Is it possible to go through this journey without protein shakes? I hate them. All of them.

Unless you can do large amounts of protein water, or live on Unjury chicken soup, I don't see how you could. There are protein shots. Don't know how they taste but maybe someone else will weigh in on those.

You can not drink them if you want to be flabby and deficient. If you are not going to drink protein shakes, you will need to drink protein drinks and such. Protein saves your muscles while you lose weight rapidly. I bought the Nector Chocolate protein shake mix and it's awesome! You should definitely try it, doesn't taste so fake i guess. Try researching other ways you can go about drinking your 40-60 grams a day of protein. Ask your nutritionist.

I agree. Doing this without protein would be DANGEROUS. Literally, you eat to live after this. Tastes are secondary when you've embarked on this. Not to say everything has to taste bad but there is most definitely some sacrifice. Today I am one week post op. I've lost 11 pounds in a week, 29 preop for a total of 40. With that said, I'd love, love, love to eat (chew) a piece of bacon. Lord how i miss chewing! But it's temporary. I'll get there. Until then, I'll sip my Atkins Cafe Carmel which tastes almost the same as a Carmel Macchiato. The Atkins brands are not high in protein (only 15) but they are smooth and easy. Try those if you haven't. I generally hate the powders. I do use unflavored protein powder and add it to soup. Look up Sytrax. They have a ton of different ones. My favorite is Pure Protein pre-made. Good bang for your buck with 23g protein.

Don't deny yourself the protein no matter what you do or you loose muscle mass. I'm 9 days post op and down 14 lbs since my surgery alone. I'm not a fan of them either and some days literally have to choke it down but I keep in mind my goal and the end game. I have found the Premier Protein strawberries and creme from Costco is better than most. At this point it's mind over matter. Hang in there and be strong.