Protein Powder as meal replacement.

I hate eating breakfast, it is just a meal that I have never really eaten.  My question to you is do any of you use protein shakes as meal replacement? To me as long as you are eating 2 other meals a day plus healthy snacks, I don't see a problem with it.  To me it would be better to have a protein shake than nothing.  I am right now pre-op and have been having a protein shake for the past couple days for breakfast and I feel like I have so much more energy!

I was doing protein shakes for years for breakfast prior to surgery. Post op I still do them. Busy household & early mornings make it the best option for me

It's better than nothing that is for sure.  You may want one that is more balanced with some carbs and protein and fat and not just the regular protein shakes unless they are keeping you feeling full.  I personally always had one for breakfast pre op as I hate eating food that early in the morning and found the usual low carb protein shakes sat well with me and didn't make me hungry.  Just trial and error to find one that you enjoy and that keeps you satisfied.  I'd keep the shake under 250 calories if you decide to use a powder then mix in fruit or milk, etc. 

I think that's just fine, pre op here as well and I'm not a big fan of eating breakfast. it's mostly because I want those extra minutes to sleep before work hehe. I started working from home in July and still don't really like to have breakfast even though I have more time now. What I normally do is have a premier protein shake straight from the box, cold of course. It's quick and no fuss lots of protein and low cal. If you haven't tried them yet I highly recommend as I'm sure most people on here would.

This morning I blended a vanilla one together with a couple pieces of frozen fruit, that was a nice treat but probably something I'll only do on the weekends because I have time.

I don't see why not.  You will be getting your protein in and it is better than having nothing. 

I still do it most days and then will have an omelette several hours later for lunch. I don't like to eat much on waking up and the protein drink works well.  Three years out it is not as filling as it used to be but that is to be expected.  Use unsweetened almond milk instead of water will add 40 calories per cup and hold you a bit longer.  Glad to hear you are doing well.

Hey guys! Thanks for the input! It is greatly appreciated! :) I am happy to see that I am not the only one using protein shakes in lieu of meals (breakfast). See my problem is that I used to only eat dinner and lots of snacking through out the night. I am slowly trying to normalize my eating patterns. I honestly might even try two protein shakes a day because I find I am satisfied for hours with the protein shake I have. (North Coast Naturals 100% ISO whey in vanilla) it is really good!! What I have been doing the past couple days is making a protein shake with water and blending it for 2 min then adding ice and for example today I added a bit of peanut butter. Then I have an apple or green beans in about 2 hrs after and I am fine. I eat dinner regularly  but now I am going to try cutting out carbs so I am going to do a double helping of salad. Whereas normally it would be chicken/fish or pork and potatoes and salad.  This is what I am going to try for a bit to see how I feel. Cause I want to drop some weight before I have surgery. Plus I want to switch to low carb/low glycemic now to help my diabetes and such.

When you say salad, do you mean lettuce salad?  If so, it's mostly all water so you may want to make a salad similar to a greek salad but leave out the feta, so you get more than jus****er.  I made one tonight with 2 colored peppers, 1/2 of an english cucumber, 3 plum tomatoes, 1/2 of a red onion, 8 cloves of garlic, juice of one lemon, 1 tsp of olive oil, good splash of red wine vinegar and some fresh oregano.   Obviously that isn't all for one meal but it will marinate for days and I take about 1/2 cup to 1 cup at a time and it's filling as a side.  If I have room for more calories, I measure the feta on top so I know exactly how much I am having and I also put my kalamata olives on after if I want them.  Lettuce salad alone will not fill you very much.  I am sure even post op, I could eat 4 cups of it and still not be full unless it had chicken or something in it to fill the void.

I'm also not much of a breakfast eater. I think a protein shake is certainly better than nothing. Have you thought about making more of a smoothie? You could do a bit of greek yogurt, protein powder, some frozen berries and even greens. This would give a lot more nutrition in terms of vitamins/minerals and might fill you up more. I've been scoping out blenders and recipes and thinking about trying this myself.

That protein powder that I am using (North Coast Naturals 100% Whey ISO) I find is filling! I am honestly good until lunch time, I do add ice after blending for 2 min with water, so it makes like a smoothie texture.  I am going to likely go buy some natural peanut butter or almond butter to add to it, cause it was so good with peanut butter! I do snack if hungry but I haven't been, on green beans or a Granny Smith Apple etc.