Diet, protein and vitamins

My surgery is Monday...my dr's office put me on a two day liquid diet.  They told me to drink sugar free carnation instant breakfast.  My post op diet has instant breakfast on it too...from what I have read, people are drinking protein drinks.  Any ideas why I was told to drink instant breakfast instead of protein drinks?  The only vitamins I have been told to take are chewable kids vitamins until I meet with back with them two weeks post op.  Does this sound ok to everyone who has done this? I quess my main concern is the protein drinks that I'm not drinking...

There is no sugar free carnation instant breakfast.  There is no sugar added, but it's made from milk so it still has some sugar in it.  You could ask your surgeon why he recommends that instead of protein drinks.  Some docs suggest using it because it's cheaper and easier to find than protein drinks.  The downside is that it doesn't have that much protein in it.  Eight ounces has only 13 grams, so you'd need to drink five or six a day to get enough protein.

Some surgeons do recommend kids' vitamins but no, it doesn't sound OK to me.  The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery says to avoid kids' vitamins that are incomplete (and most are).  Also, the ASMBS says to start taking your iron as soon as you are discharged from the hospital as well as your multivitamin.

There's not much I can do about it now..since surgery is Monday.  I think I will have my husband get a protein drink for when I get home.  I am drinking 6 a day right now. How long do I drink the protein drinks  and how much protein do I need a day?  I wonder if they aren't having me take actual vitamins and iron until I'm able to move on from liquids?? 

You need to drink protein drinks until you are able to get enough protein from your food.  Some people manage that in just a few weeks after surgery, others keep using protein shakes for years.

The ASMBS suggests 1.1 gram protein per kilogram of ideal body weight, which works out to about half a gram of protein for every pound of your ideal weight.

the carnation was on my approved list to drink - some people just tolerate it better i suppose. it's also easier to get. but they did say we needed to add a scoop of powdered milk for more protein.

i wasn't given my RX for vitamins until my 1 week follow up, i think they just wanted us to focus on getting in the protein and liquids and just adjusting those first few days. it can get overwhelming.