Protein Shakes and Bars?

[wellhellothere]

What are your opinions on protein shake type drinks?

I've been rotating between Alani protein drink (30g, weird I know), Fairlife 42g elite and some mornings an Oikos protein drink (23g)... I also rotate between a David's bar or Barebell. For both of these things they are normally meal replacements because I'm too full to move after (thank you reta).

But do these calories and proteins affect me neutrally/negatively? Or are they completely fine?

I cut out any type of soda from my diet, but sometimes eating/drinking what I listed above feels like I'm eating a chocolate bar or drinking a milkshake and it's hard to know if the ~160 calories is real or what's going on.

 

[Beardboost]

Make sure the sugar level is low, these brands tend to add so much sugar, Classic Whey Protein is what you should be looking for

 

[Slogger]

I know for me, I tend to choose either a protein drink (30g protein) or a protein bar (20g protein) at least once per day. It helps me fill my overall protein intake requirement because most days it’s difficult to consume that much food. The tirz does a great job of suppressing my appetite!

 

[ThatNextGril]

I've always got protein shakes in the fridge and bars in the cupboard. I like the Muscle Milk or Premiere Protein drinks as I get them as Costco, and the bars are Built as omg they taste like candy bars. I also always have Quest protein tortilla chips at hand for those crunchy needs.

 

[Devilseye]

I mean they are ok but they arent real food. I used to live on them before. I liked the convenience of protein shakes for sure. Protein bars never really filled me up at all. Used to eat many of them at each sitting. Now i work from home and much prefer doing my own smoothies with whey protein and frozen fruits/greens.

 

[ThatNextGril]

True, real food is always better, bu boy it sure is handy having a nice cold protein shake ready to drink when I'm busy and tired and won't get a proper meal for a while. For only 160 calories, it's totally worth it.

And I love the non-filling bars as dessert! I'll usually have a couple hundred calories from my daily allotment so getting even more protein in at the end of the day as a treat is a win-win for me.

 

[bbbilly]

naaah they are fine. and if they help with cravings then thats a win for sure. the ready to drink ones can be a little pricy, if thats an issue buying a tub/bag of a whey would be a good option but they wont be as good as those fairlife thats for sure.

bigger question since you said they make you full is the rest of the diet. by that i mean are you getting enough micro nutrients that a basic shake is whats needed or a more well rounded meal replacement like an ensure or something to get all the micro nutrients you might need? just a little food for thought....see what i did there?

 

[ThatNextGril]

The diet is dialed in already for sure. The shakes and bars aren't daily (as you note, those RTD ones are not cheap, even when on sale at Costco) but it's so nice to have them a few times a week to add the protein without feeling like it's overkill.

 

[BNLFL]

I do a whey protein powder, low sugar, collagen peptide and oat bran mixed with water daily for lunch.

 

[HereKittyKitty]

Keep the sugar low. Quest and Premier are decent options.

I try for real, whole foods as much as possible. Admittedly, I add protein powder to anything that will accept it - parfait, pancakes, peanut butter cups, muffins, etc.

Take a multivitamin. 2 chewable Flintstones Complete/day is what my doctor and my RD recommended.

 

[Vash_]

I get the Sam’s club house brand, Premier?

32g protein and 160 calories.

 

[5byfive]

In general, completely fine. All the brands you listed are solid. There are some junk bars and drinks out there but all of those are good.

The bigger issue is total calories and macros. Those are all low calorie options and if they are acting as meal replacements, you are likely not consuming enough calories. If that is all you can eat, your dose may be too high. Big calorie deficits can mean you are loosing as much as 40% of your weight in muscle. Looking at big drops on the scale is nice but if a big chunk of it is muscle, you are not doing yourself any favors. Unless you are needing to drop hundreds of pounds, one to two pounds a week is ideal.

You also need fat and carbs (in addition to vitamins and other nutrients) and the bars and shakes you.listed are all low low on those. My perfered split is something in the area of 50% protein, 25% carbs, and 25% fat, although you could definitely go lower on protien.

 

[Fordhayes]

Costco. Nurri protein drinks and Fitcrunch protein bars. Both goated from someone who’s tried everything. Cheap too especially when on sale.

 

[wellhellothere]

I do a whey protein powder, low sugar, collagen peptide and oat bran mixed with water daily for lunch.

Collagen peptide - how’s that been working for you? Do you take ghkcu as well per chance?

 

[miameow]

It's an extremely convenient choice that will help you hit your macros. Let real food be the foundation of your diet, and think of protein shakes (ideally not bars) be the helper that gets you to your protein goals each day. Each serving contains roughly 25g protein - if you drink two a day, that's 50g of protein for only 200 kcal.

Another useful way to incorporate protein into your diet is to drink casein shakes in the evening to help with recovery - this is slower digesting so bodybuilders tend to drink casein shakes or eat cottage cheese before bed with a small amount of carbs.

I personally only drink clear whey isolates, as I'm lactose intolerant and also not a fan of drinking murky milky solutions. Protein from real food is still king as it comes with lots of micronutrients.

 

[sheilarae74]

I mostly use ready made protein shakes like Muscle Milk and Premier Protein to mix my collagen and Creatine powder in. Occasionally I will drink a Nurri or Core Power Elite or some of the other brands by itself if I haven't eaten enough.

I never eat protein bars. I never found one I liked the texture of. I have been thinking of trying to get more of my protein from plant sources to cut down on fats a little. I need to go back to drinking almond milk. Maybe incorporate some beans back into my diet.

 

[Calm Logic]

Maybe incorporate some beans back into my diet.

Two words:

Taco

Bell

haha. I do add black beans to everything I order there, including the Mexican pizza.

 

[dk2001]

I use the orgain shakes but have never found a protein bar with low sugar that I can tolerate the taste. Doesn't help that I don't like peanut butter and a lot of them have it added.

 

[BNLFL]

Collagen peptide - how’s that been working for you? Do you take ghkcu as well per chance?

Actually been taking that for way before we started the dieting and Reta. Good, my wife made me start taking it. I don't even know what that second thing is.

Two words:

Taco

Bell

haha. I do add black beans to everything I order there, including the Mexican pizza.

Man, I haven't had Taco bell in 20 years, in fact I haven't had McDonalds or any type of that fast food stuff in 20 years. Honestly.

 

[ThunderBird]

It matters more of the bioavailability/completeness of the protein you are consuming not how you get it into your body. About 60 of my 200g of protein come from protein shakes daily and I’ve lost 50ish pounds over the past 5 months and lost minimal strength. Only compound I’m on is Reta, really the only tell that I’ve lost a tad of strength is that I can no longer bench 225 for 7 now it 225 for 5. But I went from around 215lbs to 165lbs so that is to be expected.