Energy and Meal replacement bars/shakes

I have a question for the pros. Does anyone have success in using meal replacement bars or shakes in their meal planning? (The same goes for energy bars) I have not taken the time to try to build a meal plan around them, but I am wondering if they are a good way to get carbs, calories and protein in. I am still early in conditioning phase, and I still have to ramp up my carb intake a lot. I am already feeling like I eat all the time and have to gorge myself to get in all the carbs I need. -Jim

POSTED BY MEMBER RODE WARRIOR ON JULY 22, 7:33AM    

	3 COMMENTS:
	Lora Sue said... I use a protein shake for breakfast, more for convenience than anything so I can get my cardio in and get on the road in time. You just have to be very careful. Many are full of sugar alcohols, cholesterol and sodium, so read the labels very carefully or you will end up with stuff that can't fit into your meal plan. Some people use a carb powder because they feel so stuffed, but I can eat a whole plate of pasta and a pot full of mashed potatoes, so that has never been a problem for me. Gagging down a lot of meat on the other hand is hard for me. You will figure out what is best for you. Lora
	StillGoing said... Hi there, I found that the higher quality the Protein (Isolate) the less of it you have to consume.. the bars and such had way to much sugar and sodium... but when I switch from a WPC to an WPI I only needed 1/2 as much.... good eating.
	dawn75 said... I'm far from a pro, but I can tell you what helps me. I'm in my fourth week of conditioning, and no way could I eat all those calories without my meal replacements! I use a combination of three different powders, one is a protein shake, one is complex carbs, and one is a complete meal replacement (protein/carbs/fat). I use a different combo each day to hit my goals, and I've been averaging an A grade most days. I get my stuff from GNC so I can use cash, but you can get stuff from the store here on the site.

Encouragement is all around

Today I will complete my first week of Conditioning. I still have a long way to go, but I see encouragement all around. I shed about five pounds right off the bat; no doubt that it was water weight held from my salt intake. But since then I have shed two more pounds. I think this may be due to not taking in so much fat and sugar. I also feel that my metabolism is speeding up. I am pretty sure that my body had gone from starvation mode to hybernation mode. I would store one out of every two calories I took in! I also get encouragment looking at the fitness leagues. I see folks losing pounds and inches. And when I look at specific profiles I see that people are staying true to their plans. It makes me feel a desire to conform to the standard of discipline. I am drawing from YOUR strength. I hope to be able to give back encouragment too. The mirror is poor at giving positive affirmation, often because we see it through poor self image eyes. That is why we must help oneanother.

POSTED BY MEMBER RODE WARRIOR ON JULY 17, 9:25AM    

	1 COMMENT:
	lcb333 said... Well said, Jim....and so true, too! Like Ric says in one of the Podcasts, we have to have our heart ready to do this program and then our body will follow along (paraphrased, of course!) You are doing a great job in the heart department...I have no doubt that your fitness graph will reflect that soon. Cindy

Climbing Everest, but can't even see base camp

I am just staring my fourth day of conditioning and I have such a LONG way to go. I know this is the right thing, but taking in over 3,000 caloris a day FEELS CRAZY. Still, I have lost about 4 pounds of water weight just from lowering my sodium intake. My real challenge is coming from not being ablke to get an A in my food planning. I can get each category score withing one or two percentager points of 100, but the composite is still a B. Any suggestions? I am haning in there with a good tude, but ti still feels like I have a mountqain to climb and can not see base camp yet. Jim

POSTED BY MEMBER RODE WARRIOR ON JULY 14, 8:7AM    

	4 COMMENTS:
	Lora Sue said... You have to be right on the nose calories wise, usually a gram over on carbs and protein and under a smidge in fat. Then check your micronutrients by going to the nutrition facts link next to your score. Any thing yellow or red needs to be adjusted. By clicking on the name of the nutrient it will give you a chart that shows all the food containg that nutrient. For postassium many have to use salt substitute to help their numbers. Welcome to the group and don't be shy. Read the FAQ page and the articles (link on left) and that may help with some of your questions. Everyone feels the steep learning curve, but soon you will be an expert. Lora
	DebbyF said... HI, You can fix your weight chart by going back to the day that you accidently entered 105 lb weight loss... you'll want to do that, because otherwise your chart won't show hardly any change when you do lose wt...
	dawn75 said... Try entering your multivitamin or supplements, if you're taking any. That should help.
	Rode Warrior said... Thanks for the comments. I needed to tweek the fat intake according to unsaturated, mon/poly. I also had to get a mineral supplement. Just a few more tweeks and I will be near 100% Also, thanks for the heads up on the weight loss chart. That was a dumb mistake...only wish it were true!!! I can actually remember weighing 124 pounds. I am sure it wa before even being a teenager. Now I will be golden if I get back to 190. I got my nose pointed in the right direction.