I think I should be getting more protein. Right now, I'm usually getting between 100 and 150 grams a day. From what I've been reading, a number of sources claim I should be getting more (200+ g/day at my weight) to promote fat loss.

I was all set to give the Quest bars a try, but I could get about the same ammount of extra protein with a snack of cheese with only a bit more calories. This would definitely cheaper, too (unless anyone has a source where you can find them cheaper than Amazon).

Thoughts?

I would go with the cheese, because it is likely to be less processed, and less like to contain artificial ingredients.

I'm not sure what sources you're been reading, but I suspect they're from bodybuilding sites...

Protein requirements recommendations are generally between 0.8g and 1.2g/kg/day, although I have seen recommendations up to 1.5g/kg/day for weightlifters...

So if we do the math... at a current weight of 288lbs. we get between 105g and 157g of protein a day... Now do you need to be at the high end of those recommendations? I don't know, I guess that depends on what your workouts entail...

And just remember... Too much protein = possibly too many calories = too many calories = no weight loss

Even for a body builder, that range seems ok. Our body doesn't necessarily need a lot of protein. My husband lost fat and gained muscle eating at the bottom of that range. Not that he had much fat to lose but the muscle gain was noticeable.

You can play with macronutrients a bit but you might want to add more vegetables, maybe nuts (not too many), swap around some things, etc. Fat loss depends on a caloric deficiency, not on the specific macronutrients.

Avoid anything in a packet. It's bound to be processed with a list of ingredients in it that you can't pronounce. Why limit yourself to just protein bars and cheese? There are many protein options such as:

- nuts
- hard boiled eggs
- hummus
- yogurt
- quinoa

Well, the main article that I got the info from came highly recommended from a few here. I don't have the link to it right now, but I'll look it up at home and post it when I find it. I'd be curious to see what others think about it.

Before I found 3FC, I was looking around for other support/advice forums, and I kind of discovered the bodybuilding sites just aren't for me. I'm sure there's some good ones out there, but the forums I visited tended to be overly aggressive and almost the opposite of supportive. I really love this site, very supportive, and so many people who are going through a lot of the same things.

Thanks much for all who posted replies, I'm glad to hear you think my protein intake is ok. I would also like to avoid the "pre-packaged" stuff as much as possible.

By the way, I found the article I referenced earlier. I don't think the forum will let me post a link because I'm a new member with not a lot of posts, but it's called "How Protein Helps Weight Loss" by Byron Richards, and it's the first hit on Google when you type in that phrase. I'd be very curious to hear what people here think about it.

Thanks again for your time and advice!

I'm always more than a little skeptical of websites with health and nutrition articles that are also selling supplements... And just and FYI... It looks like Byron Richards and his company Wellness Resources was cited with a FDA warning letter for various violations that included among other things numerous misleading claims about the supplements that they sell... So that in and of itself would raise a serious red flag for me... Also his "stunning exposé" of the FDA with its assorted conspiracy theories make it difficult for me to take him seriously...

Re the Quest bars, they are not a bad option as far as bars go and they are very high in fibre which cheese doesn't have.

I know that even as the slightly (er) older lady wannabee bodybuilder and fitness fan that I am, I feel vastly better when I eat more protein than dieticians and nutritionists and some weight loss plans recommend, but am not advocating anyone else eat as I do.

Be that as it may, I drink protein supplements, although I choose the safest ones I can find and change them around a lot to avoid toxic ingredients and I sometimes eat the bars, haven't for a while. They aren't that good tasting.

I do think natural sources of protein are best and I personally favor cheese, tuna, salmon, eggs, nuts, seeds, hummus, etc. I'd say quinoa also but I don't like it lol.

If it just came down to a piece of cheese and a Quest bar, I'd rather have the cheese.

I think whey is the best absorbed form of protein but whey can be a problem in my opinion due to the possibility of toxins ... and that is only my opinion and I still use whey.

I love Quest bars and eat them religiously - but if I were trying to lose 100+ pounds I'm not sure I would. They are marginally cheaper on the manufacturer's website and netrition.com but not by much, still $2+ per bar.

The only thing that promotes fat loss is a caloric deficit. High protein diets are great for muscle preservation/building and satiety. You don't see people binge eating steaks or cans of tuna fish the way they do chips, sweets and french fries.

Usually i am away of my apartment so i mostly prefer protein bars for my hunger, as these bars have a lot of sugar alcohols in it, can excessive intake of protein bars give rise to tummy..??

Jannereeves - Too much of any one thing isn't good. You could totally gain weight by having all of your calories from protein bars, as you'd be way out of whack with other nutrients (and some protein bars seem to have a really high fat and saturated fat content). That said, it would be much better to satisfy your hunger with a protein bar (if it truly satisfies you) than a big mac...