Protein substitutions?

segwayne

Speaking of the Pre-Op Protein diet, Doctor put me on the "Bariatric Advantage" products instead of Medifast.

I got one bag each of Chocolate, Orange Cream, and Banana flavored shakes, one box of 15 peanut butter chocolate bars, and some God-Awful "vegetable soup powder" which will NEVER pass these lips again... The Shakes and bars are fine, though no matter what you do, it still smells like Whey protein, which is an acquired taste, no pun intended...

Based on the recommendations from others here, I stopped by Sam's Club today and bought a case each of Premier Protein Shakes (30g protein, Vanilla and Chocolate) along with some "Pure Protein" variety pack bars.

I honestly and GREATLY prefer the Bariatric Advantage bars over the Pure Protein. Think semi-crunchy granola versus a mushy Zero candy bar.

Anyway, my question is this, and I'm not asking for medical advice...

In both the pre-op diet and the post-op world, what protein products do you feel help get you through the day? Do you have any you prefer (Premier, versus Pure, versus Medifast, etc)?

I have no idea whether there's another thread here, but if we could get a good discussion going, it'd make for a good sticky post for everyone who's fighting the good fight...

Wayne

sue100194

I've been using the Pure Protein from Costco (or Sam's Club) both preop and postop. My doctor's preop diet was 3 shakes per day + 1 Lean Cuisine. And I still like them, plain or with a teaspoon or two of Torani SF syrups. Coffee syrup and vanilla protein shake is my favorite.
I ordered some unflavored and chicken soup flavored Unjury for postop and while the taste of the chicken soup one is pretty good, and the unflavored one lives up to it's name, it still leaves a bad taste in my mouth after I've eaten so I gave that up. PB2 powdered peanut butter is pretty good - not a lot of protein on its own but as an addition to another shake or soup, it adds a few more grams to your serving. I've also tried a couple sample packets of Chike protein shakes and think those are pretty good too.
So far I haven't worked up to protein bars in my postop diet. But it's good to know about the Bariatric Advantage.

stroynaya

I use the unflavored Unjury powder a lot. Not a big fan of any of the protein shakes. When I do have a protein bar, I prefer Luna protein bars. I recently tried some of the Quest bars and they aren't bad either, though they are more dense than the Luna bars.

risskie

I lived on Unjury shakes pre & post op! So many flavors and I had many options for boosting the protein (i.e. Fage greek 0% unflavored).
Then I switched to EAS Advantage Edge 3 months later - adding fiber, fruit & greek yogurt to the shake.
I really wished I could get the hang of protein bars - never was able to find one I liked, so I stayed with Unjury & EAS for a long time.
It is a matter of personal taste and experimentation.
Best of luck in your pursuit.

bikrchk

I use Syntrax Nectar Iced Tea daily. A few times per week I do a Quest bar. I also use the Unjury protein'd cheese sauce on eggs, baked potatoes, pasta and anything else I can.

Bubirn

I'm a Sytrax Nectar fan. You can mix in water, juice or milk depending on flavor you pick. On eBay I found has a seller that sells the individual sample packets. Once I found ones I liked they come in 2 and 5 lbs options (depending on flavor). Start every workday with milk based shake, ends up about 34-36 proteins.
Unjury was tough tolerated it first week post op but could stand the smell anymore. Pure is ok in a pinch or wheybolics chocolate from GNC.

Good luck searching for your protein
Gerri

SibylDiane

When I was immediately post-op, I used a lot of the Syntrax Nectar flavors. My favorites were the Fuzzy Navel, Roadside Lemonade, Lemon Tea, Twisted Cherry, and Grapefruit. I use a wide variety of protein powders now -- I mostly buy samples of lots of different brands and flavors so that I don't get bored. I get samples from Nashua Nutrition, Vitalady, unjury.com, and ilikechike.com. Some of my favorite brands and flavors include: Syntrax Matrix (peanut butter cookie, orange cream are my favorites of theirs, they also make very good vanilla and milk chocolate), Unjury - chocolate splendor flavor, Chike -- I really think all of theirs are good but my favorites are the iced coffee, chocolate bliss, and banana magic; Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard - again, lots of good flavors, I love the vanilla ice cream, double rich chocolate, chocolate mint, and caramel toffee fudge; BSN Lean Dessert - banana pudding and cinnamon roll, Champion Whey Stack - cocoa mochachino, Healthwise - classic hot chocolate and cappuccino, and BSN Syntha 6 chocolate peanut butter, Mochachino, and cookies and cream (these are all delicious but super high calorie and carb, use with caution -- also be cautious with Chike and Lean Dessert - not quite as high calorie & carb as Syntha 6 but they are up there).
A lot of people like Celebrate, Body Fortress, Trutein, and Designer Whey, but I haven't tried them yet.
Brands I tried and hated or really didn't care for: Bariatric Advantage, Bariatric Fusion, Protizyme, About Time, and Tera's Whey.
I really don't like any of the ready to drink stuff that I have tried. Premier Protein chocolate was the best of a bad bunch for me.
All of this is really so individual
And, I can't comment on protein bars as they don't fit in my guidelines, plus pre-surgery I found them to be trigger foods, so I stay away.

Canuname

Best I have found is Rockin' Refuel Muscle Builder Natural Protein, Low Carbs to Build Muscles

30G of High Quality Protein
9G of Net Carbs
190 Calories
Made with Real Milk

Muscle Builder - Vanilla 12 FL. Oz. My favorite. Tastes just like a McDonalds melted Vanilla Shake.
Muscle Builder - Chocolate12 FL. Oz. Doable, but not as good as the Vanilla.
https://www.shamrockfarms.net/products/rockin-refuel
Can find them in the milk section at our local stores and find them on sale for $0.99

Then there is New Whey protein shots. 3.8oz shots with 42g of protein 180 calories and Lactose free.
Doesn't taste great, but you can drink some then taking a drink of something else and then repeat.
http://www.newwhey.com/
Can find it for $1.99 per 3.8 oz tube on sale

segwayne

Thanks guys, this is a great start... I've got what... 10 days to go?

That being said, here's what I've found for myself;

Bariatric Advantage Shakes (powder, must mix) - 20g protein
I really like them, except for the aftertaste and smell of whey protein. Mixed per box (2 scoops, 8oz water), they're VERY thick and VERY filling...

Bariatric Advantage Peanut Butter Chocolate Protein Bar -- 11g protein
Very good, more of a soft granola/"rice crispy" crunchy bar than the mushy Mars / Zero candy bar texture.

Bariatric Advantage Vegetable Soup (powder) -- 20+ gram protein
Horrid. Discarded.

Premier Protein Shakes (chocolate/vanilla) - 30g protein, 11 oz
Great flavor, but it lacks the thickness/"bulk" of the Bariatric Advantage shakes. If I had to use it for 2 weeks pre-op, I feel that I would remain really, really hungry all the time.

"Pure Protein" Protein/energy bars - 20g protein
Good flavor, but the consistency of a very soft Mars or Zero candy bar. Lower on pretty much everything, except for being higher calories than the BA bars above (200 avg versus 150), and 2 grams of sugar versus zero (BA).

I'm looking forward to trying everything, and I'm sure I'll get around to it. Thanks for tossing out several new ideas.

csmccord

If you want a bar, then you need to go for Quest bars. Almost all of them are very yummy. My favorite is the White Chocolate Raspberry.

Over the last 19 months (I'm 19 months post op) I've tried more brands of protein powder than I can count. I have never done pre-mixed shakes. They just aren't worth the extra price for me. Good whey protein is never cheap.

So for different flavors, such as fruity type flavors, I use the Nectar brand others have mentioned.

For chocolate and vanilla, I have not found any that taste better than Max Protein from SEI. I've tried many brands after discovering this stuff, and they all taste nasty compared to it. I've been using the SEI for over a year now, and it meets all the requirements my medical team wanted. It can be found in some GNC stores, however not in my area (Northern Virginia) so I have to order it online.

It's kind of expensive, however if you use coupon code, "eggface2010" it takes 20% off. I'm not the only devotee of this stuff. My wife (RNY) loves it as well, along with our favorite blogger eggface (http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2009/04/heads-up-max-protein.html)

You can purchase it here: http://www.seinutrition.com/products/MAX-PROTEIN.html

I've used to make just about everything you can do with protein. Shakes, oatmeal, protein bars, casseroles, pancakes, ice cream, yogurt, pudding, etc.

My favorite shake was the chocolate with some PB2 and half a frozen banana. I highly suggest you try this protein. Yes, I know everybody has a different opinion, however this is the only protein that I'll eat now. It has ruined all other protein powders for me.

sadiegirl32

I love Unjury unflavored. I put it in my cottage cheese, tuna salad, chicken salad, and oatmeal.

For a straight up shake, I like Syntrax Nectar, any flavor.

I love Quest bars, escpecially the chocolate chip cookie dough. Problem there is they are so rich I want coffee or milk with them, which I can't have...lol So, I only do half a bar for a snack.

I like the Unjury chicken soup mix in Ramen...cause sometimes I just wanna feel normal and Ramen does that for me...lol But I also wanna be good too.

I detest Isopure. Just taking the cap off made my stomach turn and one drink and the rest of the bottle went down the drain!