Hey guys,

So today I got my surgery date 12/27 . Can you guys please comment your favorite whey protein isolate ? Or whatever protein shakes & clear liquids you did for the two week pre op liquid.
I know everyone’s tastebuds are different, but which ones would you highly recommend?

I just wanted to say first that I have the same surgery date!

I've been trying all sorts of brands ahead of time and I can tell you that I am not a fan of a lot of the protein shakes out there because I can't stand sucralose or aspartame. Also, apparently vanilla is a no-go no matter what brand it is. But here is what I have found that I liked, which are either whey protein isolate or vegan protein:

Syntrax Nectar Naturals, especially the peach flavor (whey)

Wicked Protein in the cherry limeade and ice pop flavors (whey)

Truvani, especially the pumpkin spice flavor (but I don't care for how long their shipping took) (vegan)

Ka'Chava, especially the chai, but this one is tricky because it exceeds the fat content allowed by my doctor, so I will do half a serving of this plus half a serving unflavored protein to make a shake that is within guidelines (vegan)

Vega Real Food Smoothie in wildberry bliss (vegan)

I've also tried and can recommend:

Kettle and Fire bone broth in beef, expensive but really tasty and soothing.

Unjury chicken soup, way better than other brands I tried, but maybe not enough to buy more than the sample.

I also have samples of several flavors from Unjury to try, and I've ordered Bare Bones bone broth instant powder, which has a Black Friday deal going on right now on Amazon.

I only have to do two days of liquid diet, which is really good on the one hand, but sucks a little that it starts ON CHRISTMAS. For that day, I have ordered a container of Premier Protein Good Night Cozy Cocoa as a treat, which I may try with a drop of peppermint oil.

And now that I've read this, I feel like I may have gone overboard with the protein powder taste testing...

Congrats on a date!

I personally love the Fairlife Nutrition Plan and Core Power shakes in both vanilla and chocolate. Chocolate just tastes like chocolate milk to me and the vanilla tastes like a melted milkshake. I can also tolerate the Quest Vanilla as well. (Premier and I are not friends and wasn't the biggest fan of Pure Protein.)

So far not many protein powders I've managed to like. The Quest ones were good in flavor, but did a # on my tummy.

For clear stage, the Protein2O protein water in most flavors and nearly any chicken broth. I only had one day prior to surgery for clear liquids and by then I was fine with that and gatorade.

I loved the Thai flavors of Kettle & Fire, though they are costly. Not as costly as a dinner out though! LOL

I also love the fuzzy navel version of Syntrax Nectars. You can get samples of them pretty easily. I like these more than pre-made waters because there are no sugar alcohols in them.

MyProtein makes clear whey isolate powders in Mike and Ike flavors, I like the watermelon the best, the cherry was weird.

I had to drink the Premier Protein ready made shakes for my pre-op diet according to my doctor so I tried all sorts of those, I like Pumpkin Spice, Cinnamon Roll, Vanilla, and Cafe Latte the most. But they are not my favorite protein.

My favorite one is R Kane Nutritionals Pro-Cal powders. They taste like melted milkshakes when you make them with milk. I have no clue what sorcery they used to manage that, but they do.

BariatricPal also makes these little protein shots in fruit flavors that are sweet sour and pretty tasty when you need something fast. The tartness makes them easier for me to drink.

I will caution one thing, don't buy a ton of things, get samples when you can. Because post surgery your tastes may change dramatically. Mine did, I can't taste sweet spices anymore and I can taste the whey in ANYTHING. I ordered a ton from Unjury and I can't stand any of it... I'm so annoyed. But my biggest issue is that whey sits heavy in my stomach and I couldn't get any protein drinks down for at least two weeks. I'm just starting to ease them back into rotation, but it is still hard to get a whole one down. So have a variety of samples for post op, but be careful what you buy full sized unless you have someone else that will consume what you don't.

2 hours ago, ChunkCat said:

But my biggest issue is that whey sits heavy in my stomach and I couldn't get any Protein Drinks down for at least two weeks. I'm just starting to ease them back into rotation, but it is still hard to get a whole one down.

I'm curious what you had instead of the protein drinks, or if you just weren't getting much protein those first weeks. Was there something that worked better for you than whey?

5 minutes ago, NickelChip said:

I'm curious what you had instead of the Protein Drinks, or if you just weren't getting much Protein those first weeks. Was there something that worked better for you than whey?

I had bone broths but not much else. My stomach was just too sensitive. My surgeon told me to focus on fluids until the nausea eased and whey stopped making me feel sick. He said our body has about 3 weeks of stores for protein and fluid is more crucial in the beginning since it's what keeps you out of the ER! He was confident my stomach would adjust. He was right! I met my fluid goals every day. I could do milk by the end of the first week so I drank lactose free Fairlife milk. I finally got the protein working when my Dad suggested I water it down to thin it out. I've read it here before but in that post surgery haze I forgot! Watering it down worked perfectly until I could handle it full strength... I could do clear proteins before I could do milky ones. I still can't do jello though. ?

I am currently in my pre-op liquid phase. Surgery in 10 days. Im drinking Protien2o, SEEQ (its a clear liquid whey, pretty sweet), and Chocolate Fairlife. I do like some of the Premier Protein drinks as well, but my doctor requested I stay away from coffee, and those happen to be my favorite flavors. Jello has been great too when I feel like I need to chew something. Also, pickle juice has helped cut cravings and is a great electrolyte replacement. ?

I'm currently looking for a good bone broth. With the cold weather coming I would really love something warm in my belly. I've tried Bare&Bones Chicken bone broth and hated it. Made me very hesitant to buy anything else.

5 hours ago, Sergeant said:

I'm currently looking for a good Bone Broth. With the cold weather coming I would really love something warm in my belly. I've tried Bare&Bones chicken bone broth and hated it. Made me very hesitant to buy anything else.

I like the Thai flavors from Kettle & Fire. They are expensive so I recommend just trying one or two, but they were better than the others I tried and have a nice amount of protein.

Scheduled for surgery 1/10/24. I was told my Dr’s office that I will only need to be on a liquid diet for 24 hours before surgery. I’ve always heard that it’s a week or 10 days. Wondering if anyone has ever heard this?

9 minutes ago, Aaron2000 said:

Scheduled for surgery 1/10/24. I was told my Dr’s office that I will only need to be on a liquid diet for 24 hours before surgery. I’ve always heard that it’s a week or 10 days. Wondering if anyone has ever heard this?

The instructions I was given were 48 hours of pre-op liquid, with total fasting beginning the evening before surgery. The longer liquid diet is to promote rapid weight-loss and shrink your liver, but some surgeons don't find this necessary, or only apply it to patients over a certain BMI. The 24-48 hours of liquid-only and/or fasting prior to surgery is just to clear your digestive tract prior to operating. Also, some surgeons don't require a puree stage and go from foods like yogurt and ricotta directly to moist proteins and fully cooked veg that you are instructed to chew for 30 seconds to a minute before swallowing (essentially pureeing them with your teeth).