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Lose weight eating meal replacement bars…

So you’re on a diet and eating salads every day. You’re losing weight but your kids want doughnuts for breakfast. You say to yourself, “Well, I’ll just have one.” One becomes two and maybe even three. You get to the office and a coworker baked and brought in homemade chocolate chip cookies. She’ll be offended if you don’t try one so you eat one or two. You feel like you’ve blown your diet again and again. How will you ever lose weight this way?

We have good intentions and pretty decent self-control but the temptations are all around us. It’s not your fault. It’s something we all battle daily. Many people find it hard to lose weight because of their addiction to chocolate, doughnuts, cakes, and cookies. These foods are so easily available. You can’t wait in line at the grocery store without seeing chocolate candies; there is a Dunkin Donuts on every corner; and when is the last time someone brought a bag of apples to the office birthday party?

If you can control your addiction to these foods, you can lose weight so much faster!

How to control your addiction to Chocolate, Donuts and Cookies

Controlling your addiction is actually easier than you think. You find a healthy substitute and make it a part of your diet plan. When you have a plan to eat a healthy “candy bar” each day, you won’t crave the unhealthy choices.

When I was a weight loss counselor at LA Weight Loss, we had protein bars called “LA Lites”. Clients on the LA Weight Loss plan ate one to two bars per day as a snack as part of their normal menu plan. LA Lites were delicious and you didn’t feel deprived. When you knew you could eat two of these “candy bars” each day, you didn’t crave other sweets such as doughnuts, cookies, cakes, etc…  In fact, overall, clients who were on a plan that included the LA Lites lost more weight than clients who were on a plan without them. However, they were made with Soy protein isolate, an unhealthy protein as it turns out. So, unfortunately, I can no longer recommend LA Lites to anyone. I set out to find the perfect protein bar that was just a tasty as the LA Lites but made from healthy ingredients that I could trust. The Quest Bar is one of my favorites but there are a lot of other great-tasting bars.

Why Quest Bars?

My choice for the best protein bar for weight loss is the Quest Bar. It is high in protein, has a great balance of carbs and proteins and is made with all quality ingredients including whey protein, almonds, walnuts, unsweetened chocolate chips, stevia, cocoa, almond butter, peanut butter, dried bananas, strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. Quest protein bars are as tasty and convenient as a candy bar, while maintaining all of the nutrition of a well-balanced meal. Check out the top protein bars of 2016 here.

How Does a Meal Replacement Bar Help you Lose Weight?

  • The Quest protein bar, for example, has about 20 grams of protein and 17 grams of fiber. This fiber and protein combination is very filling and will curb your hunger so you can lose weight.
  • The balance of proteins and carbs in a protein bar will keep your blood sugar levels from spiking.
  • Whey protein has been shown to aid in the reduction of body fat and promotes the growth of lean muscle mass.
  • Keeps you from craving sugary foods that have no nutritional value.

Sample Menu plan for Weight Loss using Quest Bars

Below are sample menu plans if you chose to eat 1 or 2 meal replacement bars each day. This is similar to an LA Weight loss menu plan. By following this plan, you will not crave sweets. I have used Quest Bars in these sample menu plans but you can substitute your favorite protein bar. Quest Bars are about 200 calories each.

Day 1

  • Breakfast: Eggbeater omelet with bell peppers & onions and whole wheat toast
  • Snack: 1/2 Quest bar: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and Cantaloupe
  • Lunch: Salad, grilled chicken and whole wheat crackers
  • Snack: Apple slices with 1 Tablespoon natural peanut butter for dip
  • Dinner: Grilled shrimp, zucchini medley and grilled pineapple
  • Snack: 1/2 Quest bar: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and 1 oz of raw nuts

Day 2

  • Breakfast: Apple Pie Quest Bar
  • Snack: Cottage Cheese and cantaloupe
  • Lunch: Fish taco with shredded cabbage
  • Snack: Carrots & Celery Sticks with hummus for dip
  • Dinner: Grilled chicken salad with fruit
  • Snack: Popcorn

Day 3

  • Breakfast: Vanilla Greek Yogurt with frozen blueberries
  • Snack: a Sargento’s lite string cheese, walnuts and grapes
  • Lunch: Grilled fish, brown rice and broccoli
  • Snack: Celery and Yogurt blue cheese dressing; 1/2 Quest bar: White Chocolate Raspberry
  • Dinner: Turkey taco salad in a oven baked tortilla bowl topped with shredded lettuce & diced tomatoes
  • Snack: 1/2 Quest bar: White Chocolate Raspberry
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