protein drinks

[MaggieGreene]

Protein shakes are a part of pre and post diet? or just post diet? On my paperwork I think it said 3 protein drinks a day. How do I drink that much if I've heard I'll have issues drinking afterwards - only little sips at a time. Also anywhere on line I can get any free samples to try some brands and flavors before I get to the point of buying them.

[Cherub]

Pre op I drank premier protein from Costco chocolate flavor. It was good especially when chilled overnight in fridge. After surgery I did not like the taste. For two weeks post op my doc had me drink 32oz a day of skim milk. I bough Fairlife skim milk which has 13g of protein for 8oz. Then at week three my doc allowed adding light carnation instant breakfast to the skim milk which adds another 5 g of protein. So with milk that is 18g. I love the carnation instant breakfast "light" version It works for me.

[Jeanne Loves the Sun]

I like pre mix muscle milk chocolate and vanilla but my football playing son also has the powdered muscle milk,(tastes good with either water or milk) and Isopure zero carb and isopure low carb, chocolate and vanilla. The Atkins drinks aren't too bad either but have 160 cal per container. I too buy and drink the Fairlife milk. I'm 6 weeks out and I have No problem getting in my protein. Drinking isn't a problem either. Everyone is different. Some people on this forum can still only eat a bite or two weeks later.
Good luck!

[Christie13]

I like pre mix muscle milk chocolate and vanilla but my football playing son also has the powdered muscle milk,(tastes good with either water or milk) and Isopure zero carb and isopure low carb, chocolate and vanilla. The Atkins drinks aren't too bad either but have 160 cal per container. I too buy and drink the Fairlife milk. I'm 6 weeks out and I have No problem getting in my protein. Drinking isn't a problem either. Everyone is different. Some people on this forum can still only eat a bite or two weeks later.
Good luck!

My nutritionist told me not to drink the muscle milk brand protein shakes. Something about the other ingredients not having enough vitamins and stuff for bariatric patients.

[Christie13]

I like the EAS Advant Edge pre mixed shakes in any chocolate flavor. I don't like the vanilla and have not tried the strawberry. I was told by my nutritionist they are good for bariatric patients. You use the protein shakes before and after and like Cherub said your taste may change after surgery. I am 9.5 weeks and I still supplement with protein shakes but I do not use them daily anymore. I recommend trying the premixed shakes that they sell because trying them is only going to cost you like $5-6. My surgeon's office had samples of the ones they sell. They had samples of the calcium supplements, vitamins, shakes, all kinds of stuff and they gave them to us. It was really nice.

[TarotAces]

My BMI started at 51.2 so I was required to do a 10 day pre-op high protein liquid diet, I decided to do an extra 5 days so I started early. I used Isopure Low carb chocolate protein powder, and had 2 12 oz shakes (from my blender bottle) a day, along with lots of crystal light, water, sugar free jell-o and a small tilapia fillet for dinner with a teaspoon of lemon juice poured over it for seasoning. I didn't have any issues or feel hungry much at all. I am currently at the end of my 1st day of clear liquids (which I do for 3 days before my VSG) and its a bit harder but still manageable. Which is really the most surprising thing of all, that I'm not super hungry, even including the fact that I lost 17 pounds in less than 2 weeks BEFORE surgery. lol
Post-op I'll be on clear fluids for a week I think, then I'll be back to 'full liquids' which is basically my pre-op diet without the fish, AND I can have more carbs to help if I need them (like juices, etc). So, the shakes are for your pre-op diet, and for a couple weeks ish depending on surgeon of post-op as well.

Hope that helps.

[Shirl]

Hopefully you have or will have a dietitian to support you during your pre op prep, but in the meantime I am happy to share how my dietician/nutritionist explained it to me.

Meal replacements are essential part of the pre op for several reasons one of them is to shrink the fatty liver so your surgeon can have easier access to your stomach, another reason is to also help you shed a few pounds before surgery. The lighter you are at surgery the better you are off. The highest incidents of something going wrong is with those in the higher weight scale. Lastly, post op you will get most of your required nutrients from meal replacement for about 2-3 weeks after surgery. All food stages are different and it is best to follow your surgeons recommendations, but even at three weeks I was having a hard time with soft and mushy foods and got okay to stay on protein shakes for as long as I wanted.

You will get sick of your meal replacements or protein shakes try not to buy in bulk and my personal preferences were homemade protein concoctions.

My personal top proteins powders included Tera's Whey Hunger Control (I had hunger pangs from the get go), RAW Fit for Weightloss (Coffee flavor), and the NAKED Casein Protein blends (unflavored). I added a serving to nonfat milk, berries or 1/2 banana, and 1 cup of kale and spinach blend. My favorite meal replacement still is: 1/2 frozen ripe banana, 1/2 cup nonfat greek yogurt, 1 cup nonfat milk, 1 serving of Peanut Butter Protein powder, 1 serving of unflavored protein pwder, 1 cup greens. Yum!

This week I bought another protein supplement brand which I forgot to mention, I love ❤️ MuscleEgg (pure egg white protein) in Caramel Chocolate which I plan to have it as a snack since I have been having carb and sweet withdrawals from letting my guard down over the holidays.

Best wishes and feel free to reach out anytime!

You got this!

Ps... i can't promise they will, but NAKED Protein sent me a sample package it contained seven single servings of their products when I emailed and asked about which protein would be best for Bariatric patients.

[Sandra3]

So, the shakes are for your pre-op diet, and for a couple weeks ish depending on surgeon of post-op as well.

Actually, shakes are used for as long as needed post-op. For several months since I couldn't get enough protein from food only I had to get one or two shakes per day. I know some doctors do say that it's better to only get your protein from food, but my team doesn't advise that. It's pretty much impossible until at least month 6 or 7 to be able to get 60+gr protein per day with food only. So just think about shakes like a cane to help you walk. I don't like shakes that much and when I had nausea for months sometimes it was difficult to finish just one. But I changed brand often and use mainly unflavored vegan powder, and adapt it to my taste. Right now I'm drinking a shake because I've been eating only veggies all day and need proteins before and I can't cook before tonight (dinner)...and I will be one year out in two weeks. I think I will use shakes for a long time. I use non GMO vegan powder that doesn't have any artificial sweetener or chemicals. Better to have a shake instead of a cookie

[ghost_ryder]

I am 4+ months post op and still drink at least one shake a day. Getting in the protein. I had a challenge getting in enough post op I would drink a shake over the course of 30 minutes and what I did not drink I put away for later. I needed the ability measure what was going in so finishing was essential. you will increase your intake as the swelling goes down.

[jenny53669]

My favorite meal replacement still is: 1/2 frozen ripe banana, 1/2 cup nonfat greek yogurt, 1 cup nonfat milk, 1 serving of Peanut Butter Protein powder, 1 serving of unflavored protein pwder, 1 cup greens. Yum!

Thanks for the recipe I'm excited to try that!

[Zeruel]

I am not allowed to drink them

[muntzwagon]

Premier Protein Cafe Latte (Costco) starts my day every day. Genuinely love the flavor. I would agree with other posters that getting your protein from other sources when possible is good, but for me I need 1 per day to get my numbers where they need to be. I don't drink more than the one per day, they can cause constipation which was an issue for me up until about 4 months post op when it became less an issue (my diet got more normal). I'm just over 6 months out from surgery and already close to my goal weight so it's apparently working for me