? on purpose of protien.

Why is protien so important. I was given the impression that protien was important to help your body heal after surgery. My doctor said to get 40-50 grams in a day. I read lots of post about people getting higher amounts of protien in daily. I was trying to drink a protein drink for diabetes in the morning for breakfast--the name is Choice. I have tried some of those high protien low carb drinks and they taste like chalk. I tried a slim fast one this weekend and it was awful. If you know of some good protien drinks let me know. I even got a few different protien bars and they tasted like chalk to...YUCK! thanks so much Karie -53

Hello Karie, Protein is SO MUCH more than just to help you heal! Without it your body cannot function properly. If you do not get enough of it on a regular basis, your hair will start falling out, also! We do not absorb anything the way a "normal" or rather non-gastric bypass person does. We have had a portion of our intestines bypassed. This causes malabsorbtion because the part of the intestine that used to digest our food and absorb our nutrients is now much further down so we have to rely on the less efficient portion of our intestine that is now attached to our new pouch to do the absorbing. This is planned in the surgery...we have malabsorbtion and restricted stomach space and combined that equals weight loss for us. Studies showed that just the restriction of the stomach size was not enough for good weight loss and permanent weight loss. This is why we chose this RNY surgery and not another restrictive only surgery. As for some taking more protein than recommended. It goes back partially to the malabsorbtion... we do not know exactly how much each individual will absorb after surgery so some chose to err on the side of more protein rather than risking NOT getting enough and suffering the consequences. You may take in 60 grams of protein per day, but there is no guarrantee that you will absorb that much of it. Others do it because it is said that if you are not getting enough protein you will not lose your weight as fast. So rather than just assume you are getting in all your protein just because you get 60 grams per day, it is always good to have a higher intake of protein just in case you are not absorbing it all. If you are feeling tired and have a lack of energy, you probably are not getting enough protein in and you might want to take more.

hi karie, it's good to hear your doing so well. as far as protien, it is essential for maintaining muscle mass, and it also provides long term energy. my favorite protein shake has got to be isopure chocolate , i mix one scoop with 1/2 cup water,1 cup low carb milk, and one equal and one sweet-n-low. it tastes just like chocolate milk. you can also drink the low carb milk by it self, its called carbcountdown. it has 12 grams of protein per cup, change it up by adding fruit or flavorings. my sister loves the nectar protein in green apple or strawberry kiwi. if you want to sample any of these go to vitalady.com and you can get samples of many protein shakes. we tried about 20 before we found the ones we liked. i've also heard that alot of people enjoy the unjury products. good luck. michelle -65

Karie, I won't add more about the importance of protein cuz others already have. What I will tell you is that many of us have trouble tolerating some of the shakes. I cannot tolerate whey proteins in an form at all. Most shakes are made with whey. I am now making my own using flavored soy milk, a soy supplement from the health food store, a touch of Splenda and either strawberries or banana for extra flavor. If I really want to boost the protein and make it thicker I add tofu to the mix & blend it up good. I get 30 grams drinking 12 oz of this mix and best of all, it tatses good! Dixie