Vitamins

[Desiree0023]

Is there anyone on here that hasn’t took the vitamins at all and there labs are ok ? Like they don’t even need vitamins? Is that possible? Also anyone have good recommendations on multi vitamins chewable that are good ? Also any for calcium?

 

[Desiree0023]

Their **

 

[dianeseattle]

Desi, malabsorption leads to malnutrition and malnutrition leads to death. No, you can never not take vitamins. You have to take two multivitamins everyday for the rest of your life. Your nutritionist will advise you what vitamins you need to take. I'll also share my vitamin routine in a different post. But for now just know that you want to take vitamins after surgery because they contribute so easily to your health. Most people don't get nearly enough vitamins and minerals even if they're of normal weight. You are going to be a superstar and part of that is going to be your amazing nutritional plan.

 

[dianeseattle]

I take two daily multivitamins, as instructed by my surgeon. I take additional B complex, vitamin C, vitamin d, iron, two probiotics, 500 mg of calcium 3 times a day. the multivitamins, from Trader Joe's, are specially formulated for women and high potency. They're also chewable, as is the vitamin C tab I take every day.

I use pb-8 probiotics which I buy at Amazon. When I can afford it, I also buy fish oil. I had to test the gel capsule's ability to break down before it passed out of my system. I am happy to report that it works just fine.

All my other vitamins I take with water and I have already tested their dissolvability.

The hardest one to find is calcium citrate, in the right dose. Your body cannot absorb more than 500 mg of calcium in each dose. And women need 1500 mg of calcium daily.

Additionally, I prefer calcium citrate to calcium carbonate because it absorbs more fully without any possible side effects. It is almost impossible to get calcium citrate. I walked the supplements aisle at a drug store the other day and went through every brand, and only one was calcium citrate. And it was 640 mg per dose, which I can't understand how they arrived at, but I simply will not settle for less then a perfect dose. At my age especially, I have to make sure my bone density is strong.

And as I mentioned before, I read my metabolic panels like the Bible and check to see that I am within range for every required vitamin or mineral.

But what works for me might not work for someone else. There is no cookie-cutter metabolism. One thing people have reported frequently in this group is chronic iron deficiency that is genetically inherited. There are people here who have written about having to go into the hospital for iron infusions. So I would never suggest to them that they take the exact supplements I do. You have to find out how your body is handling your nutrients and adjust levels accordingly.

I feel strongly that this is something people should discuss with their bariatric teams. Malnutrition kills and bariatric surgery promotes malabsorption, which can lead to malnutrition very easily. Nutrients and water intake are probably the two most important elements of the post-operative life to keep in perfect condition.

 

[missyinacage]

Hi. I don't know anyone who doesn't have to take them and was specifically told that I would have to take them forever. I take 4 chewable Optisource vitamins per day. My programs actually sells them from the office at a discount so I just pick them up there. They are about $30 a month off Amazon. My doctors only recommend those or Fusion, which has more flavors and is apprx. $35 a month off Amazon. Check with your health care team to see which they recommend. Many times they have samples and/or coupons so you can try a few out without breaking the bank.

 

[WazzuCoug]

Taking a multi-vitamin is quite important to fill any gaps you might have in your diet. An extremely diverse diet (lots of plants and whole foods) can minimize the need for vitamin supplementation, but given the malabsorption of RNY and DS, and the restricted intake of all WLS, we really do need to enhance our vitamin intake and focus on foods that feed our microbiome. Sleeve patients do not have the same malabsorption issues as RNY and DS, but we also generally don't eat the volume necessary to get enough micronutrients to satisfy our needs.

The bariatric branded vitamins (like Bariatric Fusion, Bariatric Advantage, etc.) are most likely to have a vitamin, either chewable or not that fit the bill. If you are looking at non-bariatric vitamins, they often don't have vitamins at a reasonable level to be effective enough on a regular dose, and you end up needing more than the regular dose. However, many people do get what they need from a "regular" multi-vitamin. Everyone's needs are slightly different depending on their diet, microbiome and physiology.

Getting blood tests for key vitamins and nutrients such as B-12, D, Iron, Folate, and Thiamine are especially important during rapid weight loss. Your doctor may want to test for other things too, but be sure to work with your doctor and dietician to get on the right path of good vitamin levels.

The best thing you can do is eat diverse foods (especially plants) and take a multi-vitamin that fills in the gaps.

Work with your doctor and dietician to determine where you may be deficient and go from there. Don't go at it alone or just try to do what other people are doing.

 

[TraceyT]

Is there anyone on here that hasn’t took the vitamins at all and there labs are ok ? Like they don’t even need vitamins? Is that possible? Also anyone have good recommendations on multi vitamins chewable that are good ? Also any for calcium?

I use the Celebrate multi-vitamins and Calcium Citrate. I wasn't able to deal with the chew-able vitamins so I take a multi-vitamin capsules. MUCH easier to take for me!

 

[3momchaos]

I can’t take the bariatric vitamins because of the biotin in them. My endocrinologist doesn’t want me on any biotin because it blocks the absorption of thyroid meds. I will be taking multivitamins and calcium citrate daily though. I already take one multivitamin a day, but I will increase after my surgery.

 

[Ida]

Taking a multi-vitamin is quite important to fill any gaps you might have in your diet. An extremely diverse diet (lots of plants and whole foods) can minimize the need for vitamin supplementation, but given the malabsorption of RNY and DS, and the restricted intake of all WLS, we really do need to enhance our vitamin intake and focus on foods that feed our microbiome. Sleeve patients do not have the same malabsorption issues as RNY and DS, but we also generally don't eat the volume necessary to get enough micronutrients to satisfy our needs.

The bariatric branded vitamins (like Bariatric Fusion, Bariatric Advantage, etc.) are most likely to have a vitamin, either chewable or not that fit the bill. If you are looking at non-bariatric vitamins, they often don't have vitamins at a reasonable level to be effective enough on a regular dose, and you end up needing more than the regular dose. However, many people do get what they need from a "regular" multi-vitamin. Everyone's needs are slightly different depending on their diet, microbiome and physiology.

Getting blood tests for key vitamins and nutrients such as B-12, D, Iron, Folate, and Thiamine are especially important during rapid weight loss. Your doctor may want to test for other things too, but be sure to work with your doctor and dietician to get on the right path of good vitamin levels.

The best thing you can do is eat diverse foods (especially plants) and take a multi-vitamin that fills in the gaps.

Work with your doctor and dietician to determine where you may be deficient and go from there. Don't go at it alone or just try to do what other people are doing.

Bariatric Fusion, Bariatric Advantage is a plus for me. Just one pill a day has every thing you need. I just take extra vitamin D, also gummies are not recommended! Great information.