Sick of Protein Shakes

[SandyRod 11]

Hello....am a week into my gastric bypass surgery and am so tired of these Protein Shakes. Sometimes I feel like just not drinking any at all. Can I eat Peanut Butter instead??

[Arabesque 7,313]

Simple answer is no to the Peanut Butter. I didn’t like the shakes either after surgery. I would have just one a day (diluted to try to help with the flavour) & then had Soup (cream, bone broths, consumes) for the rest of the day. If you like milk you could make up your own shakes by adding a little Greek yoghurt & a little Protein Powder. Just keep it very thin. You could get some powdered flavours to add too like a peanut butter one.

Only a week to go to purées which is when I never touched another shake again.

[catwoman7 11,214]

I agree with everything Arabesque said. You'll eventually be able to eat Peanut Butter again, but not now.

[NickelChip 1,250]

Do you have any of the Protein Drinks or powders that are more like the clear/juice variety? I bought Wicked Protein powder in their Ice Pop flavor and froze them in popsicle molds as an experiment to see how they would work for after surgery, and they ended up tasting so good one of my daughters has wiped me out of the batch I made. Maybe having it in a different shape/texture would relieve the monotony?

[SomeBigGuy 110]

Stick to the Protein Shakes and Soups as much as you can. Try different brands, because I will say the Fairlife ones tasted way better than muscle milk, and were different enough from Premier Protein that felt like I wasn't drinking the same old shake every time. Peanut Butter is relatively carb heavy, and if you're doing the pre-op diet to shrink your liver, it will offset it. I did cheat a little bit with Fage brand nonfat, unflavored greek yogurt since it was only 5g of carbs, around 17g of Protein, and more of a savory meal item than a sweet one. It didn't offset my liver prep progress. I will say the pre-op diet was harder for me than the post-op, so look forward to that.

[SandyRod 11]

Thanks everyone. Guess I'm just venting....I only thought of Peanut Butter because of the Protein. I usually have 2 30gram Premier Protein shakes a day and one cup of chicken broth. Try to get in more fluids but it's very hard to get some 64 Fluid ounces in daily.

I haven't had any complications so far, thank God....pain is diminishing.....do my daily walks up and down the hallways. Just tired of the monotony. I have doctor's appointment this Friday, maybe she'll let me move on to at least some scrambled eggs.

[catwoman7 11,214]

38 minutes ago, SandyRod said:

maybe she'll let me move on to at least some scrambled eggs.

just so you know, a lot of us have trouble with eggs the first few weeks or months after surgery. I did not - I could eat them just fine. But egg intolerance seems to be a common issue with people - at least when they're still pretty early out.

38 minutes ago, SandyRod said:

[SandyRod 11]

Just now, catwoman7 said:

just so you know, a lot of us have trouble with eggs the first few weeks or months after surgery. I did not - I could eat them just fine. But egg intolerance seems to be a common issue with people - at least when they're still pretty early out.

So, what was the first thing you ate when you were able??

[Arabesque 7,313]

I could eat eggs so I appreciated very runny scrambled eggs & instant rolled oats from purée (again very runny made in lots of milk). Thank goodness for them & thicker Soups during purées cause a lot of things just tasted awful. I even ate baby food a couple of times. Once in soft food I ate a lot of mince dishes, stews & thicker chunky soups.

Remember your shakes & soups count towards your Fluid intake so that helps. I still keep Water by my bed & sip during the night (every time I get in & out of bed) so you’re drinking 24 hrs a day. Don’t worry if you don’t hit that 64oz at first. As long as you’re close & making an effort.

[SandyRod 11]

7 hours ago, catwoman7 said:

just so you know, a lot of us have trouble with eggs the first few weeks or months after surgery. I did not - I could eat them just fine. But egg intolerance seems to be a common issue with people - at least when they're still pretty early out.

So, what was the first thing you ate when you were able??

59 minutes ago, Arabesque said:

I could eat eggs so I appreciated very runny scrambled eggs & instant rolled oats from purée (again very runny made in lots of milk). Thank goodness for them & thicker Soups during purées cause a lot of things just tasted awful. I even ate baby food a couple of times. Once in soft food I ate a lot of mince dishes, stews & thicker chunky Soups.

Remember your shakes & soups count towards your Fluid intake so that helps. I still keep Water by my bed & sip during the night (every time I get in & out of bed) so you’re drinking 24 hrs a day. Don’t worry if you don’t hit that 64oz at first. As long as you’re close & making an effort.

Thank you! It's not that I'm hungry...it's just that I'm tired of drinking these shakes and broths. I keep on reading all this stuff like being able to eat eggs after 2 weeks liquid like a cheese omelet....and so I start anticipating it. Or i read about eating oatmeal....anything but this Protein shakes! And maybe if i can make like a protein smoothie myself....I don't know....it's just hard. Appreciate you responses.

[rnstudent343 25]

i totally understand those sentiments. i am so sick of Protein Shakes. ..i would rather not eat than drink another! I think having full liquids 14 days prior to surgery AND continue after surgery is exhausting. they should change the preop. if I only had 2 weeks after surgery, this would be a breeze at 1 week in. but i was literally done with shakes before surgery! LOL.

[Shanna NYC 148]

21 hours ago, SandyRod said:

So, what was the first thing you ate when you were able??

I was always ready for the next phase after the monotony, though I was discharged from the hospital on the pureed stage. I did not have any liquid only phase post-op. I was on yogurt, ricotta (ricotta bake was a lifesaver), pureed Soups. The shakes were hard to get down. I couldn't manage 2 a day. Protein Water was a good option to change up the flavor and not just the creamy stuff. Half applesauce and half greek yogurt was a decent changeup. When I was first cleared for eggs, I couldn't stomach one scrambled egg. I found the soft boiled egg far easier to tolerate.

I don't typically have Protein Shakes now, but I do still like them as my base for coffee every now and again.

[SomeBigGuy 110]

On 12/4/2023 at 3:14 PM, SandyRod said:

Thanks everyone. Guess I'm just venting....I only thought of Peanut Butter because of the Protein...

I don't know how I forgot this, but look into PB2 or other Keto Peanut Butter powders. It's mostly the Protein and fat left behind after they dehydrate peanut butter and remove some of the carbs (not all, but enough). You mix the powder with Water to get the consistency you want and can eat it like peanut butter. I've also used it in the past with non-bariatric friendly smoothies and shakes, but I'm sure there are recipes out there that are more friendly. Actually I think I'm going to look some up now!

[Meg1991 0]

Hi guys new to page I need help I had the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass on the 2nd December and 11 days post op and I haven’t kept to the diet of only fluids and shakes and I’m eating more such as mushy peas and Soups with chunks no pains or anything just have 1 or 2 spoons and I’m filled….. I’m not sure if I’m doing wrong or not because I’m having no issues doing this…… I need advice should I stop maybe I’m pushing myself and should I go back to fluids?

any advice please

[Arabesque 7,313]

The plan is there for a reason - to protect all those staples & sutures holding your digestive system together & support your recovery. Remember too that a lot of nerves are cut during the surgery so messages & signals just aren’t getting through or aren’t getting through clearly so you may not know if you are hindering your recovery or doing damage or not yet. As I often say, all because you can (or think you can) doesn’t mean you should.

Plans do differ but it’s always best to follow the plan you have been given. If you’re struggling with the plan then discuss with your team what options or alternatives are available to you.