This is a question mainly for post-op patients who are up to eating solid foods again after surgery, but anyone can weigh in!

I am wondering about eating versus drinking your calories and nutrients. When it comes to Protein, do you prefer to chow down on foods such as chicken, fish, yogurt, cheese, and Protein Bars? Or do you opt for protein shakes and powders? If you are still using shakes and powders, is it because using them is the only way you can hit your protein goals, or because they are more convenient, or simply because you like them more?

With fruits and vegetables, do you throw them into smoothies and shakes and/or juice them? Or do you eat them whole? And why? A lot of people find that smoothies help them up their fruit and veggie intake, but some people prefer to eat them to get the satisfaction of chewing solid foods…and maybe avoiding the need to clean a blender when making a smoothie!

So what is your preference?

It’ll also be helpful if you post what type of weight loss surgery you had and how far out you are so other members can get an idea of what to expect or what others are doing. Thanks!

Sleeved 7 weeks ago. I have premier Protein shake for breakfast. Quest protein bar for snack...another bar for lunch...half an atkin's frozen meal for dinner & ANOTHER quest protein bar for my nightly snack. Puts me at about 865 calories & about 100g of protein. I'm sick of all the string cheese, greek yogurt, & deli meat I've been eating, so this is a welcome change. I'm working out pretty hard now, so the calories aren't affecting my weight loss. On days I don't work out, I keep it to 600 calories.

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Edited September 6, 201610 yr by LowBMISleever

I am 7 weeks out and am still relying on shakes. I eat here and there...but find that solid foods still make me feel funny.

I had the sleeve, my surgeon said it can take time to adjust to foods.

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Sleeved 7 weeks ago. I have premier Protein shake for breakfast. Quest protein bar for snack...another bar for lunch...half an atkin's frozen meal for dinner & ANOTHER quest protein bar for my nightly snack. Puts me at about 865 calories & about 100g of protein. I'm sick of all the string cheese, greek yogurt, & deli meat I've been eating, so this is a welcome change. I'm working out pretty hard now, so the calories aren't affecting my weight loss. On days I don't work out, I keep it to 600 calories.

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Just wanted to amend this: after 3 days of following this, I did gain .8 of a pound. It is too easy for me to eat too much with the Quest bars. They've retired to my freezer for emergency food options only, and I'm back on normal food. An egg, a slice of turkey, string cheese, chili, chicken...these things keep me much more satisfied. I actually think the bars were creating cravings! One day at a time. #trialanderror

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6 months post op. Never had a Protein shake. Get my protein from milk, yoghurts, cheese, meats etc. Make smoothies with fruits and vegetables.

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Great answers – thanks for telling us how you get your nutrients in and why! There is no single right answer for how to stick to your post-op diet, and it is great to see how BariatricPal members are each finding their own path to success.

I'm 11 weeks out from sleeve surgery and still drink at least one Premier Protein shake (usually in the morning). So far I appear to be one of the lucky ones that has tolerated all foods I've tried. The problem I have is that I'll weigh out food for the day and find I can't finish it so there is no way for me to recalculate what I've truly eaten as far as protein. This frustrates me to no end. If my intake seems questionable then I add a 2nd Premier Protein shake. My surgeon's guidelines was 40-60g of protein for women. I find this to be too little for me but if I have to drink 2 shakes then I know I've at least hit his guidelines.

Had the lap band for 7 years (successfully) and during that time my Breakfast was always liquid (I was always a little tighter in the mornings). I would put all my fruits & veggies in glass of homemade milk kefir with a scoop of unflavored Protein powder. lunch was also liquid, usually a big bowl of healthy Soup with lots of veggies, and it wasn't till dinner that I ate true solids. My favorite protein was always fish (usually sashimi), with ~1/4 c rice and medium salad. I ate a balanced diet.

Just recently I had a sleeve revision so I will have to see how my diet changes as I am on the full liquid stage with Soups (14 days post). I'm content at this stage because as I noted above, I love soups .