So - day 12 and so far not too bad. 5 - 6 pounds lost so far depending on my slightly flakey scale, feeling great and I think a little 'trimmer' (pants a bit looser) although that could just be psychosomatic / wishful thinking.

A question re: these so-called 'protein bars'.

Has anyone compared them to see what the deal REALLY is?

I need quick and dirty meals / snacks considering my hectic lifestyle, and I've been looking for a suitable 'powerbar' type thing that suits my new diet. However, all the bars offered at my health-food store look WAY too high in carbs, even though they are temptingly labelled (Zone Bars, Advantage bars etc...)

One bar (THE FIRST) that I JUST succumbed to buying & eating is this '3 Carb Protein Bar - Smores flavor'. On the back it lists 204 Cal, 21g protein, 22g Carbs but in brackets '2.5g net impact carbs'. Then in the fine print, it says 'Net impact carbs are carbs that 'carb counting' individuals need to be concerned about. Glycerine and maltitol have a much lower impact on bood sugar levels as they are metabolized differently than 'regular' carbs.' There is a separate section that says 'Total Carbohydrates 22g, glycerine & maltitol 19.5g, net impact carbs 2.5g).

So - is this a bunch of lies on the wrapper, and did I just blow my daily carb allowance on one stupid snack? Or is there some truth here, and these are a viable snack option?

I know that Fiber is 'legally deductible' when doing a carb count, but this glycerine & maltitol stuff seems a little weird...

Anyone out there have some ideas?

Thanks!

-PatekPhil

Hello. this is definitely a "Your Mileage May Vary" situation. The sugar alcohols (glycerine, maltitol, sorbitol etc) are not supposed to elicit an insulin surge, so they are considered neutral for a low carb diet. So the legal carb count is 2.5 or so. So they are legal and you didn't blow it.

HOWEVER, many people find that they stall while eating the bars. So I think you'll just have to try them out and see how you do. If you stop losing, then suspect the bars first.

I know they are handy but..... maybe not worth the convenience.

If you click on this above, you can search for "protein AND bars" and find lots of threads with great information on this site.

I'm curious, what was the actual brand name that you found? I've seen all the Zone, Advantage, Protein Power, but they're all way too high carb/low fibre for my liking. I have tried one Atkins bar (found at health food store) but it was cr*ppy tasting. At $3.49, no less. Interested in what brand you tried and how it tasted!
Thanks,
N.

OK - so I bought these bars called '3 Carb Protein Bar Sugar Free!' also marked 'Nutrition Zone Products Inc' and 'BioX'. There is a website listed on the back www.nutrition-zone.com but I haven't been there, and they are distributed out of North Van.

I bought 1 or 2 (total 6) of each flavour I found:

Smores
Raspberry Truffle
Banana Nut
Peanut Butter Fudge

Each bar has about 200 cal, 20 - 21g of protein, 4 g of fat, and 22-23g carbs, but 19 - 20g of the carbs are glycerine and/or maltitol so the 'net impact' is supposedly between 2 and 3g. If you use the 'hidden carb calculator method' desribed elsewhere on the site, these clearly fail the test... (But I'm still giving them a try. The Atkins bars say they're OK for induction and their composition is similar I think, so I'm giving these guys a shot.)

The 'Impact Carb' count on each was less than 3g, in fact - pretty close to 2g on the label.

I had the Raspberry Truffle yesterday - it actually wasn't that bad. Very chewy / nougatty, overly sweet for my taste, EXTREMELY filling - rolled around in my belly like a lump of indigestible chemicals for that gap between lunch & dinner - a little odd, but at least I felt kind of satisfied - not hungry. The raspberry taste is clearly artifical, but not unpleasant. I'd eat that one again. I don't think there is any danger I'd ever buy one as a 'cheat' or a 'treat' tho.

This morning I had the 'Smores' which was icky. I'd pass on that one personally. Can't really describe it other than a marshmallow as tough as an old rubber boot and about as flavorful, dipped in some weird fake choclatey goop. However, equally filling and hunger-suppressing in a weird, 'ball of lead in your gut' kind of way.

Price (Bought at a Health Food shop at Surrey Centre Mall) was $2.99 each with no tax if you buy minimum 6, and they offer discounts by the box.

I read some of the threads about the dangers of eating these products, and so far my results aren't that great (but I bought these 6 so I'm going to eat 'em). I appear to have gained back a pound overnight (water retention is a potential symptom of eating stuff containing sugar alcohols like maltitol, but one pound here or there isn't really proof I'm going to have a problem.) Haven't noticed any laxative effect (unfortunate, really) or gassiness (not unfortunate.) I think I'm still in ketosis - still tasting pennies in the back of my mouth, (I don't have the testing sticks) so I don't think the bars have had that serious an effect on me... yet...

So far - I'm skeptical, but desperate for a quick handy snack I can keep in my office desk for those 'between meal' recharges. (And I know I'm going to get a flood of suggestions like cheese & salami, small salads etc... but that really won't work in my office environment.)

-PatekPhil

I agree with tofi. each of us are all different.. if you see your self starting to stall then ditch the bars.. i will have a carbolite candy bar every so often and im fine but i have to eat them on a everynow and then basis.. i cant eat them daily or i will not loose.. but eating one a week or every 2 weeks i find myself fine with them...

Tammy

How about nuts? I love macadamias. They may be expensive, but you only need a few to be satisfied. Or pork rinds (bacon puffs)? I think there are recipes here for protein bars that you make yourself so you KNOW what is in them. Check out the Recipe section.

I think the laxative effect of the sugar alcohols is mostly in the 'candy bar substitutes'. It's hard to eat just part of one of those, but a serving is only a few squares. So if you do it, stay near a bathroom the next day.

Just a heads up on Macadamias....at Sam's club I buy a 24 ounce bag for like $7.50.....about half the price I have ever seen them anywhere else.

Not to belabour this discussion of protein bars, but I've tried two more since my previous post...
Banana Nut- edible. REALLY artificial Banana taste, but tolerable.

Peanut Butter Fudge - disgusting. Any similarity between peanut butter fudge and this bar is purely coincidental.

But both were filling.

I'm starting to suspect these - I haven't dropped a pound (although haven't gained either) since I starting have one of these a day either as a snack or to replace lunch.

I'm going to cut them out once the last two are gone and see if things speed up again.

-PatekPhil

Oh my...I am a carb addict and I did myself in buying several of the no carb candies with mannitol...I not only sabotoged my diet by buying to many...but I made myself sick today by eating 2 of the chocklate ones, and some of the sour candies. a total of 4...oink, oink.....I'm confessing.....I have not knowingly cheated at all on the atkins until yesterday when I bought these...I just cannot do this again...I will not beat up on myself anymore, but I do advise to be careful using these products if your are a candy junkie..They tasted very good to me...but...tonight I feel terrible...