I'm trying to get away from all the phony food that seems to stall me. When I eat low-carb chips, crackers, bars, candy, etc., I stop losing weight and sometimes regain a bit. (Mysteriously, though, I sometimes stay in ketosis.)

I'd like to know if anyone has had the same problem with protein shakes or protein powder. If they're suspect, they've got to go. On the other hand, they satisfy a chocolate craving.

Opinions?

Thanks.

Some people are, some aren't.

If you check the ingredients of the different protein powders/shakes you can see that most of them have relatively high carb counts. Even the ones labeled as "for weight loss". Other problem, some of them very high in sodium. There are some low/zero carb versions - but they are tasteless, so not for sweet tooth. (But excellent if you need protein shake after hard exercise.)

To satisfy chocolate craving unsweatened cocoa powder with whipped cream might be a better solution.

My husband easts real dark Belgian chocolate - it has low carb count, but so intense taste that he never eats more than 1-2 squares.

I find I stall less using the cocoa powder. I love the Atkins chocolat shake but I get so hooked on it that I drink it 3 times a day sometimes, causing me to stall. They are just so good.

Now, the nestle cocoa is good too but it's not something I tend to grab as often as the shakes, I guess therefore not stalling me.

Good luck,

Lily

Thanks for the replies. If other people have had problems with them, I'll have to assume that's part of my problem too.

Hey bike2work-

This is a great post with great responses but I thought I'd throw mine in the mix....I use a product called Whey Tech from Vitamin Shoppe, I think it's the house brand, that's sweetened with splenda but I add a touch of sweetnlow and a splash of cream (about a tspn) just to get it where I like. I have real low carb tolerance and this hasn't thrown me off yet. Goodluck

Thanks for the input, Senrides. I'm glad to hear from someone who's very carb-sensitive and not having a problem with protein shakes.

I use a combo of Keto (only 2 gm. per serving) and whey isolate with zero carbs. There are no "hidden" carbs, no sugar alcohols, or anything like that. I just wonder because it's so processed and phony -- it's not whole food. And protein powder seems to be made primarily for body builders for the purpose of bulking up, not for weight loss.

AFwife's comment that they lead to overindulging is definitely relevant, too. They go down real easy and you don't feel like you just ate a meal.

B2W

I'm with you on the phony food - candy, cookies, etc, and I don't touch them. But I do have shakes and powder when I need to. There are some mornings where I just can't face another egg, and there are times when I'm running late at the office, or missed lunch, or have to run the kids all over the place. If I don't have a shake, I'll end up eating too much cheese, or processed meat like pepperoni, or just something that's handy but might have hidden carbs, like tuna salad from the deli.

I use a brand called Mega Whey cause I like the taste best, and it's got 2 carbs/scoop, 1 scoop is mixed with about 4 oz water. I get it at the health food store, but I've seen it at GNC as well.

Anyone stalled by protein powder or shakes?

Easy one word answer: YES

In general, highly processed foods lilke powders and bars stall me. I think that is because it is less satisfying, and in the end I eat more that day, as though the processed food did not count at all.

To me the protein powders are satisfying. I use one called Naturade 100% Soy protein booster with 0 carbs mixed with flax seed meal as a cereal. And I use Biochem Ultimate Lo Carb Whey Powder for shakes with just 1gm/serving. Since I don't eat meat or eggs they bring my protein in my intake up and I like that. I have never felt that they stalled me.

A common misconception in the low-carb world is that the end-all-be-all determiner of whether one loses or gains is how many carbs they eat. Although the low-carb diet does produce up to a 20% increase in fat loss in the long run minus water losses, it really isn't anything magical. If you eat more carbs in one day and you lose weight, if your calorie intake didn't exceed your calorie burn, it pretty safe to assume its water retention. Low-carbing has a strong diuretic effect because the lack of insulin output reduced sodium retention and causes water loss. If you have extra carbs on a given day, you may gain water weight, but not fat, depending on how much you ate. In essence, eat 500 calories less than you burn each day theoretically should result in a 1lb/week loss, 1000 calories would be 2lb/week, but metabolic adaptation can get in the way of that. I know many people on the low-carb diet that pay no attention to calories and stall frequently, which isn't because low-carbing isn't working, but because they eat too much. One could lose a pound or two in a week and not realize it because they retained some water, which is where the "whoosh" comes from. I lost 16 pounds in the first 2 weeks of low-carbing, watching my calories, but about 70% of that is water weight because you can't lose fat other than through a calorie deficit. Water weight is an exception. Atkins has alot of people convinced that the calorie rule or the energy balance rule is a myth, when really he's either lying deliberately or is very confused. A good rule of thumb when you're stalling is to eat less, exercise more, or both. You're body has to get its needed calories from somewhere, and if you're eating less than your body needs, it comes from fat, and a little bit from muscle, but much less muscle is lost while low-carbing than high-carbing.

Hey mem2 --

I notice in your profile that you are looking for a plan that doesn't use animal products except dairy. I assume you're looking for something that's low-glycemic. I know of two:

1) Dr. Bob Arnot's Revolutionary Weight-Control plan (or something like that) focuses on low-glycemic, vegetarian diets and nearly-vegetarian, low-glycemic diets.

2) Thin For Good by Fred Pescatore. He's the former medical director for Atkin's clinic. He has several LC plans in his book, including a vegetarian one that uses dairy.

Hope this helps.

~B2W

Just wanted to add that I have 2 to 3 shakes a week before work. I use the Carb Solutions vanilla flavor mix. I mix 2 scoops (3 carbs) with about 16 ounces of water and 1/4 cup of heavy cream. It fills me up for the entire morning. Since I only have it a couple times a week, I don't believe it has any effect on me at all. Also, I avoid all Frankenfoods except for the occasional bar (maybe once a month or less) in an emergency. Why substitute high-carb crap with low-carb crap?

Hey,
I also use the carbsolutions shake-- chocolate flavor! It's really good, 2-3 net carbs but very nutritious, and fills me up until lunch. Also, if u mix 2 scoops of it with 8 oz water and refridgerate, u get this wonderful chocolate mouse-- perfect for dinner dessert to satisfy cravings. No stalls at all!

I drink protein shakes of all sorts all the time with no issues, goes to show everyone's different.