The Woes of Protein

I am currently trying to get over "the foamies" before I head to the gym.  I decided that I needed something to eat prior to going and thoughI have eaten this snack many times before, today it is not going well. 

Susan asked me about protein shakes and I am not the best person to ask about this. Honestly, I never found one I liked.  Carnation Instant Breakfast sugar free is okay and I did drink those early on, but they are not real high in protein.  10 grams, maybe?  Or is it 5?  I tried Nectar proteins and unflavored proteins and it was all like YUCK.  Oh and just a tip....unflavored does not mean "without taste".  It has taste, believe me and it is gross.  Kim H left a comment on yesterday's blo post about protein, which reads:

I guess that protein shakes were the only thing left out on the list - especially since each of our hospital experiences has been so different...

I used Isopure shakes, but I know that we've all had different preferences there too. It was what my doctor told me to use, and each shake has 50 grams of protein in it. Now, when I first started out - I only could take in about 1/4 cup at a time... I can still only get in 1/2 cup now - so it'll take the entire day to get it in, but when you first get out of surgery - that's pretty good. I made the shakes with milk too which raised the protein level a little higher.

I guess the hardest part is that this is still such a guessing game for all of us - that's why it's so great to have people you can talk to about each step of the process. All you can do is take the information in and figure out the best way for you.

Susan's surgery is 4 days shy of my 1 year anniversary!!

And Jaime, who is not a WLS patient said this:

I thought of you a few days ago when I was the university food co-op, and they were selling Bolthouse Farms drinks. Have you heard of them? I had tried their Vanilla Chai drink quite a while ago, and they had it, so I got another one (I remembered that I really liked it).

It has 19 grams of protein per bottle (10g/8 oz, and almost 16 oz/bottle), is dairy free, and low fat and cholesterol free. And it tastes amazing. Anyway, the high protein content made me think of you... the website, if you're interested:

http://www.bolthouse.com/html/cs_vanilla_juice_n.html

I will say, Susan, I have tried the Bolthouse Farms and they aren't terrible.  But again, this is just me.  Some folks find protein they really like, I was unfortunately, never one of them.  I think there are places where you can order sample packs of protein and maybe someone who is reading may have some links for that.  The Bolthouse Farms, Susan, I can find in most grocery stores, generally with produce. 

I have found some protein bars that I like, but again they are not the highest in protein.  Kashi makes a Pumpkin Spice granola bar that is absolutely yummy if you like pumpkin and it is like 10 grams of protein.  SouthBeach also makes a cranberry walnut chewy bar that is good and is also 10 grams of protein.  SB actually makes several 10 protein gram bars depending on your tastes.  The Brit loves the Cinnamon Raisin one and though I did at first as well, it soon became too sweet for me (Never thought I'd see the day when ANYTHING would be too sweet for me!).

Protein is a lot of trial and error.  Best piece of advice I can think of is Google "protein samples" and try to find some.  I spent a lot of money on large containers of protein that I wound up hating.  Also, always check the comments here as the girls may very well leave some links that you can check out.  They say that BariatricEating.com has great stuff, but I think it is a little pricey, but she may have sample packs available which would be well worth it!

Well, the foamies have subsided, so I need to go find my iPod and get ready to sweat!