Quest Protein Bars...

It is important for me to be honest about food struggles and not try to "deal with it" on my own.  That never goes well.

I was in the airport travelling a couple of weeks ago and realized I would have to eat and wasn't prepared.  I bought the best $4 protein bar I could find (it was the airport, after all), ate it and felt pretty crappy about it.  Very sweet and a lot of carbs for something like 15 g of protein.

I went to the store once I got back to town and bought some single serving packages of jerky, 100 cal packs of nuts, packs of premixed tuna salad.  Stuff I could throw in my purse or my suitcase for travel.  I decided to order a sampler box of Quest Protein Bars so I'd have *that* option and they sure are way more nutritious than the crap bar I had to buy at the airport.

Box arrived, I had one, it was delicious, I ordered two boxes of the least caloric flavors.  Honestly, this should have been my first clue that this wasn't going well.  I thought, well, I'll cut them in thirds and put each piece in the little ziplocs I use for my pills.  Then I can eat a small piece at a time.  This definitely set off BIG warning bells in my head and I got kind of panicky.  Then I started hearing those bars talking to me.  I started trying to figure ways to work them into my food plan.  I thought I could up my calories to accomodate one or two pieces a day.  Then I had that all-too-familiar "what the hell" moment and ate a whole bar when it wasn't planned.  YIKES.  A very, very dangerous place for me.

So, I took the rest of the box, put them in a vacuum sealer bag, sealed them up and put them in the freezer.  I am writing here to say that I will do that with the other two boxes when they come in.  I hope this will be far enough away so I can't hear them anymore.  And I won't break into them again until I have a heart-to-heart with someone about it.  If I find myself tearing into the bag and eating them out of the freezer, I commit to throwing them away.  I'd rather lose the money than the piece of mind.

Maybe I will be able to handle foods that talk to me like this one day, but I don't have the energy to do it now, and I sure don't want to feel as bad as I do when food is talking to me like this.  If I hadn't just bought two boxes, I think I would throw the box I have away.  I wish you could buy one for $4 in the airport when you needed it.  I hate having this problem with food.

On the positive side, the world is full of yummy foods I really like that don't talk to me like this.  


 

 Wow, I was just about to order some today. do you think its b/c they tasted too good or too much like candy? I ate protein bars occasionally preop (sometimes I am driving for 3-4 hrs for work and need to bring something to eat for lunch on the road) but never felt like they were a trigger food b/c they did not really come close to tasting like candy bars (which are a trigger food for me). Would love to hear your thoughts before I order some. Also was it a particular flavor and which one. I think you are doing the right thing - if it is something you cant be around then get it out of the house.

Interesting question.  I'm not really sure.  I'm pretty sure it's a sweet thing.  They are great bars, very delicious, good ingredients, great stats.  I wasn't writing to discourage folks, but to be honest about the problems I'm having with this food.  I can be very sneaky about food.

They are not too sweet, but sweet enough to be really triggery for me.  I also think it's because even though they're good for you, they taste great and are pretty high calorie (170-210 per bar).  If they were yummy and 20 calories a bar, I don't think I'd worry so much, but I can do a lot of damage 200 calories at a time.

 

I only eat 1/2 or 1/3 of a bar at a time, but I can see how this would be a trigger for some people.  Honestly, they are pretty tasty.  Well, the brownie flavor is anyway.  Some of the flavors I hated and won't buy again.  Just proves that each of our tastes are different!

I am very envious!  The flavors I tried are all outstanding.  Brownie flavor was indeed amazing, and one of the lower calorie options (170). 

I hated the vanilla almond.  It tasted really chemical to me.  But the brownie was awesome!  And the berry and apple were good too.

I went through the same thing with Luna Bars (protein bars) early on in my journey. Tasted absolutely fabulous. Should have been the tip off! Even though I read the labels, the huge amount of carbs didn't seem to register. More carbs in those suckers than what I normally do in a day!!

I have to stay away from protein bars---can't seem to eat just 1/2---big trigger for me. Tried a free sample of the Quest Bar. Not as good as the other, IMO, but just as dangerous. Just better to keep them out of the house!

Good early catch on your part! We have to recognize our problems and handle them early on!

Thanks for your support!  I can't be complacent about my trigger foods.

I love the chocolate flavor.  If you put them in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds, they plump up and have the consistence and warmth of a warm brownie.  You can do these with any of them!

Yes, I know. 

I wish I didn't want two more after that!!  Thank goodness there are other things I like that don't make me feel this way!  And maybe I'll get over it.  I have had that happen.