Chewable vitamins
I take Centrum Silver chewables or the CVS equivalent. I still take them even though I'm two years out (although at this point I certainly don't have to!) (I meant I don't have to take *chewables*. I definitely still have to take vitamins!!)
RNY 06/03/15 by Michael Garren (Madison, WI)
HW: 373 SW: 316 GW: 150 LW: 138 CW: 163
You can get one month of bariatric vitamins with a Nascobal prescription. They charge $25/month. They taste...interesting. However, they work well, and some people love 'em. As money for vitamins go, you can do worse than $25 a month.
I can't remember offhand, but Flintstones were missing a few elements. Maybe chromium? The ASMBS does not advocate using children's vitamins for WLS patients, as they are often incomplete. For the VSG it probably matters less, but I'd be very cautious if I had a malabsorptive procedure, since many of those elements are not routinely tested in labs.
I am dubious about paying extra for bariatric vitamin formulations of chewables without lab results, however if they work, they work. It may be my own cognitive dissonance, but I feel they are typically overpriced and don't necessarily offer better quality.
I take the Costco multivitamin. Before that I did the Centrum chewables, 2x/day since Harvey (my sleeve) was grumpy for a few months post-op whenever I'd take pills. I take iron and calcium citrate with a high dose of water-soluble vitamin D separately (I have an eternally severe vitamin D deficiency - thanks Celiac). I also supplement with potassium and magnesium since I eat a very low carb diet.
I follow a ketogenic diet post-op. I also have a diagnosis of binge eating disorder. Feel free to ask me about either!
It is not that we have so little time but that we lose so much...the life we receive is not short but we make it so; we are not ill provided but use what we have wastefully. -- Seneca, On the Shortness of Life
Not being able to swallow pills will make post-op life slightly annoying - so I'm sorry you have to deal with that issue.
My surgeon's office gave me a sample pack of Bariatric Advantage pre-op so I could taste things, and that's the brand I ended up going with. I think their peanut butter calcium chews are super tasty. Maybe even TOO tasty.
I've switched to regular pills since then, as my supplies ran out, etc. It can be challenging to find chewables that are complete and that are formulated for adults. Hell, it can be hard to find regular vitamin pills that are complete and don't require 6 pills to get the 200% recommended values.
VSG with Dr. Salameh - 3/13/2014
Diagnosed with Binge Eating Disorder and started Vyvanse - 7/22/2016
Reconstructive Surgeries with Dr. Michaels - 6/5/2017 (LBL & brachioplasty), 8/14/2017 (UBL & mastopexy), 11/6/2017 (medial leg lift)
Age 42 Height 5'4" HW 319 (1/3/2014) SW 293 (3/13/2014) CW 149 (7/16/2017)
Next Goal 145 - normal BMI | Total Weight Lost 170
TrendWeight | Food Blog (sort of functional) | Journal (down for maintenance)
The only chewable that I could tolerate was Celebrate Mandarin Orange. The Bariatric Advantage chewables were beyond vile.
"Oderint Dum Metuant" Discover the joys of the Five Day Meat Test!
Height: 5'-7" HW: 449 SW: 392 GW: 179 CW: 220
