It's my first-week post-op and I am supposed to be drinking protein shakes but it's too thick for my stomach and I feel sick. What can I do to help this? Or is it a waiting game at this point?

30 minutes ago, TaylorA said:

It's my first-week post-op and I am supposed to be drinking Protein Shakes but it's too thick for my stomach and I feel sick. What can I do to help this? Or is it a waiting game at this point?

I hated, hated, hated the pre-mixed protein drinks I was given. So got permission to change to powder-based ones. Made smoothies with banana, protein shake, Icelandic high-protein plain yog and ice cubes. Took my time, but down they went.

Water down the protein shakes. Try adding 2 oz (1/4 c) water to an 11 oz protein drink. Continue diluting until you can tolerate them. You will probably only sip 2-4 oz per meal, or snack between meals.

You could also try Isopure fruit-flavored powder. It looks like clear lemonade when mixed. There are also protein waters available. In Walmart I found some bottles of "Protein 2O", mixed berry flavor with 15 g protein, 70 cal, to use as a substitute for a protein shake.

Several brands sell soup-flavored protein powders: Bariatric Advantage, ProtiDiet. They are not sweet and resemble creamy soups.

I have found that I prefer plant-based shakes and powders over the whey-based. Examples, Pure Protein, Orgain.

Remember to take a TINY SIP, wait, then take another TINY SIP... At this stage you cannot just "drink" shakes and water.

Edited December 19, 20214 yr by Sunnyway

water them down. Or get some of the fruit-flavored ones from Syntrax and mix them with water

6 hours ago, TaylorA said:

It's my first-week post-op and I am supposed to be drinking Protein Shakes but it's too thick for my stomach and I feel sick. What can I do to help this? Or is it a waiting game at this point?

I did not drink a single protein shake because they were all so disgusting!

At my 2 week follow up, my surgeon told me that he didn’t want me drinking protein shakes, which was a weight lifted. He said as long as I was staying hydrated he was happy.
I was on clear liquids for 3 days, full liquids one week, puréed one week, soft one week, and normal diet after that.

I struggled too so I diluted (almost doubled the liquid) the one I had every morning & sipped on it for ages. I had soup in the evening also diluted. Try bone broths or consommés (e.g. just the liquid in pho or wonton soups) as alternatives to only shakes. Add milk to yoghurt drinks to thin them down more too as another source of protein.

All the best.

When people say that they are having 2-3 shakes a day in the beginning when portions are around 2-4oz, so they mean one 8oz shake drink throughout the day? Or are people really getting that many full shakes in somehow?

I can still only drink 4oz at a time and can’t hit my protein targets because of the size limits.

3 hours ago, ClareLynn said:

When people say that they are having 2-3 shakes a day in the beginning when portions are around 2-4oz, so they mean one 8oz shake drink throughout the day? Or are people really getting that many full shakes in somehow?

I can still only drink 4oz at a time and can’t hit my Protein targets because of the size limits.

As I said above, I just sipped the diluted serving for ages. If I remember correctly, it made up one cup of shake but I’d diluted to 1 1/2 or 2 cups. Sometimes alternating my sips if shake with water or green tea. It counts towards your fluid goal as well as your protein goal so double win. I didn’t think of a shake or soup as a ‘meal’ as such that I had to consume in a specific period of time. Some days I would still be sipping that shake 4 hours later.

Ah okay. My surgeon only wants me to drink shakes during a meal and when I first told him about sipping a shake throughout the day, he explicitly told me not to. So it’s been a bit of a struggle!

My program requires me to drink 4 ounces of protein shake between meals for a total of 12 ounces. For meals I am having chicken broth, light yogurt, Lactaid

My program requires me to drink 4 ounces of Protein Shake between meals for a total of 12 ounces. For meals I am having chicken broth, light yogurt, Lactaid

I am required to consume 120 grams of protein a day. I normally get 90-100. I use unflavored protein in a fruit smoothie. It is hard to do