Smoothie King Gladiator--question

Hi everyone!
     OK, so I'm gearing up for my surgery date which is September 21st, and I've recently started my liquid diet.  The doctor didn't really recommend any specific diet, they just said that I could incorporate things from the first phases of the diet (liquids).  Phase 2 has the Gladiator, and I was wondering if that would be ok for me to drink during this liquid diet phase or if I should not drink it for some reason.  It's so tasty that it seems almost like I'm cheating to drink it.  For those of you that drink it, how much would you say should be a limit during the day?  Which fruits do you get, and do certain fruits make it higher in calories/carbs?  It would be so easy for me to drink those at work instead of having to stop and make a shake because honestly my schedule just does not allow that.  I am with students constantly for the entire day and don't even get a 5 minute break between classes.  Can't exactly excuse myself to use the Magic Bullet.  So I'm trying to find a workable solution.  just don't want to drink too many of these Smoothies.  Please give me your advice, and if I'm totally off target.....please be nice :)

Peace~
Kara

The vanilla is pretty good by itself and low in carbs. A 20oz serving from Smoothie King only has 7 grams of carbs. 

Hi Kara! I love smoothie king! I usually get the low carb banana, chocolate, strawberry or vanilla. These have 39 grams of protein and only 7 carbs. Check out their nutrition info on their website.
http://www.smoothieking.com/smoothies/nutritional-chart.php. These are really good and I dont see any reason you couldnt use them on the liquid phase once you are past the clear liquids. Just remember to sip them and dont be surprised if the cold doesnt settle well on your new tummy. Some people tolerate warm better than cold after surgery. Congrats on your up coming surgery! Keep us posted on how you are doing!
Debby

i love the strawberry gladiator! i live off of them!

good luck on your upcoming surgery!

At the Smoothie King store, I get the 20 oz. vanilla Gladiator (45 grams of protein!) with no fruit and added fiber blend. It's excellent! I bought a big container of the Gladiator powder and make it at home, since I live an hour from the nearest store. I mix 2 scoops with 8 oz. of ice cold water, blend briefly, then added ice cubes and blend very well until really smooth. It's fabulous! I have one every morning and get a load of protein in to start the day. I don't hesitate to recommend it. I understand you not being able to make one at work. That's why I make mine in the morning and drink on my way to work (long drive). The $4.99 cost per day is worth it to you for the yumminess factor and the convenience. Good Luck on your journey and ENJOY S.K.!!!

i see no reason you can't have these at this phase but make sure you get the nutritional information which they have at the stores depending on what fruit is added. and recognize that early on after surgery, you will have to leave the fruit out of smoothie king until cleared by surgeon. post op liquid phase generally does not include any pureed fruit or other real food until staple line is healed. gl. D

 Thanks to you all for your responses!  I will definitely keep all of that in mind!! Have a great evening!!

Hello everyone.  I stumbled on this post when I was googled "Gladiator Smoothie King," as I too was captivated at how seemingly healthy the concoction was.  I have been eating this smoothie for the last year in order to get my protein fix, and was so happy that it seemingly only contained natural frui****er/ice, and protein powder.

However... after doing some deeper digging, I have learned that WE HAVE ALL BEEN LIED TO!

I called the main Smoothie King phone number (1-800-577-4200, in case you would like to call yourself), and inquired.  Specifically, I asked about the strawberries they use as they always seem to be in a soupy/syrupy bath, even though the SK workers claim that are just natural strawberries.  The woman on the phone confirmed that they are some sort of proprietary Smoothie King strawberry blend which contains strawberries, water, and CANE SUGAR.  

How much cane sugar?  Well, she could not break out how much sugar was added, but instead provided me with the total sugar content for 1 serving (2 ounces)... which turned out to be 35g of SUGAR.  And she confirmed that a medium Gladiator smoothie (which is what I have been living on for a year) contains 2 servings of the junk... or 70g of SUGAR... just from the strawberries!

 

To put this into perspective, using a little more googling, you can find out that 4 ounces of strawberries contains about 5.6g grams of sugar.  This means that SMOOTHIE KING IS ADDING ABOUT 64.4g OF SUGAR PER MEDIUM GLADIATOR SMOOTHIE.

 

Be careful before you trust what the people in the store tell you and do a bit of a research.  I for one have ordered my last Strawberry Banana Gladiator smoothie, and will be making them at home instead where I know what is going in.  I've made it before with frozen organic strawberries, bananas, and whey protein with no artificial sweeteners (the Gladiator protein has sucralose in it), and it tastes pretty darn close.

The Gladiator Smoothie only has 1g of carbs per 2 scoops of powder and 45g of protein and 180 calories. That is WITHOUT fruit.
It comes with 2 servings of fruit. I always specify that I want only 1 serving of fruit in mine.

I have the tubs of gladiator powder at home but I also have a smoothie king between here and my office so I often stop in at lunch or sometimes after work. Great meal replacement.

My favorite is the vanilla with banana but I've cut back on the bananas and now I'm sticking with vanilla with strawberries.