Replacing protein bar snacks w/ Grilled Chicken/Salmon?

ehimass
ehimass Posts: 92 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi,

I'm a 30 year old male, 6'0" tall. I've recently dropped about 55 pounds, going from 290 on jan 1st to 235 when I weighed in this morning.

I've been eating food from this place called "My Fit Foods" and it seems to work well. Exercise-wise I've been doing about 75 minutes of cardio 5-6x per week (various machines that get my heartrate into the 155 bpm range for the duration).

However, I recently began a weight lifting program in an attempt to limit muscle loss during my continuing weight loss.

The diet I'm on calls for 3 meals plus two snacks daily (although I usually only eat one snack to keep my calorie count below 1500). So far I've been eating "oatmega 3 wellness bars" for my snacks which have 190 calories, 23g carbs, 5g fat, 14g protein per bar.

I was thinking it'd be better to replace these snacks with a 1/2 pound of skinless grilled chicken or salmon. Is this something you would do if you were in my position? I'd be eating about 30%-50% more calories per snack but in exchange I'd get a 400% increase in protein and a 100% reduction in carbs.

Am I crazy to mess with something that is working? I would still eat the bars when I'm in a place where I can't cook during my snacks.

Replies

  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
    Anything is worth a try--
  • badgerbabs
    badgerbabs Posts: 49 Member
    Not at all crazy. Most of the "protein bars" I've seen have a boatload of sugar, and not all that much protein. You may find that you don't even need 1/2 pound, since protein usually fills you up better than carbs can. I say go for it.
  • EvanKeel
    EvanKeel Posts: 1,903 Member
    Not sure how to address your question, so I'll just go with what I notice.

    1) Am I reading that you're working out, 30 years old, male, 6ft and eating 1500 calories per day? If so, I question that number. It seems low. Just sayin'

    2) Increasing your protein intake while strength training should help maintain lean muscle mass. It doesn't really matter where the protein comes from.

    So yes...I guess in your place I might do that....or just find other sources of protein to fill the gaps.

    You didn't ask for this, but I'm offering it anyway:

    -Find your TDEE. Online calculators will help you do this, but experience will trump those. measure your food accurately.
    -reduce it by 20% and use that as your goal.
    -eat about 1g protein per lb of LBM
    -go for around 30g of fat
    - the rest of your calories can be whatever you want. For me it ends up being carbs and fats
  • gmallan
    gmallan Posts: 2,099 Member
    Sounds fine to me, eating a natrual protein packed-food in place of a pre-packaged snack bar is good.

    My question is why as a 6 foot tall, 235lb very active male you are limiting yourself to 1500 calories? I hope you are at least eating back some of your exercise calories.
  • ehimass
    ehimass Posts: 92 Member
    Thanks for all the responses. I have already calculated my TDEE to be about 2400 calories using the Mifflin-St. Jeor formula. So ideally my calorie target would be 1900-ish but when I can, I like to eat about 1500 (my diary is public). I've been going for a 40% carb 40% protein 20% fat macro.

    My job requires 2 weeks on the road followed by 2 weeks at home so I end up eating closer to about 2400 when I'm on the road and compensate with lower calories at home where I'm in a more controlled environment.
  • auroranflash
    auroranflash Posts: 3,569 Member
    1500 calories net (after exercise calories are consumed) or 1500 calories total? For your height and weight, either one is too low. Using this calculator ( http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/ ) and estimating your goal weight at 180lbs (since you didn't say), it says you should be eating 2,278 calories if your activity level is sedentary (described as 'little to no exercise, desk job').

    That means - lucky you! You're likely under-eating by about 700 calories a day and should easily be able to fit in your homemade snacks to your benefit.

    Other higher protein, less processed (and possibly less expensive than protein bars) snacks can include nuts or trail mixes, boiled eggs, homemade drinks with milk and whey protein powder, or the tried-and-true tuna fish salad mixed with cottage cheese or greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise.

    I think making your own snacks is a great idea which will only help you achieve your goals of retaining lean body mass and losing fat, as well as increasing your nutritional intake and saving money in the process. You can grill up all your protein on Sunday and eat it throughout the week. Cooking with a bit of olive oil would also help with your fat macros and help you fit in more calories.
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
    I would take chicken and salmon over artificial, processed bars anytime, to be honest.
    Most of those things taste bloody awful anyway.
  • ehimass
    ehimass Posts: 92 Member
    1500 calories net (after exercise calories are consumed) or 1500 calories total? For your height and weight, either one is too low. Using this calculator ( http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/ ) and estimating your goal weight at 180lbs (since you didn't say), it says you should be eating 2,278 calories if your activity level is sedentary (described as 'little to no exercise, desk job').

    1500 calories total, so I'm netting 500-ish most days after exercise plus whatever my body is burning from its massive fat reserves (hopefully). I've read a bit about the Protein Sparing Modified Fasts (PSMF) and am hoping that upping my protein with these snacks will bring me a little more in line with that kind diet, although not as extreme.

    My goal weight when I started was 190, to make it an even 100 pounds of weight loss, but 175 would probably be more of an ideal weight for me. I weighed as little as 155 in 2006 and felt pretty good there, although people complained that I looked a bit sickly.
  • BeachIron
    BeachIron Posts: 6,490 Member
    At that rate you are bound to lose muscle mass. Slow it down. At 6 ft and 235, you really should be going for about a pound a week loss. Take your time, maintain your current muscle mass and you'll feel better in the long run.

    As for replacing those snacks with real food, absolutely. Try to eat as much real food as you can that still fits into your calorie and macronutrient goals. I only use protein powder myself when I need the extra boost although I do enjoy its flavor mixed with Greek yogurt.
  • Fullsterkur_woman
    Fullsterkur_woman Posts: 2,712 Member
    Well, everybody's right about the eating real food thing. (I used to love MFF too, but I got tired of little problems like finding plastic/metal bits in my food, etc. Now I love SnapKitchen!) I do love the chocolate mint oatmega bars too!

    However, I think for after your strength training workout, your best bet is protein with *some* sugar. The rise in blood sugar stimulates a release of insulin, and insulin is what shuttles the protein into your muscles to repair the damage. Otherwise, you've basically got the construction workers with their building materials milling around outside the house and nobody to open the door for them to get in and get to work!

    In my nutrition class, the suggested pre-workout snack was 10 grams of protein with 15 grams complex carbs (total carbs minus sugars), and the post-workout was 10 grams of protein with 15 grams of sugars.

    Low-fat chocolate milk is an excellent choice, as is Greek yogurt with fruit, if you want to stick with "real foods". Even better than fruit would be local honey, which if taken regularly will help you with your allergies! :)

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