protein shakes problem

I am scheduled for the RNY on August 19th and I am in my 2 week preoperative diet.  I am having a really hard time with the protein shakes.  They keep making me sick.  I can't even get past the smell of them sometimes.

I am wondering if there is a protein powder or something I can mix into soup broth or something like that....
I kept seeing the metamucil commercials, where it just dissolves into water, and I am wondering if they make protein like that.

Any ideas?  I am really nervous and I want this to work out.  I know it will be a tough road but it's one I am ready to take.

Thanks!

Protein powder is a tough one.  There are hundreds (probably thousands) of different flavors / brands to pick from.  Something I love, you might hate and vice versa.  I literally had to try about 4 dozen different flavors before I found a few that I liked. 

I would recommend ordering some samples of protein powder so you can try as many as possible.  I have a list on my OH Profile of different online and local resources where you can get samples.  I bought my first sample pack from www.enjoyhealth.com.  Your tastes WILL change after surgery, so what you love now might not work in 2 weeks. 

Many people recommend putting your protein shake into a sippy cup or bottle.  Basically something with a small enough opening that you can't SMELL the shake as you're drinking it.

Right after surgery I bought some BeneProtein.  It is unflavored protein powder -- not tasteless though.  It comes in a super tiny scoop and each scoop has like 6g of protein.  Just enough to mix a small amount into stuff to give it a boost of protein.  It's not so bad in yogurt or cream soups, but in plain water it's horrible.  Ujury also makes an unflavored protein powder too -- again, unflavored does NOT mean flavorless. 

Once you find a protein powder that works for you, it's a lot less stressful.  It didn't take me long - just a couple weeks - before I found one that I loved.  It's all a big game of experimentation.

Pam

Hi Pam,

Thank you so much for your advice.  I feel like I am stressing so much over something which is really only needed for a little more than 2 weeks.  I will probably be worried about the stage after that next week.

I am going to keep on trucking and find different types.

Thank you!

Aviana

Hi azorbas11

Are you mixing the shakes with milk?  If so, it might be the lactose in the milk.  Also, so shakes have a lot of lactose, even though there is no lactose mentioned on the label.  So the combination of the lactose in the milk, AND the lactose in the shake ...can be a problem.

ASMBS (the bariatric surgeons society) recently mentioned in it's nutrition guidelines that Whey Protein ISOLATE has zero grams of lactose, while Whey Protein Concentrate can have more lactose.

We have a Chicken Soup flavor you might want to try...in warm water it mixes pretty much instantly.  You do have to watch the temperature when mixing whey protein in very hot liquids.

Does all of that help a little?

Jerome
UNJURY (R) Protein

The lactose is probably a definite problem.  I very rarely drink milk and usually do not tolerate it well.

So there is something I could mix with warm water and it would be like having chicken soup??  That is exactly what I was hoping to find!

Yes, try our Chicken Soup flavor. It tastes a lot like cup-of-soup (but with no noodles nor chunks).

You mix with warm water (not hotter than 130 F).

We sell single-serve samples. If you buy and don't like it, you get a refund.

Kind regards
Jerome
UNJURY (R) Protein

Thank you I went right to the website and ordered a full size of chicken soup and flavorless and some sample packs of the other flavors.

The website has so many recipes.  Thank you for pointing me in that direction!

If you make it into a slushy it might help .. the cold kind of numbs your taste budds .. I really like Dessert protein right now but I don't think it's completely sugar or carb free so you might not be able to handle it right after surgery.

I don't know what to tell you, try to order samples of stuff until you find sometime you like.

I was told to stay away from protein shakes all together. My surgeon said to just try to get enough protein from real food, but i still have one once in a while cause they are easy. I'm just letting you know so that you know you CAN survive without shakes .. just because you can't stand them right now should not make you feel like you won't be successful with this surgery.

Hi,

I didn't really like the protein out of the bottle or cans. I found I could stomach EAS protein powder vanilla or choc from Costco (32.99 for 6 pds). It wasn't just the kind of powder it was the way I made the drinks. I made them into thick shakes. At first I used water/ice and added some kind of flavoring. I started with cinnamon. I blended my own drinks into thick protein shakes. When I could add milk, I used soy milk instead of water. Then when I could introduce fruit, I stopped the flavorings and started using frozen fruits such as strawberries and blueberries. Sometimes I add 1/3 of a banana.

I still drink these to date. I get 30 grams of protein (27 whey from powder and 3 grams from soy milk) each time I drink one. I also add ground flaxseed to help with constipation.

Good luck on your surgery.

Kelli

I too am scheduled for the 19th of Aug. I have been on my liquid preop diet. I have found the Atkins low carb, and I really enjoy the chocolate Unjury, plus the people there are great !!!
I do not care for Slim fast low carb. I am having a problem with the aftertaste from the artificial sweetner in crystal light and such, anyone have any suggestions?
Cyndi in Ga