18 days post VSG- can’t tolerate protein shakes

[Tysheena84 33]

Hello all. I am new to this forum. I am 18 days postop and struggling to get my Protein Shakes. Prior to surgery…nonissue. Now any dairy causes me to go to the bathroom. I assume this is normal due to the rapid dumping from stomach to intestines. Has anyone found any tolerable non dairy Protein? How did you get your protein in postop? Also… I was home on FMLA for 2 weeks postop. Felt great so I went back to work Tuesday. Now for the past two nights I’ve had some left sided flank pain. What could it be? This happen to anyone else?

[HashiHope121 78]

Hi! I had a similar issue post op- the only ones I could tolerate were fairlife shakes, Unjury unflavored Protein Powder & collagen Protein powder. (Pre Op I had everything) You may want to try out different types of protein powder, sometimes whey protein is not tolerated but others like pea protein are. costco & Vitamin Shoppe have generous refund policies so you can return what doesn’t work for you. I was putting unflavored protein powder in Soups a lot when I was at your stage. You’ll be moving on to puréed and soft foods soon, so you won’t be as dependent on protein powder/shakes soon.

[Arabesque 7,574]

Quite common for people to develop a sensitivity/intolerance to lactose after surgery. For many it’s temporary. Thankfully there’s a lot of non lactose products about these days you can swap in for your Protein Shakes & then yoghurt, milk, cheese, as you introduce them into your eating plan.

I stopped the shakes after 2 weeks & focussed on getting my Protein & nutrients via real foods: yoghurt, milk, broths, scrambled eggs, etc. to begin. Sure I didn’t hit my protein goals at first but I got there.

[BillyHalleck 12]

Hey - I had a similar issue. Here's what worked for me:

1. Fairlife Protein Shakes - 42g version. So much better (for me) than the chemically ones. Though still dairy.

2. Non Diary Protein powder + SF Jello/pudding mix. I hate Jello! I used sugar free almond milk + protein powder + SF pudding. Huge amount of protein, no dairy. Jello is just as good, but not my thing...

3. Are you allowed any solids yet? Soft scrambled eggs worked pretty well.

4. When you're allowed seeds (docs differ on this), consider some non-dairy chia puddings. Can add protein powder, non-dairy yogurt, cocoa powder/vanilla - very flexible way to get protein and Fiber. Variants of this have become my go to Breakfast even 6 months out since you can make a batch and grab to eat on-the-go.

Hope that helps - I promise it gets easier every day... until, believe it or not, you look back fondly on the days when food was repulsive 🙂

Good luck!

Edited February 17, 2022 by BillyHalleck

[Tysheena84 33]

Thank you!!! Fairlife is my jam. I did some research and decided to give it a try. It taste just like chocolate milk. I am actually going to buy mine in bulk now. I was never really a huge dairy person pre-op; so it’s just intensified postop.

[BillyHalleck 12]

Awesome! Glad you are having success with it.

I have made chia pudding with, added it to coffee, and more - love that product. Also, their skim milk is great and lactose free which may be helpful for your dairy sensitivity. Its higher Protein, lower sugar, lower calorie than regular milk.

Good luck!