I'm back with more info
Hi all,
Since I seconded the question about bars and added shakes to the discussion, I've returned to pass along what I've found on a few days of "research". (BTW, my scale is still showing loss while I'm conducting my "research", so that's a good thing!)
Thanks for the tip on the Ross bars. I'm sure that it is all of the protein that causes most bars to have that yucky texture. I can take responsibility for getting enough protein if I can count on the bars as an alternative to a more damaging indulgence. So I'll keep my eyes open for those - but $2 a bar? yikes? Actually, now that I look at the ingredients you list, I saw in the health food store that Atkins has a new little bar out (maybe even called Indulgence?) that has these same ingredients. But they were very small and very expensive so I didn't try one.
Let's see... I tried an Atkins Chocolate Raspberry Bar and it was palatable. Taking small bites and drinking lots of water, I will confess that I almost enjoyed it. I'll probably buy these again.
Shakes:
I went in to my local health food store and grilled the woman there on the taste of the various shakes. She talked me into trying one called Super-Green Pro-96 Soy. She said it had a delicious, fresh vanilla flavor. It is green, by the way. I thought, well maybe I should stop trying to find something that tastes like a milkshake. Maybe this would be something completely different. Fortunately, she gave me a free sample envelope when I bought the canister. I can't remember how many grams of carbs - 2 or 3, but it doesn't matter - you won't want it. When I smelled the powder, it smelled good, like cake mix so I was very hopeful. Then I blended it with ice and lemon-lime seltzer and tasted it - it tasted like I had ground up classroom chalk in water. I realized it had no sweetener in it so I added a full packet of Equal and tried again. Blech, gritty, yucky, no flavor, I couldn't take another sip. Down the drain...
Next day, I was at Fresh Fields and picked up a sample envelope of Whey To Go, by Solgar, chocolate flavor. It has a little more carbs: 7g minus 1 of fiber plus 2ish from the few tablespoons of cream I threw in the blender along with water and ice. This one was good! Even my husband, who can detect and reject protein powder in anything, thought it was good. I was truly enjoying it, but curiously, about half-way through, I was satisfied and just stopped drinking it so it sat on the counter all morning. I can't say whether it was just super-satisfying or if that was my mood for the day. I would recommend it though if you can afford the extra few carbs.
So the next day, I headed back to the healthfood store to return the green gunk and exchange it for Whey To Go. Alas, they didn't carry it so I had to choose something new. I couldn't trust the woman's advice at all, obviously. I had a hard time deciding between the Atkins brand and the Keto brand. Since I was so unimpressed with the Atkins bars, I went for the Keto, chocolate flavor. When I got home, I realized that I had grabbed not the regular Keto, but Keto Burner which has, among other things, caffeine and ephedrine. I probably won't buy this again, but I thought I'd give it a try and I figured the chocolate flavor would probably be representative of their regular (not Burner) shakes. So this one weighs in with 3 carbs minus one gram of fiber plus 2ish for the few tablespoons of cream that I added along with water and ice. First of all, the cream is probably not necessary because it contains xanthan gum (a fiber) as a thickener. I ended up adding a little more water than they suggested to make it less thick. The flavor on this one is also not bad. It is thicker (gummier?) than the Whey To Go. Definitely drinkable. Unfortunately, it make me vibrate all day because of the "uppers" it contains, but the regular Keto shakes would not cause that. Also, I was desperately thirsty all day, though that did help me drink a sufficient quantity of water for one. I think I'll be able to finish the canister and I might buy more, but not necessarily the Burner variety.
Ok, that's all I have. My husband just brought in a sample of something a colleague at work uses made by Twin Lab. It is a little high in the carb department, but the person who gave it to us says it is just as good, it tastes like a chocolate malt, using only half the recommended amount of powder. Once I try it, I'll report back.
Let's keep this thread going. If you have tried a product or if you try something in the future, post a review. I found some winners and some losers, but I'm so glad to have not eaten eggs or heavy leftovers for breakfast every single day. A couple times a week, they taste great - I need variety! That's the only way I can stick with the LC WOL!
-K
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