Protein, Protein Bars, Protein Drinks

I don't know what any of you think about protein in general or protein bars or protein drinks.

I discovered Herbalife in about 2012, and when reading the training materials and the discussion of what protein does for your body and how it breaks down slower than carbs and keeps you feeling fuller longer without causing your energy and glucose levels to spike up or down...

Well that was enough to have me hooked. I gave it a try and it worked for me.

Over the past few years though I have kind of gotten away from focusing on protein. I am still and Herbalife distributor and have shake mixes of almost every flavor on hand.

However, I don't drink them all that much anymore. Yet, I do find that if I focus on trying to consume between 60-115 (115 is my protein goal per my Herbalife lean protein estimator) grams of protein per day that my body stays full, I don't have cravings, my muscles don't retain fluids and swell when trying to recover. In general, if my calories consumed are less than my calories burned and I have 60-115 grams of protein per day, I will lose weight.

I also at this point in time am focusing on 5 servings of fruit and/or veggies and 6-12 cups of water per day as well. When I do those things added to the protein and calories and get some exercise, my body is a calorie burning machine.

All that being said, it's time to address the protein bars and protein drinks I mentioned in the beginning.

I know there are tons of ways to get in your protein and lots are better than others.

However, I have discovered a drink by Bolthouse Farms. It is blended coffee flavor, and is in their protein plus line. One cup is 16 grams of protein and 190 calories and get come in bottles with about 4 servings per bottle. Or you can get the smaller bottles that have 15.2 ounces and 30 grams of protein and about 360 calories. Now this does have some stuff in it that isn't quite all natural and it tastes chocolatey. It may not be the absolute best thing for you out there. But man is it yummy! It conquers my chocolate and sweets cravings and fills me up and gives me energy to face my day. I really love this stuff. It is my one dark little secret. And my diet and weight loss usually stay on point when I'm drinking this almost every day.

Next, let's discuss protein bars. I have tried just about every kind out there. Some I like and some just taste like cardboard with artificial flavoring. I recently discovered quest bars though. Let me tell you what. I have not found a flavor I haven't liked yet. I tried a 12 pack variety the first time I ordered from amazon.

I gave one to my mom and one to my boyfriend (Peanutbutter supreme and chocolate peanutbutter because peanutbutter flavored treats just taste fake to me and those are the Flavors they would have liked the best).

I then ordered a chocolate lovers pack that just arrived today. I tried the s'mores one for today. OMG!!! I had read a recommendation that some one else microwaves the chocolatey ones for a tiny bit. I took one bite and it was good, but I microwaved the rest and OMG OMG OMG!!! This was the best thing I have eaten in MONTHS.

I have been watching what I eat and exercising and maintaining a healthier lifestyle. I have had snacks and junk foods I used to love and I have not taken anything completely out of my diet.

However this s'mores quest bar microwave takes the gold medal in the food category. To top it off, it has 20 grams of protein, 13 grams of fiber, 8 grams of fat, 1 gram of sugar, and 180 calories. I am sure the 23 carbs in it are its downfall on a food grading scale. Yet I don't care. This was absolutely amazing. This with my 30 grams of protein and 360 calories from my 15.2 oz bottle of blended coffee protein plus from bolthouse farms may not be the best combo for everyone. I am sure there are lots wrong with it for other people's diets.

But this is my breakfast/lunch combo for today, and I am happy with that. 50 grams of protein, 540 calories. And I'm off to get ready to go to a baseball game (my boyfriend coaches HS baseball and it's his birthday). It will be quite a few hours before I make it back home and can eat again, but I won't be hungry and will be feeling great after this.

I didn't have much protein yesterday and ate a bunch of junk, so my weight went up .6 pounds. I can mostly likely expect a loss tomorrow if I remember my fruits and veggies in my dinner, lots of water and my Yogalosophy tonight!

Please tell me what your take on protein is. I am always interested in hearing how others approach food and eating in general. Everyone's body is different so everyone needs to focus on different forms of nutrition. For me protein is key, but someone else may need to focus on fat or carbs or something else.