hey ya'll. so i'm getting ready to start my pre op diet soon and my doc only wants me to drink protein shakes made by bariatric advantage. you have to order them online and they are pretty pricey ($40 for one tub/24 servings with shipping). i'm worried that i'm going to put out all this money on them and then hate them. the doc office doesn't have any samples for me to try either. has anyone tried these? are they horrible or ok? i was thinking about getting chocolate (the only flavor that sounds good to me) and unflavored cuz they said i could mix the unflavored with other things like tea and broth. any thoughts would be great. thanks.

Honestly when it comes to these protien shakes, I'm taking the approach of, "Yeah, it's going to suck, but boo-freakin' hoo!" I've purchased my protien shake mix at wal mart for $15 and if it sucks it sucks, but let's face it, I've eaten what I wanted to for the last 20 years of my life. If I have to drink some craptacular tasting shakes for a week, so be it. I did this to myself and I KNOW I need to do what it takes to change things. If your doctor wants you to use that brand, I suggest following his recommendation and bite the bullet.

It's all about perception and how you look at things. If you have negative thoughts, yeah, it probably will suck, but if you try and see all the positives, you can focus on the fact that you are doing what it takes to be healthy and just push through the pre-op nasty drinks.

And I so don't mean to sound bitchy...

Maybe you could request a sample from the company if you have time before you're supposed to start the pre-op.

Honestly when it comes to these protien shakes, I'm taking the approach of, "Yeah, it's going to suck, but boo-freakin' hoo!" I've purchased my protien shake mix at wal mart for $15 and if it sucks it sucks, but let's face it, I've eaten what I wanted to for the last 20 years of my life. If I have to drink some craptacular tasting shakes for a week, so be it. I did this to myself and I KNOW I need to do what it takes to change things. If your doctor wants you to use that brand, I suggest following his recommendation and bite the bullet.

It's all about perception and how you look at things. If you have negative thoughts, yeah, it probably will suck, but if you try and see all the positives, you can focus on the fact that you are doing what it takes to be healthy and just push through the pre-op nasty drinks.

And I so don't mean to sound bitchy...

this is exactly what i needed to hear. you are sooo right. i did do this to myself and now i'm gonna do what i gotta do to make positive changes regardless of how it tastes or how cheap i am. lol

If your surgeon allows some leeway (mine did, as long as the shake had a certain amount of Protein, and did not exceed a specified amount of carb), there ARE Proteins that taste good.

Sure, it's something we have to tolerate, and it's short-term.

But there's no sense in torturing yourself needlessly!

FWIW, I just compared the nutritional info of the Bariatric Advantage shakes with the Inspire shakes from bariatriceating.com---and they are nearly identical. I haven't had the BA shakes--and they may be really good.

But I can tell you that hands-down, the Inspire stuff is the best I've ever had. Because your need for supplemental protein will persist for a while, why not choose one that's great?

Do you have time to request a sample from BA to see if you can stomach the stuff?

Edited January 27, 201016 yr by BetsyB

i think all protein shakes are the same, and if it the kind with whey protein in it then you can just get that at walmart for $15 thats what i did. my surgen center they have protein shakes made by then and they wanted us to buy them and they were $30 i told then i didnt have the money and they told me i can go to walmart to get one ( well the nurse told me)

see, i would prefer to get the walmart shakes, too. i mean, i've already tried those and they weren't great but were doable. the money is also a concern for me since we are living off one income right now. at first my doc's nurse said that other brands besides BA would be ok but now they are saying only BA. they also give you these comparison sheets trying to show how BA is actually cheaper than walmart, but i did the math and there's no way that's possible. i'm gonna look into the inspire stuff that betty mentioned and just think about things and figure out what i wanna do. i think i might do the BA a little but then use something else, too, so it's not as expensive. i dunno. maybe i'll talk to my doc again and see what he thinks. i would think that as long as i'm getting the protein i need then it should be ok.

I'm actually looking forward to the preop liquid diet (less choices means less time trying to figure out what to eat and whether I want it or not.) I've been doing Protein shakes for Breakfast every morning for... jeeze, like 9 months now and I love them. My recipe:

8oz skim milk (90 calories)

8oz lowfat chocolate soy milk (120 calories)

1 scoop chocolate flavored whey protein (104 calories)

So the total shake has 314 calories, 3 grams of fat, and 30 grams of protein. It keeps me full till lunch and that's 16 oz of shake... once I have my band I will only be able to drink what, 4oz? So, this is my idea of the perfect Protein Shake but I could be wrong. It does taste very good though. I get my whey protein from wholefoods for 11.99/16 servings.

This is where I get confused. I met with my nutritionist as part of my pre-op. She told me it had to be a certain whey protien. She said the Wal mart and Target contain concentrated whey protein. She said I needed one with isolated whey protein, because it has 3x as much protein that the concentarate, and our bodies need more protein in the first few weeks. I am going to try a nutrition store, and look online.

I looked up the difference on a body building website and thought I'd share. According to what I am reading below, there really isn't a big difference, except the amount of money you are going to wind up paying for protien power:

"The primary difference between isolate and concentrate is that the isolate is more pure. In other words, isolate contains more Protein with less fat and lactose per serving. Based on whose figures you go by, whey isolate usually contains between 90-94% protein while whey concentrate has a protein ratio of 70-85%.

If you are lactose intolerant and you have problems with gas and bloating, then the isolate might be a better choice. But being more "pure" doesn’t necessarily mean tht whey isolate is better or will produce greater muscle growth. Whey protein concentrate is still an excellent source of protein. Besides, isolate does have disadvantages: For one, it is more expensive than concentrate. Isolate has also had some of the valuable immune-boosting protein subfractions such as alpha lactoglobulins and lactoferrins removed in the filtering process.

In the long run, I don’t think it makes much difference whether you use concentrate or isolate. Nutrition companies will surely bicker back and forth forever over whose Protein powder is the best, but choosing your protein isn’t something you should lose sleep over."

Source: Whey Protein Isolate Vs. Whey Protein Concentrate

I started "sampling" my Protein for Breakfast and found a few that I like:

EAS Advantage Carb Control RTD-Vanilla & strawberry, purchased at Walmart and also available at CVS

Myoplex Lite-Vanilla & chocolate purchased at Amazon.com

Muscle Milk Light-Vanilla, Strawberry & banana, purchased at Amazon.

The Jillian Michaels brand from Walmart is also good.

i am just starting with the whole protein shake idea and ordered the unjury powder as that is what several of my post op friends are using as it was recomended. now i just made a banana smoothie and it tastes like that cra**y amoxil medicine i used to take as a kid....eeewww.:glare: i dont know if i just didnt add enough of something but if they all taste like this i am in big trouble.

****wonder what it would taste like if i added a few blueberrys and gave it another spin****:biggrin:

Im drinking Atkins Advantage, not the best tasting but I doubt you will find anything delicious.

savedbygrace posted this website and it may give you some really good options for Protein shakes.

Good Luck, I start my preop diet on the 4th.

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f82/200-protein-shake-recipes-49774/

thanks a bunch!!!!!

i just copied it into a word doc and saved it to my desktop for quick reference!!!!

hopefully i will be able to find a few that i wont gag on...lol :biggrin:

on the plus side my oldest son just loved the banana one i made earlier and i added a few blueberries to it so it was even better!!! he has trouble eating breakfeast like me so maybe he can share a protien smoothe with me every morning!

thanks again!!!

{pr}

I use Dymatize Ellite whey Protein isolate. The vanilla is yummy and so is the Mocha. Isolates do cost a lot more money then regular shakes but they are better for you. The difference between regular shakes and isolate shakes is not just about the protein. It's about the calories and the carbs. They are loaded with open ended calories. Whey Proteins are made from soy and vegetables. You might spend a little more on them, but in the long run you will have better results. This is also a good website to explain differences.

Protein Shakes: Bariatric Surgery Patients Need Them. Pick the Best!

You might also want to try a local weight lifting store that sells the whey proteins because they tend to have samples for you.