To think that I could lose weight and have good nutrition by living off protein bars, protein shakes and juices?

[BarbaraVineFan]

Tonight I left it very late and couldn’t be bothered to cook dinner, but didn’t want to have toast or anything too Cathy. I ended up having a blended juice made with cucumber, broccoli, ginger, lemon and nectarine (bit random but it was what I had in the fridge!) and a protein bar. Felt full afterwards and it got me thinking, would this work as a lowish-carb diet plan as long as the juices were mainly vegetable based rather than fruit?

i also enjoy a protein shake for breakfast. If I had that, then a bar and juice for lunch and dinner, I would be getting lots of vitamins etc but it would still be pretty low calorie, wouldn’t it?

Anything that’s in a deficit will work. You could eat four Mars bars a day and you’d lose weight.
Smoothies are ok, though not usually as filling as whole foods. Plus drinking is fast and doesn’t have the ‘chew’ satisfaction.
But sure there are plenty of diets that are just drinks. But not sustainable long term.

Why not just eat real food though? You’re removing a lot of the fibre in juicing so not that great for you.

It would not be good nutrition in the slightest. Protein bars are usually processed crap.

I know, I did think of that. But I just wouldn’t really want to or have the time to gnaw my way through all those fruits and vegetables as well as a protein bar- plus a juice is really refreshing in the summer. I know it’s not a long term thing but I was interested in how well it might work for a week or so.

yes, i did think about that too. Basically I am struggling to find the time to eat healthily without using a VLCD like the New You Plan or similar, which is processed crap 24/7. At least with the juices I would be getting some vitamins etc.

The juice is fine but you could try and meal prep protein and veg-heavy real food. You're far more likely to sustain it.

I know. I just can’t do it at the moment for various reasons

Im partial to a protein shake when I can't be arsed with a meal, mine are beefy topped up with collegen so it's filling. If you make your own smoothies on top with a load of colours in then you'll probably get by. Chuck some supplements in.

You may not be able to sustain it though. Your brain will go wtf dude. Been there. Something goes twang when you just drink your calories after a bit and your mouth feels lonely.

See how it goes, but if the cravings hit then something is missing.

Anything that causes a calorie deficit will work. The easiest way I've found to lose weight is just to skip a meal - saves time too.

I used to skip breakfast but now skip lunch, as uses more calories. I always snack in the evening and struggle not to, so this still allows me to do that and lose weight

It would sustain life yes, in the same way a PEG feed sustains life by providing essential calories & nutrients.

Not enjoyable though is it?

No, it really wouldnt.

For some people it quiets the noise around food and the protein does fill you up, though most protein bars have around the same carbs as protein. Things like a tin of tuna, some ham or cooked chicken pieces are great sources of protein and easy. The issue with any diet where you don't tackle what has led you to overeat, especially one where you're not learning about the nutritional value of what you are eating, is that once you go back to eating normally your old habits will kick back in and you're likely to put the weight back on.

Batch cook on the weekend. Meal prep several meals at a time. Then you can heat them up easily.

Meal prep/batch cooking also helps control calories and properly sized portions.

My best friend lost a lot of weight rapidly doing the 121 diet which is essentially shakes and protein bars. She ended up needing her gallbladder removed and has since regained all the weight. You would lose but i dont think its a particularly healthy or sustainable way to do it

If you’re thinking of doing it for a week, go ahead. But it’s not a sustainable long term diet for healthy nutrition.

Sure, if you want to be malnourished and then gain it all back that’s the way to go.

You can lose weight on any calorie deficit.
however juicing isn’t great as the fibre gets lost.
protein bars are ultra processed and don’t contain that much protein so you’d be low in protein and lose muscle. So I think it’s a dreadful idea.

Sure if you want to end up in hospital

What are you aiming to achieve? Lose a pesky few pounds or lose several stone?

If it's a few pounds then sure, do it for a week. Longer term it's not good for your digestive system and your healthy gut bacteria.

If you've got lots to lose, then you need a different approach. Maybe do the smoothies and protein stuff one week in very month, but the rest of the time you've got you have really good nutrition - proteins from meat/fish/eggs/cheese/pulses; cut out most processed carbs; no sugar including not too much fruit; loads of vegetables. Smaller portions.

This is basically Slim Fast but even that requires you to have a healthy meal in the evening containing protein, carbs and veg plus 2 100 calorie snacks - so you don't keel over or raid the fridge at 3am.

I think if I tried this I'd get the runs, frankly.

You’re missing a whole bunch of nutrients you need from other sources especially dietary fiber, essential fats, and a variety of phytonutrients and antioxidants. You’d likely be low in iron, B12, calcium (unless shake made with milk), omega 3 & 6 for example.

There's nothing nutritionally good about it. Do it if you want, but don't kid yourself that it's healthy

I use protein shakes and protein bars intermittently just depending on if I don't feel like cooking or if I'm trying to keep it to a lighter day but still get my protein in. But it's not a substitute for real food in my opinion.

I struggle the most with breakfast so I meal prep my breakfast and I can tell you what I eat: a serving of plain Greek yogurt mixed with a serving of chia seeds, a tablespoon of honey or maple syrup, and a cup of frozen mixed berries. I layer that like a parfait in glass jars and I put it in the fridge and I eat it for 4 days because that's how many jars I have.

It has almost a whole day's supply of fiber and a lot of protein, and it tastes pretty good. You get a little sweetness from the honey and maple syrup and from the berries. Would something like that work for you?

But you’d get very bored..