Protein bars/shakes? Yes or no?!

fatcat13

Hello all

I wonder if I should try to incorporate protein shakes (or bars) into my diet to try and lose fat and gain muscle. Though I have no idea if this is a good idea or not. I eat 3 times a day, cereal and fruit for breakfast; tuna, salad and pita bread for lunch and chicken with veg for dinner we'll say for arguments sake, but I reckon I should be eating more to stop my body storing fat, though what with work and all, this isn't really convenient! Can I supplement meals with protein stuffs?!

I am female, 34, 5' 1" (1.5m), 7st 6lb (47kgs) with a BMI of 19.1. All sounds good and healthy so far, but I've 28.4% body fat, which puts me just above average (according to the internet).

I do Pilates on Monday and Boxercise on Friday and I'm doing a strength and conditioning workout at home 3-4 times per week. Plus I walk an average of 13kms a day, five days a week (while working, no sitting at a desk for me!)

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thank you!

the groutch

Protein bars/shakes are literally just to make up the protein deficits in your diet, but if possible to do it via regular food it'd be better in the long run.
The general rule of thumb is 1g per lb of bodyweight, so 104g of protein per day.

In relation to the rest of your diet it's far too carb heavy, and lacking in "good fats".

Protein Bars / Shakes are not some magic ingredient.

They're usually just dried cheese.

Instead of simply adding this to your diet and expecting results, why not take a look at your diet altogether and get protein in where it needs to go.

Quick check of what you've posted reads like you consume calories with this type of ratio (25/65/10) (protein, carbs, fat). I don't think that's a very healthy setup at all, and certainly not one for fat loss.

Could you feed yourself for a week? (by that, I mean everything from whole foods / cooked from scratch?) No boxes of cereals, no bread, no pasta, orange juices etc?

fatcat13

Avalynn Old Underdog wrote: »

Protein Bars / Shakes are not some magic ingredient.

They're usually just dried cheese.

Instead of simply adding this to your diet and expecting results, why not take a look at your diet altogether and get protein in where it needs to go.

Quick check of what you've posted reads like you consume calories with this type of ratio (25/65/10) (protein, carbs, fat). I don't think that's a very healthy setup at all, and certainly not one for fat loss.

Could you feed yourself for a week? (by that, I mean everything from whole foods / cooked from scratch?) No boxes of cereals, no bread, no pasta, orange juices etc?

Dried cheese!!! I'm so glad I didn't buy any.

I actually don't know if I could feed myself from scratch for a week, but I'll try. What should the protein/carb/fat ratio be ideally?

Thanks!

SunnyDub1

look into your diet first before worrying about taking in protein.
taking protein on a bad diet won't help you lose weight.

Cereal for breakfast isn't great, full of sugars: eat eggs or oats instead.
Fruit for breakfast- what fruit and how much? fruit is high in sugars and should be eating in moderation as part of a meal or a snack.
Salad for lunch is fine, once you have plenty of veg with fish or meat. Try cut out the pitta bread or any bread.
Chicken and Veg is fine for dinner also.

It's possible to get enough protein from your foods providing you eat a protein source with each meal (eggs, fish, meat)
Snack on protein. (cottage cheese, nuts, Greek yogurt etc)

You should join my on line fitness pal and work out how much calories you are eating. Reduce your calorie intake and cut out simple carbs and
all processed foods.

Thud

Deleted User wrote: »

They're usually just dried cheese.

They are not dried cheese. Whey is the by-product left over from milk when cheese is made (curds(soon to be cheese) & whey(soon to be protein powder))

fatcat13

SunnyDub1 wrote: »

what fruit and how much? fruit is high in sugars and should be eating in moderation as part of a meal or a snack.

Cherries! I love them, and may die if I can't eat them daily...