For the last couple of weeks I've been substituting a mid-day meal with a Quest Protein Bar. Everything I read on them was positive until lately. It has minimal sugar and 20 g of protein, so I thought it was perfect for my 30 minute lunch break. Easy, healthy and no cleanup. While it looks good on paper, since I have started this new lunch experience I have NOT lost a single pound! I am still staying just under a 1000 calories a day, walking 6000 steps and living actively. Am I just in a stall or are Quest Protein Bars part of the issue?

Disclaimer: I know people who swear by Quest (and other protein bars) and have had great success with them.

But let me tell you a little story about my mother, who is 76 years old and has struggled all her life to maintain a normal, healthy weight -- but struggled in the opposite way we do. She tends to slide towards being underweight and has to work really hard not be unhealhily skinny. She discussed it with her doctor, and he recommended that she eat a protein bar every day in order to prevent weight loss. If she ever goes under a certain weight limit, she is ordered to eat two protein bars a day.

She follows her doctor's orders -- uses some Quest bars and some other brands -- and they stop weight loss in its tracks for her, and help her pack on the pounds when she eats two per day.

I stay far away from protein bars unless I am traveling and desperate.

The only time I eat a protein bar is if I'm desperate and have no other option. I really limit my carbs and those things have a ton of carbs which for me throws me into a stall. If I do happen to eat a bar I get the pure protein brand because they have less carbs.

Everyone's different and you need to figure out what works for you.

Quest bars only have about 5g of net carbs if you use that measure (subtract Fiber and sugar alcohols). If you don't they are about 25g.

I use them all the time in maintenance didn't use as much during loss

If I buy any protein bar I go for a flavor that I don't really like much. That keeps it from calling my name. And I never have more than one or two in my cupboard at any given time.

OH yeah!!! Let me speak only for myself. I have been stalled since Thanksgiving!

I usually eat one Quest bar every day, faithfully. I love them.

I work out 4 days a week and keep my calories at 1200. Haven't lost 1 pd.

I stopped eating them 3 days ago and it looks like the scale is moving again.

I gave them up once before and the same thing happened. I should have learned my lesson the first time but I keep going back for the taste and protein.

However,you'll read that many people have not experienced stalls with Quest..

This is a very interesting topic. I had a conversation with a friend who had been sleeved and reached goal. Her advice to me was to take in as much Protein as possible - as much as 90 to 100 gms per day. The only way I could manage this was to add a supplement daily. For a while I added a shake, but for convenience sake I started swapping out the shake for a Quest bar daily.

I've noticed my weight loss slow to a relative crawl in the past month or so, and this might well be part of the problem. Even with the Quest bar I'm staying around 1,000 to 1,100 calories per day. I thought it was some Snacks sneaking in and that may be also part of the issue. I just never thought the protein bar might be the problem as well...

Guess I'll stop the protein bar and either add a shake back in or just skip the extra protein altogether and see what happens.

I don't get a lunch break so a Quest bar is my late morning snack/lunch 5 days/week. I also pack them in my saddle bag and I eat them on the trail. Or when I'm traveling. Or when I'm craving a candy bar. I've pretty much eaten 5-7 of them a week for the last 2 years. Lost over 100% of my excess weight and have maintained for 17 months.

So no, Quest bars have not deterred my weight loss or caused any gains.

So, NOW I'm concerned. On days that I have Aqua P.T., I do not have a lunch break, so last night I ordered a whole box of Quest bars as the company is now running a sale not only on the box, but so shipping cost.

I will be eating one bar for my lunch three days a week. Keeping my fingers crossed.