Do you use protein bars in maintenance?

kiela64
kiela64 Posts: 1,447 Member
I really suck at cooking. Sometimes just measuring and mixing yogurt or weighing and reheating something from the freezer feels like "too much" so I just grab a protein bar. They have been really really helpful in helping me to hit the protein goal (something I could never do before, and I would often be hungry overeating and still be under on protein) and stay under my calories, because satiation.

But I don't know if they are....good to build into your routine. The food habits that have helped me lose weight are: stop buying meals out, stop buying coffee out, make things at home. I have sandwiches in the freezer for my lunches, I take 25g of peanuts, an apple, carrots, and a protein bar to work. The protein bar is if I "need more" but some days I'll also have one for breakfast because I just can't with morning brain and exhaustion. So some days I don't have any, and other days I'll have 2.

It's something I worry won't carry over into maintenance. I don't know if that counts as a "diet supplement" or "fake food" (they freak my mom out a lot because she thinks the sugar alcohols and protein powder are going to have some unpredictable side effects in the future). Like I know they aren't as bad as my mom thinks, but I don't know if they're "good" either.

Right now they're helping me achieve my goals while I still.....really suck at understanding cooking. I get very easily overwhelmed by "complex" tasks. I can cook simple things like eggs and toast, pasta, and I can follow directions if someone is in the room with me. But I just sorta fall apart into an anxious mess following a recipe, even if I've done it before.

It's something I need to work on, but how worried about using protein bars as a crutch should I be?

Like, it seems like maybe too much dairy. I drink 1/2-1 cup of milk in tea & coffee every day, sometimes greek yogurt for breakfast, and more diary-derived whey feels worrisome. Idk.

If anyone else has run into stuff like this, or continues to use protein bars in maintenance, I'd like to know how that's going for ya.
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Replies

  • Cbean08
    Cbean08 Posts: 1,092 Member
    I eat at least 3 a day.

    I eat a Lenny and Larry protein cookie as part of breakfast for the extra calories.
    Then I have a Quest bar after my morning workout.
    I'll have another Quest or OhYeah or Clif Builder Bar at lunch or afternoon snack too.

    I don't like to cook. And, I don't like bulky meals. For me, protein bars are convenient and I like the taste, so I continue to eat them.
  • mph323
    mph323 Posts: 3,565 Member
    Yup, I'm in maintenance and I eat them all the time. I have a quest bar everyday for breakfast, then may have another (or even 2) later, depending on my access to "safe" food (I have celiac disease). My main concern would be not to neglect nutritional needs by eating all the bars and not enough of a variety of foods, but there's nothing wrong with incorporating them into your regular routine if you like them. :)
  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
    edited August 2018
    I refuse to clean up the mess so I don't cook. I'll deign to clean a large glass mixing bowl after I microwave soup or a frozen dinner/veggie combo in it so that's the extent of my culinary prowess. The majority of my calories come from the freezer section of the store. I'm single-handedly keeping Lean Cuisine in business.

    My before-bed snack every day is a Nature Valley protein bar.

    My maintenance food habits are the ones that I crafted during weight loss. If your way of doing things is nutritious enough and comfortable for you, don't let someone else try to talk you out of it. Maintenance is just like weight loss but with a few more calories in your budget.
  • rainbow198
    rainbow198 Posts: 2,245 Member
    Yes and they help me to reach my protein goals on some days.

    I haven't found a store bought bar that doesn't taste like a candy bar or chalk so after a lot of trial and error I figured out how to make my own protein bars from scratch.

    I like having control of the ingredients I use and how much I use. I usually have one as part of a balanced meal. I don't eat them everyday however.
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,613 Member
    I eat them when gaining, losing, and maintaining. It's mostly just a yummy easy snack that I can grab and go(or sit and enjoy). The sugar alcohol can bother some people, but I think you would already know if it bothered you. I don't think they're any more fake than a candy bar or diet soda...
  • kellyjellybellyjelly
    kellyjellybellyjelly Posts: 9,480 Member
    edited August 2018
    I still ate protein bars when I was in maintenance (currently trying to re-lose a few more pounds) since it's quick, portable, & a mess free breakfast to eat for my morning snack at work.

    There's so much variety be it flavors & different brands that it would be hard to get tired of the same food.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    I hve never eaten a protein bar, I think, but I am in maintenance, and I wonder if this has nothing to do with protein bars. You said I get very easily overwhelmed by "complex" tasks. But you have written a clear account of a complex problem. Could it be that you just hate to cook? And if you do hate to cook, that it's because of something, associating it with restriction, or being overweight, or something else negative? I think the problem with protein bars isn't what they contain, but what they lack - every day, you need a range of nutrients, that are only, really, available through a range of foods.
  • COGypsy
    COGypsy Posts: 1,145 Member
    I pick protein bars/shakes over cooking at least a couple of nights a week. Haven't died of the scurvy yet!
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,088 Member
    I kind of treat some of the newer protein bars like a candy bar honestly. They have come a long way since when I was younger. So, once in a while. If I am going out to eat, I will use a shake or bar sometimes to help fill me up a little and hit protein goals.
  • jasondjulian
    jasondjulian Posts: 182 Member
    I use protein shakes and bars either as a mini-meal in between, or if I know I'll be having an odd-timed lunch or dinner but need something to get me by; OR to bump up my calories consumed for the day. I've been eat at 1500-1700 cals/day for almost a year... pretty much done losing tons of weight, so to maintain and stay in the 2100-2400 cals/day I need to have something calorically dense and preferably high protein- which helps keep me full.

    I also sleep better on a full stomach, so I a casein protein shake does the trick nicely.. slow digesting and very filling, adding about 200 calories which is sometimes all I need to stay OUT of a deficit.
  • peleroja
    peleroja Posts: 3,979 Member
    I have used them for breakfast in maintenance for years since I find food gross first thing in the morning but feel better/more awake if I eat something., and they're fairly easy to choke down.

    I really don't worry about it. I eat plenty of other foods throughout the day, so I'm sure I'm still getting an adequate array of vitamins and minerals and whatnot.
  • AuthorNinja
    AuthorNinja Posts: 69 Member
    mph323 wrote: »
    Yup, I'm in maintenance and I eat them all the time. I have a quest bar everyday for breakfast, then may have another (or even 2) later, depending on my access to "safe" food (I have celiac disease). My main concern would be not to neglect nutritional needs by eating all the bars and not enough of a variety of foods, but there's nothing wrong with incorporating them into your regular routine if you like them. :)

    Sorry, I just have to quote this because I also have quest bars for breakfast every day lol. My favorite is the chocolate chip cookie dough!!! :smiley:
  • mph323
    mph323 Posts: 3,565 Member
    mph323 wrote: »
    Yup, I'm in maintenance and I eat them all the time. I have a quest bar everyday for breakfast, then may have another (or even 2) later, depending on my access to "safe" food (I have celiac disease). My main concern would be not to neglect nutritional needs by eating all the bars and not enough of a variety of foods, but there's nothing wrong with incorporating them into your regular routine if you like them. :)

    Sorry, I just have to quote this because I also have quest bars for breakfast every day lol. My favorite is the chocolate chip cookie dough!!! :smiley:

    S'Mores!
  • Fitnessgirl0913
    Fitnessgirl0913 Posts: 481 Member
    mph323 wrote: »
    mph323 wrote: »
    Yup, I'm in maintenance and I eat them all the time. I have a quest bar everyday for breakfast, then may have another (or even 2) later, depending on my access to "safe" food (I have celiac disease). My main concern would be not to neglect nutritional needs by eating all the bars and not enough of a variety of foods, but there's nothing wrong with incorporating them into your regular routine if you like them. :)

    Sorry, I just have to quote this because I also have quest bars for breakfast every day lol. My favorite is the chocolate chip cookie dough!!! :smiley:

    S'Mores!

    Quest Blueberry muffin is my go to for when I hit the snooze button too many times and don't have time for oatmeal.
  • saragd012
    saragd012 Posts: 693 Member
    I often eat protein bars in maintenance. I also ate them when I was trying to lose, and when I was trying to gain. I prep out my lunches and dinners, but for whatever reason I suck at putting together breakfast. If it weren't for the bars I'd pretty much always skip breakfast, and then the rest of my day would be a struggle to reach my protein and calorie goals. They are easy, I enjoy how they taste, and I've had no discernable health and/or weight issues eating 4-5 a week for the past 2 years. I have absolutely zero guilt about my daily "glorified candybar" especially one that it gets me closer to my macros. :smiley:
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,971 Member
    edited August 2018
    Yes.

    Use them whenever I need more protein w/fewer cals or simply when I'm too lazy to cook something, which is pretty much everyday.

    The bars I buy/eat generally contain 20g of protein in 200 carbs w/virtually no fat or carbs.
  • kiela64
    kiela64 Posts: 1,447 Member
    I hve never eaten a protein bar, I think, but I am in maintenance, and I wonder if this has nothing to do with protein bars. You said I get very easily overwhelmed by "complex" tasks. But you have written a clear account of a complex problem. Could it be that you just hate to cook? And if you do hate to cook, that it's because of something, associating it with restriction, or being overweight, or something else negative? I think the problem with protein bars isn't what they contain, but what they lack - every day, you need a range of nutrients, that are only, really, available through a range of foods.

    I have not learned to cook much. I live at home. My mom’s caregiver works in the kitchen, so being in the kitchen is being in her way. I do not feel the kitchen is a space I am supposed to be in. It is not my house. There is very minimal freezer space for me, if I want to make something for myself it needs to fit in a small space. A bag of sandwiches typically fills that space. I find it confusing to figure out a recipe that will hit macros/calories, be flat/space saving in the freezer (ie not Tupperware), or can be made easily every couple days and kept in the fridge. I find that too complicated to even start.

    The breakfast example - I find it very hard to focus and get out of the house quickly. I don’t think this is unusual. I will lose time trying to do anything complicated, so I avoid any more complex hairstyles, makeup and meals. If I have the time I can measure out my vanilla & plain yogurts to mix and wash/chop fresh berries. If I am rushing, especially I am on work mornings, I can’t do that. But it’s gross if I do it the night before.

    I think if I had eg 1/4 of the freezer I might experiment more with cooking some evenings. But without a way to save food it feels pointless or wasteful. It’s not overwhelming because I hate it but because I feel I will be in the way and because I don’t know what I’m doing.