whey or soy???

I would like to start sampling protien shakes, powders, and bars, but I am not sure whether to buy whey or soy protein. Does it make a difference. And what other things should I be looking for in my protein powders and bars? Anything I should be avoiding? Any you love? Any you hate? I would like to figure out what kinds I like pre op so I have plenty of time to stock up with several varietys that I like when my surgery time comes. Thanks for any help you could share.

Sierra, I am 3 months post op and can appreciate your intent to test the flavors of the shake, powders, bars, etc. I too did this testing, and purchased a number of powders and bars, that tasted good to me, pre-op. Funny thing about your "taste", it changes completely after surgery. Things that you previously loved, are just the nastiest flavor and your previously least liked flavors and textures, become the best. There is no rhyme or reason and it is very individual and it will change over time as you get further out, post-op. I dropped probably $400-$500 on a variety of products and found that I didn't want or use any of them for the first 2 months post-op. I am just now able to tolerate the tastes of some products. It will change and maybe even approximate your pre-op tastes in the more distant future. As far as what to look for in a supplement; I look for bars with 10grams or less of SUGAR in a serving, PLUS a minimum of 15 grams of protein, PLUS 10 grams or less of total FAT, PLUS No Nutrasweet. My personal favorite has become a "Pure Protein" bar. The Peanut Marshmallow Eclipse flavor is my favorite. It has 1 g of sugar, 9g of total fat and 28 g of protein. I buy these by the box of 24, for $25. As far as a powder goes....get the supplement made with "Whey Isolate", as this is a form of protein most readily absorbed by the body and dissolves best into a drink.The thing to watch for is the amount of sugar( again keep it under 10 g/serving), and go for the biggest amount of protein and the smallest amount of sugar. My current favorite is called "AMPLIFY", by Release, and is a cookies 'n cream flavor. It has no nutrasweet, using sucralose(Splenda), it has 1 g of sugar and 20 g of protein. A 2 lbs tub is about $60. It mixes well with water or skim milk. Watch your sugar in milk if you mix your drinks with milk, as it all adds up, and you need to keep it less than 10 g/serving, or risk getting "dumping syndrome", post-op. You can toss in ice and make a shake if you want. Also be aware that there is a product called "UNJURY", which is a protein supplement being marketed by a dietician that works with alot of bariatric patients. I used the unflavored version because it was free of nutrasweet and it really did mix in with almost any food, without changing the flavor of the food. It would add about 10 g of protein per packet. The flavored version all had nutrasweet, so I never used them. I belive this product is almost exclusively sold on-line, so run a Google. Just be ready to spend alot of money and maybe not use the product after surgery. The pre-made shakes in a can have alot of variety in price and contents. I go for the same numbers as in the bars. watch these for the sugars and for high amounts of sugar alcohols...these can cause cramps and the runs pre or post-op. I like the Pure Protein Shakes. I have had the strawberry, vanilla cream, double chocolate, cappichino(sp?), and bannana cream. They are OK..not great, but tolerable. Watch that you are getting a PROTEIN drink, low in sugar....NOT an ENERGY DRINK, which will be very high in calories and sugars. Good luck. Gary Penn

Thanks for all of your great info. One question, is it critical to stay away from nutrasweet or is that just a personal prefrence?