Dense Protein

Hello Everyone,

    I am 6.5 months post-op and as many people who are at this stage can attest that we can eat normal food. However, I am having trouble getting in the recommended protein intake which is about 80grams. I know most people have protein shakes which contain 60grams of protein. However, I cannot handle protein shakes and I get my protein from protein bars and dense protein such as chicken. However, I can only handle about 2 ounces of chicken and I feel full the remainder of the day. So, I was wondering what suggestions do you have so that I can up my protein intake. By the way I also eat yogurt which had 6 grams of protein everyday and my intake is roughly 30 grams.

I am not sure exactly what you mean by "can't handle" if it is a dairy issue, that's one thing, if it is just taste, that is another. 

If you are not lactose intolerant, buy some unflavored whey protein isolate powder (Unjury or Syntrax are the highest quality). Add 1/4 of a scoop to your yogurt, add 1/2 scoop to your milk, add 1/4 scoop to some soup each day. If you do that, you'll add between 20-23 g of protein to your nutrition plan. 

At 6.5 months I used one protein shake a day but it sure didn't have 60 grams of protein in it, more like 20-24.  The rest I got from food.  Seafood and fish are higher in protein than chicken or beef.  I would usually have an egg with some cheese for breakfast, jerky for a snack, 2 oz. of chicken for lunch, greek yogurt for snack (has a lot more than 6 grams of protein in it) and then 2-3 oz. of protein for dinner.  I also threw in an Isopure every afternoon for awhile too.  Using this formula, I was easily able to get in 80 grams a day.  

Use one protein bar instead of the shake that I listed and you would have 80 grams pretty easily...even with only 2 oz. of dense protein at a time.  

• Eat dark meat chicken instead of breasts - holds more moisture so you can eat more.
• Eat slow-cooked meats, with juices or gravy
• Switch to greek yogurt - for 12g of protein in a cup.  Unflavored greek yogurt can also replace sour cream.
• Ricotta cheese has 7g for only a 1/4 cup

Try softer dense proteins like fish.  6 grams of protein seems really low for yogurt.. is it greek yogurt?  

My bariatric pantry sells powdered protein fruit drinks, 70 calories & 15 grams of protein each.It's like drinking fruit juice without all the calories, there's the syntax nectar drinks too, fuzzy navel is my favorite & has 23 grams of protein. I usually have at least 1 of these per day in addition to protein from food like fish & chicken. Not sure if you don't like protein shakes due to a lactose intolerance or if you're just tired of protein shakes.

Bumble Bee Sensations Lemon and Pepper Seasoned Tuna in a 4 ounce can - 24 grams of protein, 160 calories.   I love this stuff straight out of the can (they also have a Thai chili version), but you could make it into tuna salad with mayo if you're so inclined.

Switch to Greek yogurt.  I like Dannon Light & Fit with 12 grams of protein.  Before I started eating dense protein, I added Isopure Zero Carb unflavored protein powder to the yogurt.  One half scoop is 13 grams of protein, 55 calories.  Because it's unflavored, it's very easy to add to other foods as well.

I'd consider limiting my intake of protein bars if I were you.  Too many carbs and they're basically a substitute for candy bars.  I take them with me when I know I might not have great food choices, but eat them very sparingly.  I'm not aware of any protein shake that has 60 grams of protein.  I drink a Premier Protein RTD shake for breakfast, and it's 30 grams of protein.