Protein bars / flapjacks
Discussion
Recently given my diet a total overhaul to try and up my performance, i've dropped all of the junk food and guilty pleasures and replaced with lots of white meat, fish, fruit and veg etc and some supplements.
I currently use Reflex instant whey and also their chocolate orange flapjack bars. The milkshakes are great, I won't lie though, I am struggling with the bars lol.
They are by far the best tasting bar i've tried but they are impossible to swallow without gagging. Despite how much i chew it it's still pretty dense.
Am I the only one that finds it hard to eat protein bars? I don't want to phase them out as they are pretty decent and will kill off any hunger pains or cravings as well as provide all the goodness my body needs but it is currently taking me ages to eat thus making it less effective.
What coping mechanisms do people have for eating these things? I've tried with tea, water. Is it just a case of allowing myself to get used to them? Some advice on alternative bars would be helpful also as it would be good to mix it up a bit.
I currently use Reflex instant whey and also their chocolate orange flapjack bars. The milkshakes are great, I won't lie though, I am struggling with the bars lol.
They are by far the best tasting bar i've tried but they are impossible to swallow without gagging. Despite how much i chew it it's still pretty dense.
Am I the only one that finds it hard to eat protein bars? I don't want to phase them out as they are pretty decent and will kill off any hunger pains or cravings as well as provide all the goodness my body needs but it is currently taking me ages to eat thus making it less effective.
What coping mechanisms do people have for eating these things? I've tried with tea, water. Is it just a case of allowing myself to get used to them? Some advice on alternative bars would be helpful also as it would be good to mix it up a bit.
I'm on my 5th batch of these and I still love them.
"Nuke 2 cubes (approx 40g) of Tesco organic, dark 70% cocoa cooking chocolate for appox 1 min in a largish pyrex bowl. Add 1 cup of organic peanut butter and 8 tablespoons of organic honey. Nuke for another 90 secs. Then mix thoroughly and add 3/4 cup of unflavoured whey powder, 1/4 cup of chocolate milk protein powder. Make sure this is mixed in then add 3/4 cup of oats, 1/4 cup of flax seeds and 1 handfull of goji berries (chopped to smallish size). Make sure this is well mixed in then spread onto baking dish approx 8" x 4" x 1" deep. Spread more flax seeds on top and press down. Stick in fridge for 20 mins. Then divide into 12 equal bars and wrap in foil. Keep refridgerated. Eh Voila!
I've started using Whole Earth Organic Peanut Butter with chocolate chips (Morrison's do it) which makes for an even better taste. I ran out of flax seeds a while back and so started adding other goodies - chopped halzelnuts, almonds, raisins, dried blueberries. You have to get a balance tho as the more stuff you add the more honey you need to bind the bars with, which adds to the amount of carbs in the bar. It normally works out to almost half a cup of nuts and berries. Enjoy"
"Nuke 2 cubes (approx 40g) of Tesco organic, dark 70% cocoa cooking chocolate for appox 1 min in a largish pyrex bowl. Add 1 cup of organic peanut butter and 8 tablespoons of organic honey. Nuke for another 90 secs. Then mix thoroughly and add 3/4 cup of unflavoured whey powder, 1/4 cup of chocolate milk protein powder. Make sure this is mixed in then add 3/4 cup of oats, 1/4 cup of flax seeds and 1 handfull of goji berries (chopped to smallish size). Make sure this is well mixed in then spread onto baking dish approx 8" x 4" x 1" deep. Spread more flax seeds on top and press down. Stick in fridge for 20 mins. Then divide into 12 equal bars and wrap in foil. Keep refridgerated. Eh Voila!
I've started using Whole Earth Organic Peanut Butter with chocolate chips (Morrison's do it) which makes for an even better taste. I ran out of flax seeds a while back and so started adding other goodies - chopped halzelnuts, almonds, raisins, dried blueberries. You have to get a balance tho as the more stuff you add the more honey you need to bind the bars with, which adds to the amount of carbs in the bar. It normally works out to almost half a cup of nuts and berries. Enjoy"
I've tried the Reflex Chocolate Toffee. They most definitely did not taste of anything like chocolate or toffee!! They were alright, though, just didn't really taste of anything. Required a fair bit of chewing, but easy enough to get down.
There are loads of different protein bars about, some that taste great, but they are more for snacks when bulking as they have a lot of calories, saturated fats and carbs.
CNP do some decent flapjack bars. I've tried the cherry ones and the chocolate ones.
PHD do a forest berries one. They're OK, but not as nice as the CNP ones and they are quite hard to get down, to the point where I really cannot stand the taste.
I prefer the flapjack variants for the low GI carbs, but my local store had some protein cookies in that I hadn't seen before, which are apparantly made with low GI carbs.
http://probake50.co.uk/index.php?page=shop.product...
Bought a box as a bit of gamble really, as I hadn't tried them before, but I knew they wouldn't be completely horrible, so thought they'd be a nice change from the flapjacks.
I don't know if it's because I've been using the flapjacks for so long, but they taste amazing, definitely will be buying them again. They're a bit more expensive than the flapjacks, but they taste so good, I don't care. You get more protein in them as well.
There are loads of different protein bars about, some that taste great, but they are more for snacks when bulking as they have a lot of calories, saturated fats and carbs.
CNP do some decent flapjack bars. I've tried the cherry ones and the chocolate ones.
PHD do a forest berries one. They're OK, but not as nice as the CNP ones and they are quite hard to get down, to the point where I really cannot stand the taste.
I prefer the flapjack variants for the low GI carbs, but my local store had some protein cookies in that I hadn't seen before, which are apparantly made with low GI carbs.
http://probake50.co.uk/index.php?page=shop.product...
Bought a box as a bit of gamble really, as I hadn't tried them before, but I knew they wouldn't be completely horrible, so thought they'd be a nice change from the flapjacks.
I don't know if it's because I've been using the flapjacks for so long, but they taste amazing, definitely will be buying them again. They're a bit more expensive than the flapjacks, but they taste so good, I don't care. You get more protein in them as well.
Good find on those cookies!
Almost double the protein of the flapjacks, will be good to mix it up a bit with those.
I know what you mean about the reflex flapjacks, there is a slight taste of orange and no taste of chocolate at all. They're quite good tho to be fair and a really good price.
May attempt to bake my own batch of flapjacks when Ive ran out.
Almost double the protein of the flapjacks, will be good to mix it up a bit with those.
I know what you mean about the reflex flapjacks, there is a slight taste of orange and no taste of chocolate at all. They're quite good tho to be fair and a really good price.
May attempt to bake my own batch of flapjacks when Ive ran out.
r4dcu said:
Good find on those cookies!
Almost double the protein of the flapjacks, will be good to mix it up a bit with those.
I know what you mean about the reflex flapjacks, there is a slight taste of orange and no taste of chocolate at all. They're quite good tho to be fair and a really good price.
May attempt to bake my own batch of flapjacks when Ive ran out.
Might be worth trying one before you buy a whole box. I think they're great, but then everyone likes different things.Almost double the protein of the flapjacks, will be good to mix it up a bit with those.
I know what you mean about the reflex flapjacks, there is a slight taste of orange and no taste of chocolate at all. They're quite good tho to be fair and a really good price.
May attempt to bake my own batch of flapjacks when Ive ran out.
Yeah, the the Reflex ones I had were really, really chewy. They were OK, I just didn't really enjoy eating them, whereas with the cookies, I actually look forward to eating them.
Flapjack bars are a bit cheaper as well, normally pay around £16 for 24, whereas the cookies are £25 for 18.
I'm gunna try baking some at some point as well. Fancy making some peanut butter ones. Will have to Google for some recipes then go out and buy the ingredients.
Tiggsy said:
Myprotein chock chip cookies - I could eat them all day!
Even my kids love them!
These are lovely! 38g of protein too.Even my kids love them!
The "oats and whey" flapjacks are good too. Not quite as nice, and lower in protein with 22g, but better as a meal as they have higher carbs due to the oats. I've had both choc and choc peanut, I prefer peanut. They are cheaper than the cookies too.
P.s. Code for 5% off your first order at MyProtein, MP22002
Looking at the nutritional value of the Myprotein cookies, they look almost identical to the Probake ones.
I ordered some peanut butter from Myprotein the other day, so I got a chocalate peanut oats and whey sample to try.
Shame they don't do samples for the cookies. I may order a box in a week or so when I run out.
I ordered some peanut butter from Myprotein the other day, so I got a chocalate peanut oats and whey sample to try.
Shame they don't do samples for the cookies. I may order a box in a week or so when I run out.
I'm usually anti supplements as I've always made my own shakes but have recently gone back on my words and started eating protein bars since I changed jobs and am also trying to drop my body fat (currently ~20%).
I've tried a few and have settled on either Promax or PHD choc orange. Both are pretty heavy going and extremely chewy but I quite like them. I think the art is taking your time! and taking small bites.
I like the idea of making my own but am not sure about flapjacks as the oats will be too carb rich for my current goals. The PHD ones particularly have a decent proteing to carb and fat ratio so if I could reproduce that then I'd be happy.
I've tried a few and have settled on either Promax or PHD choc orange. Both are pretty heavy going and extremely chewy but I quite like them. I think the art is taking your time! and taking small bites.
I like the idea of making my own but am not sure about flapjacks as the oats will be too carb rich for my current goals. The PHD ones particularly have a decent proteing to carb and fat ratio so if I could reproduce that then I'd be happy.
Fatman2 said:
I've tried a few and have settled on either Promax or PHD choc orange. Both are pretty heavy going and extremely chewy but I quite like them. I think the art is taking your time! and taking small bites.
This is where the MP cookies are so good - they are like eateing....er.....a cookie! Not heavy going at all, in fact - the danger is you do a couple like they're bloody hobnobs!Tiggsy said:
Fatman2 said:
I've tried a few and have settled on either Promax or PHD choc orange. Both are pretty heavy going and extremely chewy but I quite like them. I think the art is taking your time! and taking small bites.
This is where the MP cookies are so good - they are like eateing....er.....a cookie! Not heavy going at all, in fact - the danger is you do a couple like they're bloody hobnobs!
They sound dangerous but I'll give them a go, thanks. I'm hoping they're not too tasty otherwise it could get out of hand. One of the benefits of the bars (for me anyway) is that you don't particularly want to eat another one afterwards as they're heavy going!
Fatman2 said:
I'm usually anti supplements as I've always made my own shakes but have recently gone back on my words and started eating protein bars since I changed jobs and am also trying to drop my body fat (currently ~20%).
I've tried a few and have settled on either Promax or PHD choc orange. Both are pretty heavy going and extremely chewy but I quite like them. I think the art is taking your time! and taking small bites.
I like the idea of making my own but am not sure about flapjacks as the oats will be too carb rich for my current goals. The PHD ones particularly have a decent proteing to carb and fat ratio so if I could reproduce that then I'd be happy.
I wouldn't worry too much about the carbs from oats. The important thing is that they are low GI carbs, so you're body uses them better.I've tried a few and have settled on either Promax or PHD choc orange. Both are pretty heavy going and extremely chewy but I quite like them. I think the art is taking your time! and taking small bites.
I like the idea of making my own but am not sure about flapjacks as the oats will be too carb rich for my current goals. The PHD ones particularly have a decent proteing to carb and fat ratio so if I could reproduce that then I'd be happy.
I dropped from 21% bodyfat to 15% in a month, and I was having protein flapjack bars as a later afternoon snack before gym. I'd have one around 5pm and then go to the gym for around 7pm. It was mostly to keep my protein intake up, but also for a little bit of energy before gym.
I would also have porridge for breakfast. If you're doing a lot of exercise, porridge for breakfast and then a flapjack later on in the day won't ruin your diet.
The flapjack bars have a lot of polyols, which I don't really know much about, something to do with alcohol sugars, but I'm fairly certain they don't spike insulin levels like normal sugars, so aren't that bad.
Making your own flapjack bars that you control entirely should remove that anyway.
Slagathore said:
I wouldn't worry too much about the carbs from oats. The important thing is that they are low GI carbs, so you're body uses them better.
I dropped from 21% bodyfat to 15% in a month, and I was having protein flapjack bars as a later afternoon snack before gym. I'd have one around 5pm and then go to the gym for around 7pm. It was mostly to keep my protein intake up, but also for a little bit of energy before gym.
I would also have porridge for breakfast. If you're doing a lot of exercise, porridge for breakfast and then a flapjack later on in the day won't ruin your diet.
The flapjack bars have a lot of polyols, which I don't really know much about, something to do with alcohol sugars, but I'm fairly certain they don't spike insulin levels like normal sugars, so aren't that bad.
Making your own flapjack bars that you control entirely should remove that anyway.
Yeah I guess so. I probably shouldn't worry so much about it as it's small beer really, when compared to a maximuscle protein bar (probably about 100 kcals).I dropped from 21% bodyfat to 15% in a month, and I was having protein flapjack bars as a later afternoon snack before gym. I'd have one around 5pm and then go to the gym for around 7pm. It was mostly to keep my protein intake up, but also for a little bit of energy before gym.
I would also have porridge for breakfast. If you're doing a lot of exercise, porridge for breakfast and then a flapjack later on in the day won't ruin your diet.
The flapjack bars have a lot of polyols, which I don't really know much about, something to do with alcohol sugars, but I'm fairly certain they don't spike insulin levels like normal sugars, so aren't that bad.
Making your own flapjack bars that you control entirely should remove that anyway.
It's just for once in my life I'm after some visible abs. I've been telling myself for years but have never really got my body fat down below about 24% (I've been 75kg's and 24% body fat for about 5 years now
). This morning I weighed myself on my body fat scales and it measured 17.7% which is decent progress for me. I realise they aren't 100% accurate so am just using them as a guide but can start to see the beginning of some proper abs LOL.As a result I've been getting progressively neurotic about my calorie intake but probably need to give myself a good talking to.
Bars are a staple of my diet now - some days the only solid food I eat - there are various ones that are fine taste and texture wise and my favourites are the
PHD Diet protein bars,
http://www.tropicanafitness.com/brands/phd_nutriti...
c. 25g for just 180 calories (the chocolate orange, chocolate cookie and strawberry cheesecake are v. nice and quite moist so easier to get down)
Supreme Protein bars -
http://www.tropicanafitness.com/brands/supreme_pro...
various nice flavours, I like the Peanut Butter and Jelly (jam to us!) and Choc Caramel Cookie Crunch versions at the moment.
I read recently that Kurt Angle who is trying to get back into the US Olympic wrestling team for 2012 at 42 years of age is now really into nutrition, has started his own company making supplements yet thinks these are so good they are the only ones he'll have and, like me, is relying on them a lot as he keeps his weight down.
In fact you've just reminded me to order a couple of boxes!
PHD Diet protein bars,
http://www.tropicanafitness.com/brands/phd_nutriti...
c. 25g for just 180 calories (the chocolate orange, chocolate cookie and strawberry cheesecake are v. nice and quite moist so easier to get down)
Supreme Protein bars -
http://www.tropicanafitness.com/brands/supreme_pro...
various nice flavours, I like the Peanut Butter and Jelly (jam to us!) and Choc Caramel Cookie Crunch versions at the moment.
I read recently that Kurt Angle who is trying to get back into the US Olympic wrestling team for 2012 at 42 years of age is now really into nutrition, has started his own company making supplements yet thinks these are so good they are the only ones he'll have and, like me, is relying on them a lot as he keeps his weight down.
In fact you've just reminded me to order a couple of boxes!
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