Do they make you gain weight??

What is the use for??

I am having GNC 100% whey chocolate flavored Protein shakes

You use it for the Protein. Bandsters need to take in enough protein to avoid protein deficiencies which can cause depression, anxiety, low blood pressure, gallstones, headaches, anemia, heart palpitations, hair loss, weak muscles, tiredness and problems with healing. Since we can only take in small amounts of food, these shakes are a good way to supplement our protein intake just like when we take Vitamins to supplement other nutrients.

Also, in general for our diet, high protein and low carb is a good way to go to avoid blood sugar spikes which will help us avoid food cravings.

Want to trade? You saw how the strawberry flavor made me gag )

How much is the whey Protein? I would really like to know. I buy it from Walmarts and it costs me$18.99. I am just looking for the best possible price.

63 Dollars!!!!

Just because i live in the GCC LOL

I use the GNC 100 % whey, banana cream flavor. I drink a shake 4 out of 7 mornings for breakfast a week and love it! I've tried other brands and flavors and this is the best one I've found. It tastes like a banana milk shake to me, with no after taste. Others may disagree, it just differs from person to person. I didn't like the walmart brand....was too chalky for me. A one pound bag costs 12.99 and I always take advantage of their sale - buy one get one half off. The chocolate caramel flavor tastes like a cold coffee to me....it's ok. I've also got vanilla and you can mix other stuff with it to change the flavor. Such as fresh strawberries, raspberries, flavorings and Jell-O packets.

Protein supplements are helpful the first month or two after surgery or if your diet is so restricted so that it is the best means to get in adequate protein.

My doctor has a different opinion regarding shakes then some of what I have been reading on this forum. Other than initial healing after surgery or post fills, she said I should be getting protein from food and not shakes. I had been drinking a shake for breakfast daily on weekdays and she told me I should stop.

I asked why. She said because the purpose of the band is to prevent overeating and give you a sense of fullness in between meals. The shake goes through your system too quickly and can contribute to taking in too many calories in the day, specially if you are hungry a couple of hours after you ingest the shake. I gave it some thought and I think she is right about this. It may not be the same for everyone, but for me I stay full all the time when I am eating Proteins.

This is my first post so take it as you will... I have used ALOT of different protien shakes in my days a a competitive athlete and have found that the Muscle Milk by Cytosport is hands down the best flavorwise. 30 plus flavors ranging from rootbeer float to egg nog (christmas only). breakdown is 32g Protein, 12g fat, 16g carb including 10 of Fiber. per 300cal serving. I don't know how this fits into diets and reccomended foods but i thought I would throw it out there.

Dan

(hoping to band)

I am preparing for gastric bypass and by far my biggest concern is how am I going to do the protein requirements. I have a high gag reflex with drinking most drinks like Slimfast and others comparable. I do not know how I can get around this. I am sure I will need the added protein but is there another way. Help please. :confused:

I am preparing for gastric bypass and by far my biggest concern is how am I going to do the Protein requirements. I have a high gag reflex with drinking most drinks like Slimfast and others comparable. I do not know how I can get around this. I am sure I will need the added protein but is there another way. Help please.

There are Isopure premixed Fruit Drinks that are clear and not thick but they are expensive if that will be your sole source of protein.

I would have to wonder that if your gag reflex is so sensitive that it is triggered by fluids . . . are you sure that having surgery may not make it a lot worse? Is it possible that surgery is not the best choice in this particular instance knowing that surgery itself is going to make you ultra-sensitive to dietary issues where you already have a sensitivity?

I have a Protein shake every day for Breakfast. It takes me until 11am to finish it and then I have lunch around 12-12:30 pm. They work great for me.

I also have protein hot chocolate most nights as an evening "snack". This allows me to top off my protein requirements without adding a lot of carbs or fats.

Plus protein is most efficiently absorbed in the mornings, the evenings and before and after exercise so starting and ending the day with liquid Protein make sense to me. A lot of people can't eat a lot in the morning and I can't eat a lot at night (I know that's backwards from most people, but it is my reality) so liquid protein is something that will go down.

In my program, we start out on liquids and then gradually replace some of the drinks with a solid meal. The goal is to have 3 meals or 3 meals and 1 snack that are solid and then fill in the gaps with Protein Drinks as some of our Fluid. I found this worked really well. I drink Water most of the time but some of my drinks are protein supplements so that I can get my daily allotment in. I'm not trying to stay full from these drinks -- I'm trying to get 100 g of protein a day.

Another good reason to supplement protein is so you can eat more veggies. I can only eat about 2-3 oz. of meat right now. If I was determined to get all my protein from solid food, I could do it, but I would have to cut out pretty much everything else I eat. That's not healthy and it would drive me mad too.

For getting down Protein shakes, I have a lot of tips because I find most shakes make me gag.

1) Buy lots of samples (some companies give them out free) so you can try a lot of different flavors and brands until you find the one you like. Don't worry about it pre-op as your tastes will probably change post-op. Samples are much cheaper than buying tubs of things and then having to throw most of it away. If you do buy tubs, buy them from a place like GNC that will take them back, if you don't like them.

2) Get some of the "bariatric" food which is formulated to have extra protein. There are protein pancakes, protein Soups, protein hot chocolates, etc. Most of these have 12 to 15 g of protein vs. 1-2 g in a regular version of the same food.

3) When you make your shakes, don't put in as much Water as they say, but add ice cubes to top it off. Then blend in a blender. This gives them a consistency more like a smoothie and less like bad-tasting Nestle's Quick. I find that consistency goes down a lot better than just shaking up the powder.

4) Experiment with sugar free syrups, adding fruit, etc. to doctor up your shakes and get rid of that sharp "protein powder" taste that a lot of them have.

5) Don't just limit yourself to 100% whey. Try soy and egg based powders and soy/whey mixtures. You may find that you are sensitive to whey or soy but not the vice versa.

6) There are protein drinks that aren't shakes that may work better for you at different times. Isopure clear pre-mixed drinks saved my butt in the early days. They have 40 g of protein and 20 oz. of Fluid so I was getting in both my protein and fluid when I was still swollen from surgery. Then, for a while, I switched to the bullets. They are kind of gross but you can slam down 25 to 50 g of protein in only 3 oz. of liquid so it's a fast way to get in a lot of protein. I also use the Healthwise Protein Drinks which are fruit-flavor based and "okay". Only 15 g of protein, but I do a double-dose and get in 16 oz. of liquid and 30 g of protein on those days when I just can't stomach a shake.