Thoughts on Shakes?

Great point! Hopefully once I feel confident eating meat again, I'll be able to get my protein in without them.

I had one for breakfast the first 18 months or so. I think they are fine. It's food. If it works for you, go for it. If you start to get hungry too soon after shakes, maybe rethink them.

I still do a protein shake in the morning with my vitamins. I'm rarely hungry for real food that early and this gives me a good start. I typically don't eat regular food until 12 or 1 in the afternoon. I got in the habit from being on a 'shakes and entrees' diet program for several years.

Jen

I'm 2 Years 5 months out, I had a shake for dinner tonight. I get food apathy at times and shakes will give me I need when I otherwise don't care to eat.

I have a shake maybe 2-3 times a month now, vs. 2-3 a day early on.

I the 1990's people did not drink protein shakes after weight loss surgery. That happened later. The people I remember from back then looked horrible. They also felt horrible. They would have hair loss for years, sometimes stayed in bed or hospital for weeks after surgery, had terrible muscle tone and no energy.

Protein shakes were like a miracle. Suddenly I saw people have surgery and be fit and healthy, with thick shiny hair, great muscle tone and tons of energy.

I am sorry to hear that the newer doctors don't realize how important getting in protein is after surgery. I would advise to stay on them at least for the first few years.

Don't experiment with your body to see if you can live without shakes. You can, but you might be miserable.

Thanks for your perspective. I've definitely seen the value in them. I was pretty sick for a while, but once I incorporated them back into my diet I started to few better again.

I was easily at least a year out before I found a way to drink the stuff and not want to yak. So for the first few months I mixed my syntrax nectar with the smallest amount of water possible - just enough to get it in liquid form - and drank it like I would a jello shot. Had that stuff down in one or two swallows.

When I was into my second year a newbie challenged me to try something different and the result was actually yummy enough that I still drink them. But only a couple of times a month, as meal replacements when I don't have anything very healthy to eat.

Her secret? BSN Lean Dessert in Whipped Vanilla Cream flavor, ice, SF vanilla pudding, really, really good vanilla (the stuff that cost around 25 or 30$ per small bottle) and fresh or frozen fruit. It is wonderful - but there are way too many calories involved to count it as a snack. It's a meal replacement for sure.

So I guess my answer is that they helped me - never would have gotten enough protein in early out - and they still help me when I've got no good choices readily available for a quick meal. Which is always my own fault due to lack of planning by the way.

NOTE: BSN Dessert in Whipped Vanilla Cream isn't available anymore but I use BSN Syntha 6 in Vanilla Ice Cream and it's almost as good.

That BSN stuff is better than Dairy Queen. What I love about BSN is that it looks and smells like cake mix.

It was the smell and sour milk taste of every other powder that I could not stand. I only used BSN products, once I discovered them.

What brand of vanilla are you using and where can I buy it?

You are so right about the BSN stuff. It costs more but it is so worth it.

I use basically any pure bourbon vanilla. I really like the Madagascar bourbon but there is a Mexican bourbon vanilla also. The brand I have in my cupboard right now is Nielsen-Massey but I've used several. Rodelle has one too and so does Spice Islands. Any of the good size super markets will generally have a couple of different brands. I pay $20 and up for a four ounce bottle. But I only use a capful or so for each shake so it lasts a good long time.

If you really want to go crazy try adding vanilla bean paste instead of vanilla extract. Oh my goodness.

People say that vanilla is vanilla and it just isn't so. I bake a lot and I've learned that paying for the better extracts and such makes a world of difference in baking and in protein shakes.

edited to add: Adding fruit and such to shakes can be a sticky wicket. Fruit adds calories and sugar so keep that in mind if you dump, or are so early out that you don't know if you dum*****t yet. What works for me may be too much sugar/carbs/calories for others and remember I am almost nine years out. (I know you know all of this WD but I forgot to put it on my other post)

Thanks, I had one called Aztec that was a gift and used the last few drops yesterday. It lasted over a year.