Vitamins

I use Viactive chocolate chew vitamins. One a day along with CVS brand calcium chocolate chews, those I have twice a day. Both are delcious. Good Luck, Julio

Hey... finally got the system to work again!. Got to love this new login procedure. Anyway..... Viactive Tums, and most other calcium supplimates are calcium carbonate based which is not as easily absobed as calcium citrate. Thes debate over what to use has gone on for as long as there has been the choices available. Bottom line..... Any calcium suppliment is better than none. Best, from a calcium asborption issue alone, would be milk(skim or the "enhanced varities" or ff/sf yogurt daily. 3 yofurts would cover anything, but add approx 330 calories to your daily intake. BTW.... you look great. I saw you have been working out, and it shows. Told many that you look like a body builder. Peter

Found this in a WLS support group. Hope it helps, This was written by Debbie fro NJ. She appeared in the newsweek article last year on WLS. Her total loss after a distal RNY was over 300 lbs. SUGGESTED VITAMINS AND SUPPLEMENTS FOLLOWING WLS: (My best recommendation for all vitamins and supplements is to order from puritanspride.com when they are having their buy one get two free sale). Immediately following your WLS, you should be taking 1-2 children's chewable vitamin/s per day. (Flintstones,Bugs Bunny etc..) Centrum makes an adult chewable and or liquid, and only one dose per day is needed if you do choose an adult vitamin. When you advance to modified solids (at approximately 3 weeks post-op) most of us can tolerate swallowing pills and capsules. At this point it is advisable to include the following vitamins/supplements daily. It is VERY important that you take the FORMS of the Vitamins/supplements listed. We are not capable of fully absorbing any other forms and therefore we will not achieve the full benefits. 1 multivitamin w/ minerals (Centrum or it's generic equivalent - I use Kirkland from Costco) calcium citrate w/ vitamin D (1000-1500 mg. per day) I get them at puritanspride.com when they have the buy 1 get two free sale, but you can also get them from Vitalady (vitalady.com). She has an excellent one and it comes in capsule form. Most Calcium citrate pills are VERY large and Very hard to swallow. Her capsule is the perfect solution to this problem and the price is quite reasonable. We can only absorb 500 mgs. at a time so space the pills/capsules during the course of the day. And never take calcium and iron at the same time. They cancel each other out. Vitamin B-12 Sublingual (under the tongue) 500-1500mcg everyday or every other day. (I use the puritanspride.com site again and order the 2500 mcg. tablets. They taste good (cherry flavored) and melt fairly quickly. Twin Labs also makes a good formula. It can also be purchased VERY reasonably through Vitalady.com website or GNC or the Vitamin Shoppe. Vitamin B in summary aids growth, digestion, mental health, hair, skin, nails, mouth sores, eye fatigue, assimilate protein & fat, skin & nervous disorders, anti-aging, muscle spasms & leg cramps, help prevent anemia, increase energy, memory & balance. Iron (if still menstruating or are borderline anemic) (I use Chromagen Forte. It's prescription but is a gelcap and easily tolerated. Your doctor can prescribe it for you if your iron goes too low). Another excellent choice is made by Sundown (Carbonyl Iron.) Once again very reasonable on vitalady's website but can also be purchased in any store that sells a large variety of vitamins and supplements (GNC/The Vitamin Shoppe etc.). Iron is a very fussy element. We cannot absorb ferrous SULFATE and taking it will negate the absorption of any Vitamin E. It must be taken with Vitamin C, but cannot be taken with antibiotics; caffeine, milk; antacids of any kind, including medication for ulcer; any minerals, such as calcium. It is better taken on an empty stomach, but it can be taken with non-milk food. Think of iron and vitamin C as being on a honeymoon, alone but together. Vitamin C Vitamin C (500-1000 mgs.) is needed to help absorb the iron supplement. It is strongly advised that when you wake-up in the morning, you take your Iron Supplement and your Vitamin C at the same time on an empty stomach. Wait one hour to eat or drink anything. Vitamin C heals burns, gums, wounds; decreases cholesterol, boosts immune system, increases the absorption of iron, may reduce allergy suffering & prevents scurvy. Best is to take Ester-C. Easier on your tummy. Vitamin E 400 mgs. per day (DRY formula ONLY) we cannot absorb the oil bead capsules. Vitamin E is for hair, skin, nails, capillary walls, anti-aging, promotes endurance & alleviates fatigue as well as prevents leg cramps. For men, it contributes to urinary & prostate health as well as sexual function. ***************************************************** All the Vitamins and supplements listed above will help to ward off future nutritional deficiencies. When bloodwork is ordered and you get your results, the need to add Vitamin A Vitamin D (dry form only) as well as zinc, potassium and magnesium may become necessary. I have added D (by prescription, 50,000 units). More on the calcium debate > First, Vitamin D actually HELPS your body absorb calcium, as do magnesium and boron. Next, calcium carbonate is NOT at all good for people who have had RNY. Calcium carbonate requires one hour of exposure to stomach acid to become bioavailable; we do not have that stomach acid nor that exposure time (minimal stomach acid, no pyloric valve). Calcium carbonate can also facilitate the formation of kidney stones, if you are prone to them. Calcium CITRATE is the calcium for us. It was specifically recommended by the 1994 National Institutes of Health Consensus Statement on Calcium as the calcium supplement of choice for people with low stomach acid. Calcium citrate is lab-synthesized, so it has no risk of heavy-metal contamination as the bone meal, coral calcium and other "natural" calcium carbonates do. > > Most people, not just post-ops, can only absorb 500 mg of elemental calcium at a time. If you want to get in an admirable 2000 mg a day, you will be taking four doses, each separated from the other and from any iron supplementation by at least two hours. Calcium and iron compete for the same receptors in your small intestine, and if you take them together, your body will not take in any of the iron you consume.

Hi Peter, I just use what My Doctor suggested. I'm sure others use different things and it's great we can all share what we use here to get a great overview of all the options. Thank you for the complement on the way I look. I try to go work out every other day. Not a 'Gym rat" by any means. I am a machinist and do alot of heavy lifting at work and I think as the pounds have melted off the muscles under all the weight are starting to show thru. Thanks Again, Julio