I have always had 2 - 3 protein shakes a day.  I am about 7.5 months out have about 32 lbs left to go and have lost over 120 from my heaviest.  I recently started tracking my calories just to see where I am.  My Nut has me staying on protein shakes until I hit my goal weight.  However I have been hitting between 75 - 90 grams a day without them.  So with them I am getting like 150 plus an extra 300 calories (2 shakes)  I do work out a lot but not so much I would need that much in a day.   I'd like to try and get as much calories and protein from actual food as I find I am more hungry these days and find I am  eating several small meals instead of 3 meals.  when you add the  2 protein shakes seems I am adding more calories then anything.   I am still eating about 1/2 a quest bar a day with my coffee (its my early morning fix)  I get up at like 3:00 am and work out before work but don't eat my breakfast until like 8:00 am so the 1/2 quest bar with my coffee is like my early morning snack to get me to breakfast. 

Thoughts?

Obviously they aren't necessary for you if you are getting that much protein without them.  Why does your nutritionist want you to drink them when you don't need the extra protein?

I'm over five years out and I still drink protein shakes sometimes because I like them.  I'm usually not in the mood to eat when I first get up so I do a shake for breakfast most days.  But that is instead of eating food for breakfast, not in addition to a meal of food.

yeah seemed obvious to me also but figured I'd throw it out there. 

My guess is she wants people to do it instead of snacks  but I have found my snacks are typically less calories then the shakes.  Also with the working out as much as I do my RA and NUT wanted me to add an extra shake for the calories.  With eating the smaller meals and 2 snacks I am getting enough protein and calories so I think for me its not necessary.   I just started slowing from about 3lbs a week to 1.5 lbs a week and wanted to just make sure I was still on track calorie wise.   When I started looking at the numbers I realized that the protien shakes seemed unnecessary.  I am getting in 1100 - 1300 (usually right at 1200) calories with the 3 meals and 2 snacks.  I think that is okay even with 30 - 90 minute workouts a day.  30 minutes is just to make up for having a very sedentary job and not really doing much as far as weight loss or exercise.    1 - 30 minute run or walk depending on the day  1- cardio or weights or combination that can be 30 - 60 minutes a day

You clearly have a better diet than the average american if your snacks are less than  a protein shake (My atkins ones are around 160 calories).

Take a look at a candy bar..the calorie count is scary!   A package of almonds can even be over the top.

Congrats on your weight loss and being so close to goal!

Keep up the good work and great diet!!

Yeah mine is typically 2 tbsp hummus and a few carrot or cucumber slices (79 calories) or 1/2 a quest bar (95) calories but like I said often I am getting 1200 calories a day and I dont want any more then that at this point and if I had to choose more chewing and food or a shake I choose the food.  :)

I stayed on the protein shakes until I hit goal and for a while after that.  But when I had a regain and asked the nutritionist about adding shakes again, I was told no.

In your case, with all of the protein you are getting without the shakes, I agree that they are just extra calories.  There is also some concerns that people ingesting too much protein may be putting a lot of stress on their kidneys.

When I had surgery great low calorie high protein sources like Greek Yogurt and Quest bars were not available.  Shakes seem less needed now than they did in 2007.

All else equal, real food always beats supplements.  If you can meet your protein requirements without shakes then I absolutely encourage you to do so.

For what it's worth, my surgeon wants his patients to wean off shakes over the course of weeks 6 through 9.

I look at protein shakes as just another food choice that is high in protein.  Some people, like your  nutritionist, seem to think they are somehow better than any other high protein food, and some people seem to think they are terrible for some reason and that it is much better to get your protein from "real food."  Neither of those views make sense to me.  It's just another food choice, no better and no worse than anything else.

Getting your protein from shakes is only better in the early stages when you cannot eat enough solid foods.  Drinking your calories and protein, while not bad, does not have the same long lasting effect on hunger as eating solid food (at least that is the case for me).

My protein goal is at least 100 grams a day.  If I can hit that with food only I don't worry about having a shake.  I can usually hit that if I make sure that each meal is at least 30 grams of protein and then the extra protein from snacks.  Some days I am just too busy to eat so I'll grab a shake and other times I really want to eat a meal that is lower in protein, like a salad so I'll have the shake with it, or if I want to eat oatmeal I add protein powder to it.  But I really don't mind the shakes and bars so it's no big deal.