need an angel?

I am looking for someone who can advise me with bariatric stuff, like what types of vitamins, suppliments, protein powders, etc., to pick up, from where, and a check list of stuff for prepare for surgery, and post-surgery. My wife wouldn't know how to help me with bariatric stuff; even though she does help me get myself together in other areas. Any takers? al

Hi Al Nice to meet you. As far as vitamins I use chewable. Alot of people say their dr. suggests Fliintstones vitamins. I have a paper I got at my local support meeting I can send you. It gives you recommended amts my doctor suggests. With the protein supplements, I first used Any Whey unflavored protein, it is powdered and can be added to just about anything. I first got it at GNC but don't know if they still carry it or not. Now I use GNC's Liquid protein. It comes in Orange and Punch flavor. I add it to a glass of water with crystal lite or walmart's brand of s/f juice. It is 18 gm protein for three tblsp. If you go to the main board and ask there are others who can give you other ideas for protein. I do want to suggest a couple of sites...www.fitday.com and www.sparkpeople.com These two places you can keep track of your daily intake. Another good site is www.thinnerself.com This site is from a guy name Bruce ( I think) who had bypass surgery. He gives lots of info. He also has charts you can keep track of your weight and measurements as you continue your journey. Good Luck, Sandy

Al, Just a word of warning ... if you keep your records on thinnerself DO NOT dump your cookies on your computer!!! LOL I kept all my initial records on there and my computer crashed (thus my cookies) and when I went back, my records were gone. ACK!!! I am not 100% certain that is what happened, but it is my best guess. At any rate, just to be on the safe side, you may want to copy your records or print them off regularly so you wont take a chance of losing them. BTW - I absolutely agree, I LOVE(D) fitday and thinnerself to keep track of my progress. As far as being an angel, I am a horrible one, so I will leave that to someone else who does better at it. However, I would be more than glad to offer you any help I possibly can as far as help, vitamins, protein, etc. Just shoot out an email/holler if I can help out in any way! I am not on the msg board all that often, so an email gets my attention faster than a board post.

Al, I have had over 30 Angelettes. But I won't be here when you'd need me the most. I'll be leaving for Hawaii next Sunday and will be back April 9th. But never fear, if you post questions someone will be here to answer. All you'll need is someone to call 1 of us or post on here so we'll know when you're officially on the Looser's Bench. If your family will let us know we'll pass on the info to the rest of the Delaware boards. Good luck. Try to stay positive & focused for the next 2 weeks. Get the chapstick ready. ((HUGS)) Elissa

Hi Al, I get Designer Whey, vanilla and unflavored. They also have chocolate and strawberry. I add the unflavored to almost everything...1 scoop has 23g protein. It's not as gritty as some of the others and if you don't have an immersible hand mixer, get one. I add it to SF pudding, milk, cream soups, really anything. You can find the gallon size jugs at GNC or Vitamin World, and I have also seen it at Wal-mart. I eat 3 Flintstones Complete (has to be "complete") every day, but not all at the same time. You won't be able to absorb that much vitamin at one time. Chewables are more bio-available than the larger pills or capsules. I also take one sub-lingual B-12 every day. I get those at Vitamin World...100 tiny little pleasant tasting pills that you let dissolve under your tongue, for about $8 You will need your calcium too...I eat 2 extra strength TUMS, the "Equate" brand from Wal-mart tropical fruit flavor is good. They are very inexpensive. Most recently, I have added Benefiber to my regimen. 1 TBS. in my coffee every day. It is tasteless and completely dissolves in hot liquids. No offense, but maybe your wife can read over your materials so she understands your dietary needs. She could be a great helper post-op if she understands what you need and how often, how much, etc. Good luck! KathyG

Hey Al, I take Optisource every day. It's specially formulated for post bariatric patients. The only place you can buy them is www.walgreens.com. I also take a liquid B-complex that contains 1200mcg of B-12, and easy iron (I am iron deficient) that I found at vitamin world. I take 2000mg of flax seed oil (gel caps) to counteract the extra iron and a vitamin A&D just because I heard it's good for your eyes (I wear contacts and have capilaries intruding upon my corneas and figure every little bit helps!). I'm not a fan of the choc & vanilla protein so I use Nectar Ice Tea mixed with water and crystal lite peach iced tea. Just have to get used to drinking cloudy Iced Tea.