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I have used premier protein the whole time, I do have some isopure protein powder as well (unflavored). My surgeon/dietician recommended premier. I have had no reactions to either of them.

This. We were recommended several brands (from cheaper to more expensive) in regards to protein and supplements but they also provided criteria the supplements should fulfill in case we decided to choose an entirely different brand.

Sounds like they want you to spend your money at their office. They probably have a representative they deal with for Unjury brand. Mine suggested Premier protein and i drink their ready made protein shakes. I have had no bad reactions and my bloodwork is excellent.

Hi and thank you so much for the above! I didn't know that about the watches, thank you for this insight. I think I do need to up my protein - I find it difficult to get a lot of it from food as I don't find myself that hungry that often. With regards to sleep, this may be my fault I fear. I tend to get between 4-6 hours a night every day, and I take probiotics maybe once a week in pill format? I need to book an appointment for bloodwork as I haven't had any done since the surgery. Thank you so much for all these suggestions!

I was an equal opportunity savoury & sweet eater. I eliminated most sugar in the weeks after surgery when anything with sugar, artificial sweeteners or sugar alternatives tasted extra crazy sweet & was off putting. I haven’t really let it back into my eating. I get my sweet from blueberries every day & the occasional additional serve of fruit. It can be hard to eliminate it & the alternatives completely. It is added to just about everything in firm or another. I know I have about 5g of added sugar (multigrain crackers I eat) a day & some artificial sweetener (yogurt, protein bar & peanut paste) but that’s it. And none of these things taste sweet. I will have dessert at Christmas but that all I have of traditional sweet food. (I did have a small piece of wedding cake earlier this year.) There is some sugar in the rare G&T I have. None of these things make me crave sweet again. I remember during Covid, when the grocery shelves were bare, I could only buy a box of honey instant rolled oats - it was awful, super sweet & I couldn’t eat it. Personally, I’d rather eat something with real sugar than artificial sweetener - that stuff is so bad for you. Good luck.

There are definitely other brands of 100% whey protein isolate available. I mean, it does sound like they want you to buy from them, but I would compare the price to make sure they aren't marking it up. My doctor's office just gave us a list of brands to consider, plus a few requirements for fat and sugar content. They were more concerned with us finding flavors we liked, which you can't always do with a single brand option. Then again, my doctor also doesn't require more than 48 hours of a liquid diet and doesn't do the puree stage, just soft, well-cooked foods you can chew down to mush. So they're all different. Which leads me to believe many of the "rules" are more like "preferences."

First congratulations on your life changes and healthy goal achievements! I very much enjoy working out and being active too. Just don’t trust whole heartedly what sport devices say word for word. They are really tracking trends and general steps. They tend to overstate actual calories burned. They also don’t account for older-than-50 bodies that burn calories far more efficiently. Several things could be at play so you will still have to do your detective work. Try talking with your dietitian or nutritionist. You may need more protein. You might be triggering your body into starvation mode too, and need to slightly increase your food intake. Make sure you aren’t coming down with a cold that increases inflammation like Covid. Are you getting 7 hours of sleep per night regularly? Is your bloodwork good? Taking probiotics? I stalled at the same time and found my bloodwork was off. But, I also talked with my surgeon who “walks his talk.” He suggested switching up my workouts. I used to live for the weightlifting high, but only lift 2 days a week now. I do more outdoor activities like rowing, biking, and hiking. Walking with poles burns far more calories. I’ve rediscovered walking with all my daily water in a backpack ups my morning walk too. Two years out I’m still finding my balance of food to exercise and still loosing weight. You’ll find it too.

First congratulations on your life changes and healthy goal achievements! I very much enjoy working out and being active too. Just don’t trust whole heartedly what sport devices say word for word. They are really tracking trends and general steps. They tend to overstate actual calories burned. They also don’t account for older-than-50 bodies that burn calories far more efficiently. Several things could be at play so you will still have to do your detective work. Try talking with your dietitian or nutritionist. You may need more protein. You might be triggering your body into starvation mode too, and need to slightly increase your food intake. Make sure you aren’t coming down with a cold that increases inflammation like Covid. Are you getting 7 hours of sleep per night regularly? Is your bloodwork good? Taking probiotics? I stalled at the same time and found my bloodwork was off. But, I also talked with my surgeon who “walks his talk.” He suggested switching up my workouts. I used to live for the weightlifting high, but only lift 2 days a week now. I do more outdoor activities like rowing, biking, and hiking. Walking with poles burns far more calories. I’ve rediscovered walking with all my daily water in a backpack ups my morning walk too. Two years out I’m still finding my balance of food to exercise and still loosing weight. You’ll find it too.

I think either way is fine, but my suggestion is just don't substitute artificial sweeteners to do it. Take it at whatever pace you need to be able to handle it and adjust your tastes for the long term. If that means cutting back on the sugar in your coffee over many months, that's fine. Better to go from two spoons down to one and then to half a spoon of sugar slowly than to start using an artificial sweetener and never kick that habit. For me, I made the decision to eliminate several things from my diet before taking a few weeks to either eat up or throw away the things I didn't want to have in my house anymore. The key has been not allowing it back in once it was gone. I am also pre-op. I started the process in July with a surgery date in late December. I happened to find the book Pound of Cure by Dr. Matthew Weiner and it's absolutely been the best nutrition book I've ever purchased (and I've purchased many). Full disclosure, I did not do the 2 week reset portion of the program, but I did start out by increasing my veg and eliminating the stuff that was easiest for me to do right away. After that, there have been certain stages that I took faster and certain ones I've done slower. But overall, in my opinion, it's an excellent guide for what your healthy diet "should" be most of the time. Higher on veg and plant protein, lower on animal products, mostly free from the vast majority of processed carbs, sugars, and artificial crap. If you're looking for guidance, his books and videos are super informative and rooted in science, not fads.

they may want you to have 100% whey protein isolate (no pre-made shakes are 100% whey protein isolate - it has something to do with they can't get the texture right if they try to make them with 100% WPI, so they're always a blend), but not sure why they're limiting you to theirs or Unjury's (I really like Unjury protein, though). However, Unjury isn't the only commercial brand that makes 100% WPI - Syntrax comes to mind, and I'm sure there are others. So not sure what's going on here - unless you're right that they just want you to buy theirs.

I've been there, and I get it. That's why I want to suggest what I believe is the best casein protein powder. It won't mess with the flavors of your food or drinks. Casein protein blends seamlessly into various dishes. You can mix it into savory foods, like soups or stews, or even stir it into your morning coffee without turning it into a sugary mess. It's versatile, and you won't have that "raw flour" taste you mentioned with pea protein.

Hey all, I have a bit of a dilemma. According to the FitBit watch I wear everyday, I burn on average around 3000 calories a day. I eat no more than 1,300 calories however, and drink my 2 litres of water but I'm unable to lose any more weight? I've been at this plateau for about 3 months now (which is annoying because I'm a stone away from my goal weight), either staying at exactly the same weight or adding 2/3 pounds a week and it's so frustrating. I can't find any info on why this may be the case, so I thought I would ask you guys to see if you could shed any light? If I'm burning more than I'm eating, surely I could be losing weight instead of gaining? I know muscle weighs more than fat and that it could just be me gaining the muscle I've been trying to build from strength training, but it's incredibly disheartening. The only time I seem to lose weight now is if I go on a 3-5 day liquid diet, but I shouldn't have to rely on doing that every week to lose weight, surely? More info below for context: - 8 months post op - A stone away from my goal weight - I consume as much protein as I physically can a day (between 40-70g a day) vitamins and water - I work out 4 to 5 days a week, mostly strength training with a bit of cardio - I'll probably have carbs 2/3 times a week. Sweet potatoes mostly. Perhaps a sandwich if I'm out.

Sounds like a ploy, if you have to do it pre-op then do it. I get whey protein from GNC, even this site sells whey protein. I know that after surgery some people struggle with whey, there are so many options on the market, that you are not corralled into buying from just them unless you signed a contract that states that.

Hi! So I see a lot of bariatric patients drinking all kinds of different protein drinks after surgery. My surgeon and dietitians have all said that anyone who goes to their clinic can only have their specific brand of protein or unjury. They've said after surgery our bodies don't tolerate other brands well because they're not whey based. But if that's true then how do other patients who've gone to other doctors tolerate them? They're not doing the surgery any differently. Im just wondering if this is a ploy to get us to buy their stuff, or if there's any truth to this? I'd like to buy pre-made shakes because their protein powder makes me nauseous. Thanks!

Hi! Just created my account. Had my rny on October 2. I just vomited a tilapia and green bean meal and I think I am developing food aversion. Tomorrow I’m just going to drink milk ( fairlife) all day. Not enjoying the protein shakes but I’ll try to mix them in there. Today just seemed like a hard day. I was doing fine until now. I really enjoyed cooking and working on recipes and trying new foods. But, I just don’t want to eat anything anymore. I don’t know… putting myself to bed and starting the day with a glass of milk but wow. I feel so defeated and low today. Decided to create an account to share my feelings to see if this is normal. My follow up appointment is on October 30. Thanks for listening.

I have never counted carbs following my sleeve. I associate that with keto/Atkins. I *do* count protein intake and total calories - every day. What I do find is that pasta/rice/potatoes/bread etc. aren't worth eating most of the time (unless I'm WLS masking, in which case I purposely use them to deflect attention). If I can generally eat meals that are protein first, veg second, carbs third then I am usually in the zone and happy. Best of luck OP!

Can we pretend this is an Overeaters Anonymous meeting and it's my turn to stand up front and bare my soul?...especially since I never had the balls to set foot in a live meeting during my 35 years of having a BMI score higher than my IQ. There's donuts in the back...JOKE😁 It's been almost a year since my sleeve surgery and I couldn't be happier with the physical results. I was 60 years old, 5'4" and weighed close to 210 when I finally made an appointment with a bariatric surgeon. I'm now 61 and 134 pounds...I'm still 5'4" though. The past few days I've been in deep thought mode and was just hoping to use this forum to vent and hopefully get some feedback, positive or negative. Dining out: It's going to happen. It was probably part of your life pre-surgery, so it's naive of you to think it won't be a part of your life post-surgery. So maybe it's just me and my family (obese mother) and significant other (F, normal weight), but the minute the menu appears, I get a barrage of "Oh..they have plenty of appetizers and small portions you can order. Be careful, etc. Did you see the vegetable plate?" OK, so I know my significant other and my mom love me and are probably just concerned about my health and eating habits post-op, and if I'm being overly sensitive, just tell me and I'll shut up, but when they say things like that, it's not helping! If anything, something deep in my primordial starving "fat" brain wants to order the biggest thing on the menu and attempt to eat it. When it happened yesterday at lunch, I calmly and nicely asked both of them if they could refrain from offering me ordering advice, as I assured them, thinking about the ordering process and the actual eating of said meal in a healthy manner was the number one priority on my mind pretty much 24/7. They didn't seem to take it too well. Which leads me to my next thought... I might be stereotyping, but I'm willing to bet that a lot of us here were never/are not selfish people. I'm sure there are pages of psychological data written about the personality traits of the chronically obese and the myriad reasons we ended up as we did. My point is, after bariatric surgery, you might have to become a little selfish. You may need to put yourself first, sometimes to the detriment of others. Obviously, it helps if you can do this in a nice manner, but with certain people and situations in your life post-surgery, you might just have to be a selfish a*****e. If your new lifestyle (diet, whatever you want to call it), exercise regimen, food habits, etc don't quite mesh with those around you, too bad. This is your last chance at success and you need to make YOU the priority. I walk a lot now...and it takes a lot of time. Some of that is time I used to spend with other people...now it's not always like that. Some have mentioned it. I don't care. I always invite them to walk with me but I'm not going to not walk because they want to do something else or don't feel like walking. When I think about some of the healthiest people I have known in my life, they were/are quite selfish when it comes to exercise. One of my friends has been to the gym every morning from 5:30-7:30 for 35 years. He never misses. It's not an option. That's amazing to me because despite the genetics of obesity, there's no question that having some type of exercise regimen helps at some level. Did I ever have that level of commitment? Only to stopping at Whataburger several times a week. So as much as I read pre-surgery and even with the psychological profiling the doctor did, I never read much or heard anyone talk about some of the changes I needed to make mentally to make this work. It seems like most of the pre-surgery discussion is about how to eat before and after the surgery and most of the psychological discussion is about not letting one addiction (food) be supplanted by another (drugs, alcohol, etc). The crux of this dissertation, if you're still reading, is that there couldn't be more truth to the phrase bantered around here...."They operated on your stomach, not your brain". Prepare yourself for some mental challenges that being thinner does not make any easier. I must look a lot better because everyone tells me so...but I don't always feel better. Some of the same issues I've dealt with all my life, totally unrelated to weight, are still around. It's not that I expected them to disappear, but I think at some level, deep down, many of us think/thought, "Oh, if only I weren't so fat, I wouldn't have to deal with this problem [insert the problem/issue of your choosing]". Maybe I was just being naive or stupid, or both, but even being "thin" comes with plenty of challenges. I know these are "first world" problems and I'm not trying to sound like a complaining, spoiled brat. I just wanted to let off some steam here in the hopes that I'm not alone. Thanks for listening.

That is such a worthy cause for weight loss, I wish you nothing but success!! I haven't had surgery yet so I can't comment on when losing stops. But I do know you need to be careful not to cut your calories too low after surgery. It will trash that newly reset metabolism and make weight loss even harder. I know it is counter intuitive but you have to fight that instinct to go so low. I'd advise a good heart to heart talk with your surgeon and dietitian. There are options to boost your weight loss if it stops (like meds), but if you keep your calories too low your body is going to start thinking it is starving for real and hold on to every pound to protect you. 💚

I know in the US, our requirements for insurance to cover the surgery (if you have insurance that does) is generally a BMI of 35 with co-morbidities (blood pressure, diabetes, etc), or 40 without. I've had similar struggles to yours, weight gain starting in my 20s blamed on thyroid. With diet and exercise I could lose a few pounds, but never enough. I hovered in the 190s until my late 20s, 210s in my 30s, climbing to 225+ in my 40s. I went to my weight management center that was connected with my hospital network for 6 years starting at age 43 and started with nutrition and lifestyle changes, followed by medical interventions (Contrave, Saxenda, Wegovy when you could get it). I never got below 204, and that was with a strict 1200-1500 calorie diet that I tracked religiously and 10k or more steps daily for a year (I never missed a single day!). As soon as I relaxed even a little, the weight came back with a vengeance. This summer, I hit 251 and also have hypertension and prediabetes (A1c of 5.9) . That was when my weight management doctor (an endocrinologist) finally asked if I wanted to talk to the team on the surgical side. I'm awaiting insurance approval now. It should be covered though I have no idea about out of pocket expenses. I don't really care at this point. I'll make it work. If you are considering paying out of pocket and concerned at all about going to Mexico (although my brother went that route many years ago and it was fine), I did see a self pay option here: https://www.poundofcureweightloss.com/bariatric-surgery-cost/ I know it's frustrating, and if there's one thing I wish, it's that I had dealt with this when I was turning 40 instead of 50. Wishing you luck!

It can be a real challenge, especially when you're not a fan of all the sweeteners in most protein shakes.

I’m two days post op… I’m struggling with getting my required water and protein. I’ve noticed more of an after taste with my pea protein powder that I’m having a hard time ignoring. I thought id be thrilled to get my soy/almond milk mixed protein shakes back (I wasn’t allowed dairy in preop diet) but I’m finding dairy difficult- lots of coughing (ouchy). I’m gonna go back to water tomorrow. Anyone else?

First of all, congrats on your progress! It's awesome that you're considering staying on track during your vacation. Consider packing healthy snacks, staying hydrated, and maybe some protein supplements just in case. As for drinking, it's best to check with your surgeon or nutritionist for specific guidance. Also, if you decide to visit New York, check this useful guide ( https://www.travelsafe-abroad.com/united-states/new-york-city/). Good luck!

Hi Mrs. Richards, I agree with you. It is difficult to do both the protein and water goals in the same 24 hours. I have to say I’m struggling with the foods we can eat. My surgery was 8/28. I have very bad gas all the time. I’m not sure if I’m doing something wrong. please share any suggestions.

Things have changed a whole lot since my surgery in 2010! The diet plan I had to follow was one Ensure Protein [and I am know it was not the 30gr/carton variety] and water. That was it. On the hour, 2 oz of protein then 2 oz of water every 15 minutes. I even bought a set of eight pretty 2 oz shot glasses that my husband would use for my meals. At the top of the hour, he brought me one with protein and three with water. Start over at the top of the hour and continue until you went to bed. Slider foods, those that are pureed like mashed potatoes, canned refried beans, tuna with mayo, hot cereals, etc were for weeks 4-6 back then. Of course every practice has their own requirements and so much has changed. To up your protein, add some to your cereals or your yogurt. They make flavorless proteins. Find the protein that you can tolerate. Also, you can look into the clear liquid proteins that are out there. Many companies make them. Stalls are your body's way of trying to figure out just what you are trying to do to it. It naturally does not want you to starve to death so it will hold onto those pounds for as long as it can. Then, you will suddenly lose two pounds overnight, lose for a while and then begin another stall. This is the first of many stalls - just keep doing what you are supposed to be doing and don't let that stall get to you. Yes, that is hard, the "not letting it get to you" part. Remember that your surgery is just another tool in your toolbox and not a magic bullet. For the constipation, which is really common after this surgery because of the high protein intake, I would add Miralax to your water or any liquid or hot cereal. One capful mixed in 8 oz of water, for example. You won't know it is there. I now mix one capful of Miralax with my morning decaf coffee. You could also add stool softener as well. If after adding those, and not getting relief, absolutely speak with your surgeon. There are prescription meds out there that can help.

Oddly enough, I find it easier to eat grains than protein. There are low-carb cereals available on the internet, as well as some health foods supermarkets. There are also recipes for low-carb cereal. Don’t be afraid to try it.