Shakes

How long do you have to drink the shakes?? Can you really not get the protein needed from natural foods??

There are people here who have never had a protein shake, so clearly it's not necessary. However, most surgeon's plans require some days of liquid only. For me, I had about 4 weeks total of liquids only, pre- and post-op. During those times, you might find it impossible to reach your protein goals without shakes.

But once you've reached "Forever Diet," which tends to happen around 4-8 weeks post-op, depending on your surgeon's plan, you don't need to stick to liquids. In the early days you might want to continue to have a protein shake to ensure you reach your protein goal, but you might not need to do that.

I still have a protein shake for breakfast every morning at almost 5 years post-op, but that's a personal choice because I've never liked solid food in the morning and I know breakfast is necessary. Having a shake is my compromise.

I only drank protein shakes for my one week pre-op diet and for about 8 weeks after surgery until I was cleared for all foods. I get plenty of protein from regular food. I do track how much protein I'm getting and eat my protein based foods first at meals for two reasons: It is filling and I want to make sure I have enough in my diet.