I had surgery on 12/2. I started my preop diet on 11/15. The entirety of the last 6 weeks has been nothing but just protein powder. Premixed protein drinks. Clear protein.

I am to the point where I can actually no longer stomach any amount of protein drink. They have started making me nauseated. And a lot of it is that I have to take my time with them and I can't just down them quickly like I used to.

So far I have tried:

-All of the fairlifes. These used to be my absolute fav. So far, the regular nutrition plan 30g protein chocolate ones are the best, but hard for me to find, especially in bulk. The strawberry/strawberry banana ones and vanilla ones are way too sweet.

-A lot of premier protein flavors are gross to me. They were gross before surgery and are extra gross now. Same with MuscleMilk brand.

-I have unflavored Isopure that I put into a lot of things, and this is fine as long as someone else makes whatever I am drinking and doesn't tell me that they put protein powder in it. It's like I can immediately tell, which tells me this is mostly mental.

-Dutch chocolate isopure powder. Okay, but still protein powder-ish.

-Isopure clear drinks. So far these have been my favorites, but it's a lot of liquid for me to take in, 3x a day, especially when I'd just prefer plain ice water.

-H2Protein: sometimes these are too sweet, sometimes they are okay.

I just ordered some of the protein shots in hopes that maybe the 3oz size will make it easier to get my protein goals, which have been severely suffering these last two weeks.

Any advice?

4 hours ago, zeskyizblack said:

I had surgery on 12/2. I started my preop diet on 11/15. The entirety of the last 6 weeks has been nothing but just Protein Powder. Premixed Protein Drinks. Clear Protein.

I am to the point where I can actually no longer stomach any amount of Protein Drink. They have started making me nauseated. And a lot of it is that I have to take my time with them and I can't just down them quickly like I used to.

So far I have tried:

-All of the fairlifes. These used to be my absolute fav. So far, the regular nutrition plan 30g protein chocolate ones are the best, but hard for me to find, especially in bulk. The strawberry/strawberry banana ones and vanilla ones are way too sweet.

-A lot of Premier Protein flavors are gross to me. They were gross before surgery and are extra gross now. Same with MuscleMilk brand.

-I have unflavored Isopure that I put into a lot of things, and this is fine as long as someone else makes whatever I am drinking and doesn't tell me that they put protein powder in it. It's like I can immediately tell, which tells me this is mostly mental.

-Dutch chocolate isopure powder. Okay, but still protein powder-ish.

-Isopure clear drinks. So far these have been my favorites, but it's a lot of liquid for me to take in, 3x a day, especially when I'd just prefer plain ice Water.

-H2Protein: sometimes these are too sweet, sometimes they are okay.

I just ordered some of the Protein Shots in hopes that maybe the 3oz size will make it easier to get my protein goals, which have been severely suffering these last two weeks.

Any advice?

This is where it can get tough. I hated the waste of products and money as everything was Blahh. TBH there are still a few things that I can't stomach. How much longer are you on liquids only?

Contact your team, If they are in office at this time of year. Tell them your struggles and see if they have alternative, if not improvise if you can't stomach the shakes a day longer. You need the nutrients.

Can you drink Full Skimmed milk ? This has a surprisingly a lot of protein. To add more protein add a spoon of yogurt, dried milk powder or I flavored it with PB2 powder and banana.

There is also consomme, boullion and bone broths. They don't have as many calories as protein shakes or milk but you need to get food in you.

Once you get a little further along it gets easier, I promise. Others who used shakes will give you other pointers but the Fairlife brand does seem to me one they advocate, so fingers crossed for you there.

Quest makes a salted caramel shake that's not too bad. I've went through the same stuggles with finding a shake that wasn't sickening sweet. Although I now 2 years post-op enjoy the Premier Cinnamon roll flavor.

40 minutes ago, summerseeker said:

This is where it can get tough. I hated the waste of products and money as everything was Blahh. TBH there are still a few things that I can't stomach. How much longer are you on liquids only?

Contact your team, If they are in office at this time of year. Tell them your struggles and see if they have alternative, if not improvise if you can't stomach the shakes a day longer. You need the nutrients.

Can you drink Full Skimmed milk ? This has a surprisingly a lot of protein. To add more protein add a spoon of yogurt, dried milk powder or I flavored it with PB2 powder and banana.

There is also consomme, boullion and bone broths. They don't have as many calories as Protein Shakes or milk but you need to get food in you.

Once you get a little further along it gets easier, I promise. Others who used shakes will give you other pointers but the Fairlife brand does seem to me one they advocate, so fingers crossed for you there.

So I’m technically on soft foods now, per their little sheet they gave me. I tolerated purées fine so I was cleared to move to soft foods. I’ve also been…rarely picking at the softer ends of regular foods. Primarily pickles. Not sure why I have been intensely craving pickles, but it’s more intense than when I was pregnant.

I have a fear of losing all of my hair and what muscle mass I do have so I’ve been hyper focused on my protein intake, which is absolutely pitiful right now.

I did go shopping on the site earlier and ordered some of the protein shots, and then some hot cocoa mix, as well as liquid protein packets. I have always been a “grazer” so it’s hard for me to sit down and focus on a meal, but if I have something healthy to pick at or drink, I’ll drink it. I figure 100ml is easier to down than an entire shake, and I can do that a lot easier three times a day than I can with regular shakes.

What about Milk? Fairlife makes both full fat and reduced fat milk that has extra protein in it. It's not as much as the protein drinks, but it's not that far off. Eggs might be another option? I couldn't tolerate and still don't care for scrambled, but over-easy and boiled eggs have worked well for me for a long time.

On the hair loss thing: I don't really think protein intake makes a ton of difference honestly. At least if you are getting the minimum recommended amount per your surgeon. My point is that there are more factors at work here than just protein intake. For most people post weight loss surgery, at least some hair loss is inevitable. Stress and hormone imbalances probably contribute at least as much hair loss post bariatric surgery as protein intake issues.

Keep in mind that any hair loss post-surgery is likely temporary, so you'll do yourself well by not stressing over something you may not have any control over.

IMO, the bigger reason to focus on protein intake is because it will help stave off muscle loss. This is a bit overly simplistic, but the more muscle you maintain during your loss, the better your weight loss will be because it will help keep your metabolism up.

I hear you about the shakes. I found them sweet too and also very grainy so texturally off putting. I used to dilute the shakes to try to reduce the sweetness and had only one a day. Shakes aren’t your only source of protein if you’re still in the liquid stage. Bone broths, consommés, cream soups can all be eaten/drunk during this stage. I found the bone broths salty so drank cream soups ( just strain them to make sure there are no stray fibres or random chunks).

I agree with @summerseeker’s suggestion to make your own shakes with milk, yoghurt, protein powder, skim milk powder and an unsweetened powdered flavour if you wish.

You will likely find this sensitivity to certain flavours, textures and even smells continues for a couple of months. Your tummy can be pretty fussy. I described mine as a petulant, temper throwing 2 year old child. You may find you tolerate something one day but not the next. It does pass so don’t think you’ll never be able to eat those foods ever again.

Multi vitamins can make you nauseous too. Make sure you take them after you’ve eaten or with the last few sips of your shake, broth, etc. Also if you have to take multiple vitamins spread out across the day when you take them. I’d take one multi in the am and the other in the pm to reduce the effects of the nausea. Also have you tried taking an anti nausea med to get you through this period.

Your liquid stage will soon be over and then you’ll be on purées and that can be another interesting experience in finding something you can tolerate eating. It does get better and easier.

20 hours ago, zeskyizblack said:

I had surgery on 12/2. I started my preop diet on 11/15. The entirety of the last 6 weeks has been nothing but just Protein Powder. Premixed Protein Drinks. Clear Protein.

I am to the point where I can actually no longer stomach any amount of Protein Drink. They have started making me nauseated. And a lot of it is that I have to take my time with them and I can't just down them quickly like I used to.

So far I have tried:

-All of the fairlifes. These used to be my absolute fav. So far, the regular nutrition plan 30g protein chocolate ones are the best, but hard for me to find, especially in bulk. The strawberry/strawberry banana ones and vanilla ones are way too sweet.

-A lot of Premier Protein flavors are gross to me. They were gross before surgery and are extra gross now. Same with MuscleMilk brand.

-I have unflavored Isopure that I put into a lot of things, and this is fine as long as someone else makes whatever I am drinking and doesn't tell me that they put protein powder in it. It's like I can immediately tell, which tells me this is mostly mental.

-Dutch chocolate isopure powder. Okay, but still protein powder-ish.

-Isopure clear drinks. So far these have been my favorites, but it's a lot of liquid for me to take in, 3x a day, especially when I'd just prefer plain ice Water.

-H2Protein: sometimes these are too sweet, sometimes they are okay.

I just ordered some of the Protein Shots in hopes that maybe the 3oz size will make it easier to get my protein goals, which have been severely suffering these last two weeks.

Any advice?

I found Nurri protein drinks at Costco. Just like chocolate milk, 30 G protein. Good luck!

12 hours ago, SpartanMaker said:

What about Milk? Fairlife makes both full fat and reduced fat milk that has extra Protein in it. It's not as much as the Protein Drinks, but it's not that far off. eggs might be another option? I couldn't tolerate and still don't care for scrambled, but over-easy and boiled eggs have worked well for me for a long time.

On the Hair loss thing: I don't really think protein intake makes a ton of difference honestly. At least if you are getting the minimum recommended amount per your surgeon. My point is that there are more factors at work here than just protein intake. For most people post weight loss surgery, at least some hair loss is inevitable. Stress and hormone imbalances probably contribute at least as much hair loss post bariatric surgery as protein intake issues.

Keep in mind that any hair loss post-surgery is likely temporary, so you'll do yourself well by not stressing over something you may not have any control over.

IMO, the bigger reason to focus on protein intake is because it will help stave off muscle loss. This is a bit overly simplistic, but the more muscle you maintain during your loss, the better your weight loss will be because it will help keep your metabolism up.

I do like milk! I just feel like it isn't helping me with the 70g protein/day thing, especially if I struggle to meet fluid intake.

1 hour ago, Arabesque said:

I hear you about the shakes. I found them sweet too and also very grainy so texturally off putting. I used to dilute the shakes to try to reduce the sweetness and had only one a day. Shakes aren’t your only source of Protein if you’re still in the liquid stage. Bone broths, consommés, cream Soups can all be eaten/drunk during this stage. I found the bone broths salty so drank cream soups ( just strain them to make sure there are no stray fibres or random chunks).

I agree with @summerseeker’s suggestion to make your own shakes with milk, yoghurt, Protein Powder, skim milk powder and an unsweetened powdered flavour if you wish.

You will likely find this sensitivity to certain flavours, textures and even smells continues for a couple of months. Your tummy can be pretty fussy. I described mine as a petulant, temper throwing 2 year old child. You may find you tolerate something one day but not the next. It does pass so don’t think you’ll never be able to eat those foods ever again.

Multi Vitamins can make you nauseous too. Make sure you take them after you’ve eaten or with the last few sips of your shake, broth, etc. Also if you have to take multiple Vitamins spread out across the day when you take them. I’d take one multi in the am and the other in the pm to reduce the effects of the nausea. Also have you tried taking an anti nausea med to get you through this period.

Your liquid stage will soon be over and then you’ll be on purées and that can be another interesting experience in finding something you can tolerate eating. It does get better and easier.

I have this craving for salty, so it's not terrible. I do drink my broths and whatnot, I can eat scrambled eggs, so I'm not entirely liquid.

I've been referring to this stage in my diet as the baby led weaning stage, because I'm able to eat soft foods but most of my intake is still liquid.

The only thing I have found that my body didn't like was pasta.. I deconstructed my dad's Christmas lasagna, ate a very small piece of pasta, and regretted it. Next day, I was fine with pasta. It was weird.

23 hours ago, zeskyizblack said:

So I’m technically on soft foods now, per their little sheet they gave me. I tolerated purées fine so I was cleared to move to soft foods. I’ve also been…rarely picking at the softer ends of regular foods. Primarily pickles. Not sure why I have been intensely craving pickles, but it’s more intense than when I was pregnant.

I have a fear of losing all of my hair and what muscle mass I do have so I’ve been hyper focused on my protein intake, which is absolutely pitiful right now.

I did go shopping on the site earlier and ordered some of the Protein Shots, and then some hot cocoa mix, as well as Liquid Protein packets. I have always been a “grazer” so it’s hard for me to sit down and focus on a meal, but if I have something healthy to pick at or drink, I’ll drink it. I figure 100ml is easier to down than an entire shake, and I can do that a lot easier three times a day than I can with regular shakes.

I am sorry to say this but you will either loose hair or you won't. There is nothing you can do about it. Its a fact. Muscle is a different matter, protein does help there.

I had a super fierce restriction due to swelling. I had to eat tiny meals about 8 times a day. I split my 3 meals into little pots and as a grazer this may be a way forward for you. I struggled to make my 60 gram protein quota. I survived, and eventually so did my hair.

Look for protein yogurts in the supermarket. A 200 gram yogurt will have 24 grams of protein in it. They were a game changer for me.

22 hours ago, zeskyizblack said:

I have this craving for salty, so it's not terrible. I do drink my broths and whatnot, I can eat scrambled eggs, so I'm not entirely liquid.

I've been referring to this stage in my diet as the baby led weaning stage, because I'm able to eat soft foods but most of my intake is still liquid.

The only thing I have found that my body didn't like was pasta.. I deconstructed my dad's Christmas lasagna, ate a very small piece of Pasta, and regretted it. Next day, I was fine with pasta. It was weird.

Yep, it is exactly like a growing baby’s stages of eating: liquids, purées, soft food then solids.

Most of us are told no pasta (rice or bread) because it swells in the tummy and takes up valuable space which should be dedicated to protein and then vegetables. Plus they are simple carbs with little nutritional value when the nutrient value of what we eat is so important. When you are able to eat carbs look to whole or multi grain complex carbs and then only if you are able to eat them after eating all your protein first, then vegetables, (then fruit if you are able) and finally carbs. You’ll be getting some good carbs in any vegetables & fruit you eat. Some, like me, can never go back to eating pasta, rice and bread. They just sit far too heavily in our tummies. Don’t be worried if you eat a meal that is solely protein either. I often did that but it wasn’t for all my meals or every day but sometimes the protein was all I could eat at a meal.

Also yes to high protein yoghurts. Blend them with milk for added protein & to make a smoothie. These were a game changer for me in regards to meeting protein goals. The yoghurt I buy used to have a pre-made yoghurt drink with 34g of protein & I would sip it during the afternoon. But be careful of some pre-made ones as they can have lots of added sugar or artificial sweeteners and not much protein.

If you find some protein shakes are okay except they are too sweet try mixing them with coffee. This helps a great deal. Cold or hot. I mix iced coffee with a premiere protein caramel shake and it’s like an iced coffee. I actually kept this habit after all the others went out the window from my sleeve because I like them so much. Well that and the premiere protein caffe latte shake. I just prefer to mix my own now because I do decaf coffee and the caffe latte has caffeine. Both options are good but I’d say the caramel with coffee is less sweet of the two if sweetness is the issue. Also, the change in taste for sweet is often temporary so try again in a month or two and keep checking because this most likely will go away at some point.

Ooh and Amazon has the core power shakes in chocolate which I am 99% sure are the same as fairlife. if not, they use fairlife milk and they are really good. People say that their kids will even ask for them because they are just like chocolate milk.

According to google the fairlife is lower calorie and core power is a workout recovery drink but I found it comparable to premiere protein and it worked for me for weight loss. Maybe check it out to see how it compares to fairlife.

Edited December 30, 20241 yr by ShoppGirl

9 hours ago, ShoppGirl said:

Ooh and Amazon has the core power shakes in chocolate which I am 99% sure are the same as fairlife. if not, they use fairlife milk and they are really good. People say that their kids will even ask for them because they are just like chocolate milk.

According to google the fairlife is lower calorie and core power is a workout recovery drink but I found it comparable to premiere Protein and it worked for me for weight loss. Maybe check it out to see how it compares to fairlife.

Yes, Core Power is a Fairlife product. They actually make a number of different products, so it can be confusing.

• Fairlife Core Power Elite is 42 Grams of protein in a 14 oz serving, for 3 grams per oz
• Fairlife Nutrition Plan is 30 Grams of Protein in a 11.5 oz serving, for ~2.6 grams per oz
• Fairlife Core Power (Regular, not Elite), is 26 Grams in a 14 oz serving, for ~1.88 grams per oz
• Finally, they have "Fairlife Ultra Filtered Milk", which also has more protein than regular milk. it has ~1.6 grams of protein per oz. If you compare that to an 11.5 or 14 oz serving respectively, it would have ~19 or 23 grams of protein.

For comparison, regular milk has about 1 gram of protein per ounce.

Edited to add that all the "shakes" (in other words everything except the milk), are flavored and at least to me taste about the same. As such, I'd recommend Core Power Elite for most folks here since it has the most protein for a given volume. I use the milk religiously for everything I'd use regular milk for as an additional way to get more protein per day.

Edited December 30, 20241 yr by SpartanMaker
Added an additional comment.

On 12/29/2024 at 7:32 AM, summerseeker said:

I am sorry to say this but you will either loose hair or you won't. There is nothing you can do about it. Its a fact. Muscle is a different matter, protein does help there.

I had a super fierce restriction due to swelling. I had to eat tiny meals about 8 times a day. I split my 3 meals into little pots and as a grazer this may be a way forward for you. I struggled to make my 60 gram protein quota. I survived, and eventually so did my hair.

Look for protein yogurts in the supermarket. A 200 gram yogurt will have 24 grams of protein in it. They were a game changer for me.

Hair is primarily protein, so protein intake does affect hair and hair loss as well. I know I will lose some hair. I used to have super thick, long hair, but PCOS thinned a LOT of it out for me. Fortunately, it is still pretty thick, but I am still trying to limit what I will lose as much as I can.

Muscle wasting is a concern for me. I do have a decent amount of muscle, I work as a bedside nurse and, before I had some lower body issues, lifted pretty regularly. Didn't touch the scale or take any inches off, but at least I was flexible and stronger.

Today marks the end of my lift restrictions, so I am hoping I can go back to doing some weight training soon!

5 hours ago, SpartanMaker said:

Yes, Core Power is a Fairlife product. They actually make a number of different products, so it can be confusing.

• Fairlife Core Power Elite is 42 Grams of Protein in a 14 oz serving, for 3 grams per oz
• Fairlife Nutrition Plan is 30 Grams of Protein in a 11.5 oz serving, for ~2.6 grams per oz
• Fairlife Core Power (Regular, not Elite), is 26 Grams in a 14 oz serving, for ~1.88 grams per oz
• Finally, they have "Fairlife Ultra Filtered Milk", which also has more protein than regular milk. it has ~1.6 grams of protein per oz. If you compare that to an 11.5 or 14 oz serving respectively, it would have ~19 or 23 grams of protein.

For comparison, regular milk has about 1 gram of protein per ounce.

Edited to add that all the "shakes" (in other words everything except the milk), are flavored and at least to me taste about the same. As such, I'd recommend Core Power Elite for most folks here since it has the most protein for a given volume. I use the milk religiously for everything I'd use regular milk for as an additional way to get more protein per day.

I drink the regular 2% fairlife milk and use it in just about everything I make, like pudding, etc. I've been drinking it for a while though, I developed some lactose intolerance after having my child in 2020 and found that it settled better on my stomach. I am now back to tasting the difference between it and regular milk thanks to taste changes, but it's nothing super terrible.

I agree that the 42g are the best bang for the buck. It was easier to down them when I could chug them, but now they are just very whey-like and gross to me. The regular fairlife nutrition plan shakes are easier. Sam's club has them back in stock now so I picked up a case.

Per the nutritionist on my surgery group's facebook page, the BariatricPal protein shots are about 7g whey protein vs 23g collagen protein, and that we don't absorb collagen well. I will instead use them to supplement my protein intake instead of just using them as primarily protein.