So I just got my surgery date set for December 8th and I am very excited and very nervous to get the bypass. One thing I have been struggling with is finding a good protein shake. For some reason I have always had a hard time drinking these. Usually get a bad stomach cramp after. This is making me very worried as this is my only source of nourishment very soon. Has any found one that they really like or maybe have been in a similar situation. Thank you for any help.

I try muscle milk and Premier ... they aren’t the best of taste and premier has a lil after taste ... but once I got the hand of it .. I’m good plus I opted for premier has more gram of protein ( 30g) compared to muscle milk, btw this are ready to drink , not some powder one. I have not try powder yet, so many options. But just Incase premie has different flavors. Compare to the one I saw for muscle milk.


“There will be obstacles. There will be doubters. There will be mistakes. But with hard work, there are no limits.” —Michael Phelps

Thank you for your input. Definitely just something I need to adjust to.

I love Garden of Life Organic, vegan protein shakes. I'm not vegan but I find these to be satisfying and I feel great when I have 1 for breakfast and 1 for lunch. They are all veg. Protein, no dairy (lactose) which may be the cause of your cramping. They have 22 grams of protein. I make them with Good Karma Flax Milk with 8 grams added protein. The shake totals 30 grams and there is no sugar! It doesn't have that preserved dairy taste. Good luck with your surgery, mine is set for Dec. 5th!

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I love Premier for pre-mixed and Optimum Nutrtition Gold Standard Whey (usually Vanilla). The key for me has been to mix things in with the shake. For example, I would use 1 Premier Caramel, 1 cup of strong cold coffee, and a squirt of sugar free chocolate syrup (I use Torani) and throw in the blender with ice - there you have a 30g protein frappucino.

For the Vanilla, I like to use Fairlife Skim milk to add to the protein count, and a handful of frozen fruit - usually less than 1/2 cup. Gives it a nice flavor and acts as "ice" for the blender.

When I'm in a chocolate mood, chocolate protein powder, fairlife skim, 1 tablespoon of PB2, and a squirt of sugar free Torani salted Caramel - add ice and blend. Snickers shake with about 39g protein and under 200 calories.

Pinterest is your friend for ideas on shakes. I'm 14 months out. I have a shake for breakfast probably 3-4 days a week. I was doing it every day starting about 2 months prior to surgery. Variety is the spice of life - sometimes I use cinnamon syrups or tropical flavors - like coconut syrup with frozen pineapple for Pina Colada.

1 hour ago, jeff4free said:

So I just got my surgery date set for December 8th and I am very excited and very nervous to get the bypass. One thing I have been struggling with is finding a good Protein Shake. For some reason I have always had a hard time drinking these. Usually get a bad stomach cramp after. This is making me very worried as this is my only source of nourishment very soon. Has any found one that they really like or maybe have been in a similar situation. Thank you for any help.

I love the Premier Protein Carmel flavor. I even use it as creamer in my coffee!

I used Premier for 2 weeks Preop and 4 weeks Postop. I had the back door trots the whole time. Finally, my Surgeon told me that I was more than likely Lactose Intolerant. Thanks. I use GENEPRO unflavored protein I put it in my coffee every day. I have tried so many different proteins, I would hate to know how much money I have spent. Also MYLOPLEX rich dark Chocolate is god as is ATkins. Guard against buying too much protein before your WLS. So many people have their taste changes. Good Luck

I too am a Premier protein fan (and Syntrax too!). My main advice is don't stock up too much, some of us found our tastes changed ALOT post sleeve. It did return to normal though.... but it took many months.

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You taste buds may change after surgery, so it may best to delay the down select until after surgery. Just be willing to experiment until you find something that works for you,

You do not have to like protein shakes only tolerate them. There are many varieties of protein shakes available today. I used Muscle Milk Light (Vanilla Creme) powder blended with water and a half a banana. That worked for me. But on the opposite end of the spectrum, you might try premixed Isopure.

If you tried all the various varieties and still are unsuccessfully, then there is the fallback of fortified milk. 32 ounces of 1% milk fortified by adding 1 cup of dried milk provides 56 grams of protein. It also takes a dent out of meeting the fluid requirements. Mix up a pitcher and drink a little throughout the day.

I'll pitch in again with my recommendation of protein water--I've used Atkins LIFT protein drink. Not quite as sweet as the shakes and not thick. I've finally gotten to the point of tolerating Premier chocolate and that's about it for protein shakes--mostly ugh! in my opinion.

There are a number of brands of protein water and if it's not available at a local store, there's always online purchasing as an option.

21 hours ago, jeff4free said:

So I just got my surgery date set for December 8th and I am very excited and very nervous to get the bypass. One thing I have been struggling with is finding a good Protein Shake. For some reason I have always had a hard time drinking these. Usually get a bad stomach cramp after. This is making me very worried as this is my only source of nourishment very soon. Has any found one that they really like or maybe have been in a similar situation. Thank you for any help.

I’m post op 3 wks, and Premier Protein has the most protein at 30 grams and IS THE BEST TASTING in my opinion.

Preop I could drink every flavor, but post op I can only drink the chocolate flavor. Taste buds change boy oh boyyyyy!!

Have you tried the lactose free kind I can't drink milk and if it's not lactose free oh my stomach and abdomen suffers. I am worried as well too but I'm in the beginning stages of all of this

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4 minutes ago, stirringtime said:

Have you tried the lactose free kind I can't drink milk and if it's not lactose free oh my stomach and abdomen suffers. I am worried as well too but I'm in the beginning stages of all of this

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I tried the soy eas and liked it. I’m lactose intolerant too but it appears I’m not as sensitive as you to the lactose. I bought a huge jug of the Soy Eas but the kind I got had 17 grams of sugar (fructose) per serving, and it should only be 5 grams or below (per my nutritionist), so I stopped drinking it pre-op and went back to premier protein shakes.

I would recommend you buy the premier protein powder and use ITV with lactose free milk. You’ll be happy you did post surgery because you’ll want a protein drink with the most grams of protein since you won’t be able to drink much with that little stomach.

Heard good things about premier

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