One mistake I made early on was thinking I had to follow the directions on the protein mix - i.e. one scoop with 8oz water etc and drink it all at once. It was impossible to finish and made me pretty gaggy, much less doing that 3-4 times a day.

I found that if I got fruitier ones, (i.e. Syntrax Wild Grape, Apple Esctasy, Strawberry Kiwi) instead of milkly ones (vanilla, chocolate, etc) and mixed them with MUCH smaller amounts of water (like 3oz), it was like drinking a little strong koolaid. I could even do a double scoop in 5oz (48g protein, for a small glass of water!).

So find a powder you like the taste of in general or can stomach, and try making smaller amounts (start with 1oz and maybe 1/4 scoop) and drink them like "shots" throughout the day. No need to get a whole scoop at once - 4x 1/4 scoops gets you there just as well.

There are other ways to get protein besides shakes! Quest bars have 21g per bar and very low sugar carbs. PowerCrunch bars are really more of a cookie. Not quite the protein of a Quest, but a VERY tasty treat. There are protein "shots" available at places like GNC. Those have more than 40g so you'd only want to shoot 1/2 at a time since the body can't absorb more than about 25g at a time anyway. Hold your nose if you have to, but TAKE IT. You wouldn't let your child skip their prescription medication "because it made them gag". You'd find a way to make it happen because it's important for their health. Do the same for yourself! Head over to http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/ for some great protein rich recipes.

GNC also carries Isopure Zero, which is a flavored water with about 45 grams of protein in each bottle. They taste a bit like Jolly Ranchers candy and I drank those when the protein shakes were making me gaggy at the beginning. And because it's water, it counts towards your water goal for the day as well. But as was already said here, you can't drink the whole thing down at once. First at this stage, you need to be sipping. Second, your body needs time to absorbe the protein. So sip a little very few minutes and it's good if it takes you 1/2 a day to get in most of one bottle.

Thank you so much for all the suggestions.<b> I wish they made protein pops</b>. I love pops!

I'm going shopping tomorrow to search for new protein bars powder.

I hit a milestone today, 60 pounds off. I lost a 4th grader. LOL

Laurie

Make your own!!! I actually have made a protein shake using Diet Mtn Dew instead of water (green apple flavored or lime flavored or unflavored powder) - tho obviously I dont recommend this But if you find a drink you like (preferably without carbonation of course), make it a protein drink! There are also Special K Protein drink mixes that are like crystal light but with 5-10g protein in each packet. You can also put those in greek yogurt to bump up the protein and add flavor.

Be very creative! Coordinate the powder flavor with whatever else you are eating that sits well with you, or add a little unflavored to it. You can add just a little protein so it doesnt change the taste and texture - adding 5g protein is better than none, so dont feel like you have to use the whole scoop to be worth it!

When I read "pops" I thought you meant popsicles You can easily make those too! Use a jello mix and add unflavored or coordinated fruity flavored protein (i.e. strawberry jello with either strawberry or vanilla milky powder or strawberry kiwi type fruity powder or just unflavored), buy some popsicle molds and/or sticks from the dollar store (or just use small paper cups ) and freeze them. Make them as small as you want. It might take some experimenting to get the ratio of powder to "optimal" for taste, but its essentially getting your water in and a little protein, so go for it!

I am having the same issue! Had VSG March 7, there is one brand of protein shake I can stomach (Premier Protein) but I feel like I'd like to chew occasionally! I'd love some advice too.

I remember well the need to chew. I freeze my protein shakes, not until they are solid, I shake them up every hour or so until they are slushy. I still do this. Makes them thick enough to almost eat with a spoon, which means I eat/drink it much slower as well. Anyway, if you need to chew, that might help. Might help with the needs for pops too.