Problems getting protein in my diet...

[Sleevie WonderLand 41]

So today makes exactly 4 weeks since I've been sleeved. I've been struggling to get ample amounts of Protein in and I'm really beginning to get worried.

I have powders? utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury chicken broth with the protein in it. Gross. I might be able to tolerate it if I could make it hot (I like my food hot!) and could add some stuff to it, but you can't because the Protein powder cakes up if the Water is to hot. Protein intake FAIL.

I have some nectar Protein shakes that I used to love - now anything that is related to protein/powder nauseates me to point of actually puking. I had my daughter prepare a shake for me so that I wouldn't smell the powder and when I went to drink it...yup, I started gagging from the smell and taste. Protein intake FAIL.

I've been cooking up chicken Soup from scratch with spinach and okra and small chunks of chicken thigh. Soup is delis, hot and very tasty....however, no matter how much I chew on that piece of chicken, when it goes down, it feels like I'm swallowing rocks and glass. Im eating my food with toddler utensils. I'm putting the spoon/fork down in between bites, but still anything solid that I eat goes down like i'm swallowing a rock. Protein intake FAIL.

I had some shrimp recently at a party, and surprisingly it went down ok (I felt it, but it wasn't that painful). A few minutes later, my tongue started to feel weird, so I was wondering if I have become allergic to shellfish. It wasn't a severe reaction, but it was enough to make me afraid to try shellfish again. Protein intake FAIL.

I haven't tried a soft tender flaky fish yet. Someone prepared some salted cod for me and when I chewed it, it was real stringy so I spit it out. Im hoping that tilapia or flounder, maybe even some sole will be my saving grace. Anyone have any suggestions for me?

Oh yeah, I try to eat cheese every now and then, but it's really not my favorite thing in the world unless its all gooey and melted all over some macaroni or lasagna lol (and i'm also lactose intolerant so I don't do much dairy). But i'm open. I would love to hear what my VSGers recommend.

[emily_0192010 168]

I was/am very similar to you!! I was fine with the Protein shakes before surgery, but now I can barely tolerate them. I would suggest trying some pre-made ones, they tend to not "smell" as strongly. The only ones I can tolerate right now are the pre-made GNC "lean shakes" (the chocolate one). The powder is very high carb but the pre-made ones are only 6 carbs and 25 Protein.< /p>

As for food, chicken is one of the hardest to digest because it is so lean!! Try a dark meat pork, like ribs or a roast. Cook them in crock pot or in the oven over a few hours with lots of liquids so the meat is very moist. This was my savior once I tried it. I could get it down and it sit fine (as long as I ate pretty slowly). Also, try eating with a little bit of sauce, it adds to the moisture and food goes down easier.

You said that you were eating a lot of Soup. That is great for liquids, but if you are sipping broth and then chewing meat/veggies... that might be irritating your sleeve. Try separating them by half an hour. I hated this because I love soup, but it made quite a difference. Having food right after broth or mixed up made the food hurt when it hit my sleeve.

Another idea for the shakes, which I haven't done very often, is to add some fruit to them. Once in a blue moon i'll get a smoothie and have them add in the protein supplement. I don't do it often because of the carbs, but it helped while I was transitioning and trying to find something that I could tolerate.

You said you are lactose intolerant, and that sucks. I get in about 5 g of protein per day from cheese. The only other sources I know of that would be fine at your stage would be eggs. I could not handle scrambled, but a fried egg was great (i say fried... but I didn't use butter, just the nonstick spray and some seasoning). I couldn't eat a whole egg until very recently (I am 8 weeks out), but I could get most of it down.

Good luck and I hope some other more veteran sleevers will post as well.

[Sleevie WonderLand 41]

I will def do more eggs, been looking at omelette recipes.

I never thought about the soup/solid thing. I just hate that my food always gets so cold from having to take so long to eat it! lol. I will definitely separate my Soup from the solids from now on.

And as for eating chicken or any meat, I always make sure it's moist and in some sort of sauce, gravy, or soup lol.

Emily, you've helped me tremendously...thank you for your sleeve wisdom. I hope more vets will post too!

[mocha 22]

Sleevie, I'm just 4 wks out today too. Some things sit pretty heavy in my sleeve; I can only eat 1/2 a scrambled egg and it still doesn't feel good. So in my experimenting, I've made chili w/ground beef and dk red kidney Beans. That worked well with a little bit of 2% cheese melted over it. If beef doesn't work for you, try ground chicken or turkey.

I also made this great salmon chowder (recipe is on bariatriceating.com). Nicely flavored, fish was moist and it's milk and chicken broth based. Try making it with lactaid milk or use lactaid tablets.

I use Chobani low fat plain greek yogurt and stir in sugar free strawberry preserves with a little truvia for sweetener. 17g Protein per 6 oz serving. Again, use a lactaid tablet to help you tolerate lactose.

Also Tomato Soup w/a serving of cottage cheese mixed in.

I wonder if we can tolerate the Protein Bars yet? Maybe if we chew it to mush?

At Walmart's, I found a mug warmer for $10. I warm my food up in the microwave and then put it on the warmer between bites. I hate cold food! LOL

Hope this helps.

[Sleevie WonderLand 41]

Mocha!!!! A mug warmer! That's genius!

Greek yogurt - ewww...for me - barf city. I've tried it 3 times, and each time I felt like i was eating baby vomit.

I can tolerate chili well too. I'm just sick of it. I've even had a chili omelette because they are probably the easiest foods for me to eat. lol (don't judge me, it tasted pretty good!)

[FishingNurse 1,210]

I can't do premade shakes either. I just recently started making ones from scratch in the blender with ice. It helps soooo much. they taste amazing.

1 scoop has 20 grams of protien. So I do 2 scoops (chocolate flavor)

1/2 banana

1 tablespoon of Peanut Butter

1 cup of ice cubes

3/4 cup of milk

Put it in a blender until smooth.

It tastes like something you would buy at smoothie king!! and it has 55 grams of protien or so!!!!

[FishingNurse 1,210]

Oh I use the GNC brand see attached!

[Sleevie WonderLand 41]

Ok, so did I mention that I hate bananas and Peanut Butter? LOL....I didn't know I was such a picky eater until this thread!

Sleeve of Steel (LOVE the name by the way) you have given me an idea about revamping my shakes. I'll probably use strawberries or blueberries to trick out my shakes with some ice. I'm willing to give anything a try at this point! I also have to invest in some of those Torani syrups that everyone rants and raves about. I'm just not excited about food anymore so i guess I need to dedicate a day of food shopping to just my needs and not my family's. I was in the supermarket last week and only picked up some cheddar cheese and hormel chili for myself. I just don't have an appetite or the desire to eat, but I know I have to.

[Sleevie WonderLand 41]

Where are my manners? Thanks to all who are giving me suggestions and tips. I REALLY appreciate it!

[Soon2BMiniMommy 92]

Hey, Sleevie...I am almost four weeks out, too. I tolerate scrambled eggs really well, especially with cheese melted in it (laughing cow wedges make it even more soft). I also do egg salad, chicken salad (costco has a fantastic canned breast which is tender, but any store carries it next to the tuna). Do you like tuna? Tuna salad has a ton of Protein....I mix tuna and egg together for my salad with mayo. Cottage cheese if you like it...but being lactose intolerant....hmmm...maybe not. I love to mix cottage cheese with some cheddar and ranch seasoning, or in a blender with canned peaches. There is a wonderful recipe for ricotta bake from Egg Face on this link...she has many, many wonderful recipes! http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2007/08/pureed-foods.html

Have you tried blending your wonderful chicken Soup? So the chunks aren't so prominent? I know we're tired of pureeds/mushies, but if you can't do chunks, your body may not be ready to progress yet.

Oh, Foster Farms turkey meatballs. They are wonderful if you can tolerate/swallow them. And for fish, tilapia is extremely mild and soft if cooked right...never stringy. Salted cod is very tough due to the salt, and strong too. Place some tilapia fillets (or just one) in a small baking dish, cover with some butter, maybe lemon, seasoning salt, and cover with foil and bake for about 15 minutes at 375 (if thawed). So easy and soft....throw some tartar sauce with it and you are good to go!! Or dredge the tilapia in a bit of flour and seasoning and pan fry in a little bit of butter or olive oil. Oh, I know...really soft meatloaf! I made some just two nights ago with extra moisture with my breadcrumbs...can use ground turkey or ground beef. I made a half loaf and made the rest into meatballs and baked them. Have lots of meatloaf and balls ready to go! Refried Beans with cheese? More carbs and not really high Protein, but oh so good!!

Hope some of these ideas help! I know I can't stand protein shakes or powder either....liked them before, not after!! Good luck, sweets.....

[Sleevie WonderLand 41]

I actually had 2 bites of meatloaf last night. I made it with this new creamy sauce thing that the Philadelphia cream cheese people make and it came out FANTASTIC. All I could force down was the two bites though. It was moist and even dragged through some gravy, I could feel it going down. Maybe I just aint ready to leave the mushy stage yet.

I'm gonna continue to focus on staying hydrated. I will gradually increase my Protein as time goes on, but i've got people telling me that they didn't really start getting good amounts of Protein in until their 2nd and 3rd month, so maybe i'm panicking for nothing.

[LeahG 16]

I couldn't stand any Protein powders right after surgery, but loveeee Premier Protein chocolate shakes. They taste exactly like chocolate milk. I know they are a favorite with many people on these boards. I bought mine at Sam's Club, but have seen them at Meijer and heard they are at costco too. I really recommend looking around for them and giving them a try. They have 30g protein, 160 Calories, 1g Sugar, and 5 carbs.

[longer-life 139]

Premier Protein chocolate shakes.

Are they lactose free? I'm lactose intolerant as well.

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,282]

Taste buds change a lot straight after surgery. They do go back to normal in time, so the best thing for all these issues is time and patience.

That said, I LOVED the RTD Atkins shakes post op. I still do. I drink them even today I like them so much. I'll have one for Breakfast when I just don't feel like have anything else.

eggs were a staple of mine that early out. topped with some cheese, that adds a little Protein. I would also Water down a lot of the drinks, because at that stage even a tiny bit of Protein helps. It's really hard, and for me impossible to hit my protein goals at that time. The main focus was getting all the fluids in. Protein second...

Good luck! Yes, I know I already said this earlier... lol ;o)

[Lissa 2,631]

Egg Face's Ricotta Bake IS to die for! (Grammar police, ignore the preceding sentence, thanks!) That Ricotta bake is still on my menu. It's quick and easy to make and it tastes great. I'm avoiding most refined carbs, so it's a great substitute when I think I'd really like spaghetti or lasagna for dinner. And, it's HIGH Protein as well. Yummy.

As for the tilapia, if anyone has a Save A Lot nearby, I found individually bagged 8 oz servings of Tilapia for 99 cents there. Well, that's about 2 meals for me, whicdh means I'm paying 50 cents for a meal! YAY