Protein shakes

Hi.  I have go buy protein shakes for after my surgery.  There are so many brands and places to buy them, it is overwhelming.  Can anyone give some advise on where I should start to look, brands and flavors you like, and if do I just buy small samples first to see if I like them?

I make my own.  That way you can change up the flavor.  Choc peanut butter, pina colada, orange creamscicle.  Whey protein in Vanilla and Chocolate with fat free milk and ice cubes are all you need.  Great site called the world according to egg face, TONS of recipes on there.    GOOD LUCK and be adventerous!!

I have used all kinds of protien pre / post surgery. I am so over the chocolate, vanilla, strawberry thick milk based shakes. I found Nectar and it is very thin and comes in tons of flavors like fuzzy navel, fruit punch and iced tea.

http://www.si03.com/reg_index.htm

THE HYPE
Welcome to the critically acclaimed world of Nectar™! Gone are the days of low-quality whey protein. Gone are the days of those blah-tasting protein drinks that promise much but deliver little. Nectar™ once and for all breaks the mold by combining Promina™, the highest quality whey protein isolate ever developed, with a flavoring system so fruitilicious that you will never drink a different whey protein shake ever again.
If you like the refreshing taste of fruit juice, you'll love Nectar™! With its mouthwatering fruit juice flavors, Nectar™ is truly a protein drink you will look forward to drinking each and every day. Whether it be Apple Ecstasy, Caribbean Cooler, Crystal Sky, Fuzzy Navel, Lemon Tea, Pink Grapefruit, Roadside Lemonade, Strawberry Kiwi or Twisted Cherry, Nectar™ will keep you coming back for more.
What's more? Well, we did something totally amazing by engineering Nectar™ to be so delicious that you can eat it right out of the container. Imagine putting a protein powder in your mouth and it tasting like candy. Imagine this protein powder having ZERO carbs and ZERO fat. Stop imagining! We've brought you Nectar™!
THE FACTS
1. What is Nectar™?
Nectar™ is a whey protein isolate powder that has the taste and sensory characteristics of fresh fruit juice.
2. Why only whey protein isolate?
Although more expensive than protein concentrates, protein isolates are a minimum of 90% protein and have zero fat and zero carbohydrates. They are considered the luxury proteins and have a refined taste and color profile. Promina™ brand whey protein is the only protein source used in Nectar™ because of its superior neutral taste, solubility and mouthfeel.
3. How can Nectar™ be pure protein without sugar . . . it tastes too sweet and too good?
First, Nectar™ contains the purest whey protein ever created. It is snow white without the usual protein aftertaste associated with most whey proteins. Second, the flavors are engineered specifically so that Nectar™ has no protein off-notes or aftertastes. Only the taste of fresh fruit is noticeable. The sweetness comes from the precise blend of two high intensity, non-nutritive sweeteners.
4. How much water should Nectar™ be mixed in?
This is based on taste preference. Nectar™ tastes delicious in 8–16 ounces of water per full scoop. We recommend to start with 8 ounces of water. If it tastes too strong, then dilute it/weaken it with an appropriate amount of water.
5. Can Nectar™ be consumed in any other way?
Yes! Nectar™ can be eaten like candy right out of the container. Furthermore, Nectar™ can be blended with fruit, fruit juice or ice for new, exciting tastes and mouthfeels.

 I've tried so many that I was sure that there were not going to be any that I liked until I tried Premire Nutrition Protein.  I buy it by the case at Costco.  Look into it!

 I chose Designer Whey it mixes easily and taste great, price not too bad either.

I usually just use Isopure unflavored protein powder. That way I can mix it with anything and add stuff to it for flavor. DaVinci or Torani syrups are the best thing for making protein shakes palatable.

I will say that the first few weeks the effort of trying to figure out what I liked and the fact that everything tasted horrible meant that I didn't feel like trying to make good shakes. At that stage I drank a lot of ready to drink proteins.

Vitamin Shoppe and GNC are good places to get either powders or RTD shakes. And you can order online. I would definitely try to sample stuff first and don't buy a ton of stuff pre-surg because it's a good bet that your tastes will change and what is good now won't be later. It's a lot of trial and error!

Definitely check out Eggface's blog for some ideas, tho!

It IS a really good idea to try samples of many - it may take a while for you to find one you like, and you don't want to keep buying big buckets of protein and then finding out it tastes yucky to you.  Eggface does have a great site.  Cleoptra_Nik also has a website FULL of different protein shake recipes.  I believe her url is www.bariatricfoodie.com .  One great source of samples is  www.vitalady.com. She has lots and lots of different brands and flavors you can try for a couple of bucks a piece.

Also, below is a list that Teddy J. shared with the board several months ago.  It is a great resource full of free and almost-free samples.  I sent for every single one, and it was so much fun getting them all in the mail and trying them!  Here you go - hope this helps somewhat. (All comments are also Teddy's and we should recognize the huge amount of work she put into this). 



About Time Protein Products - 2 servings Total cost 2.99 http://www.shopabouttime.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode= TrialPack

Unjury Starter Kit with Mixing bottle - 12 servings Cost 17.95+6.00 shipping http://www.unjury.com/store/protein/unjury-protein/unjury-st arter-pack.html

Click Coffee Protein Drinks - Email them first about a sample and they will email you a half price code for samples and the instructions on how to use it. You will then get 2 servings for about 3.00 Total. http://www.drinkclick.com/shop.html

Bariatric Advantage Sample kit - They arent free anymore. it is 8.95 I dont remember shipping but is was some of everything they have for your surgery type. http://www.bariatricadvantage.com/catalog/itemHandler?id=192 0

MY PERSONAL FAVORITE - Chike Nutrition - You pay 6.99 shipping for 5 servings. http://www.chikenutrition.com/free-sample.html

Celebrate Vitamins - Email form request and surgery type and they will send you a bunch for free. http://www.celebratevitamins.com/component/chronocontact/?ch ronoformname=sample

Bell Plantation PB2 - Peanut butter powder for shakes and cooking AWESOME! 3.99 shipping included. http://store.bellplantation.com/PB2-Chocolate-PB2-Sampler-p/ spb2-cpb2-1d.htm

Building Blocks - Email them about samples, I think mine were free. http://www.bbvitamins.com/Contact.aspx

Syntrax Nectar - 13 ct sample pack direct from the company is now $13.00 no shipping. Just call them at 866-333-7403. There is an option on the phone tree for bariatric. http://www.si03.com/

BJ Bariatrics - Nectar sample pack 12.92+5.00 shipping http://www.bjsbariatrics.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&St ore_Code=bjb&Product_Code=synSamplePack&Category_Code=syn

Kaffree Roma - For those needing to get off coffee for a while or forever. Caffeine free and taste awesome. There product locater helps a lot most Martins carry it in the organic section. http://www.morningstarfarms.com/product_detail.aspx?family=3 698&id=302

Designer Whey - Email them why you want samples and they send them. http://www.designerwhey.com/

Set Point Health - Email them why you want samples and they will send you a list of what is available and send them. https://setpointhealth.com/ws_setpointhealth/main/main.asp#

4Ever Fit - Email them that you would like to try the Fruit Blast Natural (truvia), the Fruit Blast the Isolate, and 4ever Whey Protein and why and they will send samples. http://4everfit.com/

Champion Nutrition - Email them that you would like to try the Champion Pure Whey and why and they will send samples. http://www.championnutrition.com/

Ultimate Nutrition - Email or call that you would like to try the Prostar Whey and they will send samples. http://ultimatenutrition.com/

Permalean - Email that you would like to try the shakes and bars and they will send you some. I like these. http://www.permalean.com/

Quest Protein - Fill out the form but they will take awhile to mail them to you. http://www.questproteinbar.com/free/index.asp

Premier Nutrition - My FAVORITE protein bar. Email them and tell them you want to try the Titan, Twisted and Premier Bar. They will also send shake samples. [email protected] or http://www.premiernutrition.com/

Focus 28 - Email that you would like to try their products and they will send you many. https://store.focus28diet.com

Just as a footnote:  Some of the info may need to be updated so I'm not making any promises that everything still costs the same for shipping OR that the companies listed even still give out samples.  It is  a great starting point though=)

Great advice, Amy - I was going to suggest the same thing.  Everyone told me to just get samples for after surgery because it would be silly to find something I liked pre-op since our tastes seem to change dramatically post-op.  My personal favorite ended up being Champion Pure Whey Stack Chocolate - mixed with lactose-free milk, Splenda, and coffee (delish!)...but, Champion changed their formula this year, and replaced some of the whey protein with whole milk powder, which not only wreaked havoc with my guts because of my lactose-intolerance, but also made it an inferior source of protein.  I have since swithced to Optimum Nutrition's Gold Standard Double Rich Chocolate.  It doesn't taste quite as "chocolatey" as the Champion, but it's a better source of protein and doesn't have me feeling like crap every time I drink it.

Amy  - thank you for all the great advice - I am going to start sending away for samples now.  Really appreciate it!