Pre-op liquid diet - HELP!

Hi everyone

My name is Jen and I'm new to the board.

Tomorrow (technically today) when I wake up, I have to begin my 2 week pre-op liquid diet.  There is just one problem: I can barely get the nasty shakes down past my gag reflex.  The protocol is 3 Carnation sugar-free breakfast shakes per day, plus allowances for chicken broth, tomato juice and apples. 

I take a multivitamin every day.  Each shake provides only 5g of protein, the rest is just vitamins.  It's the milk that I'm supposed to mix with it that has all the protein, so I'm thinking of just having the 8oz of skim milk three times a day.  Unless there is a shake similar in calories (80 cals per unmixed pouch) that I could use instead?  Any tips?

~Jen

I did 3.5 weeks pre op diet (because i'm neurotic) and used Unjury and am still using it post op.  Love it.  I would suggest going to stores to find a more substantial protein shake mix since from reading many posts there are many other choices.  Personally I love Unjury (20 grams protein per shake) - doesn't taste like a protein shake to me at all, but a good chocolate milk shake.

Good luck on your adventure!

try mixing it with some ice in the blender, you get more of a milkshake consistency.

 I just started my liquid diet and I mix yougert or a banna with mine in a blender and that helps alot its a hard diet but it works 

My protein of choice is also Unjury. If you put a couple scoops in milk and keep it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, it dissolves and is much better tasting. I keep it in a covered plastic container and it is easy to add to soup, etc.

This is going to sound really strange, because I have always been fat, but I really really like the Bariatric Advantage shakes.  I am on day 6 of my PreOp liquid protein diet, and I really am proud of myself, because I have stayed true to it.  I don't get "hungry"  I get to where I miss eating something.  But honestly they have alot of protein in them( I think 27 grams of protein), and fiber and they keep me satisfied.  I am in the Super Morbidly Obese catagory and if they keep me satisfied, I think that is a HUGE statement.
And I just mix it with water.  The whole thing is 150 calories not bad at all.

Good luck with it, let us know how you are doing.

Kelley

first, there is no sugar free Carnation instant breakfast.  There is "no sugar added" but that still has sugar.

If you mix them with one cup of skim milk, you'd only be getting 39 grams of protein a day, not very good when you're preparing for major surgery.  There are many, many protein shakes that will give you much more protein for the same amount of calories.  I suggest a trip to GNC or Vitamin Shoppe to check out your options.

If you decide to do the NSA Carnation, I would do more than three a day in order to get sufficient amounts of protein.  Going into surgery low on protein sounds dangerous to me.

I agree with the low amounts of protein, my surgeon told me to use CIB shakes as a LAST RESORT.  I REALLY like my Optimum Nutrition Whey Protein I get at GNC.  It is a black and red jug. I get the double chocolate (I think) and use chocolate Silk soy milk.  It is AMAZING!!  A ton of protein and tastes great.  I used them before surgery (I was told to have four shakes a day) and still use them in the morning and as an afternoon snack.  I'm usually rushing in the morning, and they "cure" that chocolate craving in the afternoon.

JEN - Please double check with your doctor. Was Instant Breakfast really the only option? I am VERY surprised that he would not give more preference to something with more protein in it.

Oh! Wait! Now I see that your last paragraph did ask about alternative shakes. Okay, what you want to do is to look not in the breakfast aisle, but in the health foods and diet foods section of the supermarket. Or even better, a vitamin store or nutrition store. You'll find PLENTY of protein shakes like the ones others mentioned above.

Thanks, guys!

I made a "trial" strawberry flavored shake last night with 1% milk (even though I'll be using skim for the next 2 weeks).  I tried to get it down, but ended up giving it to my 9 year old son, who happily drank the whole thing.  Figures.

So far today I have only had a chocolate flavored shake mixed with very warm water instead of milk (to try and make a hot chocolate type of thing).
I thought I remember being at the store one time and seeing these packets of protein that you could dissolve in anything - even water.  Was that just my imagination? LOL.  I would love to put that in some V8 or broth and call it a meal.
Going to the store to browse in a bit.