How long are the clear protein, protein shakes & supplements needed after the sleeve surgery? Is this a part of everyday life to make sure you get the protein you need?

Each doctor is different. Mine doesn't "require" any protein drinks after surgery. They can be used as meal replacement if desired. he prefers that we get our protein from eggs, lean meats, beans etc.

im 2 1/2 months out of op and i hate them now, i get one in if i feel ive been having a bad week with protein but i can eat pretty good now, pretty much what i like, red meat, beans, nuts, shrimp ( i ate like 15 shrimp last night!) just staying away from the carbs. still have lost 50 pounds. i need to increase my protein tho, i know im not getting enough

my doctor wants at least 90 grams of protein every day and it isn't really possible to do that with three meals a day. He wants 3 meals with 3oz of meat (protein) and at least one supplement to meet the 90g and for men he recommends 110g.

At 11 months out I am not required to eat shakes but I choose to have a shake just about every day to make sure I get in enough protein.

pretty much stopped at month 3. Use once in a while for inbetween meals per dietician but says to eat three real meals a day

I have one for breakfast every day because I was never a breakfast eater. Now I just love them. I put crushed ice in the blended with the protein powder and water and it gets thick like a milk shake. I use Torrinia's or DaVinchi SF syrup to change the flavors .

Most people can get their Protein all on their own around five or six months without the shakes. I've never really been that great at hitting my protein goals without a shake a day, and now I live in a remote location where I don't get much meat or cheese to eat. So right now, at sixteen months out I'm still having a shake a day, sometimes two if I'm tired of tuna or eggs (my main protein sources at the moment).

The trick to the shakes is to keep mixing it up. By the time I'm done with the 3 pound tub, I'm burned out on a particular shake so I switch flavors. I also try to make them different each time - sometimes I add in some SF syrup, sometimes I mix with coffee or tea instead of soymilk, and sometimes I add in fruit or Peanut Butter. Don't force yourself to chug the same vanilla or chocolate shake day after day or you'll hate them.

~Cheri

The supplements you need to take forever. I am over a year out and I drink a protein shake every morning like the others I mix them up sometimes adding fruit and SF syrups or make sf free puddings with a scoop of protein and add a 1/4 cup to my shakes to make them thicker more shake like. The shakes are not required but it is what works best for me especially with my workouts and my higher protein needs.

The supplements you need to take forever. I am over a year out and still drink a protein shake every morning. Like the others I mix it up some days adding fruit and sf syrups. I also will make sf pudding with a scoop of protein and then add a quarter cup of it to my shake to give it a thicker consistency.

It mostly depends upon how soon you are able to get enough Protein from "real" food, and that's a variable depending upon different doc's programs and individual patient tolerances. i was usually able to get enough in after about three weeks that I didn't routinely need the Protein shakes, though I still do sometimes use them now, at six months, for workout recovery as they do have rapidly available protein which is useful after strength training.

As to other supplements, those are also dependent upon how well you can get them from food, though some supplements will probably be needed long term/permanently due to our reduced food volume. B12 is likely to be a permanent supplement as our small stomachs don't produce enough of the intrinsic factor that's needed to properly break down and absorb what we eat. Calcium will depend upon what your long term post-op diet looks like - I used to get enough in pre-op but long term post-op it is unlikely that I will have as much dairy or other calcium rich foods as I used to. Likewise, postassium - which is difficult to supplement without prescription - I used to get in the typical RDA of 4700mg through my normal diet, but am only at 40% that level these days (and low carb diets would make that worse); so far blood levels are fine, but it is something that we are watching.

Thanks for all your replies...this has been most helpful for me to understand that protein drinks and protein supplementation may be a life long ally of mine in order to get enough protein into my diet. I've been looking up average protein values in most foods and I can see that if you just can't get enough volume going you can easily run short on protein. I am going to pick up some samples in the coming weeks to see which ones I prefer before I go and purchase a big tub. Again, thanks. I finish the Kaiser Options program on Dec 13th and then I will meet with the surgeon to schedule the procedure. I am thinking (hoping) it will take place early next year.

For 2 weeks preop and 6 weeks postop, I was limited to 3 protein drinks and 2 yogurts. I'm at 8 weeks now and I still use the drinks to get in the required amount of protein. I'm struggling with getting most foods down so I like having the drinks around.

I never used the dr. recommended drinks because 1- they were disgusting and 2- they averaged about $75 a week.

I use EAS Carb Control in chocolate. Not too chalky or gross.