I wanted to shre this with everyone!

I have this link bookmarked on my aol favorites and I wanted to share it with everyone here it really is a great site to get lots of info like the FAQ's here is the link below have a great evening everyone! advantage.com/information-faqs.htm#14 Evelyn 247/157/147

Hi Eve, What is the link for? I wasn't able to open the site. Jackie

It was lots of FAQ's Hhere you go I pasted it below sorry bout that! How many pills do I need to take in a day? The number of pill will vary somewhat based on what your physician recommends, but averages around 2 chewable multis, 4-5 calcium lozenges, and one iron tablet. Most people also add a sublingual B12 1x per week. Why does the B12 dissolve so slowly? One, it is not made in a lactose base. Most commercial sublinguals are lactose-based. These tablets melt rapidly. We avoided the use of lactose due to concerns of lactose intolerance following surgery. Two, it takes some times for nutrients to be absorbed from under the tongue. Rapidly melting tablets are more likely to swallowed then truly absorbed in the mouth. A more slowly melting tablet allows for longer contact time to support B12 absorption. What is the best time of day to take my supplements? The most important thing is to find a schedule that you can find and stick to. Ideally, it is best to divide your supplements up throughout the day. Just as you would not want to consume all your food at one meal, your body will have a better opportunity to absorb nutrients if they are distributed throughout the day. This is especially true for the "big" nutrients like calcium. What is the iron separate? Iron competes with many nutrients (like calcium and copper) as well as with many drugs (like thyroid, bisphosphonates and some antibiotics). Also, dose recommendations for iron vary a lot between practices and between patients. By having a separate iron, you can be more flexible with the dose if you ever need more, and you can easily separate it from your calcium and medications. How do I know if I am getting enough vitamins? If you are following the guidelines or diet and supplements that your doctor has provided, you are probably getting what you need. Your doctor will also recommend regular screening blood work and perhaps other labs to make sure you don't develop a deficiency. How often should I have lab work done after surgery? You should follow the most current recommendations from your surgeon's office. Most doctors recommend labs at least once a year - more frequently if there is a problem. You may want to provide a list of tests to your primary care doctor as well. Why is the calcium in so many tablets for a daily dose? We use calcium citrate, the form that is believed to be best absorbed in humans. Unlike calcium carbonate which is very dense, calcium citrate is much less concentrated. This essentially means that for the same amount of calcium, it takes up a lot more space. Our belief is that for patients who have had weight loss surgery the bioavailability is more important than the number of tablets. What is best to take before surgery? We generally recommend one of our multi formulas before surgery as long as it is ok with your doctor. How long before surgery can I start supplementing? As long as you want. Since your doctor will likely recommend that you take vitamins for life after surgery, it's never too early to develop good habits. What are the most common deficiencies after gastric bypass? B12, iron and possibly B1 are the best documented. It may also be harder to absorb some other nutrients like calcium, other trace minerals and some fat soluble vitamins - especially if you have a more distal procedure. ----YOU NEED TO CHECK WITH YOUR OWN SURGEON FIRST REGARDING TAKING ANYTHING------- Evelyn 247/155/147

I couldn't open the site???

It was lots of FAQ's Hhere you go I pasted it below sorry bout that! How many pills do I need to take in a day? The number of pill will vary somewhat based on what your physician recommends, but averages around 2 chewable multis, 4-5 calcium lozenges, and one iron tablet. Most people also add a sublingual B12 1x per week. Why does the B12 dissolve so slowly? One, it is not made in a lactose base. Most commercial sublinguals are lactose-based. These tablets melt rapidly. We avoided the use of lactose due to concerns of lactose intolerance following surgery. Two, it takes some times for nutrients to be absorbed from under the tongue. Rapidly melting tablets are more likely to swallowed then truly absorbed in the mouth. A more slowly melting tablet allows for longer contact time to support B12 absorption. What is the best time of day to take my supplements? The most important thing is to find a schedule that you can find and stick to. Ideally, it is best to divide your supplements up throughout the day. Just as you would not want to consume all your food at one meal, your body will have a better opportunity to absorb nutrients if they are distributed throughout the day. This is especially true for the "big" nutrients like calcium. What is the iron separate? Iron competes with many nutrients (like calcium and copper) as well as with many drugs (like thyroid, bisphosphonates and some antibiotics). Also, dose recommendations for iron vary a lot between practices and between patients. By having a separate iron, you can be more flexible with the dose if you ever need more, and you can easily separate it from your calcium and medications. How do I know if I am getting enough vitamins? If you are following the guidelines or diet and supplements that your doctor has provided, you are probably getting what you need. Your doctor will also recommend regular screening blood work and perhaps other labs to make sure you don't develop a deficiency. How often should I have lab work done after surgery? You should follow the most current recommendations from your surgeon's office. Most doctors recommend labs at least once a year - more frequently if there is a problem. You may want to provide a list of tests to your primary care doctor as well. Why is the calcium in so many tablets for a daily dose? We use calcium citrate, the form that is believed to be best absorbed in humans. Unlike calcium carbonate which is very dense, calcium citrate is much less concentrated. This essentially means that for the same amount of calcium, it takes up a lot more space. Our belief is that for patients who have had weight loss surgery the bioavailability is more important than the number of tablets. What is best to take before surgery? We generally recommend one of our multi formulas before surgery as long as it is ok with your doctor. How long before surgery can I start supplementing? As long as you want. Since your doctor will likely recommend that you take vitamins for life after surgery, it's never too early to develop good habits. What are the most common deficiencies after gastric bypass? B12, iron and possibly B1 are the best documented. It may also be harder to absorb some other nutrients like calcium, other trace minerals and some fat soluble vitamins - especially if you have a more distal procedure. How much protein should I take every day? Start by finding out the current recommendation from your surgeon's office. Most practices recommend between 60 and 80 grams, but this varies quite a bit. Can anyone take Bariatric Advantage products? Yes. Our products were designed for use after gastric bypass and other weight loss surgical procedures, but people who have not had surgery and just want good nutritional support can take them as well. I have been taking Trinsicon or Ferrotrinsic - what would be the "exchange" with Bariatric Advantage products. If your practice is recommending our products, you may find their recommendations from their office or on our web site (in some cases). If you are just thinking of switching on your own, we recommend you start by asking your doctor's office. A common recommendation is the Bariatric Advantage iron (either tablets or chewable) daily with the sublingual B12 once a week. This may vary if you currently have a deficiency. Will insurance pay for supplements? Unfortunately, the answer is usually no. Still sometimes people find that can get coverage with a specific written prescription form their doctor. Since vitamins are considered a requirement after gastric bypass and related procedures, many doctors are happy to write a prescription and let patients try to receive reimbursement. One can also look into madical savings accounts (ask your insurer), which may provide some tax relief. I am currently taking pre-natal vitamins, how does Bariatric Advantage compare? Pre-natal vitamins typically differ from any general vitamin in 2 ways: 1) more iron and 2) more folic acid. Otherwise, they are generally the same as any standard multi-vitamin formula. Rarely do these formulas use the most bioavailable forms of nutrients, or provide adequate levels of minerals like calcium that may be needed in higher levels after bariatric surgery. Additionally, they do not account for the need to take B12 by a separate route. We also believe that iron may be best taken separately by bariatric patients. Because of the alterations to the digestive system that occur with surgery, there are greater challenges in the absorption of trace minerals like iron, copper and zinc. Iron, also inhibit the absorption of these other trace elements due to competition, so separate dosing of iron makes sense when absorption is already impaired. What is a chelate? Most simply, chelate means 'claw or grab.' A chelated mineral is one that has been bound to or "clawed to" another substance - usually an amino acid or an organic acid such as citrate, malate, succinate or aspartate. Sometimes other substances are used as chelators such as gluconate (gluconic acid, an oxidation product of glucose) or picolinate (a derivative of tryptophan). The form of chelate that will be best absorbed depends on the mineral, and varies. Some, like selenium, are best-absorbed bound to an amino acid (selenomethionine), others like calcium, when bound to one or more organic acids (such as citrate or citrate-malate). Overall, chelates are better absorbed that inorganic mineral salts such as oxides and sulfates. These forms are less expensive and occupy less space than chelates, however, so are used by many manufacturers of dietary supplements for all or part of their mineral content. Hope this helps with some questions Evelyn 247/155/147