I'm often asked if one has to buy the Medifast products to get the same dramatic results. Sometimes, people ask me why they can't just buy bars and shakes from the grocery store and hope for the same weight loss as they might have gotten on Medifast. They perceive that the grocery or health food store foods are cheaper (although most time they really aren't.) This article will compare some of the popular grocery store protein bars with the real deal, to see if it makes sense to cut corners.
What Makes Medifast Bars Work So Well?: Protein bars have come a long way since they first came out. The initial offerings were chalky, crumbly, and well, sometimes just plain nasty tasting. But, most of the bars today have become chewy, decent textured and tasty. Most of the manufacturers have wised up and added decadent flavors like peanut butter and chocolate. For dieters, a good bar can be an easy sell because these little snacks are so convenient and some are actually good for you.
Diet Bar
Notice I said some, not all. Many of the grocery store offerings are very high in calories. Some of them are also high in carbs. And, this is the exact reason that most just don't give you the same results. Below, I'll compare two popular grocery store bars with the real bars, but I will say now that most of these aren't going to get you in ketosis or fat burning mode because the calorie content is simply too high.
Comparing Medifast Bars To Grocery Store Bars Like Atkins And Snickers: First up, the Atkins bars. I'm going to be comparing the Advantage peanut butter bar. This one has a whopping 240 calories, with 108 of them being from fat. These have twelve grams of fat and they provide 30% of the daily recommendations of calcium and 25% of the recommended daily amount of vitamins C and A. The carbohydrate content is 22.
Now, I'll look at the Medifast peanut butter version. This one has 140 calories. This is 100 calories less, which in terms of ketosis can be quite significant. These have two less carbs than the Atkins version (at 20.) There is only 4 grams of fat. The vitamin and mineral list is quite long here. These have at least 25% (and often more) of the recommended requirements for vitamins A, D, C, K, B, B6, B12 as well as a long list of others (24 total, to be exact.) Nutrition wise, these are head and shoulders above the Atkins.
Snickers Marathon Energy Bars: Well, the name here might tip you off a bit as this manufacturer makes candy bars. But, let's look at the calories first. It has a whopping 210 calories, which is not as high as Atkins but is still much higher than Medifast. There are 8 grams of fat in these, which is quite a bit, but not as much as Atkins. Where this one really rings warning bells for me is that it has a whopping 26 grams of carbohydrates. There are 16 vitamins and minerals listed on the label. Again, this is better than some of the others, but not great either.
You also want to take a look at how the ingredients are listed. Most of these bars will have high fructose corn syrup somewhere in the front. The real bars have protein listed as the first ingredient. Hopefully, this article has shown you that although these grocery store bars may work in a pinch, they don't begin to have low enough calories or the nutritional content to work in the long term or to put you in ketosis. Most of them are not cheap either. In my humble opinion, you're much better off ordering the real deal from the company, which does allow you to order the bars individually if you chose to.
Click for larger image and other views
Atkins Advantage Bars, Chocolate Chip Granola, 1.7-Ounce Bars (Pack of 12) Feature
- High in Protein
- 19 Vitamins & Minerals
- Only 1g of Sugar
- Good Source of Calcium
Atkins Advantage Bars, Chocolate Chip Granola, 1.7-Ounce Bars (Pack of 12) Overview
Take charge of your nutrition on-the-go! Atkins Advantage Bars are the perfect convenient and satisfying snack or meal! Available in a variety of delicious, decadent flavors.SAVE NOW on the special offers below!
Available In Stock. |
| This Atkins Advantage Bars, Chocolate Chip Granola, 1.7-Ounce Bars (Pack of 12) ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. |
Price : Click to Check Update Prices Please. |
