Shakes?

A few questions about shakes. What are the best tasting in your opinion? Does having those new shaker bottles actually help and are they worth it? Powder vs pre-made? So far I've gotten a can of muscle milk in chocolate to try... I'm afraid to buy the big bottles because I don't know if I'll like them or not, but I'm not finding them in smaller containers. I've heard premier protein is really good, but the pre-mades are quite expensive. I start my liquid diet on the 8th so I'm trying to get everything together. Thanks for your advice!

2 I would most suggest for after surgery is Unjury unflavored and Chicken soup.  Unjury can be warmed to 130 degrees.  You can put the unflavored in anything.  And a lot of us have a problem, immediately post op, with sweet protein mixes.  The chicken soup is nice because you can have it warmed.  It is a little salty, but warm stuff was what my tummy tolerated best.  As you move through the stages, you can use the unflavored in yogurts, jello and pudding and other kinds of liquid or full liquid foods.

I've been using Optimum Nutrition Double Rich Chocolate for three years now.  1-5 shakes a day, depending on what diet stage I was in.  It's powder.  I do about a scoop and a half in 8 ounces of unsweetened almond milk (vanilla or original, I dislike the chocolate flavor).  I like it because it's a darker chocolate, so it doesn't taste as sweet to me as many of the chocolate protein drinks do.  

I do use blender bottles.  They're easy, work very well, and are dishwasher safe.  

A week before surgery (all liquids) my Weight Loss Center required me to drink the Bariatric Advantage Protein Powder.  I had the chocolate and the orange.  I still can't even think of drinking one at this point. Like Rachel stated, the Unjury Chicken soup tasted the best to me and I practically lived off of that right after surgery. Savory tasted great but sweet nauseated me. Now, almost 4 months out I like Premier Protein shakes (chocolate or caramel) again, but if I drink them I always mix in a blender with ice, PB2, Greek yogurt, or whatever.  I don't like them plain. I also like ON protein powder, a recommendation from Rachel and Cathy H. 

After reading Grim's reminded me that I bought 5 pounds of "Naked Whey" from Amazon (grass fed, clean, 25 grams of protein, cold pressed, no artificial sweeteners) a number of months before surgery. I add it to shakes, soups, etc. but alone it tastes terrible.  

I never found a premade shake that tasted good. I found the powders much better tasting. Look for 100 percent whey protein isolate. It's the most absorbable, and lactose free.

A taste that one person loves, another will hate, so you'll have to figure out yours. Some retailers sell samples of different powders. And don't stock up. Tastes sometimes change after surgery. 

The only universal is Isopure premade. It has fantastic nutritional stats. But everyone in the world thinks it tastes like stale ass.

I've never been able to gag down the milky shakes, so I do prefer "stale ass" to "slimy barf."

There's one in every crowd.

I'm pre-op and lactose intolerant. 

So far, I've tried Muscle Milk Light (powder) and QUEST (powder).

The Muscle Milk Light Vanilla is ok.  I have to add 1/2 a banana to get it down.  You may want to check if you can add fruit.

Quest:

chocolate-good

peanut butter-I didn't like it (I added a little regular peanut butter and 1/2 a banana, it was tolerable. 

strawberry-YUK!!!

vanilla-Very good

I love the Premier Protein...all the flavors except Strawberry.  I used the Vanilla for a long time as my coffee creamer in the mornings.  I looove Chike Nutritional Coffee (powder) and mix it 1/2 scoop to about 8 oz unsweetened coconut milk.  Yum.  I do use the TRMR shaker cup.  It has a built in straw as well as a flip top to get the last drops :)  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015JM6FHU/ref=oh_aui_deta ilpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1