Does the no drinking 30 minutes before/after meals also apply to protein shakes? I was wondering if not adhering means I wouldn't get to absorb enough of the nutrients from the shake.

Good question! I am pre-op and have wondered the same.

Good question and I will be waiting for an answer. Lol

To my understanding protein drinks count as a liquid. So I would wait 1/2 hr after eating to have one and treat it the same as I would water, just with the added bonus of being high in protein. Post-op 9 months. RNY.

For you first 2-3 weeks the 30/30 rule does not apply because all of your intakes are in the form of liquids. In addition, you will only be able to drink very little at the beginning. It has been taking me about 3 hours to drink 4 oz. I still cannot handle a protein shake because they are too thick, thank god I have some of the Isopure zero carb protein fruit drinks to get my protein in, but even with that I'm still not at 60 grams. Today is day 4 post op. Everything seems like a chore to get down.

I wait to make sure I don't intake too much too fast. I am 2 weeks post op and can swallow all protein shakes and have started on pured foods. Go st your own pace with your docs advice.

I must be oval very fortunate because I have no issues getting down the protein shakes I'm 5 days post op but I can't take the Isopure because it is a wey product and it seems to be messing with my digestive tract so I stuck with just the protein shakes and I'm usually getting 2 boxes of the protein shakes down each day. So between the protein shakes and 32 ounces of water I'm usually getting my supplemental fluids and proteins throughout the day

I am 19 days post op, I have been able to get my shakes down since the day after surgery and 64 oz of water with no issues, I consider myself lucky based in what I am reading here. As others have said just take things one day at a time and tolerate what you can. I hope it gets better for you real soon!

I didn't answer your question sorry. On my program the 30/30 rule does not apply to shakes, only pureed foods.

As the others have said - I was always told that the 30/30 rule did not apply to protein shakes. But use your best judgment.

I found that protein shakes were easier to take if I made them up myself. I got sick of the fake tasting packaged ones. Now I can add a few frozen blueberries or any other kind of berries, some spinach leaves, a few almonds and the vanilla protein powder to skim milk and it tastes great. Plus I can vary it a bit each time, so it tastes real and never gets boring. This might help anyone who finds it hard to get the protein shakes down. I hope so: it works for me.