Protein Bars and Shakes

jereneyz
jereneyz Posts: 52 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi :)

I'm 23 and I'm at the higher end(almost the brim) of my healthy weight range. I'd like to lose some weight and be at the lower end of the spectrum instead. According to MFP, I should only eat 1200 calories a day. I'd love to lose some of my fats, however I don't want to be bulky. No abs, no bulging muscles, but not too much flabby bits either.

I was wondering if anyone can suggest me a good low calorie(around 200 cal or less), high protein bar(15-20g) that can keep me full for long, tastes good (CHOCOLATE, CHOCOLATE, CHOCOLATEEEEE), and is available for purchase in the US. Cost doesn't matter. I've had so much troubles trying to get good bars. Most of them either 1) has 400 calories or 2) only contains 10g of protein. I'm also worried that some bars (especially those that have "manly" looking wrappers) will cause be to bulk up like a guy! Shakes are great too :) I used to drink slimfast, and they seemed to work, but it doesn't taste that good :( Atkin's has way better tasting shakes. I was wondering if anyone has other good suggestions that I can try.

Thanks so much in advance! Any light you can shed on this topic will be super beneficial for me :)

<3,
Jer

Replies

  • 1Kristine1
    1Kristine1 Posts: 697 Member
    Hi
    If you tell us your height and weight we can calculate the proper amount of calories you should eat.
    I would suggest you calculate your calories per day you should eat in order to lose weight, but instead of using shakes maybe just try to eat well. Meaning lean protein, veggies and fruit.
    And exercise!
  • pkw58
    pkw58 Posts: 2,038 Member
    I actually lost all my weight on the Dukan Diet. I only ate protien bars once i got to maintenance/ stabilization as a nothing else was available and they were the lessor of all evils and time constraints. I have a protien shake occassionally when i just am too tired from a 12 hour work day and havent had enough calories.

    Honestly, i think which bars you eat is a reflection of what real food you eat. I like chocolate, so i chose the snickers protein bar for breakfast at an airport i was in at 5 am with nothing but the newstand open. It was tasty and saved me from eating on the airplane.

    If you go to a health food store when they arenot busy, you can generally talk with some one there about your personal likes and dislikes ...

    PS. Not an expert , but the only thing that made me fat or bulky was eating too many calories...
  • shinkalork
    shinkalork Posts: 815 Member
    I'm crazy of the PURE PROTEIN bars....
    They taste awesome and they are not expensive.
    You can get them at Walmart sometimes...

    They range 14-20g carbs, 20-24g protein and around 180-210 calories. (very good stats).

    I've tried Chocolate Deluxe,Chocolate peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies (All amazing).
    http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/pure-protein.html?searchterm=pure_protein&_requestid=2025536

    For shakes... I've used many. But I like the fruity smoothie ones. (so many chocolate ones, some difference helps sometime)
    So I use 4EverFit - Fruit Blast /Cranrazz............. It's 100 cal,24g protein and 1g carbs. Taste AWESOME with just water.
  • karen9330
    karen9330 Posts: 1
    I have tried almost every protein bar out there, and the only one I like (that doesnt taste like dirt) is Snackwells protein bars. They are 140 cal, 8 g of protein...not significant, but 2 of these bars will give you 16 g of protein for less than 300 cal. They are easy to take with you anywhere and help me keep my blood sugar stable throughout the day. My favorite flavor is peanut butter, but they also come in cinnamon raisin and chocolate.

    I have tried numerous protein shakes, with most of them tasting like sludge. My absolute favorite is Slim Fast, Low Carb Diet, creamy milk chocolate flavor. At 180 calories, they pack 20 g of protein and only 4 carbs. They taste so much better/richer than the regular or high protein varieties. I order them from subscribe and save on Amazon to save money.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    For women to 'bulk up like a guy' you'd have to not be making a massive effort in the gym generally - more work than a similar sized bloke puts in generally.
    Unless you are making a lot of effort in that direction, having researched how to get there first, it's not something I'd worry about :).

    As for the rest, I just wander around stores with them in looking at the labels then try them out :).
    Don't really find any that filling.

    If you've got a bit of time to prepare it; look at 'protein fluff', which for 200 calories and less you can have over a litre of thick mousse. So filling in the short term, at least.
  • lyndalpn
    lyndalpn Posts: 151 Member
    ...... They are 140 cal, 8 g of protein...not significant, but 2 of these bars will give you 16 g of protein for less than 300 cal......
    .

    So would 3 eggs, or even better one small can of tuna (16g of protein for only 71 calories). Not trying to be difficult or picky, just pointing out that you don't necessarily need shakes or bars to achieve the same thing. If you like them and they work for you then thats great, but you can increase your protein intake in other more natural ways if you wish.
  • shinkalork
    shinkalork Posts: 815 Member
    ...... They are 140 cal, 8 g of protein...not significant, but 2 of these bars will give you 16 g of protein for less than 300 cal......
    .

    So would 3 eggs, or even better one small can of tuna (16g of protein for only 71 calories). Not trying to be difficult or picky, just pointing out that you don't necessarily need shakes or bars to achieve the same thing. If you like them and they work for you then thats great, but you can increase your protein intake in other more natural ways if you wish.

    True, but all depends when you want them... Before bed, they aren't the best compared to a shake etc... so yes, if you want real fresh protein... when you can go for eggs,tuna,turkey etc...
  • jereneyz
    jereneyz Posts: 52 Member
    Wow thanks so much everyone for your prompt replies! :D I'm 5'4 and about 136lbs. Also, in Asian so the acceptable bmi range for me is actually lower at 18.5-23. I've recently ordered $75 bucks worth of protein bars from thinkthin. But I instantly regretted not consulting MFP first. I saw some "educational" video on YouTube about protein bars and they suggested think thin. So I immediately went onto their website and bought a truck load of stuff. Not my most prudent moment.
  • jereneyz
    jereneyz Posts: 52 Member
    Omg yes tuna! I love canned tuna! How could I have forgotten about them! I'm so going to walmart to stock up on them! Thank you so so so much! :)

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