I am right around 6-7 weeks post op and I am having a hard time getting my protein in and feeling slightly overwhelmed. I am to the point I cant even finish a shake and when it comes to breakfast if I eat one more egg I am going to turn into a chicken. I can occasionally tolerate the high protein yogurt but even that was starting to make me nauseated. I have a list of approved foods but when it comes to protein supplements it is all shakes and nothing else, which I understand but ughhh. Has anyone else had this problem and what did you do? I am not a very creative meal prepper/cook so maybe that's where I am going wrong LOL
Protein Problems
- Thread starter mhanna
- Start date
CNL04321
Member
All depends what stage of eating you are in. I am 5 months post op so my eating is different than yours. Add fruit to your yogurt. It helps. I ate so much yogurt that after a while it made almost gag eating it. I added fruit and it really helped. If you cant have fresh fruit yet, add frozen fruit. I also rely on reduced fat string cheese, 1% cottage cheese, and premier protein chocolate/peanut butter shakes which i still drink once a day, and a meat for dinner. Try to change up your flavors, maybe that will help. You can also add a non flavored protein powder to your yogurt and whatever else you want to add it to in order to get even more protien
After surgery I was not able to tolerate premier which sucks because I have a ton of it left, and I have changed up the flavors from what I can drink but its just not working. I wonder if its a texture thing. I don't know why my dr advised against the powder but I may just have to try it. I am not allowed fruit at all still which makes me a little sad. Its crazy how each dr as a different "diet."
missyinacage
Member
I always always suggest you follow your teams plan, even though there are so many different plans out there.
But I do have a few suggestions. Try a different brand of protein shake. Orgain makes plant based protein shakes. Fairlife makes protein shakes without added whey, which may be bothering you. They also make milk that is higher in protein than regular.
Can you eat any other foods besides eggs and yogurt? Are you in the puree phase? If so, are you allowed cottage cheese? Ricotta cheese? Refried beans? Etc.
Another suggestion. You say you aren't great at meal planning/prep. The saying if you fail to plan, you plan to fail is TOO true in the world of post bariatric surgery!! So that is definitely something you're going to want to learn and practice.
*it's been pointed out to me that Fairlife has had issues with the mistreatment of their animals. And of course, Orgain is owned by Nestle, who is also awful. So, if that's a thing for you, you may want to research more morally sound brands.
But I do have a few suggestions. Try a different brand of protein shake. Orgain makes plant based protein shakes. Fairlife makes protein shakes without added whey, which may be bothering you. They also make milk that is higher in protein than regular.
Can you eat any other foods besides eggs and yogurt? Are you in the puree phase? If so, are you allowed cottage cheese? Ricotta cheese? Refried beans? Etc.
Another suggestion. You say you aren't great at meal planning/prep. The saying if you fail to plan, you plan to fail is TOO true in the world of post bariatric surgery!! So that is definitely something you're going to want to learn and practice.
*it's been pointed out to me that Fairlife has had issues with the mistreatment of their animals. And of course, Orgain is owned by Nestle, who is also awful. So, if that's a thing for you, you may want to research more morally sound brands.
FinallyMe
Member
I am also 6 weeks post-op. I truly enjoy the Fairlife brand skim milk (it helps with my lactose intolerance) for a shake base with my powders or even just to flavor with extracts and make a milkshake bc it already has high protein and lower carb and 0 fat unlike standard protein shakes. I always buy the Pro or Elite versions of shakes so I get more protein grams per ounce of liquid. They cost more but it has kept my nutrition goals where they needed to be.
Since getting into Phase 3 (meats/veg/fruit ok) I had my first bought of nausea after having meat that wasn't pureed into a salad like tuna salad. I am giving myself another month of tuna salad or chicken salad, or taco beef/salsa/cheese salad. I don't eat an egg every day since I didn't tolerate more than a bite one am. I have an egg once a week with cheese and spices. My dietician encouraged using spices including salt to make things less SWEET, so I have added a tsp of salt to caramel or PB shake flavors and it gives it just enough dif taste. Zero Sugar Greek or Skyr yogurt are my go to no brainer bc they are just open and eat and the perfect amount to split into 2 meals.
Watch your macros with an app so you truly see what you have eaten each day before dinner, then decide how to beef up your protein between dinner and after drinks to complete your day. This is where I can cut carbs or fats out while I decide on how to get the rest of my protein at the end of the day. My app let me set custom nutrition targets which helps me remember.
I loved tacos before surgery, so lean beef, taco seasoning, and plain greek yogurt are an easy go to for me. Think about what your favorite foods were before and how you can recreate them. Ask your dietician for recipe ideas sheet or there may be one on this site.
Since getting into Phase 3 (meats/veg/fruit ok) I had my first bought of nausea after having meat that wasn't pureed into a salad like tuna salad. I am giving myself another month of tuna salad or chicken salad, or taco beef/salsa/cheese salad. I don't eat an egg every day since I didn't tolerate more than a bite one am. I have an egg once a week with cheese and spices. My dietician encouraged using spices including salt to make things less SWEET, so I have added a tsp of salt to caramel or PB shake flavors and it gives it just enough dif taste. Zero Sugar Greek or Skyr yogurt are my go to no brainer bc they are just open and eat and the perfect amount to split into 2 meals.
Watch your macros with an app so you truly see what you have eaten each day before dinner, then decide how to beef up your protein between dinner and after drinks to complete your day. This is where I can cut carbs or fats out while I decide on how to get the rest of my protein at the end of the day. My app let me set custom nutrition targets which helps me remember.
I loved tacos before surgery, so lean beef, taco seasoning, and plain greek yogurt are an easy go to for me. Think about what your favorite foods were before and how you can recreate them. Ask your dietician for recipe ideas sheet or there may be one on this site.
I havent seen a dietitian since preop. Maybe thats something i need to ask about. I am to the point I can eat meat and non starchy vegetables now but now that I am reading your comments it looks like I am tying so hard to stick with exactly what the paper says and overthinking it out of fear of screwing this up that I forget that I can "spice" things up. I am not even sure how many calories I am supposed to consume. Thank you all for your input. Seriously. I am usually the one that takes care of everyone else but this whole taking care of myself thing is foreign territory and boy has it really made me feel dumb on more than one occasion. LOL
missyinacage
Member
Calories are tricky when you're this early out. I was told not to count or even look at them. If you're focused on your protein and drinking 64oz of water, you probably can't fit enough extra calories in to worry about it. Its when you start eating things that aren't protein and veg that calories again become an issue.