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Nature’s Bounty protein shake is a cheaper alternative. I found it at CVS. Some people claim that the vanilla flavor tastes like cake batter. You can mix it with almond milk, soy, or coconut milk. It doesn't have as much protein as Premier but it is loaded with vitamins, probiotics, and digestive enzymes. You can find soy milk at Dollar Tree in shelf-stable packaging for a dollar. Surprise! I prefer soy milk packaged this way because it's ready when I am. Mix and match protein powders. You can mix the vitamin blend one from Nature's Bounty with other protein powders with a higher protein content. Sprouts Farmers Market has an amazing collection of protein powders. Whey protein is the highest quality of protein, by the way. I like goat whey myself. I looked up Dollar Tree and Sprouts and both stores are located in Maryland.

Hello Mama_Gee, sorry this is super long. I went through Options at Kaiser Panorama City. I started classes in late September of 2017 and ended them on December 7th. Cleared by Dr. Alskaf (head of Options) on December 13th losing 12.8 pounds during the Options program. Then had to wait for my surgeon appointment and was called right before Christmas. Met with my surgeon Dr. Kim at Kaiser West L.A. on January 8th. During that time I gained about 5 pounds, it was tough because of Christmas and New years. He said I was good to go but wanted me to loose 10 more pounds and let me know that at any point I gain weight, I would have to restart Options. I was also told once close to the 10 pounds to schedule surgery. After getting back on track I called to schedule surgery, knowing i would hit the 10 pounds in a few weeks. I was scheduled for surgery on March 7th 2018, with pre-op surgery appointment on February 23rd, which by then I had lost 12.4 pounds. On surgery day I when weighed I had lost an additional 5.5 pounds. Surgery went smooth and I was home the next day on the 8th. So far its been a great experience and the team at kaiser very helpful. Best advice I can give you is don't miss any of your options classes. I noticed people who did had a tough time making them up. Also I recommend the Surgery group meetings. I go weekly and its great help because every week the Behaviorist and Nutritionist alternate and you are with people who are or have gone through the surgeries, we even have a few who will be going. Some of the people in my group are 5 plus years out and its good to pick their head about experiences. Overall I'm very happy with Kaisers program and found it very beneficial in the expectation leading to and after surgery. The after surgery group is the best, yesterday I learned a few recipes that are great tasting and very satisfying for my sleeve, without making me feel icky. Best of luck.

Thank you so much 😊

AshAsh1- Thank you for the helpful information. Definitely taking that into consideration. I have done Herbalife before and it worked well for me. Just looking for an alternative shake per preference. A lean protein veggie diet is possible. It’s just easier for me to stay on track/meal prep if I know I have that shake. I want to lose as much as I can by my next appointment. I want my surgeon to know how serious and committed I am. It’s just hard for me to lose weight and keep it off. Nutrition is new to me and I feel safer with a shake right now. Although I know I need to get familiar with nutritional values of food now. My plan at the moment is to do the shakes for two meals. Then a protein and veggie meal like you recommend. So far I’ve cut out all bread, rice, potatoes. As of today I am having five small meals per day. Once I get closer to my goal I plan to eliminate the shakes and just eat clean.

Hello everyone! Been watching this forum for a while but this is my first post. Had my VSG on June 28,2018 and had a terrible ordeal (enlarged liver, surgeon found a hernia and had to repair it, extreme vomiting for 2.5 days straight in the hospital, and severe dehydration because I was too afraid to swallow anything but my own saliva). But I made it through! 7days post-op today and I've been on nothing but broth, Jello, ice chips and popsicles and I'm sick of it! I also have a lot of the air/gas they put in me for the procedure and it's like a every 10-20mins painful surge that goes thru your stomach and chest, like contractions or something, and I just have to brace myself until it passes. Can't wait till all the gas is out. Other than that I don't have much major pain, but if I do, codine is right there next to me to lend its druggy hand.. But! As you know it was July 4th yesterday and they were BQQing on my block, so my friends and BF came over. And the way my mouth drooled over those ribs, hot dogs, burgers, and MAC AND cheese, you would've thought I was a rabid animal lmao. But nonetheless, I just rolled my eyes at each scrumptious plate passing my face and drank my dinner and followed up with my strawberry and lemon jello to make me feel better. And I all kept saying in my head was "You're gonna look better than all of them one day, so don't worry and keep going." Lmao! That leads me to the bright side of all these pain and struggles-- 17lbs downs as of today!!! Whoop whoop!!! ((HAPPY DANCE)) Now I'm sure it's mostly due to the clear liquid diet I've been on, but still what a difference a week makes! My current struggle is getting all this water (64oz) down in one day, i barely finish a 16 oz bottle in one day, but I'm trying because dehydration is SCARY!!.. Keep going guys we can do this!!! [emoji4]

Use the broth to make yummy blended veggie soups. The extra veggies will make it taste much better?

i’m flying in the day of my surgery, Do we eat or drink anything before surgery?

They're honestly very proud of me lmao. My grandfather keeps bragging about me to our other family members, it was a weird turn around for a while.

My husband went to WLS 20 years. Overweight his entire life. I supported him fully as the calls to Rescue we’re becoming more frequent with his diabetes, heart, BP and sleep apnea. In fact, I qualified for the sleeve with my diabetes, asthma and HBP. He was scared. I went first. It was a piece of cake, a few hours in the hospital, no pain pills, and walking a mall a few days later. My husband knows this surgery saved his life. He is down 100 lbs, He loves living, , traveling, and buying clothes. I was only SCARED he would NOT have the surgery!

It's not our place to be judgmental. Did you like speculation and comments of others about your obesity when you were larger? Give the public figures and celebs a break.