Lack of protein.

Ok.  8 days pre op.  I'm having a very hard time getting my protein in.  I bought the beneprotein and it's not as tasteless as they promote.  However tolerable - taste wise.  It's just gross when I mix it with anything....  I've tried my water with crystal lite, my jello, my soup broth... just gross....

 

Any ideas to help me out?  I'm at least having 1 or 2 boost a day to get SOMETHING in....

 

 

Someone in here suggested taking a scoop or two of the powder and they kept It on the counter I. A little bowl and mixed a bit into everything they had. For he it was weeks before I got even close to my goal . Greek yogurt , cottage cheese, shakes( my faves are click and mint cookie) powder in everything . It's why choosing protein foods are so important early out . Only so much room for anything - better make it worthy of the space in your sleeve/ pouch . It will get easier later

I had a hard time with beneprotien as well but found sugar free pudding hid it better.... and there is no law that says you have to put a full scoop in.  Lke Rainyone said, keep some in a container on the counter and add a little here and there.  Don't sweat too much if you aren't exactly where you should be protien wise, it'll come, just make sure you are drinking your water - that's non-negotiable.

Have you tried alot of different shakes?  They were the best for getting the protein levels in the early days for me.  Search for recipes for shakes on here, you might find some that interest you and can get you through this phase.  Just wait until you can have chicken breasts - you can eat those things morning, noon, and night - your protein levels will EXPLODE! haha

Just inquiring:

 

Are you talking the sugar free pudding made with Splenda?  And when you say put it on the counter do you mean to measure out what you need in a day and then take from the dish so you know you have enough protein?

 

How did you make shakes? I am preop and this is a concern for me. When you say check for shake recipes on here - where do you search for stuff like that or did you just mean the internet?

 

Thanks for any info.

The best way to know if you have had your requirements  for protein for the day, the best best best way is to get on My Fitness Pal and track there.  I know, I know, you hate tracking..... BUT it is probably the easiest most effective tracking device I have ever ever used.  I am a total addict.  Getting yourself set up takes a little time (like this website) but if you can persevere with MFP, it is so easy to know your levels.

I have found it most helpful further out as I use it for a deterrent for eating things I probably shouldn't.  I plug temptations into my daily total and then see how it affects my totals ( I had two dainties at a funeral the other day, came home and put them in and almost died myself as they totaled over 500 calories, if I had  put it in before I actually consumed the dainties, I probably would have stepped back, found some grapes or something lol ) Times like that I wish I had a cell phone that had apps that I could record with.  You could add friends (me) and we can look at each other's menu's (that is a privacy setting you can choose or not) it's kinda facebooky in that respect.

 

What else can you tolerate to eat? Maybe cottage cheese would be a good source of protein if you can tolerate it. Did you purchase the beneprotein powder before surgery? My surgery is next Monday and I need to get a few things this weekend so I am good to go when I get home. Good luck!

I tried pudding. got severe dumping syndrome. it was hell. some suggested it was too early for milk products. now I'm scared to try anything with milk.

where can I find good flavored shakes? I'm too chicken to spend $40+ on a big container and find I cant stand it.

Boost is on sale this weekend at Pharmaplus for $7.99. Also Costco has an awesome ready made shake called Premier Protein Shakes with 30 Grams of protein. I am 10 weeks out and still drink one almost every day. They taste almost like chocolate milk. I didn't like the beneprotein either. I found it had a yucky taste. I also didn't care for the protein powders although I do mix vanilla protein powder into Greek yogurt and it's a great hit of protein.

I did get a little crazy pre op and bought a whole bunch of shake flavors that I ended up not using.  I found that I bought a plain Vanilla flavored container from Costco (35 gms for a scoop) and blended it with different things (berries, frozen bananas and cocoa or a little peanut butter, MIO, etc.  These are part of that big list of recipes that Michelle posted on here once and I am not sure how to search for it.  Some things wouldn't be appropriate just yet (seeds). 

I only like shakes if they are blended with ice in my Magic Bullet.  My favorite is the Premier Chocolate RTD from Costco (1/2 a container) blended with a scoop of Click coffee powder, ice and a bit of water or milk - mmmmmmm I find it similar in flavor and texture to an Icecap from Timmy's.  It also scores 23 grams of protein and is a relatively cheap concoction.   I'm doing about 90-100 grams of protein a day, so I don't really need any shakes, but I really like this one.

I did a quick search from the top of this page (in the blue tool bar strip there is a "search" area that I used.  I found some just to give ideas on what can be found online.  I just copied and pasted a couple:

Bariatric Protein Shake Recipes

Add any of the following flavorings to your vanilla shake:

• Pina Colada: 1/2 tsp. coconut extract
• Latte: 1 Tbsp. instant decaf coffee
• Eggnog: 1/2 tsp. rum extract
• Almond Delight: 1/4 tsp. almond extract
• Pumpkin Pie in the Sky: 1 tsp. vanilla extract + 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• Apple Pie: 1 tsp. vanilla extract + 1 tsp. apple pie spice

Add any of the following flavorings to your chocolate shake:

• Mocha: 1 Tbsp. instant decaf coffee
• Chocolate Mint: 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
• Chocolate Banana: 1/2 tsp. banana extract
• Chocolate Almond: 1/4 tsp. almond extract

 

Protein Shake Guidelines for Various Stages of Weight Loss Surgery

• Pre-weight loss surgery: Use 4 oz skim milk/yogurt + 4 oz water as the base for your protein shake recipes.
• Post-weight loss surgery: (first 1-3 weeks post surgery): Use 2 oz skim milk/lactaid milk/yogurt + 2 oz water as the base and gradually increase to 8 oz total. You'll likely be able to tolerate only a sip or two at a time in the beginning.

Protein Shake Recipes

Creamsicle: Blend 4 oz plain nonfat yogurt or skim milk + 4 oz water + 1 scoop vanilla protein powder + 1/2 cup mandarin oranges, drained + 2 skim mil**** cubes + 1 packet Splenda.

Chocolate Cherry Delight: Blend 4 oz plain nonfat yogurt or skim milk + 4 oz water + 1 scoop chocolate protein powder + 3/4 cup frozen cherries + 2 skim mil**** cubes

 

Mango Mama: Blend 4 oz plain nonfat yogurt or skim milk + 4 oz water + 1 scoop vanilla protein powder + 1/2 cup frozen mango cubes + 1/2 banana + ice

Eggnog Bliss: Blend 8 oz plain nonfat yogurt or skim milk + 1 scoop vanilla protein powder + pinch of pumpkin pie spice or vanilla + 2 pinches allspice + 1/4 tsp. rum extract + 2 frozen skim milk cubes

Gingerbread Man: Blend 4 oz plain nonfat yogurt or skim milk + 4 oz water + 1 scoop vanilla protein powder + 1 graham cracker + 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon + 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract + 2 frozen skim milk cubes

Pina Colada: Blend 4 oz plain nonfat yogurt or skim milk + 4 oz water + 1 scoop vanilla protein powder + 1/2 banana + 1 frozen OJ cube and 1 frozen pineapple juice cube + 1/4 tsp. coconut extract

Pumpkin Pie In the Sky: Blend 4 oz plain nonfat yogurt or skim milk + 4 oz water + 1 scoop vanilla protein powder + 1/2 cup canned pumpkin + 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice + 1/2 cup frozen butternut squash.

Super low cal protein shake recipes

Dreamy Creamsicle: Blend 8 oz (flat) diet orange soda + 1 scoop vanilla protein powder + 4 frozen lowfat vanilla yogurt cubes (only 150 calories!)

Cherry Pie: Blend 8 oz (flat) diet cherry soda + 1 scoop vanilla protein powder + ice (This one only has ~100 calories!)

I hope this shows up lol, I'm not very techno!