Calcium Citrate Dilemna.

I'd not 'depend' on food to supply ANY calcium for you due to malabsorbtion...it is a huge risk to do this bone loss can be hard if not impossible to reverse! So please WORRY and consider some of the following for the health of your good ol' bones! I'd not do viactiv it is carbonate (OK for bandsters I suppose)....citrical does have chews buy IMHO use them first few months of not at all/skip them costly and well calories/carbs in them somethingto consider longerterm!

For a RNY Bypaser, Calcium CITRATE is the form of calcium preferred/recommended in the literature that I have seen. This is due to the fact that the pouch has little/no stomach acid for absorption of calcium carbonate (the form of calcium in most OTC supplements).

Citrical tabs and generic calcium citrate are about all there is, the citrical chews http://www.citrical.com/Product/Creamy-Bites.aspx (chocolate, lemon or caramel)  is just about all that is available in stores (that I have found in 5 yrs) in the way of non-pills. It is quite expensive and personally for 35 cal and 3-5g carbs in a chew needing 4 day longterm I’d rather eat my calories/carbs! J

But early on it is an option. citrical has petite tabs (just needmore of them to get daily dose if you need 2,000mg like I do 10 tabs a day split up in no more than 500-600mg at a time) http://www.citrical.com/Product/Tablets-Caplets.aspx

Unfortunately we are not like Lapbanders who can use things like TUMS/Viactiv ***they do not have malabsorption issues as we do. Tums or any calcium carbonate is simply a wasted expense, waste of your bones and can add to risk of kidney stones as well! (*something the RNY also increases our risk for!)

GNC didn’t have any liquid/powdered/chewable citrate form of calcium last I checked a month ago!? I try to keep up on this for my support group

~Prices are from when I checked last in 2007 early…***

Now what I personally recommend for now and well forever if you don’t like pills (what I use) is a product called UpCalD, it is powdered calcium citrate and fairly inexpensive! *I use 2 doses a day in my shakes and use citrical tabs for other 2 doses…

227 doses in a jar of 500mg w/ Vit D for $23 at www.bethsproteinboutique.com or $23 at 4 doses day =almost 57 days in a canister so $12 mo prior to SH! Best deal! Easy to take!

http://www.globalhp.com/Global-Health-Products-Bariatrics-WL S.htm

Call Mike Maenza Director of Sales/Marketing Global Health Products, Inc. 800-638-2870 for free samples.

Vitalady has ca+ citrate capsules u can open 500mg SALT WT so if 29% elemental a pill has 145mg calcium needing 14 caps total a day 240 caps in a bottle need a bottle every 17 days or 2 bottles a month..$16.99 bottle so $34/mo pre S&H /option these can be opened and sprinkled. Calcium Citrate with Vit. D and Magnesium 240 caps/btl  http://www.vitalady.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?search=action&k eywords=vtmncalc&template=Templates/sr_vtmncalc.html

Vitaladys liquid calcium citrate one serv is 250mg ca citrate so need 8 doses a day there are 64 doses in a bottle for $19.99 (pre s&H) so one bottle every 8 days or need 4 bottles a month about for $80/mo wow! Tropical Oasis Liquid Calcium Magnesium with Vitamin D and Boron 32oz bottle

Some like Baraiatric advantage chewables www.bariatricadvantage.com

3 flavors chocolate, cinnamon and mint I think..

BA chewables are bottles of 60 for $12.99 these are 400mg tabs (you'd need 5 a day to get 2,000mg a day, a cost of one bottle every 12 days or about 3 bottles a month for $39 BEFORE S&H for a month. at vitalady

 http://www.vitalady.com

at BA: https://bariatricadvantage.com/cgi-bin/custserv_ba.cgi 60 are $13.95 and 180 are $29.95 pre S&H So ther e are choices online for things vits do not have to be expensive to work, but we have to be able to take them to help us! Be well, if ? let me know! I'd vote UPCALD though for ease, cost and tolerability/effectiveness...