whey powder and throw it in the shaker if your on the go a lot. The bars just seem to be over priced for what they offer.

Also what I like to snack on;

-cottage cheese (low fat)
-raw almonds
-sliced turkey
-string cheese
-albacore and relish

to name a few. Sometimes grilling chicken can get old if you do it 3x a day everyday, I found (thanks to Jay Cutler's advice) that grilling Orange Roughy takes about half the time and sits lighter.

+ 2

Also what I like to snack on;

-cottage cheese (low fat)
-raw almonds
-fruit
-beef jerky
-greek yogurt