I'm waiting for insurance approval, which could be two weeks or two months. In the meantime, I've started to phase in some of the changes the nutritionist recommended. (Drink more Water, no more caffeine, eating three meals a day instead of one). Part of me wants to dive right in with the Protein supplements, but I'm hesitatant to do it. The few places where I've looked for protein powders only have one or two kinds and come in ginormous containers. I already have two 5lb things of whey protein (from an ill-advised fitness program a few years ago), one "chocolate" and one "vanilla" and they are just plain nasty.

(PSA to the fitness industry: just because it's brown doesn't mean you can call it chocolate)

SO anyway, I'm not sure if I want to spend the money on it right now, especially since I could very well be denied by my insurance company. Does anyone have any advice? Should I just bite the bullet? Are there any powders that are halfway palatable? Does anyone sell this stuff in a container smaller than the size of my entire head? Do you need a blender to mix this stuff up?

I don't see any harm in starting on protein shakes early on. I've found that Body Fortress and EAS whey protein powder shake mixes taste the best - - either vanilla or chocolate. Wal-mart and CVS both carry a 30-serving size tub of Body Fortress. EAS makes smaller containers if you're just looking to try it out. However, they're more expensive than Body Fortress. The last time I purchased EAS was at Rite-Aid. However, I think they have it at GNC.

Bariatric Eating has a "starter pack" that has samples of a bunch of different proteins: http://store.bariatriceating.com/ulprtapa.html

But to tell you the truth, the one we use the most is Six Star Whey Protein (choc & vanilla) from Walmart (near the Slim-Fast & Vitamins, just off the pharmacy). It doesn't require a blender, though we like to crunch up ice with it.

I find Six Star palatable. It's not a chocolate shake, but I can certainly drink it.

As long as you're eating meat, though, you probably don't need the shakes. They're mostly for pre / post-op, to make sure we can get our protein in. Of course, if you don't like meat, bring on the shakes!

Good luck with the insurance!

I just bought a whey protein from Wal-Mart that was in a reasonable size and reasonable price container. Suprise of all suprises I don't have to ((gag)) it down. It's actually OK. My DH mixed it up for me - plain just to see how bad (not bad at all actually) and with fresh raspberrys from Sam's Club (pretty darn drinkable). Don't get me wrong, I'd still rather have a large Dr. Pepper with a bunch of ice through a straw but still this is MUCH better than some of the proteins I've tried. This doesn't have that ooogie medicine smell and doesn't leave an even worse aftertaste. I give it 4.999 out of 5 stars! I can't imagine a protein mix that would actually get 5 stars! lol

The brand is Body Fortress and comes in a 2 lb. canister. I got the Vanilla flavored so I could try it out with fruit and stuff but it also comes in Chocolate. After tasting the Vanilla I might actually try the Chocolate. hmmmm. It cost right at $13 for the canister. 20 grams of whey protein per 8 oz serving. Not bad. 3g net carbs. Totally doable.

DonnaB

5' 9"

03-07-06 surgery date

Dr. Roberto Rumbaut, Monterrey, Mexico

282/150

I just bought a whey Protein from Wal-Mart that was in a reasonable size and reasonable price container. Suprise of all suprises I don't have to ((gag)) it down. It's actually OK. My DH mixed it up for me - plain just to see how bad (not bad at all actually) and with fresh raspberrys from Sam's Club (pretty darn drinkable). Don't get me wrong, I'd still rather have a large Dr. Pepper with a bunch of ice through a straw but still this is MUCH better than some of the Proteins I've tried. This doesn't have that ooogie medicine smell and doesn't leave an even worse aftertaste. I give it 4.999 out of 5 stars! I can't imagine a protein mix that would actually get 5 stars! lol

The brand is Body Fortress and comes in a 2 lb. canister. I got the Vanilla flavored so I could try it out with fruit and stuff but it also comes in chocolate. After tasting the Vanilla I might actually try the Chocolate. hmmmm. It cost right at $13 for the canister. 20 grams of whey protein per 8 oz serving. Not bad. 3g net carbs. Totally doable.

DonnaB

5' 9"

03-07-06 surgery date

Dr. Roberto Rumbaut, Monterrey, Mexico

282/150

That's exactly the brand/type I was referring to in my earlier post. I absolutely love it. I have both the chocolate and the vanilla and I don't mix them with anything other than skim milk. However, I do refrigerate them for at least an hour so that they get that yummy milkshake consistency.