Newbie w/a question! :)

Hi there & Happy Friday!  I have been reading *read - lurking* for a few weeks now.  I really appreciate all the information, tips and suggestions that this site and all of the members provide! 

I have already had my surgical consult, psych eval, taken 1 of my 2 required nutrition classes, have had blood work done, and now just waiting for my PCP to provide a letter clearing me for surgery.  Then I should get my date!  Surgeon said my surgery date could be in about a month! 

I have started drinking the recommended protein shakes (Fusion Bariatrics), for one meal a day, leading up to the liver reduction diet 2 weeks prior, which will then be 4 shakes a day.  I had my first shake this morning - the Cinnamon Roll flavor (which was supposed to be one of the best flavors), and have to be honest, I thought i was going to throw up.   Has anyone else had this happen?  I'm hoping its just because its new and I'm not used to the flavor/texture. 

Thanks again for any input.  Happy Valentines Day!

Congratulations on starting your journey to a healthy life! This site is VERY helpful with just about any questions you'll have along the way. As for the shakes, I didn't like them too much either. But I did find one that was better than any of the others. Syntrax Matrix is what I used. They have a variety of flavors and they're not too bad. I only drank them during my diet and then for a couple of weeks post op. Like I said, I'm just not too crazy about them so I stopped drinking them. I get in plenty of protein now without them. Good luck to you!!

Congratulations! you are well on your way. I too started doing my shakes early to get used to them. Now I am one of those odd balls who actually like protein shakes and I have yet to meet one that I don't like (well except banana.... fake banana flavor is just gross) I do tend to stick to the vanilla, chocolate, and peanut butter varieties as I find those flavors are easier to mimic. I use the GNC pro performance protein powder and really like it. I even have some unflavored that I add sugar free Torani syrup too. So the best thing to do is to sample until you find something you like. You can also try playing with how much water you use if it is a thickness/texture issue.

Good Luck!

Kim

I am not familiar with that brand, but always found it easier to drink protein drinks out of a cup with a lid, if you can not smell the whey protein the taste wasn't so bad.  I prefer premade drink like 25g Protein Ensure chocolate and 40g Isopure Alpine Punch, or reducing the water amount to  4 oz and eating it as a pudding. It was easier to eat 4 oz of pudding than drink  8 oz of a protein drink. Be careful of buying large quantities of any drink prior to surgery because your taste will change. What you love prior to surgery you just might hate after

Good Luck 

Keep trying different brands and flavors.  I can not stand the taste of the sweetener called asulfamine potassium so I found 2 brands that use splenda only (Isopure and ISO 100). 

The best advice I can give is this: go to GNC or The Vitamin Shoppe and get yourself a bunch of sample size packs of different brands and different flavors of protein powders. Don't spend the big bucks on tubs of powders until a couple of weeks post op when you find out if your tastes change or if you suddenly become lactose intolerant. 

Personally, I like the Syntrax brand powders. The Matrix line has an excellent mint cookie flavor that tastes like a Thin Mint! The Nectars line is what I use now because they are lactose free (lactose intolerant post op!). My favorite is the Syntrax Nectars Vanilla Bean Torte. 

Best of luck! You'll find something that suits you. There are a world of options!

You will find it is normal for some to love one variety, and others to despise it.  Keep searching.  Personally, I started out with HMR 70 blended with ice- but they were pricey.  Switched over to Premier Protein RTD out of Costcos and used those for a very long time.  Now, for whatever reason I struggle with the chalkiness and have since switched over to EAS low carb 100 calorie version.  Glad your process overall is going along nicely!

Protein Shakes take some getting used to. I can't drink them made with milk or in a blender. I make them using a blender bottle and I use unsweetened plain or vanilla almond milk. Then I do not have any problems with it. It also helps not to smell it while you are drinking it. There is no such thing as a good smelling protein. The blender bottle helps with that too because of the lid design. The other thing that will happen after your surgery is your tastes will change frequently and you will get sick of certain flavors. Just remember to go back to the ones you enjoyed at one point.

I tried a lot of brands and the Syntrax Matrix is the best and mixes the best too, I think. I liked their chocolate, banana and their mint chocolate chip. I also mixed the chocolate with PB2 (powdered peanut butter) to shake things up and honestly, who doesn't like chocolate and peanut butter mixed together? I could drink any of these anytime, even now that I'm over a year out. I bought them online at netrition.com. They sell samples too. I liked a few of them but always the Syntrax Matrix. I tried the newer Syntrax nectars but didn't care for the smell of them or the texture. Hope I've helped.