Beyond Protein: The Ultimate Bar for Lifters

Protein, Energy, and Body Fat Mobilization

The best protein bars fuel your workouts, protect against catabolism, and promote body fat mobilization.


Lifters and athletes eat protein bars for a lot of reasons, but usually not for fat loss. Sure, someone may substitute eating a bar for a hot fudge sundae, but that’s different. We’re talking about using protein bars to burn fatty acids for fuel preferentially and to facilitate fat loss.

And no, we’re not talking about some bar spiked with a trendy fat-loss ingredient that Oprah might push, but a bar that not only provides protein, fuels intense workouts, and hydrates you better than any Gatorade concoction but also promotes fat-burning through the use of a very cool, functional carbohydrate.

That protein bar exists. That multi-talented protein bar is Biotest’s Fini bar and the functional carbohydrate is Palatinose, commonly known as isomaltulose.

The Carb That Improves Fat Oxidation

Isomaltulose is manufactured from the sucrose harvested from beet juice. It has a mild, natural sweetness. More importantly, it’s a low glycemic index (GI) carb that prompts the body into using body fat for energy by improving fat oxidation to a much larger degree than other carbs. (Normally, when you eat ordinary carbs before a workout, carbohydrate oxidation increases and fat oxidation decreases, which isn’t a formula for successful fat loss.)

That means isomaltulose is the only carb to provide sustained energy while simultaneously supporting fat mobilization – releasing free fatty acids from fatty tissue.

One study even found that the percentage of energy supplied by fat in endurance athletes who ingested isomaltulose was 25% higher than in those who ingested maltodextrin (a popular carbohydrate used in many generic workout powders and energy bars). Another study found that isomaltulose caused insulin to rise approximately 55% less than regular table sugar.

That same study also examined the effects of isomaltulose on GIP and GLP-1, two hormones that play a role in regulating glucose levels and body weight. The former influences insulin levels, while the latter increases muscle uptake of glucose, decreases the speed that food is digested, and decreases the appetite.

Generally, you want GIP levels to go down or stay near the same when you eat something, whereas you want GLP-1 levels to go up after a meal. That’s exactly what happened when the subjects ingested isomaltulose. GIP levels only went up a tiny bit, as compared to the effects of regular sugar, which saw GIP levels more than double in 15 minutes.

Regarding GLP-1 levels, isomaltulose caused them to jet upwards and linger there for a considerable time, which is exactly what you’d want to see if you care about how much fat you carry around.

What Else is Cool About the Fini Bar?

Most protein bars try to pass themselves off as having been formulated with some sort of functions or healthful virtues so that people can fool themselves into thinking they’re being nutritionally pious. Too bad these bars are really just chocolaty protein delivery systems – fine for getting protein in an emergency but not much else.

The Fini bar really is a functional protein bar, though. Yes, like all other protein bars, it contains a nice bolus of protein, and it does all the normal protein bar things like promoting muscle protein synthesis, but the Fini bar does a lot of other things that conventional protein bars don’t, courtesy of isomaltulose:

  • Increased fat oxidation, leading to fat loss (assuming you’re not pigging out during other meals).
  • Sparing of glycogen in muscles and liver during exercise, thus enhancing exercise capacity.
  • Blood sugar levels kept stable.
  • Minimal increases in insulin release.
  • Hydrolyzed completely in the gut so that there’s absolutely no bloating or intestinal discomfort of any kind.
  • Far better hydration than water or conventional sports drinks.
  • Doesn’t cause a post-meal decline in endothelial health, thus making it “heart healthy,” at least in insulin-resistant people.
  • Improves metabolic conditions in general and leads to a decrease in waist circumference.
  • Leads to greater satiety, thus reducing hunger.

How and When to Use Fini Bars

Biotest originally designed the Fini bar to power and hydrate endurance athletes, but soon found that it worked well for all kinds of athletes, including lifters, CrossFit athletes, combat sports specialists, and even the military.

As far as fat loss (or lack of fat gain), it wasn’t really even on the menu until customers and staff started to notice that they could eat a number of the bars over a period of days and weeks and seemingly not gain any body fat – something that would probably be impossible with conventional protein bars.

That’s also when more research came out about isomaltulose’s favorable effects on blood sugar, insulin levels, and GIP and GLP-1 (the two “incretin” hormones that control insulin secretion from pancreatic beta cells). Now we know more about why eating a lot of Fini bars doesn’t seem to pork you out and, when used to fuel workouts, may even contribute to fat loss.

So, while Biotest recommends having a Fini bar before a lifting workout, a 50-mile bike ride, or some other athletic endeavor, we suggest you also have one as a mid-morning snack, before bed, or any time you want an extra hit of protein.

Granted, calorie intake is super important when it comes to controlling body fat percentage, but a calorie isn’t always a calorie. Different substances have major beneficial effects on brain centers that control hunger and the hormones that metabolize fat. The isomaltulose found in Fini bar is among those substances.

References

References

  1. Amano T et al. Effects of isomaltulose ingestion on postexercise hydration state and heat loss responses in young men. Exp Physiol. 2019 Oct;104(10):1494-1504. PubMed.
  2. de Groot E et al. Efficacy of Isomaltulose Compared to Sucrose in Modulating Endothelial Function in Overweight Adults. Nutrients. 2020 Jan 3;12(1):141. PubMed.
  3. König D et al. Substrate Utilization and Cycling Performance Following Palatinose Ingestion: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Controlled Trial. Nutrients. 2016 Jul;8(7):390. PubMed.
  4. Lightowler H et al, Changes in Weight and Substrate Oxidation in Overweight Adults Following Isomaltulose Intake During a 12-Week Weight Loss Intervention: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Controlled Trial. Nutrients. 2019 Oct 4;11(10):2367. PubMed.
  5. Lina BAR et al. Isomaltulose (Palatinose®): a review of biological and toxicological studies. Food Chem Toxicol. 2002 Oct;40(10):1375-81. PubMed.
  6. Miyashita M et al. The effects of isomaltulose ingestion on gastric parameters and cycling performance in young men. J Exerc Sci Fit. 2019 Jul;17(3):101-107. PubMed.
1 Like

I absolutely love Fini bars, and this cannot be stated enough.

I can eat them before and during hockey games and bike rides with zero discomfort.

4 Likes

Huge fan of these bars

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My favorite morning protocol:

  1. Microwave a Fini bar for 10-12 seconds.

  2. Eat with black coffee.

  3. Drink big glass of water.

  4. Walk dogs.

  5. Hit the gym.

2 Likes

I found my biggest issue with this protocol was that I kept repeated steps 1 and 2.

These things are tasty!

3 Likes

My kid is a fiend for the Dark Chocolate flavor. He’s made it part of his routine now to grab one before we leave for his hockey practice/game.

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I’ve said it here before, but I’ve had to put the box high out of reach in the cabinet at times.

I’ve definitely put the isomaltulose to the test in terms of zero fat gain.

Believe me.

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Here’s hoping you get enough sleep so that you don’t confuse any of those:
Eat Black Coffee
Take Fini Bar for a walk

(Side note: I always thought the Chocoolate Fini Bar tasted a bit like a tootsie roll - the candy not that dance)

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This guy gets it.

You can also keep them in a warm-ish place, cut one bar of each flavor in half, and use a rolling pin to laminate them together to make a high-protein peanut butter cup.

Make an espresso finibar flavor with those undutched cacoa nibs TC loves.

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lol microwave+coffee gang represent!

My garage gets to like 110 in the summer out here so I don’t need to microwave them during that time of year but otherwise they are so good soft and warm

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That’s some next-level cheffiness right there!

Get Tim Patterson on the line Chris, new product line! Fini-cups

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Definitely the only solid food I can eat while being active, with zero effect on the stomach, which is pretty unique.

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I ran a 1hr pre-training dark chocolate finibar routine for the better part of a year… found myself eating them as snacks here and there too.
they really are as good as everyone says. incredibly consistent zero discomfort food. fantastic hangover recovery food too btw! goes down and stays down even if queasy.

I’d kill for one that was purpose-made for the snack case and came with more micros. maybe some superfood blended in :slight_smile:

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You know, given the hydration effects, it really is. New marketing campaign! :joy:

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Except they also contain maltidextrin and brown rice syrup. Both of which have higher glycemic indices than white sugar.