For reference: official diet/vitamin guidelines after WLS
Love that this topic is brought up. I'm scheduled for surgery Monday, so I've been beebopping around buying drugs, vitamins, protein, and clear liquids.
Any vitamins/brands that you recommend? (My Target's vitamin selection is woefully inadequate, so if you have any suggestions on where to find those brands, I'm all ears/eyes. )
- Speciality bariatric formulas are not necessary. Your program may suggest chewables at first, as mine did, but most adult vitamin brands will work. Stay away from child vitamins, as they don't have everything you will need.
- Lots of folks stock up on vitamins when their local pharmacy has BOGO specials. Others use Costco brands. I am an Amazon devotee, so I get everything but calcium from there.
~Jen
RNY, 8/1/2011
HW: 348 SW: 306 CW:-fighting regain GW: 140
He who endures, conquers. ~Persius
Multivitamin is Kirkland over 50.
Dry D3 is BioTech in the 5000 iu. They sell 5000, 10,000, and 50,000 doses. Many people get the 50k dose and use it once per week, but I tend to forget weekly pills and prefer to take a little daily. Plus, until you get your labs taken, you might not want to start with a large dose.
B12 is TwinLabs B12 dots. Make sure your B12 is sublingual.
Iron: For the longest time, I had great success tolerating Sundown Perfect iron, but recently I had to switch to the Patch and Proferrin. I struggle with both tolerating iron and maintaining my levels. But Sundown was a great affordable choice for a long time. Take iron with Vitamin C for better absorption.
Calcium: I use Celebrate chewables because I like the taste, but I buy them from Nashua Nutrition when they have their holiday sales. Otherwise, I've used both Citrical Petites or Upcal (a calcium powder you put in drinks), which can be purchased at Amazon as well.
Vitamin C: Nature Made chewable (chewable because I like the taste. I tend to buy different brands of Vit C based on cost or boredom.)
I take other vitamins, but they are related to my labs and personal choices. Stay away from gummies or anything packed in oil, as they are not the best choices post RNY. Hope this helps!
~Jen
RNY, 8/1/2011
HW: 348 SW: 306 CW:-fighting regain GW: 140
He who endures, conquers. ~Persius
Yes, that helped tremendously. After reading everyone's responses I am now returning about $30 worth of gummy vitamins
(me running to the store to return them)
on 6/10/16 8:47 am
Amazon is dangerous because Tucson now has same-day delivery. And OMG, two-day shipping when I was stuck at home with a wide-awake newborn was a MIRACLE.
Sparklekitty / Julie / Nerdy Little Secret (#42)
Roller derby - cycling - triathlon
VSG 2013, RNY conversion 2019 due to GERD. Trendweight here!
I have been taking Bariatric fusion chewables , bloodwork has been good. BF is an all inclusive vitamin, though expensive. I have been thinking about looking for an alternative, though it confuses the heck out of me.
on 6/10/16 8:45 am
An easy way to find an alternative is to grab your bottle and look at the info on the back to see how much of each vitamin the pills contain. Found it online too:
If you look at something like Centrum and compare the number side-by-side, you can see how they match up. You could even bring along your Bariatric Fusion bottle to the drugstore and look at the other multi's available to find something comparable with the same amount (or more) of each vitamin component.
Sparklekitty / Julie / Nerdy Little Secret (#42)
Roller derby - cycling - triathlon
VSG 2013, RNY conversion 2019 due to GERD. Trendweight here!
So, I have a question about these all-inclusive vitamins. From what I understand, iron absorption is aided by vitamin C, but iron absorption is inhibited by calcium as they are both trying to bind to the same heme group. (I worked in a blood chemistry/hematology lab)
Are these all-inclusives good for the long-haul? I'm asking because the nutrient deficiencies don't normally show up until several years later as I understand it.
on 6/10/16 9:36 am
Yup, you're absolutely right. Iron and calcium shouldn't be taken within 2 hours of each other. A good way to handle this is to get a multi without iron and take that when you take the calcium. Then take the iron separately later.
Some deficiencies can show up in the short term. My doctor identified that I had low B12 at my 6-month visit so I started supplementing that one. Iron levels are also included in that blood work (usually) so you can check that as well, and track your numbers over multiple visits to get a long term trend.
From what I've seen here (ask your doctor of course) is that a multi covers the basics-- A, D, zinc, all that jazz. Iron and calcium are extras for most people. If there are any other things that are lacking, you can add another pill for that, but really I've only ever heard of issues with iron, calcium, and sometimes B.
Sparklekitty / Julie / Nerdy Little Secret (#42)
Roller derby - cycling - triathlon
VSG 2013, RNY conversion 2019 due to GERD. Trendweight here!