Yesterday I had my first post-op dr. visit (surgery was 8/19). When asked what protein shake I was drinking, I told the PA "Premier Protein". She nearly had a heart attack. While she was never rude or nasty, she was very firm and clear that I should NEVER drink that "junk" and I should ONLY be drinking Unjury Unflavored powder - which she made me order during our visit! I thought this was so odd. I went thru the bariatric program at another hospital before changing at the last minute, and PP shakes were not only acceptable with that program, they were encouraged, so I bought two cases of it at Costco pre-surgery. I didn't want to waste it, so that's why I'm trying to use it up. Any idea why this program is being so incredibly strict about only being able to drink a certain protein? I realize programs vary, but this seems unreasonable.

4 minutes ago, Ronnysgal said:

One of the reasons you should use simply whey Protein and have to be careful is the amount of time it takes to digest the specific protein type. When I was a gastric bypass patient as you all well know your body only allows a specific amount of time to digest the food and the it passes through quickly a lot faster then a regular stomach. The whey protein that is no isolate takes to long to digest and therefore it passes through before the body as a chance to benefit from the protein.

that actually makes a lot of sense.

Yes. I had a long road with my bypass that eventually was reversed and now I am back 2 years later for a different type. When the doctor told me the above he used the example of a weight lifter. He said that PS was the type of protein drink that a weight lifter would drink the night before his workout as it takes that long to digest and be useful to his system. HE then would get up the next day and workout and get the full benefit of the product for his system. He said you don't have that luxury with the bypass as it will pass through leaving you with little to no protein benefit. I was loosing my hair hand over fist and I was spending a fortune on those drinks being the perfect patient and then finally after low potassium and other health issues and a strong talking to myself we found part of the culprit in using PS.

Edited September 4, 20205 yr by Ronnysgal

This is all very useful information... I'm on my last few bottles of premier protein, and I've been having some issues finding them palatable and looking for alternatives. Just ordered the unjury sample pack!

6 hours ago, summerset said:

This.

I'd check for some kind of affiliation if possible, too, if only out of curiosity.

This is my thought too. My program has an affiliation but they tell me to whatever protein I feel comfortable with as long as it is low in sugar and carbs. I was solely using PP and Core Power with Fairlife milk and my Dietician suggested using Quest which has less sugar and tasted better to me. They always suggested Unjury first but ultimately say just get your protein in

8 hours ago, catwoman7 said:

Here are the ingredients in Premier Protein. As I mentioned, these forms of Protein aren't as readily absorbable as whey protein isolate. Some programs don't seem to care as much as others, though. Mine wanted us to stick to whey protein isolate (at least for the first few weeks), too.

Water, Premier Protein shake Protein Blend (Milk Protein Concentrate, Calcium Caseinate, Whey Protein Concentrate), Cocoa Powder (processed with alkali), Contains 1% or less of the following: High Oleic Sunflower Oil, Inulin, Cellulose Gel and Cellulose Gum, Magnesium Phosphate, DATEM, Salt, Natural and Artificial ...

One thing to note is that the Premiere Protein POWDER is much different than the pre-made shakes, though it does still use concentrate, but the isolate is in a greater quantity:

INGREDIENTS

Whey Protein Isolate, Whey Protein Concentrate, Contains 2% or Less of Soluble Corn Fiber, Sunflower Lecithin, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Acesulfame Potassium, Sucralose, Xanthan Gum, Salt.

CONTAINS: MILK

https://www.premierprotein.com/products/vanilla-milkshake-powder

10 hours ago, LAJ23 said:

While I was on the call with her, she told me to get on my computer and order it. She gave me the website, walked me thru to where the powder was located on the page, and then asked "did you complete the order?". She said she wanted to make sure I was getting it and buying the right thing.

In the future, if you like, that's when you can tell a medical professional that they are being inappropriate and to stop crossing boundaries or you will walk out.

In other news, I had the same surgery as you through the very highly rated program at Newton-Wellesley Hospital in Newton, MA and they recommended Premier Protein shakes, which I liked, so reasonable people can disagree on this issue.

It is pretty weird for your program to require you to use a specific brand of protein shake. My program provides guidance on protein shakes and a list of recommended shakes. They said protein isolates should be the primary form of protein, but concentrates are acceptable (but shouldn't be the only form of protein used in a day). They also require less than 200 calories, less than 15 grams of sugar, and 15-30 grams of protein per serving. Premier Protein ready-to-drink shakes are on their list of acceptable shakes. I mainly use whey protein isolate powder, but ready-to-drink shakes are convenient on the go, so I sometimes drink Equate High Performance shakes (which are pretty much the same as Premier Protein).

Hey everyone! Thanks so much for the feedback and info. Sorry I didn't reply sooner - I was under the weather big time with allergies yesterday (still pretty bad this morning). Yeah, I don't know what affiliation - if any - she has with Unjury, but it seemed pretty weird that she was so firm on me ordering it. She was also extremely firm on me ordering the Bariatric Advantage calcium citrate chews (which I also did). The hospital I went thru seems really hung up on being anti-PP. Even the dietician who I met with pre-op denounced it. Anyway, Unjury and BA chews are on their way! Thanks again for all the feedback. ?

On 09/05/2020 at 07:04, LAJ23 said:

Hey everyone! Thanks so much for the feedback and info. Sorry I didn't reply sooner - I was under the weather big time with allergies yesterday (still pretty bad this morning). Yeah, I don't know what affiliation - if any - she has with Unjury, but it seemed pretty weird that she was so firm on me ordering it. She was also extremely firm on me ordering the Bariatric Advantage calcium citrate chews (which I also did). The hospital I went thru seems really hung up on being anti-PP. Even the dietician who I met with pre-op denounced it. Anyway, Unjury and BA chews are on their way! Thanks again for all the feedback. ?

A friend of mine highly recommends Bariatric Advantage. She had bypass surgery a few months back. I do think it’s weird that she’s insisting you order Unjury. I went over my paperwork and it mentions whey protein isolate powders and shakes and listed some brands but in the end I can choose what ever I want as long as it has at least 25 grams of protein. So I’m basically taking the long way to say don’t let them push you around and oh by the way we are surgery twins!

2 hours ago, LAJ23 said:

Hey everyone! Thanks so much for the feedback and info. Sorry I didn't reply sooner - I was under the weather big time with allergies yesterday (still pretty bad this morning). Yeah, I don't know what affiliation - if any - she has with Unjury, but it seemed pretty weird that she was so firm on me ordering it. She was also extremely firm on me ordering the Bariatric Advantage calcium citrate chews (which I also did). The hospital I went thru seems really hung up on being anti-PP. Even the dietician who I met with pre-op denounced it. Anyway, Unjury and BA chews are on their way! Thanks again for all the feedback. ?

In spite of what happened, I think you'll actually like both products. I use/have used both. Plus they're both highly reputable.

Hey I was told no PP post op until trying the wheys first. There was a list of many wheys though. The reason no PP is because it it is milk based which may make recovery worse (sensitive tummys)

FYI- I ordered the Unjury sample pack today (rtd- 1 each of chocolate & vanilla) and they are have a BOGO offer. It may just apply to the sample pack.

My dietitian was pretty adamant about not using Premier Protein shakes. I was given a list of close to 20 brands of protein shakes I could choose from after surgery. Before surgery I was on Optifast for a month. After surgery (the last 10 days) I choose to use some Optifast HP and Pure Protein. There is something in those Premier shakes that dietitians don’t seem to like.

This is utter bullshit ....there is nothing wrong with pp or fairlife . They are both highly recommended by most programs. Your Dr just bullied you into doing things their way and needs to be disciplined for that unprofessional behavior