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 find that quest bars fill me up. I still usually only have them either for breakfast or if I'm going to be somewhere with bad food and I'll need to eat and such. I have caught my self eating them for sweets rather than protein, so I understand the cons to them.

I like the FitCrunch/Robert Irvine bars -- particularly the Chocolate/Peanut Butter. I keep them in my desk at work. I don't have access to a fridge at work so on days when getting out of the house is nuts and I don't have time to pack my lunch, I know I have something I can eat without having to worry. 20+ grams of Protein and 380 calories. They keep me full until dinner. Just like everything else, they are a tool.

@@OutsideMatchInside,

I agree with you completely! Protein bars are about as calorie dense as candy bars: about 200 calories in about 2 ounces. The difference, of course, is the protein rather than the sugar, so theoretically Protein Bars will keep you fuller for longer and not cause the blood sugar spikes or sugar cravings the way a candy bar might.

Still, in the moment, they’re not always that satisfying! Like you said, you can get something a lot more filling for those 200 calories, like any 3-ounce serving of lean protein plus some veggies, yogurt and fruit, or even an entire turkey and veggie sandwich on low-calorie bread! To me, those are a lot more satisfying to chew, and they take longer, and you’re right – they’re cheaper. They’re also more nutritious since they have natural nutrients.

Protein bars can give you a nice sweet alternative for protein. This can be especially good for when you’re a few weeks or months post-op and you’re focusing purely on protein. The sweet protein bar can be a nice change from tuna, turkey, eggs, cheese, and yogurt morning, noon, and night! And like you said, they’re definitely convenient!

I enjoy protein bars as a way to satisfy an occasional craving if I think it’ll work. For example, if I really want chocolate and I think a chocolate protein bar will do the trick, I’ll choose it instead of a brownie.

@@Diana_in_Philly

I had a FitCrunch bar over the holiday weekend. They are delicious, but 380 calories is almost 8 ounces of steak. That is the same calorie count as most of the sweets at Starbucks. It is just too many calories for me, but yeah totally delicious.

If I was a body builder and needed calorie excess for muscle gain, I would be all over them.

The FitElite bars are just kind of meh. I'm glad I tried them both this week so I can quit looking to them. They are waaaaaay over hyped.

I llllllove lllllllove my Quest Double chocolate Chunk Protein Bars

they give me that wonderful chocolate craving

i frequently have one a day

buttttt-its like the commercial for Lay's Potato chips

"Betcha Can't Eat Just One"

unfortunately that's true with my Protein bars

sometimes i have trouble eating "ONE" bar

i can definitely eat two bars, i love them, can't resist

for some reason this is the only food i can/will not eat slowly

my slider weakness!

i am trying hard not to buy them anymore

when they are in pantry, too hard to resist

Abstinence frequently works for me (Cookies etc)

adding protein bars to my list

btw @@Alex Brecher - your profile on the left, you've lost more weight, right?? you are very close to GOAL! Woo Hoo! Party Dance, Party Dance - congrats

kathy

I llllllove lllllllove my Quest Double chocolate Chunk Protein Bars

they give me that wonderful chocolate craving

i frequently have one a day

buttttt-its like the commercial for Lay's Potato chips

"Betcha Can't Eat Just One"

unfortunately that's true with my Protein bars

sometimes i have trouble eating "ONE" bar

i can definitely eat two bars, i love them, can't resist

for some reason this is the only food i can/will not eat slowly

my slider weakness!

i am trying hard not to buy them anymore

when they are in pantry, too hard to resist

Abstinence frequently works for me (Cookies etc)

adding protein bars to my list

btw @@Alex Brecher - your profile on the left, you've lost more weight, right?? you are very close to GOAL! Woo Hoo! Party Dance, Party Dance - congrats

kathy

Just updated it again. I'm below my goal weight now. I started taking my own advice lol and have gotten back on track. I'm watching what I eat and drink and have become much more active. Instead of taking my car everywhere, I started walking much more. Due to my acid reflux, my gastro suggested I stop eating two hours before I go to Zzzz. That one change has made a huge difference for my weight as well as my reflux.

Thank you for noticing!

Same here. For a lot of the same reasons. Better a Protein bar than to make a poor food choice when extremely hungry and real food isn't readily available.

I buy Quest bars regularly via Amazon. I also use powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury Protein powder which I buy directly from Unjury.

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.

I do like some of the Quest bars....but my new favorite is Combat Crunch! Nutrition is about the same as Quest, but it really is like eating a candy bar. Delicious!!! I do worry about eating them too often though...

Perfect example today of my use of protein bars. Went grocery shopping on an empty stomach. My 13 year old wanted a soda and candy bar. He doesn't often, but he's 5'11" 140lbs and athletic so once in a while, fine! Me? I had a peanut butter power crunch bar and ate about 2/3 of it and was happy as a clam!

Im only 5 weeks out and have progressed to real food. Im having a 1/4 of a Quest bar as supper each night. Its a nice treat and has some nutrients as opposed to chocolate etc. Dietician is happy with me having it the way i am

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They are convenient and a lifesaver to those of us who are constantly on the go. Between work, school, internships and extracurriculars, I have no time (or desire) to cook, and often I have no access to a fridge. They are a great thing to have stashed away, especially because I can turn down unhealthy food and go "nah, I'm good, I've got something to nibble on."

I eat those little muscletech six-star Protein bars all the time. 200 calories, 20g protein, 15g carbs, 6g sugar. They are cheaper than all the fancy bars I've had (they sell them in single packs for 98 cents at walmart), and they taste the best. On days when my shifts run 16 hours or I've got wall to wall plans, I can down two bars until I can get a real meal.

Honestly, 95% of the Protein Bars I see in stores are horrifying when you flip them over and look at the nutrition label. Tons of sugar, loads of sodium, I was shocked to see some of the "best" bars have 25g of sugar alone. I'll stick to my cheap little bars and call it a day.

http://www.questnutrition.com/about-quest/

I like the company.....like their products an like their story.

I've not tried all their stuff.....and have found some that I don't care for as well. I don't eat their bars or chips every day or not even every week....but I keep them in my desk at work, along with packs of flavored tuna.

A bag of their chips with some salsa is a great treat every so often.

Quest bars look tempting. I could order them online (one of the online shops I'm customer at sells them) and most likely will. So far I sticked to myprotein and the Vega peanut butter ones.