If you don’t love your protein drinks – let’s see if we can come up with some idea’s that will change your perspective. -Teresa White
At nearly seven years post op, I have learned many lessons about protein. One of the things I discovered early in my weight loss journey was that I could not get in the amount of protein that my surgeon required by simply eating. It sounds good on paper that we can eat the required protein amounts, but it doesn’t work in real life. Once I accepted the fact that supplementing my protein intake would be a new way of life for me, I started to experiment with tastes and recipes. The difference between what we need and what we can comfortably eat with higher protein foods can easily be made up with protein drinks so we can remain healthy and strong while we lose ALL the weight.
Another hard lesson I have learned is to not rely on only one protein shake. It’s not uncommon for a protein manufacturer to suddenly top production of a certain brand or flavor – I got tired of feeling devastated and left scrambling to find a new protein drink to drink. I knew that I needed to find more than one drink that I loved so I could have choices each day and not grow sick of the same flavor. Being attached to something is not healthy, even if it’s a PROTEIN shake.
When mixing shakes I generally have four bases and my favorite base is vanilla because it is so flexible. My personal choice for vanilla is the Perfect Natural Isopure Vanilla. Its clean smooth vanilla bean flavor contains the highest quality protein isolate.
You can do anything with vanilla, like magic it can even be turned into chocolate by adding a teaspoon of cocoa powder! Here are some specific ideas that have made my own personal journey and loss and maintenance of 235 pounds easier and more enjoyable. Remember protein supplementation does not have to be a punishment!
In the morning many of us have to have our coffee in order to function, and I am one of those people too! There is nothing easier than using a scoop of Perfect Natural Isopure Vanilla with your cup of coffee in the morning in place of creamer or milk. Add a little room temperature water to the scoop of protein in your mug, blend until smooth, and then fill slowly with coffee for a Creamy Vanilla Cappuccino! Or add a scoop of Perfect Natural Isopure Chocolate in the same way for a Mocha Cappuccino!! Life is good when you can sip a great tasting Cappuccino that has 25 grams of protein and is good for you!
You can also add fruit to your Perfect Natural Isopure Vanilla, but keep in mind fruits are higher in carbohydrates in the form of natural sugar. If you do decide to add fruit to your protein always keep in mind that berries are the lowest in both carbs and sugar. I keep bags of frozen strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and blueberries on hand and add just ¼ cup to my vanilla protein in the blender for a fantastic fruit smoothie.
I have noticed that many people add ½ of a banana or a whole banana to a shake. Keep in mind that bananas are high in fructose, which is another name for sugar, and will slow down your weight loss. Bananas also make many people sick from the high concentration of sugar and carbs. Even a medium banana can have 30 grams of carbohydrate. Use a small piece of banana no more than one or two inches long: as it adds plenty of flavor to your shake. With that being said, I am 7 years post op and I tolerate banana quite well, I am at goal and banana does not trigger mindless eating for me. I suggest you do what works for you here, if you can eat a banana without dumping or bingeing, then you make a choice. That is what I do. Berries are the lowest on the glycemic scale when it comes to fruit.
Just after my gastric bypass my new pouch was often tense in the mornings after going all night with no food or liquid. A quick easy remedy was a warm smooth drink sipped slowly first thing in the morning. Now, I find that the Chike chocolate flavor is the perfect base for a warm chocolate protein drink.
Chike chocolate is made into a warm chocolate drink is quite simply one of my favorite beverages. It is soothing to my pouch to sip a warm drink than the shock of a cold or frosty drink. The formula for a warm hot protein cocoa is easy if you do it right. Place a scoop of Chike (or your favorite chocolate protein) in your favorite mug and add just 2 tablespoons of cool water to make it into a paste – stirring it well to make it smooth. Then add hot but not boiling water to the mug and whip it up a bit with your spoon. This ‘hot chocolate’ is better than Swiss Miss hot chocolate – but the is very low in sugar and loaded with protein. Sometimes I add a pinch of cinnamon and occasionally I treat myself with a small squirt of Reddi Wipp or Cool Whip. Chike can be enjoyed as a cold drink as well and it’s a deep rich chocolate that is sweet but not too sweet. Occasionally I add a tablespoon of PB2 to the warm chocolate drink and it is like sipping a warm melted Reese’s Cup! There is nothing like warm chocolate, unless it’s warm chocolate with peanut butter! It’s hard to believe that either of these drinks are PROTEIN DRINKS.
Protein is great to drink just mixed with cold water however it offers other food options that many folks never think of. There is nothing like half a cup of plain or Greek yogurt swirled with a heaping spoonful of Nectar Fuzzy Navel protein powder and a few almond slivers for a high protein, great tasting breakfast! Or put that in the freezer with some marcciano cherries for a frozen fruit salad.
I also make myself a Protein Pancake; a mixture of ½ cup cottage cheese, 1 egg, 1 scoop of your favorite flavor of powdered protein, and a tablespoon of flour in my blender with a tablespoon or two of water to make a thick smooth batter. Pour into a hot non-stick skillet that you have sprayed with non-stick cooking spray; let it set and brown lightly, then flip and cook a minute until done. Serve with a little Steels Sugar Free Country Syrup or a smear of Natures Hollow sugar free preserves or just some fresh berries. WOW! There are lots of little tricks that I have incorporated in my plan along the way to boost my protein.
My surgeon recommended that I take in a minimum of 85 grams of protein a day. Having a plan for this success and a great variety of proteins has made this easier for me and I do manage to get around 85 gms a day. . This is how I not only lost the ‘easy’ first one hundred pounds, but the remaining one hundred and thirty five pounds for a total two hundred and thirty five pound weight loss. I use protein to keep me full and fuel my body to burn fat.
Another protein secret of the trade is adding our flavorless Isopure protein to any food or drink hot or cold and the amazingly flavorless protein is undetectable to even the pickiest pallet! Place two scoops of Isopure unflavored into your dry bowl or mug and add 2 tablespoons of water give it a stir and let it set while you heat your soup or chili in a pot or in the microwave. Pour the hot soup INTO the liquid Iso-Pure you have made in your mug. Stir it up and you don’t even know it is there. Last but not least are my coffee based supplements. I never knew that I liked coffee until after I had bariatric surgery. My days were always filled with 12 packs of Coke and Pepsi, and now I like to savor a cup of espresso or cappuccino.
There is no need for Starbucks in my life when I can whip up my own great tasting coffee drinks that are filled with protein. Click is my protein of choice for a great tasting coffee base. To me there is nothing easier or tastier than taking a a scoop of Chike and a half a scoop of Perfect Natural Isopure vanilla, blending with a little cool water, filling the mug with hot but not boiling water or COFFEE or even cold water and ice for a chilled drink, and adding a generous amount of DaVinci Sugar Free Caramel Syrup. It is a rich tasty experience that not only gives me over 30 grams of protein but is crazy delicious!
I do not drink RTD’s (Ready To Drink Proteins) they are relatively expensive, and I am not on the go that much that I have to rely on RTD’s.. I make home made protein bars as opposed to buying them, unless I am traveling, then I will buy bars. Sometimes I carry protein powder in an individual packet to add to water while I am out.
Looking back I realize that when I was morbidly obese there was no problem with my mind figuring out how to use vanilla or chocolate Ice Cream as a base for desserts. Now in order to remain a successful post op, I have to redirect my thinking and combine flavors and ideas into healthy pouch-worthy recipes.
If you love food… think of the flavors you love in terms of protein flavorings and drink them up!
So, yeah, you see me stealing your post. 🙂
LOL, go ahead steal away!!! 😉
homemade protein bars??? I’d love to see your recipies! And thanks for for the recommendations on shakes.
You are so welcome and I get all those recipes from Linda Farnsworth’s recipe site. She is on my blog roll on the Home page.
Teresa, someone sent me some Natural Isopure vanilla… and you know, that stuff does work well in recipes! I like it made with some sugar free Big Train chai mix…. I never believed that it was good until I tried it… I will have to give some of your other recipes a whirl!
So, um…. yes, I needed this! Thank you!
Thanks for the information I am 6 years postop and I have gained about 40 lbs back. Reading your blogs has given me a lot of information and inspiration on getting back on track of losing my weight. I got out of going to support groups and my surgery Doctor stopped taking my insurance so I sort of just got off track and forgot how important the protein is for me. Thanks for the receipes and ideas on how to get my protein back in line. Keep up the good work you are doing and all your inspiration.
I really like this post. so much to think about and to do. I’m 9 months out from my surgery and have been feeling like I’ve lost some ground. I hope you don’t mind but I’ve copied down some of your points as reminders. Thank you for posting this!
Ok, I am 5 days post-op and I am sooo struggling with the whole protein thing. I was told to use Beneprotein (unflavored) in everything and it is so nasty i end up gagging. Where do you buy the ones you use? Chike has free samples on their site right now and i am thinking of trying them. I can also relate to the morning tightness, sipping water through out the night(if you wake) seems to help as well.I am for sure going to try the warm coco in the am 🙂 Thanks so much for this, I needed this right now and like a prayer there it was..thanks 🙂
Candi,
Chike is available at celebratevitamins.com and you can call the toll free number and see if they have samples 877-424-1953. I love chike, it is one of the few proteins I will drink at 7 years post op. Isopure has a great tasting unflavored protein that you can pick up anywhere. Also, bariatriceating.com has a very high quality unflavored protein called Pure. If you order from there, it is a GREAT protein (pure) just call and confirm that it is in stock before you order. You are too early post op to go without. So you want to make sure it is available before you order.. May you heal quickly and have an uneventful surgery… {hugs}
I just discovered your Blog and I love your post on protein.
I am just starting the WLS process. The surgeon that I have choosen has you go to a seminar before your first appointment, and I go next Thursday, Oct. 21 for that.
I am so excited and have been reading anything I can find on WLS.
Thanks for sharing your journey.