For you long-termers, are you getting all your protein from food or are you still drinking shakes? I'm six weeks out and just started solid foods, so I started tracking my intake. I eat protein for every meal and because I can only eat 2-3oz I am nowhere near my protein goal. How do you do it? At what point were you able to do it?

I'm 6 months out and still start every day with a Protein drink (my own conction/blend) that nets me 38 grams of protein.

That's partly because I don't eat enough "food" to meet my protein requirements and partly because I still can't handle eating in the morning. That's been a lif elong thing for me.

Wow, for weeks now I've been thinking that Monday is my 6 month mark. I just realized that it will only be 5 months.

I could never tolerate the Protein drinks/shakes, so I've been using food sources almost from the beginning. I follow the "protein first" rule, but sometimes I don't meet my protein requirements. I just try again the next day. I have gotten pretty good at "enriching" stuff with extra protein (add milk powder to coffee drinks, add cheese to stuff, sneak a teaspoon of reduced-fat Peanut Butter, etc.). Beans and peas are my new saving grace--my sleeve tolerates them beautifully, and there's a bunch of very useful protein in a half-cup of beans/peas (which I eat over a couple of small "meal/snacks"). I even sneak white beans into my smoothies--no icky protein or "beany" taste, just creamy texture and added protein and Fiber (also a good thing!).

I switched to eating crackers made of lentils and "chips" made of pinto beans--my sleeve tolerates these well, and they have some protein and a nice crispy texture that sleevie likes. It's protein x4 when I dip a chip made of pinto beans (called "Beanitos) into refried beans with melted cheese and a smidge of Greek yogurt in place of sour cream. And tasty!!!

So yeah, I know what you mean, it's hard to get it all in with food, since our capacity is so limited. If you can do the shakes, great! Gradually, see how you do with food sources and you may be able to cut back on the shakes if you want. Some people drink them all the time as a convenience/easily tolerated protein source. I would if I could. :-)

I'm 5.5 months out and still usually start the day with a 30-40 gram protein shake. I don't get nearly as hungry in the morning at work as I do when I eat just breakfast. It will see me through to lunch easily and they I eat protein for lunch and supper and snack with a few carbs added in. I don't think it is a sin to get protein from shakes and long as a healthy balance of nutrition is maintained. Averaging 10 lbs a month is fine with me. It is weight I am convinced I will never see again...Kathe

I could never tolerate the Protein drinks/shakes, so I've been using food sources almost from the beginning. I follow the "protein first" rule, but sometimes I don't meet my protein requirements. I just try again the next day. I have gotten pretty good at "enriching" stuff with extra protein (add milk powder to coffee drinks, add cheese to stuff, sneak a teaspoon of reduced-fat Peanut Butter, etc.). Beans and peas are my new saving grace--my sleeve tolerates them beautifully, and there's a bunch of very useful protein in a half-cup of beans/peas (which I eat over a couple of small "meal/snacks"). I even sneak white beans into my smoothies--no icky protein or "beany" taste, just creamy texture and added protein and fiber (also a good thing!).

I switched to eating crackers made of lentils and "chips" made of pinto beans--my sleeve tolerates these well, and they have some protein and a nice crispy texture that sleevie likes. It's protein x4 when I dip a chip made of pinto beans (called "Beanitos) into refried beans with melted cheese and a smidge of Greek yogurt in place of sour cream. And tasty!!!

So yeah, I know what you mean, it's hard to get it all in with food, since our capacity is so limited. If you can do the shakes, great! Gradually, see how you do with food sources and you may be able to cut back on the shakes if you want. Some people drink them all the time as a convenience/easily tolerated protein source. I would if I could. :-)

Those chips sound good! Where do you find them?

I don't mind drinking Protein Shakes. I buy ready to drink shakes at costco that I like and they are 30g of protein, but I find that I have to use it as a Meal Replacement because it's so filling and I'm concerned that two meals a day is not enough real food. I'm eating exclusively protein right now. I don't even have room for veggies. The only carbs I get are from sauces I put on my meat. There's no way I could get in all my protein unless I snacked between meals, which I don't want or need to do. Just wanted to see if I was normal. Thanks for the input.

I am 2 months post and have been getting all of my Protein from food for at least a month, but I was on real food faster than most it seems. My goal is at least 60gm of protein per day and I do it like this:

Breakfast: 1 egg plus 1 egg white with cheese or 2 pieces of turkey bacon (10-15gm of protein depending on how I eat it)

Lunch: a handful of salad with 2-3 ounces of grilled chicken (16-25gm of protein)

Dinner: 3 ounces of whatever protein the family is having and some veggies (25ish gm of protein)

Snack: whatever it is will usually put me over the top for protein whether it's cottage cheese (14gm protein) or soy nuts (12gm protein) or light string cheese (6-8gm protein)

I can eat enough at meals to not even need or want a snack, but I do eat one if I need extra protein that day. I ALWAYS have frozen tilapia and salmon filets and frozen shrimp in the freezer in single serving sizes. They defrost in warm Water in 5 minutes and can be cooked stove top in a fry pan in 3 minutes. Those are my go to back ups. That and cottage cheese. All are packed with protein, go down easily and are readily available. I could probably eat 5 ounces of tilapia at a time, but the filets come in 3 ounce servings, so I have just one. I highly recommend it for early post op. It just settles well and is easy to eat early out.

And I want to add.....

The thing with not snacking is good if you can eat enough during meals. Early post op, you may need to eat Snacks to get enough Protein in. You don't want to starve yourself. I know every barix group has their own ideas with this, but I prefer to not snack because I am just too busy to eat 6 times a day. I am able to eat enough at meals though. If I weren't, I'd be snacking to get it in.

I'm 7 weeks out & take a 3.9oz 42g New Whey protein shot everyday after I leave the gym. I stopped the shakes after surgery because anything milk based makes me nauseous now. I also eat a 20g or so protein bar every now & then.

I'm 7 weeks out & take a 3.9oz 42g New Whey Protein shot everyday after I leave the gym. I stopped the shakes after surgery because anythign milk based makes me nauseous now. I also eat a 20g or so protein bar every now & then.

How do those protein shots taste? Where do you get them?

I'm 2 months post-op and I'm trying to get all my Protein from food. I'm having a difficult time reaching my protein level daily, but Protein shakes make me nauseous.

I on average reach 40-60 g of protein per day now. I eat as much meat, cheese, and Greek yogurt as my sleeve allows without pushing the limit lol.

I'm similar to Kala. I am 8 weeks out and can only eat 2 oz of solid protein and that's it... so, I eat greek yogurt, baby bel light cheese rounds, scrambled eggs and cottage cheese. I can fit a lot more soft stuff in than actual meat....I can usally get in 60 grams of protein without throwing in a shake.

My sleeve has not tolerated any protein shakes since surgery, even when I tried to add some to smoothies and such. I am 7 months out and do not track my food but I just make sure to start with protein first. Rarely is their room for anything else since I still eat so little, at this point I just got to where I can eat a whole egg LOL! I do have a snack every few hours and generally eat something like pumpkin seeds or string cheese, both high in protein.

How do those Protein shots taste? Where do you get them?

They're not bad, they actually taste sugary but there is no sugar in them. IMO they are much easier to get down than the milk based shakes & you only need to take a 3.9 oz shot instead of a whole shake. They come in a few different flavors - grape, orange, fruit punch & berry (I prefer the fruit punch but haven't tried the berry flavor yet). I get them at GNC ---- New whey liquid Protein I get a box of 12 every 2 weeks add in a few bars here & there & it seems to be working pretty well so far. GNC also has a Gold Card that will save you a good bit of money if you decide to go with this. I think the card was like $15 for 1 year but it saves you $5-6 every time you buy 12 of these shots.

what type of premade Protein are you getting from costco? I am not tolerating Protein drinks and would love to know what type has been working for you.

I have not tried to Costco shakes yet and would also like to know specifically which ones you enjoy. Since Costco rotates their stock so often, I want to make sure I get the right ones.