Vitamins - my schedukle and some thoughts on what I do

I just got back my 3 year labs and everything is looking good. I thought people might find it interesting or open up some discussion on what could be better.

There are a few things like protein and hemoglobon, hematocrit that I would like to see better but having stable numbers in those areas for the past 2 years indicates to me that they are my new "normal". Near the low part of the normal range or within .1 of normal in the case of hemoglobin.

Needless to say, but I guess I should, the important thing about scheduling is that you take all your vits. That's important for all of us until proven that it isn't (unlikely but possible I guess).

I find some parts of vitamins a "shot in the dark" and look to my labs to see if what I am doing is effective. I consider K2 in that category being not a high risk person for osteo problems.

Sometimes I switch up the times and combinations based more on my re-thinking of some stray idea I came across or to see if I can make scheduling easier. Always with the thought of getting everything in and optimizing absorption but getting everything in comes first.

Currently I take most of my vits in the morning and do mostly calcium the rest of the day. Early on I made more of an effort to even everything out through the day. Not for any proven reason just not wanting to overwhelm my system with too many things at once. Although I started off just trying to make the number of physical pills roughly the same for each dosage. I think because I was a little freaked about it post-op.  :) Here is what I am taking now, times are my optimum, life may cause changes to my schedule but I do between 2 and 3 hours between all doses. If any of the doses seem really out of whack ask me to double check I may have messed up the units.

3Am

Synthroid 125 mcg
HCTZ 12.5 mcg  - (water/BP pill) this is a recent addition and since I prepack 2 months of vits/meds it was easier to add it here.

7 AM  - I recently revamped this to take on more of an empty stomach. I'm extrapolating from some comments Dr. K made in a webinar about the water miscible ADK's from biotech.

d3 - 50k
k1 - 1 k
A - 25k
zinc - 60mg 
Copper - 600mcg? I forget it's mixed in with the zinc at I think a 10:1 ratio
B12 - 500 mcg sublingual
K2 - 500mg sub lingual
Allopurinol to prevent gout (uric acid crystals)

9 AM

Magnesium glycinate 400 mg
1 centrum
BO meds lisinopril

11:30
500-600 mg calcium citrate
** I used to take 250 mg mag oxide with every calcium dose to prevent constipation but gradually realized
I didn't need to do that. Just some occasional Benefiber in it's place. ***
1 centrum equivalent (Usually kirkland)
d - 50 k

1:30  
500-600 mg calcium citrate 

3:30

500-600 mg calcium citrate

Early evening or bed time (not after 11)
Iron 65mg elemental - either carbonyl or ferrous sulfate
Vitamin C 1000mg
BP meds lisinopril

Good for you on keeping up with your labwork & vitamins. Sadly some people do think that because they don't feel anything that no damage is being done. I've seen the same kind of post from someone who had the rny, & she also didn't have lab work but was taking these powdered fruits n veggies in a pill.

Then there was someone else who thought drinking 64oz of water was a myth.

Then there's the occassional I want to drink alcohol during wl mode & the oh its ok to drink, it didn't stop my weight loss response, yet it never dawns on them that its not just about the weight, there's more to it than that.

I'm a vsg'r & I know the importance of vitamins & getting labs done on a regular basis, but it's very sad some people can't seem to get the basics of nutrition & post op requirements to have a healthy life.

I don't know. At some point people are responsible for their own decisions. They may choose to not
follow the advice of the majority but all you can do is provide the information and show alternatives.
That was part of the reason I went through my vitamins, I thought it was important for their to be a
full topic on at least one person's vitamin schedule.

I'll always remember talking to my cousin a couple years after her RnY and finding out that her teeth had 
gone bad because she decided calcium wasn't high on her priority list. Not a good situation but sometimes
people make bad choices.

This is wonderful info!  Thank you for sharing! 

I'm still pre-op and trying to learn as much as I can before I get a date.  I'm in the middle of my supervised diet phase.  I understand that vitamins should be based significantly on individual labs and bloodwork.  But I'm wondering if your regiment above would generally vary much from that of a female?  I'm thinking that what you have done here is awesome and would be a great starting point, if it is appropriate for a female.