Preference of Protein Shakes?

Hi everyone, I'm scheduled to have surgery on May 17th in Concord with Dr. Bauman. i know that the nutritionist that I met with gave me a lot of information on protein drinks. My question is....which ones do you find the most appetizing/easy to go down/digest? My aunt had a revision done in February and she sent me home with lots of Slim Fast shakes, but I'm sure I'll end up having to buy more stuff. I think she gave me two cases. Anyway, any input is appreciated. I'm a complete control freak and I fear the unknown and right now, I have a lot of fear, but I gotta do this.

i got pure protein shakes w/35 grams of protein at vitacost.com, but i'm not too picky about the taste of stuff. they all taste the same to me. i thought it would be hard to get 40-60 grams in using the slim-fast kind. also, you will get sick to death of the sweet sweet sweet. i knocked out the protein requirements with 2 shakes a day and then used broth and water and decaf to change up the flavors.

I haven't even looked at the nutritional information on the Slim Fast ones. I just know I went and visited my aunt and my uncle loaded my car down with stuff. It's ironic because I wasn't for sure at the time that I was even having the surgery. I got home from visiting her and my insurance approval letter was waiting for me. I'll probably look into some other types of shakes and stuff the closer I get to my surgery date. I was really looking for input from different people to see if there was a general consensus and well, there was: slim fast probably wont work, and not to buy too many kinds before the surgery because I probably wont like it after the surgery! Thanks for your input! -Amber

Hi Amber- I agree with the above post- the Slim Fast and Adkin shakes just didn't have enough protein for me. Immediately post op I liked the fruit flavored Isopure drinks- they are clear liquids and not milk based and MUCH easier on my new tummy. They also have 40 grams of protein- you can get them at GNC. I drank 1.5-2/day and had great wt loss. My all time favorite protein is the Designer Whey Choc flavored- I buy it by the carton box at Walmart- mix 8 ounces of 1% milk, 1.5 scoops of Designer Whey and a small banana and ice- I am 8weeks post op and this is still my favorite shake. It is the best tasting to me. I also bought a protein sample box online at WLSsupplies.com- it was something like 70 individual bottles of protein flavors for $90- good price and let me try alot of different flavors. It REALLY helped to add some variety when on the liquid only phase of the post op diet. Good luck and congrats on your upcoming surgery! Sheila

I think the nutritionist told me about those....or something similar to those. I love some milk....and I love some Crystal Light. I know neither of those have much protein and that my tastes are going to change. I just want to be prepared for when I go home. Of course my mom says she is going to be bored when she's taking care of me. So, I guess I can send her to go protein drink shopping for me! I'll take a look at WLSsupplies.com. $90 seems like a lot right now considering I'm about to pay my portion of the surgery and I'm a single 28 year old trying to make a living in Charlotte....maybe I can hit up my mom! :^). I'm going to google Isopure and see if I can find them cheap online. You all are giving me great advice and recommendations! -Amber

Hi Amber, My personal favorites were the recipes that Diane (Dr. Roc's nutritionist) gave me preop. I tried them at home with my blender and mixed in strawberries, banana, of course peanut butter (gotta have it!) and even froze some and ate like ice cream. You can increase your protein powder and most powdered kinds, both chocolate and vanilla, have about 21-23 grams per scoop, so you can get a lot of protein that way. I used Glucerna the first two weeks and added protein powder. It didn't taste that bad and I rotated the flavors. I was required to drink Glucerna cause' I was a type II diabetic and that's the one diabetics use. I still like protein drinks fixed in the blender, add some ice to make them slushy. Just experiment and try different things to see what you like best. Just remember, NOTHING will taste the same post op as it did preop. So don't invest in a lot of stuff before your surgery and you heal a couple weeks, you may be inclined to throw a bunch of expensive stuff out because it makes you sick! Good luck and by the way, you picked the BEST bariatric surgeon around. Of course, I'm prejudiced! Lynne -130 lbs

Hi Lynn, Thanks for the advice. I remember seeing the recipes for the different shakes in my nutrition packet that I got from my first visit. I guess I'll be putting my mom to work while she's staying with me during my first week of recovery. I agree with you on picking the best pariatric surgeon around. There's a story there, but I didn't start off with him. I was with someone else, that I NEVER met, and my insurance denied me at first, saying I had to wait six months. After I started with the first surgeon, my insurance changed from Health Care Savings to Medcost and Dr. Bauman was now in my network. So, since I completely despised the office staff of the prior surgeon, and I had to wait anyway, I figured I'd just switch and go through everything again. -Amber

Hey amber, first let me congratulate you on your decision to make this change in your life. It's a big step but worth every agonizing moment I had. As far as the protein shakes, everyone's taste is so different. What May taste good to you and what your stomach May tolerate someone else May not like the taste and May not be able to tolerate it. That being said, I couldn't tolerate any protein shakes for almost 4 months. I first try to get all my protein in w/ food, if that's not possible I then go to the shakes. I get chocolate pro-complex at vitacost.com. Very little if any protein smell or taste. To change up the taste so I don't get bored I'll add frozen strawberries, peaches, blueberries and mixed berries to it. I find it mixes up best in the magic bullet. Good luck on your journey. Donna, sfy

If you go to EarthFare off Johnson and 485 they sell a ton of samples. I tried about 20 pre-op, narrowed down to about 7 I liked.... retried them post-op and only liked 1. I liked BioChems 100% Whey Protein. I also like Isopure drinks... you can buy at GNC but they are pricey at $3 a bottle but pack 40g protein and no carbs!! I like the Fruit Punch (red) and Apple Melon (green) flavors. I am not a fam of Slim Fast shakes... the regular ones have too much sugar, the optima have less sugar but still high in carbs, the carb control is good in sugar, carbs and decent in protein but I cant drink more than 1/2 because it makes me run back and forth to the potty. I also found immediately post-op anything even slightly thick was just nasty so Slim Fast shakes were out for the first 6 months or so.

Do you think it would be a good idea to go and just buy some samples now and not try them until after the surgery? I kind of want to be prepared. I've never been to EarthFare, but I've heard a lot about it. I wish they had one closer to me (I'm in SouthPark), but I shouldn't be too picky. It's not that far!