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Protein Shake Recipes

Weight Loss Surgery Protein Shake Recipes

Drinking the same protein shake day after day gets old really fast! Use these recipes to help mix things up and keep your taste buds excited!

(Need to know why, as a surgical weight loss patient, you need protein shakes?)

If you're planning weight loss surgery, I suggest experimenting with the recipes before your gastric bypass or lap-band surgery and deciding on 3-6 recipes that you can rotate between. You'll be drinking multiple shakes for a few weeks after your procedure, and if you drink the same one time after time it'll certainly get boring!

After your surgery, you'll likely continue drinking protein shakes to help you meet your protein requirements. Bookmark this page and come back often to try out new flavor combinations.

All of the following protein shake recipes contain approximately 250 calories or less. I suggest using a protein powder that has at least 15 grams of protein and is around 100 calories. (See my list of recommended brands.)

Note that I recommend skim milk or yogurt (or some combination of the two) as part of the base (along with water) for most protein shake recipes, but feel free to substitute all water if you want to reduce the calories by ~ 45.

I often recommend "skim milk cubes." Freeze skim milk in ice cube trays ahead of time so it's ready to add to your protein shakes. The fact that they're frozen will make your shake a little thicker and adding 2 cubes of milk provides another 2 grams of protein with less than 25 calories. Of course if you're lactose intolerant you can use lactaid milk or soymilk.

I also frequently recommend frozen fruit. That, again, is to make the shake thicker. Of course, plain old water ice cubes will make a shake even thicker.

Protein Shake Guidelines for Various Stages of Weight Loss Surgery

• Pre-weight loss surgery: Use 4 oz skim milk/yogurt + 4 oz water as the base for your protein shake recipes.
• Post-weight loss surgery: (first 1-3 weeks post surgery): Use 2 oz skim milk/lactaid milk/yogurt + 2 oz water as the base and gradually increase to 8 oz total. You'll likely be able to tolerate only a sip or two at a time in the beginning.

Protein Shake Recipes

Creamsicle: Blend 4 oz plain nonfat yogurt or skim milk + 4 oz water + 1 scoop vanilla protein powder + 1/2 cup mandarin oranges, drained + 2 skim milk ice cubes + 1 packet Splenda.

Chocolate Cherry Delight: Blend 4 oz plain nonfat yogurt or skim milk + 4 oz water + 1 scoop chocolate protein powder + 3/4 cup frozen cherries + 2 skim milk ice cubes

Peanut Butter Cup: Blend 4 oz plain nonfat yogurt or skim milk + 4 oz water + 1 scoop chocolate protein powder + 1 Tbsp. natural peanut butter

Coffee Lovers Delight: Blend 8 oz skim milk + 1 scoop vanilla protein powder + 2 skim milk ice cubes + 1 Tbsp. instant decaf coffee + 1/2 tsp. vanilla + 1 packet Splenda

Mocha Java: Blend 8 oz skim milk + 1 scoop chocolate protein powder + 2 skim milk ice cubes + 1 Tbsp. instant decaf coffee + 1 packet Splenda

Almond Delight: Blend 8 oz skim milk + 1 scoop vanilla protein powder + 2 skim milk ice cubes + 1 Tbsp. instant decaf coffee + 1/2 tsp. almond extract + 1 packet Splenda

Strawberry Shortcake: Blend 4 oz plain nonfat yogurt or skim milk + 4 oz water + 1 scoop vanilla protein powder + 1/2 cup frozen strawberries + 1 packet Splenda.

Gone Bananas: Blend 4 oz plain nonfat yogurt or skim milk + 4 oz water + 1 scoop vanilla protein powder + small frozen banana + 1 packet Splenda.(Hint: when bananas start to get brown spots, slice and store in freezer baggie for use in future smoothies)

Vanilla Chai: Blend 8 oz plain nonfat yogurt or skim milk + 1 scoop vanilla protein powder + 1/2 banana + 1/4 tsp. cinnamon + a few dashes of cardamom, coriander, cloves and black pepper + 1 packet Splenda + 2-3 frozen chai tea cubes

Berry Peachy: Blend 4 oz plain nonfat yogurt or skim milk + 4 oz water + 1 scoop vanilla protein powder + 1/2 cup frozen peaches + 1/2 cup frozen cherries or strawberries + 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Tropical Breeze: Blend 4 oz plain nonfat yogurt or skim milk + 4 oz water + 1 scoop vanilla protein powder + 1/2 small papaya (cut in chunks and freeze ahead of time) + 1/2 tsp. coconut exract

Mango Mama: Blend 4 oz plain nonfat yogurt or skim milk + 4 oz water + 1 scoop vanilla protein powder + 1/2 cup frozen mango cubes + 1/2 banana + ice

Eggnog Bliss: Blend 8 oz plain nonfat yogurt or skim milk + 1 scoop vanilla protein powder + pinch of pumpkin pie spice or vanilla + 2 pinches allspice + 1/4 tsp. rum extract + 2 frozen skim milk cubes

Gingerbread Man: Blend 4 oz plain nonfat yogurt or skim milk + 4 oz water + 1 scoop vanilla protein powder + 1 graham cracker + 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon + 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract + 2 frozen skim milk cubes

Pina Colada: Blend 4 oz plain nonfat yogurt or skim milk + 4 oz water + 1 scoop vanilla protein powder + 1/2 banana + 1 frozen OJ cube and 1 frozen pineapple juice cube + 1/4 tsp. coconut extract

Pumpkin Pie In the Sky: Blend 4 oz plain nonfat yogurt or skim milk + 4 oz water + 1 scoop vanilla protein powder + 1/2 cup canned pumpkin + 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice + 1/2 cup frozen butternut squash.

Super low cal protein shake recipes

Dreamy Creamsicle: Blend 8 oz (flat) diet orange soda + 1 scoop vanilla protein powder + 4 frozen lowfat vanilla yogurt cubes (only 150 calories!)

Cherry Pie: Blend 8 oz (flat) diet cherry soda + 1 scoop vanilla protein powder + ice (This one only has ~100 calories!)

Pick the best blender to make your protein shake!

Bottoms up!

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