My Doc once again said NO PROTEIN SHAKES....

My nut says shakes until food can replace them but still use shakes to supplement daily protein intake as needed.  Shakes sound like a great and I'm hoping I'll be able to tolerate an awesome beef jerky I make.  

It's funny how different offices have different rules. It makes no sense.

Mine, in the required pre-op diet class stated we were only allowed three meals a day but then she preceeds to tell us that protein shakes are not considered "food or a snack" and we are allowed as many of those as we need to make up our needed protein.

My plan too calls for no more shakes since I was 6 mo out.  As soon as I stoped them I began to feel hungry and started grazing.  I tried for a few mo not to do them and the scale was not moving causing me more frusteration.  So I added them back in. At first 1 a day I am up to 2 a day again and my fav right now is a hot choc protein drink.  in place of my prtein coffee.  Lovin it!  The scale is moving again!  Do what works for you!!! 

Thank you all for weighing in on this.  It seems crazy to me that there is not one definitive answer.  I don't know how medicine and science can be so subjective and open to interpretation.  One thing my surgeon's nurse  did admit is that "they - the medical community" don't really understand everything that goes on in the body after WLS.  I guess it's not an exact science.  The nurse said my surgeon's main concern with protein shakes is the calories.  So he doesn't approve of them as a meal substitute because they lack amino acids. And from his experience when patients add them as a snack to get in more protein, they begin to gain weight. I told her about all you successful veterans here on the LW board using protein shakes.  She acknowleged she has kept up with OH and knows people use them with success, but she stuck to their policy.

I guess I will have to see what works for me.

 I think one of the reasons that there is no definitive answer is that people's bodies react differently  ... I think you have to decide for yourself whether you take in fewer calories when you add protein shakes because you feel more full.  You also have to decide if you lose weight better with or without the protein shakes and do what works for you

"The group leader (an RN) said my surgeon's concern is that the protein in Whey isolate is good, but does not have the amino acids that only real food can provide "

OMG, she seriously said this? How can someone say something that is so BLATANTLY untrue? Isn't she embarrassed to be so ignorant about something she should be knowledgeable about? And, if your surgeon said that too (rather than her misinterpreting what he said), then that would really make me doubt him.

Whey protein isolate is a COMPLETE protein which means it has all the amino acids that we need. Unlike beans, which are an incomplete protein and only have some amino acids.

This is *not* a matter of opinion but of science. Just because your surgeon and RN don't understand the science, doesn't mean it's a matter of opinion.

Whether or not protein shakes work for the majority of WLS patients is an opinion. The chemical make-up of whey is not an opinion.

I think like someone else said you need to do what is right for you. My program says no more shakes once you can eat 60 grams of protein..but personally, im finding that I need more than 60 to feel good and I have no desire to eat more protein so it works for me to drink a shake..my husband who had the sleeve and a year out is shake free and wouldn't want to drink one to save his life..he loves turkey jerky and that works for him. Just need to figure out what works for you.

My surgeon wants patients off protein supplements as soon as you can meet your base protein needs with food.  In general within three months time.  At nearly two years out, I still use protein powders and bars for low carb snacks.  I am on a lc diet for life.  The dreaded diet word does not bother me. 

Proteins are amino acids but the quality and completeness of amino acids vary by product.  I can understand why real foods are preferable but I can create satisfying carb substitutes with protein powder.  There is no "real food" substitute that is lc and protein rich for things like ice cream and baked goods.   

OK, this applies to people who HAVE a stomach, so don't run off and think it applies to us as it is. Only protein products that SAY they are predigested, are predigested, Other ones require a stomach for digestion. The numbers are the BV. (Biologic value). This is only how easily the body can absorb them, not the protein g in each one. And as stated before, the last few need to be blended to make a complete protein.

whey blended products 100-159
whey 104
egg 100
cow's milk 91
egg white 88
beef 80
fish 79 (83 on another chart)
chicken 77
casein 77
soy 74
potato 71
rice 59
wheat 54
beans 49
peanuts 43


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there it is. Whey proteins are far superior to any food proteins. Today, they use the PDCAAS scoring system. Whey scores 100, while the "bullet" types score about 40.