Eating Protein vs Drinking Protein - please advise

[To Be Thin 2011 80]

Hi,

I am a little over 5 months out and totally rely on Protein Shake in morning and a Protein tube shot mixed with Water and crystal light in the afternoon. I eat a small meal at noon, and a small meal for dinner... other than that I rely on the Liquid Protein to help meet my protien levels. I havent had a bit of problem with this and actually have a good routine worked out.

I have read several other posts on here that people say thier doctors want them to "eat" their protien daily, not drink thier protien... I am curious if anyone knows why thier doc wants them to eat the protein rather than drink? What is the benefit?

thanks for your input please...

[Beadingnurse 116]

I think it is specific to the doctor and their practice. Mine didn't specify one way or the other and I supplement with Protein shakes too. I don't have one everyday but I do most days because it helps me get all of my Protein in.

[Husky2Healthy 1]

Ask your doctor about the liquid protien shots. My doctor told me it was a waste of money. here is how he explained it, anything liquid will stay in your stomach for a very little time before it is passed on through to your bowels/intestine. The idea of having a sleeve rather than a gastric bypass is to allow all nutrients/vitamins/protiens to be absorbed into your stomach then go into your blood stream. If you take the protien in liquid (watery) form it will pass into the bowels/intestine and be PARTIALLY absorbed there and then the remainder will be expelled as waste. So even though you are getting a large dose of protien down, not much is being absorbed.

So I would suggest trying going to your health food place or doctor finding a 'unflavored' protien powder and mix it in with your food (soups, stews, sauces, ect). Remember just because it is 'unflavored' does not mean 'no taste', so find something you can tolerate well.

Also you can have a spoonful of Peanut Butter or cottage cheese or heck on some rough days I do a shot of Cheese Whiz (low fat, but 5 grams of protien). Also sprinkle cheese on your food.

i hope this helps, but digestion of protien in the stomach is my total goal. But as always check with your doctor. Another goal is to NEVER drink my calories for the day. Instead only solids will have any caloric value.

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,282]

To be thin, I always tell anyone to do whatever works for you to keep you on the right path and weight loss. However the only thing I can see that I know is the Protein shots aren't really the best quality Protein. You are better off getting your protein from isolate.

If your surgeon does not prevent you from Protein shakes then by all means. I do drink them quite often, I just make sure they are the best quality. My body is worth it. I haven't had any issues what so ever and I'm losing at a good pace. I want to do more but I just need to put forth the effort to get that!

[1-4-Many 2]

Ask your doctor about the liquid protien shots. My doctor told me it was a waste of money. here is how he explained it, anything liquid will stay in your stomach for a very little time before it is passed on through to your bowels/intestine. The idea of having a sleeve rather than a gastric bypass is to allow all nutrients/vitamins/protiens to be absorbed into your stomach then go into your blood stream. If you take the protien in liquid (watery) form it will pass into the bowels/intestine and be PARTIALLY absorbed there and then the remainder will be expelled as waste. So even though you are getting a large dose of protien down, not much is being absorbed.

So I would suggest trying going to your health food place or doctor finding a 'unflavored' protien powder and mix it in with your food (soups, stews, sauces, ect). Remember just because it is 'unflavored' does not mean 'no taste', so find something you can tolerate well.

Also you can have a spoonful of Peanut Butter or cottage cheese or heck on some rough days I do a shot of cheese Whiz (low fat, but 5 grams of protien). Also sprinkle cheese on your food.

i hope this helps, but digestion of protien in the stomach is my total goal. But as always check with your doctor. Another goal is to NEVER drink my calories for the day. Instead only solids will have any caloric value.

I wondered about that. I need help with getting my Protein in. My doctor is one who says no liquid. My frank opinion is that when I can hold more than 3 ounces of food, I'll jump right in line. Until that time, I am using the liquid shots and it's the only "rule" I break. I use 1 a day and at the end of every meal, about 10 minutes after I've finished eating, I take a swig of the Protein shot. I do it that way specifically so that it absorbs into the food I've eaten and stays longer in my stomach. I have no idea if it helps and I didn't start this until 2 weeks ago when I was certain it was "safe". I can't tell any impact of doing it in terms of the evil "liquid" with meals issue. It's just one swallow, the tube hold just a bit over 3 ounces of liquid which is mixed with 5 meals.

If I could eat 60 grams of protein (minimum) I would. The "unflavored" stuff mixed with my food just doesn't stay down for me. So for a while at least this is my solution. I'll know it worked or not when my hair either completely falls out or doesn't.

[Sunny123 5]

My nut says they don't want u to drink your calories. Therefore they want u to get your Protein from foods that will stay in your little tummy longer!! Honestly I stl struggle with this cause I love my protein shakes! Good luck!

[feedyoureye 3,087]

The shots are made with a Protein (made from animal skin) that does not have all the amino acids you need to get complete protein. Most of the isolate drinks have complete protein. If you can't do anything else, then the shots are better than nothing, but the drinks or real food is better. Protein is not absorbed in the stomach, but fullness is gotten from food that stays in the stomach for a while...dense Proteins like meat, cheese, Beans, tofu, gluten.... this is the benefit of eating your protein. I have read about people that get addicted to soft food, or liquid, and stop eating real food. I think this might be some of the warning to not rely on drinks for your protein.

[myrori 55]

My Nut fully endorses one Protein Shake a day. If you are using a high quality one, like Bariatric Advantage or similar in ingredients and nutrients it has to be doing some good for us! I am not and never have been a morning eater so my shake saves me, starts my day and my metabolism.

[To Be Thin 2011 80]

Thanks all... I go to the doc on the 20th and I am going to ask both my doc and the nut... What is odd is that where I had my surgery done, they have a little store that sells along with several other WLS items, it seels several protien power mix, pre-mix shakes and the shots.... so it made me wonder why they sell the Protein Shots if sleevers dont gain any benefit from the shots.. hmmmm..

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,282]

Thanks all... I go to the doc on the 20th and I am going to ask both my doc and the nut... What is odd is that where I had my surgery done, they have a little store that sells along with several other WLS items, it seels several protien power mix, pre-mix shakes and the shots.... so it made me wonder why they sell the Protein shots if sleevers dont gain any benefit from the shots.. hmmmm..

Because some sleevers can become severely lactose intolerant or can't otherwise use the powder mixes for one reason or another. So in that case, the Protein Shots are better than nothing.

[Rootman 1,101]

Ask your doctor about the liquid protien shots. My doctor told me it was a waste of money. here is how he explained it, anything liquid will stay in your stomach for a very little time before it is passed on through to your bowels/intestine. The idea of having a sleeve rather than a gastric bypass is to allow all nutrients/vitamins/protiens to be absorbed into your stomach then go into your blood stream.

I'm not a doctor but this really flies in the face of most everything I've read about how nutrition works. I was always under the impression that the stomach broke down the food and churned it up into adsorbable mush before passing it to the intestines for all the nutrition to be adsorbed there. With the exception of Vitamin B12 I've never heard of much of anything being adsorbed into the stomach. I would think if this were the case that we sleevers would all be suffereing from maladsorbtion issues like people who have had conventional bypasses.

I would think that perhaps edible Protein would typically be better because it's not as processed and probably doesn't contain nearly as much sugar and preservatives, beyond that I wouldn't think it would make much difference. And YES, you will pass Liquid Protein pretty fast through the stomach and not get a full feeling from it, but if it's just supplemental to fairly "normal" meal that sleevers eat it might not matter, it would depend on you as an individual.

Anyone else have any knowledge on this subject of stomach adsorbtion of nutrients, especially Protein?

[Stacy160 201]

You're right...breakdown happens in the stomach, absorption happens in the intestines.

Hey, I say whatever works for you! If you can't get in the required Protein yet with eating it only, then get it in with drinks. But I have to echo the suggestion to dump the shots--if you want good, quality Protein, whey protein isolate is most easily absorbed by the body.