Protein Bars for breakfast??

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  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    Eating one food item like a quest bar will not inherently make you gain or lose weight. It's prob a good idea since you're low on protein.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    buffgrl wrote: »
    First of all, stop eating so late at night and you will be hungry first thing in the morning. At night your digestive system slows down and prepares for rest, so when you eat late your poor tired system is forced to sluggishly try to digest your food when it is supposed to be resting, which also disrupts the quality of your sleep by the way. (Yes, eating late disrupts your sleep patterns so that you won't get that deep, refreshing sleep that you need.) Anyhow, since your digestive system is sluggish at night, you will probably wake up with food and acids still in your gut. Hopefully you don't have reflux, which can happen when eating to close to bedtime. Ever wake up with that sour taste in your mouth? Guess what- you're tasting your own stomach acids that came up while you were sleeping, nice right? The other thing to do is to drink 8-16oz of water before anything else, first thing in the morning. This is because many people wake up dehydrated from 6-8 hours of no fluids, and your body needs fluids in order to create digestive juices. Coffee doesn't count because it dehydrates. Don't eat past 6pm and drink water first thing in the morning and I'll bet within 20 minutes of finishing your water you'll start feeling hungry.

    Please don't listen to any of this.

    You don't have to eat breakfast if you aren't hungry. Don't force yourself because of an outdated notion that it's important.
    But that said if you are truly hungry midmorning, nothing wrong with a protein bar. Could also try HB eggs, Greek yogurt, etc.
  • BrianAWeber
    BrianAWeber Posts: 82 Member
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    Protein bars are expensive. I have thought about making my own protein bars, so that I could cut out all the ingredients that I didn't want but haven't done so as of yet. I go light for breakfasts also. I portion out fruits, seeds, and nuts for breakfast and lunch, and that passives me until dinner where I like to finish my day with a huge meal!
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    I go through phases. I'm not really "enjoying" breakfast right now, so I've been just having a bar.
    When I "like" breakfast, I love savory oatmeal.
  • jo_nz
    jo_nz Posts: 548 Member
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    I get early morning nausea too - if I have to rush around getting ready.

    I personally find it works to get up and have my breakfast first. Then sit and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea, and then I can face getting ready to go out the door. I just seem to need that extra 10 minutes after eating to sit and relax before racing around.

    But yes, I have also used bars or shakes as breakfast replacements, and they were useful too - nothing wrong with them as part of an overall balanced diet.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    BrianAWeber wrote: »
    Protein bars are expensive. I have thought about making my own protein bars, so that I could cut out all the ingredients that I didn't want but haven't done so as of yet. I go light for breakfasts also. I portion out fruits, seeds, and nuts for breakfast and lunch, and that passives me until dinner where I like to finish my day with a huge meal!

    I just now made these, they're sitting in the fridge waiting to set.. So easy, and only 4 ingredients.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEft2EUTz9I
  • kellyjellybellyjelly
    kellyjellybellyjelly Posts: 9,480 Member
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    I usually eat a protein bar everyday for either breakfast or a morning snack at work.

    I find this tides me over until lunch which can be 2-4 after my first break at work & usually leaves me with more calories for the rest of the day compared to a huge breakfast/mid morning feast (nothing wrong if someone likes that).

    I've been eating Power Bars recently (Vanilla, Chocolate Peanut Butter, & Cookies & Cream) since the Grocery Outlet has boxes for around $1.50-$3.75 depending on flavors.
  • Iamnotasenior
    Iamnotasenior Posts: 234 Member
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    I don't eat breakfast until around 10:00 am each day. I prefer a cup of tea or coffee before I eat anything even on the weekends. Don't force yourself to eat if you're not hungry. When you are hungry, a protein bar is just fine. I also don't get home until 7:00 or 7:30 pm in the evening, so I don't eat dinner until 8:00 or 8:30 most nights and I sleep just fine and have lost 30 pounds since March of this year. As long as you stay within your calorie goals, you will lose weight.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    Eating bars so often sounds boring and expensive, but what matters is that you like it and it keeps you healthy. As long as it's within your calorie allotment, it won't affect your weight loss.

    Your first meal is your breakfast, there is no set time for breakfast. Eating enough every day is what's important. If you want to eat breakfast at home, you could go to bed earlier and study a bit before breakfast instead.

    Have you adjusted your protein goal from MFP's default? If not, it shouldn't be hard to reach with normal food.
  • Sp1tfire
    Sp1tfire Posts: 1,120 Member
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    My only advice is to try different bars and make sure it fills you up. There's nothing worse than to me than feeling unsatisfied after a protein bar, especially an expensive one.
  • ThatLadyFromMN
    ThatLadyFromMN Posts: 301 Member
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    I have the same problem, I eat 4 tbsp.'s of peanut butter for breakfast
  • CynthiasChoice
    CynthiasChoice Posts: 1,047 Member
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    I think a protein bar is fine on the days you need to go to school. The protein bar is probably a better choice than the cereal bar. Maybe you could change it up on the weekends. (Try my favorite: Plain Greek yogurt topped with frozen blueberries and chopped walnuts. Yummm!)

    I'm not expert enough to explain intermittent fasting to you or give advice about it. All I know is how my nutritionist did it: Nothing to eat between 6 PM and 10 AM. It can have some positive effects on regulating blood sugar, controlling cholesterol, maintaining lean mass, reducing cancer, etc. BUT, I also know it can have negative effects for some females, so please be careful and study up on it before deciding to try it.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    edited October 2017
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    CynthiasChoice wrote: »
    I'm not expert enough to explain intermittent fasting to you or give advice about it. All I know is how my nutritionist did it: Nothing to eat between 6 PM and 10 AM. It can have some positive effects on regulating blood sugar, controlling cholesterol, maintaining lean mass, reducing cancer, etc. BUT, I also know it can have negative effects for some females, so please be careful and study up on it before deciding to try it.
    This is woo. Not eating between 6 PM and 10 AM is perfectly normal and healthy, but it's not a magic health trick. People who need to eat more often, must do so. Like diabetics, athletes and underweight. Not "some females". Things like that make people afraid for no reason.
  • 35dollars
    35dollars Posts: 830 Member
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    Protein bar(s) for breakfast works for me - I'm starving when I get up in the morning, so I need something, but I don't want a heavy breakfast before my 10 mile cycle commute, so I eat one as soon as I get up, and another one once I arrive at work.

    Brands I've found to work well, and which come with a decent protein to calorie mix are listed on this thread.
  • CynthiasChoice
    CynthiasChoice Posts: 1,047 Member
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    kommodevaran wrote: »
    CynthiasChoice wrote: »
    I'm not expert enough to explain intermittent fasting to you or give advice about it. All I know is how my nutritionist did it: Nothing to eat between 6 PM and 10 AM. It can have some positive effects on regulating blood sugar, controlling cholesterol, maintaining lean mass, reducing cancer, etc. BUT, I also know it can have negative effects for some females, so please be careful and study up on it before deciding to try it.
    This is woo. Not eating between 6 PM and 10 AM is perfectly normal and healthy, but it's not a magic health trick. People who need to eat more often, must do so. Like diabetics, athletes and underweight. Not "some females". Things like that make people afraid for no reason.

    I think I was unclear, and that lead to the woo conclusion. My nutritionist (only person I know who does IF) fasted from 6 PM to 10 AM. I would assume that's safe for everyone except diabetics, athletes and underweight, as you said. It becomes unsafe for some females if they choose to regularly fast for a longer period of time, like a full day. That can sometimes disrupt a woman's menstrual cycle.

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