How Do I Stomach These Shakes?

cvitamin levelswont drop preop and no they dont check the post. It takes a few months or longer for deficiencies to show up postop as well.

Try adding decalf instant coffee, ice, and blend in a blender or Magic Bullet.  

If this is all you get to 'eat'  be darn sure whatever you decide to try is MEAL REPLACEMENT not protein supplement.  The supplements lack the salts and electrolytes humans need to sustain life.

Just my opinion but none of them are any good.  Just hold your nose and chug.

Do the best you can getting in whatever you can each day.  At first it is quite difficult, but I assure you that it gets easier gradually.  I had an RNY 1/18/14 and can finally eat at my new normal.  Insofar as the protein shakes, my nut told me to try adding greek yogurt (unsweetened) and this worked like a charm.  The little bit of tang cut the sweetness.  Recently, I purchased GNC pure, unflavored, whey protein and am pleased that it is not sweetened and only make a subtle impact on flavor. 

Take it easy and remember this is a marathon and not a sprint.  

Try unsweetend almond milk that is what I uyse for my shacks, I am 10 months post op and still do atlest 2 shakes a day. Good luck to you!

I didnt have to use a particular protein shake brand but I did like adding the powdered peanut butter to mine. I only used 1 Tbl which is half a serving. Its yummy stuff, I got mine at GNC. Good luck and before you know it, it will be surgery day!

Well, 8 more days til surgery. Still not doing great with the protein shakes, but I still don't feel hungry, at least not physically. Mentally I'm ready to chow down though! I'm behaving myself though. I'm really cold all the time though, and some days I feel really tired.

I have an relative that is a cancer doctor.  He will often require his patients to take one brand of something because the supplement industry is pretty shady and it is really hard to know which brands are fine.  He doesn't sell them, so I don't know what is up with that, but I do know that Amazon has a huge problem with counterfeiters and there are suggestions of product tampering (i.e. swapping out half of the expensive whey isolate with cheap milk powder) but that could just be a competitor talking.  

So perhaps with a life on the line it would be best to sell it yourself.   My cousin also gets frustrated at how, in general, very smart people are very bad at following complex diet plans.  After hearing him complain, I can envision that he might want to sell you the exact stuff he wants so he can make his instructions very simple.   I don't know if that is what your doctor is thinking, but I can certainly imagine my control freak relative doing this with only the best intentions.

Do a web search for "Flavor Drops" and you can find just about any flavor you can dream of.  I have some "NY Cheese Cake" drops that are awesome.   Watermelon, grape, maple, ginger are all drops that I have tried and really liked.  I find adding some sour flavored drops to the overly sweet things is the way to go.  Sour things can also settle ones stomach, or at least that is what my mom always said. 

The green super food powder Green Vibrance is sour and nasty to me, but mixed with a protein powder that is too sweet and perfumey to me and I really like the resulting drink. 

You might also check in with your doctors to see if they have any suggestions.  They might not even know there is a problem with the stuff. 

good luck!