Sugar Free Calcium Chews

For 2 years I have taken Citracal calcium citrate. I picked up some Spring valley Natural Calcuim Chews with Vitimin D & K and guess what...they are sugar free! They taste like a chocolate tootsie roll! They have 15 calories, 4 carbs and 2g sugar alcohol. I am still taking my citracal and dry D. Anyone else tried these? Does anyone know, how much is too much calcium? The only way I know to tell is by my labs. You know, I am only gonna absorb so much anyway. I am still on the B12 shots X 2 month and my regular vitimins. The only thing my labs ever show that is low is my calcium and vitimin D. Wendy, I know you have done the research so lemme hear from ya.

If they are like all the others I have seen, they are calcium carbonate (the form of calcium we do not absorb).  So they are useless for us from a supplementation point of view.  (So keep taking your calcium citrate because that is the kind we absorb.)

If you like them from a candy point of view, it probably won't hurt you to take one now and then - just know it is useless calories and carbs. 

You CAN get too much calcium.  It can build up and cause various things (incluing hypercalcemia, etc).  This is very rare to begin with and even MORE RARE for us - but not impossible. 

A post-op should take in between 1500 - 2000 mg of calcium from supplementation.  That's 2 Citracal Plus 4 times a day for a total of 2000 mg (spread out as evenly as possible) OR 2 Citracal petites 3 times a day for a total of 1800 mg (spread out as evenly as possible). 

Remember to keep from FURTHER handicapping  your calcium absorption, avoid:
phosphoric acid (found in soft drinks)
carbonation
alcohol
Each of these products has been found to BOOST calcium excretion (how much calcium your body releases in its urine) and RETARD calcium absorption (how much calcium your body absorbs to being with.)  So with these products, you absorb LESS calcium while getting rid of MORE calcium.  Not a good combination.

The upper limit of daily calcium for normies is 2500 mg.  Again this is for "normies" who would absorb that whole 2500 mg.  But since the American Society of Metabolic & Bariatric surgery's recommendations on bariatric post-op nutrition recommend between 1700 - 2000 mg per day... there's not much chance of most of us getting near that unless we do more than recommended since we eat so little.

Hope that helps.

PS  Remember the LAST PLACE where problems show up is blood work and physical symptoms.  So by the time your labs show up low or you are symptomatic of deficiency, it is time to definately PAST TIME to get vigilant about your supplementation.  Good luck!!!

Happy News!!!!!   Bariatric Advantage is taking orders for their new Calcium Citrate Chewy Bites!!!!!!!!!!!!!  They are supposed to be the same as the old Citrical Creamy Bites that were oh, so wonderful, but not made anymore. BA will be selling them in 23 days. They even have a ticker showing how many days/hours/min/se****il they start selling them.
These new ones are sugar free and have 250 grms calcium citrate, Vit d3 and I think K and magnesium.. I'll have to re-check the website.

Anyway, you'll have to eat a bunch of them to meet the requirements, but I'm going to take a couple of my regular Citracal's a day and let the Chewy Bites be my "treat".  Maybe it will let me get rid of that Dove dark chocolate that I eat waaaaaaaayyyyyy to many of!