I am sitting here kind of ticked off at myself. I just finished 1/2 a Protein bar, and I realized for the calories I could have had a piece of fish with double the protein.

I have a real love hate relationship with Protein Bars. They are convenient, but at the end of the day they are just a processed frankenfood. They offer me no real satisfaction beyond the immediate taste, if they taste good. They don't trigger restriction for me, so they are basically just a boring slider food. Not to mention, they are expensive compared to just having meat.

I think they are great for emergencies away from home but I really have to stop eating them when I am in the house and don't feel like cooking.

This is the price I am paying for not stocking my usual Boar's Head.

I found some bars that I really like, they have at least 20g of protein and one bar is basically a meal for me. Also I will have half of one if I have a candy bar craving and it works for me. I use them as snacks to help me get more protein in

I do quest only, which probably DOES have nearly as much protein as a like size piece of fish. And I also bring one for my afternoon snack to work everyday and stuff them into my purse and luggage when I travel. They definitely are NOT and never have been "what's for dinner."

I don't understand why the quest bars are so popular. They are almost $3 each and taste terrible. I have tried so many flavors and they are all horrible

I like my food fresh, if I did meal prep I would just throw it all out. I don't eat leftovers the whole concept grosses me out. That is an entirely different topic. I can respect people that meal prep, it just doesn't fit my lifestyle.

I usually keep deli ham around for the afternoon.

Going to hit the store and pick up my deli staples.

@@jess9395

I have been looking for the FitElite bars for a couple weeks since I saw them on instagram. I wanted to try it out more than I was really just starving. Since it was my afternoon snack time, I decided why not.

They are okay bars but they are too close to Quest bars imo. Nothing comes close to the taste of Oh Yeah One! bars, those I won't keep in the house at all because they taste too good.

If I never have this bar again, I won't be missing much.

Fair enough, we are all different and need to find what works for us!

For example, I can have an Oh Yeah bar in my cabinet for months and I won't go near it.

I don't understand why the quest bars are so popular. They are almost $3 each and taste terrible. I have tried so many flavors and they are all horrible

Because everyone's tastes are different. I love the taste of most of them... There are 4-5 I don't care for but the rest, YUM!

@@jess9395

The lemon cake tastes just like lemon cake. It is just too amazing. They have to be using sorcery to make them.

That is the only Protein bar that I can't control myself around.

The apple pie Quest is pretty good too but nothing compares to that lemon cake bar.

The protein brownies I make though, blow it all out the Water, nothing like fresh baked goodness, and they are dense and filling.

Please post your Protein brownie recipe:)

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

@@Sophie74656 - there is an a** for every seat. I like Quest bars in an emergency and keep it with me when I travel. I am in the minority and enjoy Isopure drinks, even though I admit, most can't stand them. So find what you like, but realize it is a rescue food, not what you need everyday.

@@coldsleeve

http://www.eatmeguiltfree.com/collections/diy-mix

you just add liquid egg whites, coconut oil and Water or almond milk.

they taste just like cake.

I don't care for Protein bars, although I've used them in travel emergencies.

Frankly, Quest bars taste pretty wretched to me.

Not my thing.

Protein is protein no matter how I get it....

BTW, I am not, and never have been a calorie counter.

BTW, I am not, and never have been a calorie counter.

Me neither. The NUTs at the obesity center also don't recommend calorie counting. They set a Protein goal and what Vitamins and minerals to take and make suggestions how to reach these goals. They also recommend full fat products and to ditch the dieting stuff.

I was a bit surprised reading so much about calories here.

I track my food with an app. I find comparing macros of items important because it keeps me mindful of what I am eating it helps me make better choices.

I think of calories more as a cost of an item, and it helps me evaluate its worth.

Like a huge salad in the afternoon is 20 calories.

An extra tablespoon of half and half is 20 calories.

I get more bang for my buck with the salad, but some of the time I am low on fat, so I need the extra tablespoon of half and half.

Not being mindful of what I was eating and not tracking my macros is what got me in this situation to begin with. I'm not going to make the same mistake twice.

Eventually I probably won't even care about calories, because how I eat I am low on calories all the time, but also I have to watch to make sure I get enough calories and Protein in. I have a lot of muscle and I love it and don't want to lose it.

For me (a year into maintenance now), calories continue to matter. In fact, all macronutrients (Protein, carbs, fat) and Fiber, sodium, etc. matter to me.

There are a bazillion stories in the naked city about WLS patients who've regained weight who have no frickin' idea how many calories (or Proteins or carbs) they're eating. If I start gaining weight I would at least like to know why. Therefore, I track all my food / drink in My Fitness Pal.

My therapist would like for me to become a more "instinctive, healthy eater." By that he means that my instincts about what I want to eat and what I do eat should magically equate and result no weight loss, no weight gain.

Yeah, that ^^^^ was written in sarcasm font.

I'm so not there yet.

I use Protein bars. Regularly. Even as a meal sometimes. Yes, even at home. In fact, I have one on most days. There are a few reasons for this:

The first is convenience, obviously. There is always one in my purse, so if I get stuck out and about with no decent food options I have something to eat. Or sometimes its just too hot to cook. Or too late. Or I've gone too long between grocery store visits. Okay, okay, or I'm just being lazy. Happy??

The second is that I view a Protein Bar as a 'double' supplement. I buy kinds with a high Fiber content (B up, Quest), so in addition to boosting my protein I'm also keeping myself regular. This is probably a good part of why I don't tend to have the, um, issues that most post-WLS patients seem to have.

The third is that I tend to have a hard time hitting my calorie goal in particular. Protein is often short as well. Despite my best efforts, at the end of most days, I tend to be short about 200 calories and anywhere from 5-20g protein. Guess what a B up or Quest bar has! About 200 calories and 20g protein!!

Oh, and I find they keep me quite full for several hours. They definitely trigger restriction for me.