Reminder about calcium
Just wanted to post a little reminder about calcium. The two most common kinds of calcium found in supplements are calcium citrate and calcium carbonate. Tums, Viactiv and Caltrate are all calcium carbonate and people don’t absorb that well at all, especially people with certain weight loss surgeries like RNY. Optisource also contains calcium carbonate and Bariatric Fusion has a mixture of calcium carbonate and calcium citrate.
Citracal and generic forms of Citracal contain calcium citrate, which is what we need. It’s hard to find chewable calcium citrate in stores but Celebrate and Bariatric Advantage both make them and you can order online. Upcal D, which is a powder you can mix in a drink, is also calcium citrate. You can find liquid forms as well.
Tricalcium phosphate is another kind of calcium found in some supplements and it is also not absorbed well at all. That’s what’s in Flintstones. Wellesse, a liquid calcium supplement, contains a mixture of tricalcium phosphate and calcium citrate, so you’ll only absorb some of the calcium in there. Citracal now makes gummy calcium and while most Citracal supplements are calcium citrate, their gummies are tricalcium phosphate
Make sure you take your calcium in doses of 500-600 mg. People can’t absorb more than that at one time. Take doses at least two hours apart. Read the label carefully to see what the serving size is. Like, Citrical petites have 400 mg per serving but a serving is TWO pills.
Take calcium two hours away from your iron because calcium blocks the absorption of iron.
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
I'm not sure what kind of iron it is, either. Is it ferrous sulfate?
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
HW - 225 SW - 191 GW - 132 CW - 122
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Starting BMI 40-ish or less? Join the LightWeights
HW - 225 SW - 191 GW - 132 CW - 122
Visit my blog at Fatty Fights Back Become a Fan on Facebook!
Starting BMI 40-ish or less? Join the LightWeights
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.