Egg Protein verses Whey Isolate

Dear Support Friends,

 

I am 7 weeks out and having a hard time getting my protein in with normal food.  I can't eat enough yet.  The nutritionist at my doctors wants me to do it through natural foods but I am thinking I need to do a shake or something to help increase my protein intake.  Before surgery I was doing Premier Protein but got sick on it shortly after and I am afraid to try again.  I am thinking of trying something gentler on the stomach such as egg protein or whey isolate.  Any suggestions?

Wow,  need to be getting in 120grams of protien a day PERIOD!  DS'rs suppliment with Whey Isolate shakes.  It has to be whey isolate, it is the one that we can absorb the most of, and is best.  Most dont use egg protein for the fact that you have to take it several hours apart from your iron that you take every morning.  Getting in all your protein through eating is a fantasy we all dream about, but its most likely not going to happen, and certainly not this early out.  Im almost five months out and I drink four 27 gram shakes a day, and try and get in as much protein as I can on top of that.  If I miss to many shakes of a period of a week.  Its hard for me to breath, and I feel like I have to go to the hospital...its happened twice, and I wont let it happen again.  Your still probably running on protein that you had stored up before surgery, but I wouldnt count on it much longer.  Please research this on here and dsfacts.com.  Remember surgeons and there nutrtionist are famous for giving the wrong advise for DS'rs, it is very common.  You trust them because you believe they must know what they are doing....  Some are good cutters, but thats about where it stops.  Im worried for you and what your vitiman intake is.  Surgeons get this wrong also.  vitalady.com shows the amounts  we are soposed to be taking, you can refer to her website and learn about it.  Just remember you are not the same as the average person anymore, we have to take in way more vitimans and protien then the average joe.... and over compensate....good luck.....

It's my understanding that the progression rate for protein is 30 grams for the first month, 60 for the second month and 90 for the third month; then graduate to 120 after that.  I'm only 3 months out, and there's no way I could have gotten 120 grams in - even now I can't get that much in.  I'm still hoping some of my appetite will kick in again.   It seems that we get conflicting advice from the doctors and NUTS and the veterans on this forum - I'm learning to trust the vets here. 

If you are on soft foods now, which I assume you are, try vanilla whey protein, vanilla Greek yogurt, raspberries (or other fruit) and 6-8 ounces of milk.  Blend it all together.  Yum!  It's about 42 grams of protein.  Even if you have to divide it up throughout the day, you get a lot of protein from it, and a lot of it is from "normal" food.  I know others will have even better advice.

 

Good luck!

 

Good for you for seeking a second opinion, away from your nutrionist. Yes, a good rule of thumb for our protein trajectory is indeed the 30 by 30, 60 by 60, 90 by 90 rule. That is difficult for many on food alone. Some DSrs pride themselves on never having to do protein shakes and still hitting their daily protein goals on food alone. I am not one of those people. I have to supplement and we absorb whey protein isolate the best! I usually have at least 50 grams the first few hours of the morning and eat only protein the rest of the day until I hit my target. If I have room left, I'll eat some veggies or treat myself in some way. Our stomach space is valuable now, it needs to be protein first. Being so new, I'd try Val's Ricotta fluff, fresh mozzarella balls, scrambled eggs, etc. I'd highly recommend getting on the whey protein isolate supplement train ASAP and after playing around with flavors, brands, etc., if they bother you, I'd try the egg protein next. I'd bet money on the fact that your nutritionist isn't as informed about our protein needs as they should be. As an example, I was told that my daily protein (after surgery) should be 60 grams for life. After listening to the vets on here when I was newbie, I quickly gathered that that was terrible advice from the 'professionals'. After years of trial and error, I found a great protein isolate that doesn't cause stomach distress (nausea, gas, bloating, etc). I think we are all different in what our systems can tolerate. I use NOW brand unflavored whey protein isolate. The super sweet and artificially flavored kind always make me nauseous, but this one has like 2 or 3 ingredients that I can pronounce. It also comes highly rated by body builders, who are often experts on the highest quality protein available (along with us DSers)!

One word of caution if you are lactose intolerant, Val's ricotta fluff can wreck you!!  It tasted like heaven but oh lord, did I have a major lactose intolerant reaction.   Not pretty.....

I'm 4 yrs out and would not have survived unless I drank protein shakes & coffees every day. My surgeons office also told me to stop using them.

Poor souls, they do mean well. They're just very misinformed about the DS aftercare. 

You're 7 weeks out. Your protein intake should be close to 60 grams. However you get that in is up to you. There were days, when my intake was all from shakes.

I could not handle the whey protein shakes, as they contain lactose.  I use egg protein, which although a drop more expensive, tastes great, and I use almond milk.  As with everything else with the DS, YMMV.  If the egg protein works for you, by all means, go for it!   You do have to keep it separate from your iron, which is why I wait to have my iron for just before going to sleep, or when I get up in the middle of the night.

I actually like them better.  No nasty aftertaste and no bad reactions to whey (since it is dairy - some may cause reactions).

I like Jay Robb brand.  It's not a strong taste, but mixes well with cold coffee to make a frozen latte with heavy cream (you totally forget its healthy).