Wish I'd known this before!

[Dewdrop]

.....

[Shirl]

Which are you using?

[Sandra3]

Seems to me you are getting cold feet. It's perfectly normal to be scared and worried before any surgery. I was sleepless for days. But today I have no regrets and I know that surgery did save my life.

My pre-op was difficult for the first three days (mostly because of the carb and coffee withdraw) but after that I was fine and not really hungry either. I never considered that I could eat my pre-op diet for years and be able to lose that way for good because all my research did show me that's not the way it works. Plus I've been on many diets those past 20 years and nothing worked on the long run.

Now you don't say anything about your weight. But I was morbidly obese (BMI around 53) and at my stage there's not "miracle coming back". I know that the sleeve helped me save my life. But if you are not that big, you might consider looking into a better nutrition, consult a nutritionist, more protein less carbs or even very low carbs does work for some people.

I don't know where you are getting your surgery and what is your protocol but if you get it through insurance, consults with a shrink are compulsory. I had to meet a psychiatrist twice before getting approved. If I was you and had doubts I would take my time to make my decision and probably ask advise to the shrink. Take care.

[RehabNurse]

Maybe I can just loose all my weight with these shakes.

I will be the voice of dissent. Yes, you can probably lose all your weight drinking protein shakes alone.

Most of us could lose large amounts of weight without surgery. In fact, I'd estimate I lost several hundred pounds over the past 20+ years (for example: lose 50 pounds then regain 75 pounds, lose 60 pounds then regain 100 pounds, rinse and repeat).

For most obese and formerly fat folks, losing weight is not the problem. Keeping the weight off long term is the problem. A formerly obese person who loses all his/her excess weight through diet and exercise alone only has less than a 5% chance of keeping it off. In the vast majority of cases, the body fights to get back to its set-point and all weight is regained.

For most of us, bariatric surgery offers the only hope of keeping the weight off.

[Sandra3]

I'm just surprised these shakes work so good! And wondering how I never knew about it! My pre op diet is pretty much not really a diet. It's more a permanent diet. What people should stick to eating to maintain a low body weight and good health. Only problem is without the protein shake I would definitely not be able to stick to this diet. The protein shakes take away the cravings and hunger making it easier. So then what happens when I stop drinking the protein shakes? I don't know. Maybe my body would be used to eating the right way, and my stomach will have shrunk, and I'd be ok. But most likely not! So I would just not stop drinking them I guess! lol....Yes, I do feel scared about surgery.

I'm 15 months out and still drink at least one protein shake per day because it's sometimes complicated for me to get the right amount of protein without it. Long story short I live in Asia and eating what I need is almost impossible. When I'm in a country where I can find what I need I don't drink shakes that often. I think on a nutritional point of view there's nothing wrong drinking those shakes on the long run, but you still need to have regular blood test just to check your vitamin levels. I did lose weight during my many diets but always gained back like many of us in here, yoyo diets have been my life story. The thing is that with several health issues (mainly asthma) my medication makes me gain weight or prevent me to lose, and I was always hungry because obesity is also in my genes. Like one of my doctor told me "your body is made to resist to famines. You would survive me for several months" I was morbidly obese eating 2000 calories per day!! I always had a balanced diet (I'm the only obese in the family and the cook) and studied nutrition a lot, we eat mostly organic when it's possible.

At least with the surgery I have a tool that will help me all my life now. And if I gain weight with medication I can lose it: it's the first time it doesn't come back!
It took me a long time to decide to do the surgery. I didn't know where to do it because I'm between several countries, but even when I picked my doctor and his team, I met him in September 2014 and had my surgery in January 2016. I think it better to take your time and be sure.

[Shirl]

So far I have tried Muscle Milk and Premier Protein. Both in chocolate flavor.

Really? Wow! That's so crazy - well, more power to you lol! Had them both pre and post op and besides being grossed out, I still felt hungry 30 minutes to one hour after. I mostly used Vanilla Premier as coffee creamer, and on my oatmeal. I used as a base to make my own protein shake and to double up on protein.

The only protein shakes that helped curb my appetite were RAW Fit brand, and like RehabNurse said, yeah I probably could have lost with them alone, I certainly did it countless times only to gain the weight back.

[Mike Bear]

I'm using dymatize iso 100. I've purchased orange dreamsickle, strawberry, chocolate, fudge brownie and the cinnabun. These were the best that I could find that kept the hunger at Bay pre surgical. They're still working just as great for me post surgery. Find what works for you and go from there. But yeah.. the secret weapon! Protein shakes haha.

Forgot to add.. these taste the best with skim milk, also adds to your protein intake.

[sraebaer]

They did not curb my appetite at all. I think you are one of the lucky ones! And if you think you can live on shakes for the rest of your life, go for it. (I prefer food!)

I am surprised how many more protein products are out there than when I had my surgery about three and a half years ago. Now everyone is making them. The bars are at the checkout with the candy bars. So I guess we were on to something before the rest of the population.

[DesertGal]

The premier protein shakes are what gives me the protien. They fill me up immediately, and pre surgery (I drank them for the 3 months pre op dieting) I was hungry within a couple of hours.
I lost a lot of weight during that 3 months of eating 2 oz of lean meat per meal, with unlimited steamed vegetables or unlimited salads, and I was starving for 3 months. My husband would shake his head at dinner and say how he didn't know HOW I was doing it. I have lost hundreds of pounds over the years and gained every ounce back, I know I can lose the weight... but keeping it off with maintenance is the key part.

I am on the premier shakes daily right now, 2 a day, for the protein, in addition to my soup and cottage cheese and scrambled egg... until I can eat food again and hope I can cut it back to only 1 a day. Oh how I crave a small piece of rotissere chicken and steamed asparagus again!

[Ann2]

Interestingly, protein drinks always did make me feel satisfied. They still do. Coming up on 3 years post-op this summer, and I still have one for breakfast most mornings. Some others can barely stand them at any point. FTR, my fave shake is the GNC Lean Swiss Chocolate Shake. Have never tired of it.

One thing you'll discover if you go forward with surgery is that your experiences and others' experiences don't necessarily jibe 100%. There are important principles and tactics common to everyone's WLS success, e.g., eat protein first, eat slowly, avoid slider foods, etc. But there's also a world of variety / diversity regarding specific foods that work best for individuals' weight loss and subsequent maintenance.

Keep reading. It's not required that you have WLS. And you should never have WLS until you are ready to do so. In my case, I could not have conquered my lifelong weight problem without it. But that's been my experience. One thing to remember is that, based on a lot of research, folks' odds of losing and maintaining a significant weight loss long-term without WLS are 5% (or even less). With WLS it's at least 50% (maybe more than that). In my case (so far) it's been 100% excess weight lost and 100% excess weight loss maintained. Thus far, you can count me as a "satisfied customer."

Very best to you!

[sraebaer]

The premier protein shakes are what gives me the protien. They fill me up immediately, and pre surgery (I drank them for the 3 months pre op dieting) I was hungry within a couple of hours.
I lost a lot of weight during that 3 months of eating 2 oz of lean meat per meal, with unlimited steamed vegetables or unlimited salads, and I was starving for 3 months. My husband would shake his head at dinner and say how he didn't know HOW I was doing it. I have lost hundreds of pounds over the years and gained every ounce back, I know I can lose the weight... but keeping it off with maintenance is the key part.

I am on the premier shakes daily right now, 2 a day, for the protein, in addition to my soup and cottage cheese and scrambled egg... until I can eat food again and hope I can cut it back to only 1 a day. Oh how I crave a small piece of rotissere chicken and steamed asparagus again!

Don't worry, you'll get back to the yummy chicken and asparagus in time. We have this new restaurant in town called "Chicken and Pickle" where they specialize in rotisserie chicken and delicious veggies, along with Pickle Ball and other games. So fun, and perfect for us sleeved people, our kind of food combined with exercise. But I'll warn you, chicken will be probably the last food you will add. I remember my first try with chicken, it wasn't fun. Fish was my friend at first before the more dense meats.

[sraebaer]

Totally not impossible! I would buy one of everything that looks good at the Vitamin Shoppe or GNC and see what you like. Then buy it in larger quantities. I was told if I was hungry, to add shakes. It worked. I liked the non-creamy ones like Isopure diluted with a lot of ice. Or I froze the chocolate ones from Costco and pretended they were a Wendy's frosty. And it was such a short time that you totally forget about it in the long run when you are a regular sized person. It was so easy and so much fun! Literally, the weight just fell off. You can do it, I know you can!

[Christie13]

It was fine for a few days but I can tell you that post op I was really ready for food about 10 days later. I was so over liquids and my body was craving real food. I do not think anyone can realistically stay on a liquid diet for a very long extended time. You may lose on the liquid diet but you most likely will not be able to keep it off. Ultimately this is your decision, but most people who decide they can do it on their own end up coming back for the surgery. Crappy part is often they have to start all over to get their date scheduled. Good luck!

[Christie13]

PS-I was told by my doctor that post op I could not have Muscle Milk. Not enough nutrients that sleeve patients need.

[Shirl]

Thank you so much sraebaer. I'm on a pre surgery diet right now that involves meat, vegetables, fruit, little starch, and protein shakes. At times I feel weak and faint. So it's hard to imagine cutting back even further to just liquids! I'm not eating all that is allowed on my diet though because the protein shake is curving my appetite. But it is still a lot more than what I'll be getting on the liquid only diet! I just can't imagine consuming only liquids for three whole weeks without being too weak or faint to do house hold chores. Especially when I'm already faint from the solid diet I'm on right now. I'm not even sure I'll be able to drink my protein shakes right after surgery because they decrease my appetite so much. Besides protein shakes what other liquids did you drink the first couple weeks after surgery? I bet there is a thread with lots of liquid ideas. I will have try looking.

I started blending extra tofu in my miso soup, I just drank that as often as I could! I also diluted and blended lentil soups with bone broths! Yum! I ate very thin Dahl! I purchased a dozen liter bags of OSSOGOOD Bone Broths and I would add to just about anything to make it soupy. Get this most of the time a quarter cup would satify me, specially when I had lentils.

The mental fog is just your body fighting back and needing a fix of whatever you used to feed it, right now is a really good time to start practicing self-parenting skills! They will come in useful post op.

And yes there is a HUGE thread about homemade protein shakes on the Diet and Nutrition section of the forum.