Need advice on Vitamins, Calcium and Protein Products

 

I am starting my pre-op liquid diet 9/1 and having RNY on 9/14.  I picked up 2 of the 4pk of EAS proten drinks with 17 mg of protein to start for Wed and Thurs.  Please take a look at the list of vitamins and calcium that the program suggest from my surgeon's office and give your opion of the products listed and tell me if you have used them and what you find would be the better products to get from each catagory.  I would like to pick up the supplements this weekend and welcome your opinions.  If you use something that is not listed, please suggest.

Thanks



Vitamins:


Centrum Adult Chewable

CVS Spectravite Adult Chewable

Walgreens Adult Chewable

Nature Made Multi Chewable for Adults (Costco)

Spring Valley Adult Chewable (Wal-Mart)

Kirkland Adult Chewable (Costco)

CVS Spectravite Children's Chewables

Centrum Rugrats Complete Chewable

Walgreens Children's Chewable

Wal-Mart Children's Chewable

Kirkland Children's Chewable (Costco)

Flintstones Complete Children's Chewable

GNC Multiples Multibite Plus Minerals & Calcim Multivitamin

Centrum Liquid

Opurity Bypass Optimized Multi

 

Calcium (500 mg ea x 3 Daily) - Citrate:

Opurity

Critical Creamy Bites

Twinlab Chewable Calcium Citrate

CVS Chewable - Carbonate

Caltrate Chewable - Carbonate

Viactive - Carbonate

 

Protein:
 

Carnation Instant Breakfast - No Sugar

DiabetiTrim (CVS)

EAS Advant Edge Carb Control

Worldwide Pure Protein Shake

Atkins Advantage Shake

Designer Whey

Smartforme Shakes / Drinks

Glucerna Weight Loss Shake

Unjury

Optisource

Isopure

For me I use the "Celebrate" multivitamin- buy online in grape. I ove it but when I run out I would also like to know what others are using. For calcium I use "Calcium Creamies 600mg plus Vit D" from walgreens. And i liked the carnation instant breakfast no suger added chocolate. But now I can't seem to tolerate any protein shakes. Also the best tasting one on the market is Syntrax Nectar in all sorts of fruity flavors, or Syntrax Nectar sweets in strawberry, choc, vanilla, and some other ones. very, very good. Need to go to fitness store or buy online.  Fitness-connection.com has most everything you need if you want to buy online. The even have a store in dartmouth that has everything!! You can also do what I did and go to each Gastric bypass vitamin website and request samples!! They sent me tons!! I also use the Isopure, though not many like it, to supplement my protein. the orange and lemon tea is best but has to be mixed with like "Rise" vitamin water- walmart or iced tea accordingly. The taste is too strong on its own. Hope this helps. Interested in what others say!

Did they tell you to take a sublingual vit B vit?? or Iron??

I don't recall about the vit B and iron but I know others take it and I prob will also.

Personally I do the Flintstones w/ Iron for multivitamins.  Some people out there are against the kids multivitamins, b/c they are for kids ... BUT my program allows them and my levels have always been good when I have my labs done.  It works so I take them. 

For calcium I do Citracal Petites ... 6 pills a day because 2 of them are 400mg.  My program likes anywhere between 1200-1500mg a day.  I am surprised your list included calcium carbonate - we do not absorp that post bypass.  I would stay away from the carbonate and stick to the citrate.  Calcet Creamy Bites are delicious!  I order 3 boxes of those in the lemon flavor before.  The BEST calcium out there ..... BUT I could not control myself and ate them like candy!  I went through a 3 month supply in 1 month ... so, so, so bad I know!!   At least it wasn't real candy, right? hahaha  You can only order those online but they are great!!

Like Charlene said, does your program have you on sublingual B-12?  That is one of the most important vitamins.

Your surgery is coming up soon - YAY!!!  Best of luck

My daughter's program said only Citrate and not Carbonate so I am staying away from the Carbonate.  Wish I knew about the insurance, I am on the edge of my seat waiting.

I don't get it, this list has OPURITY, but not any of the other Bariatric vitamins?  Odd.

I got that list from the booklet I was given by the Nutritionist.  Honestly the Opurity was not on the list but she had a bottle of it in her office.  I think she was merely listing what I could get at a local store perhaps and not so much the online stuff.

That's usually what they do -- they will give suggestions of items you can find locally.

My list included Flintstones and Tums.

It was suggested I come by and give my suggestions (as I have a bit of experience in this line of work..)

Avoid calcium carbonate.  In fact, any practice that recommends them should be sued for malpractice, IMHO.  DO NOT TAKE IT.  It is the way to kill your bones and your kidneys.  And no, I'm not being overly dramatic.  I'm speaking from experience here.

I'd also avoid anything with "gummy" or "children's" in the name.

To put it bluntly - Flintstones and Tums gave me rickets.  Yes, I'm serious.  Yes, this is what I was told by my surgeon.


I also find it extremely odd that Bariatric Advantage, Celebrate, etc are not listed as viable resources for both protein and vitamins.  This bothers me a great deal (along with the suggestion of taking Viactiv..   Why not add the suggestion of taking "protein bullets" just to go ahead and round up the bad news all around?) as it's not very well-rounded advice.

My suggestion to you would be to contact BA and Celebrate (as well as the other companies) and ask for samples.  And remember that you won't be on chewables for life.

I'd also make sure you are looking for a vitamin that hits 100% RDA of things like iron, copper, b12, manganese, magnesium (preferably in citrate..), etc.  And then double it.  You want to hit 200% of the RDA of these things.  Plus you need to take 1500mg of calcium CITRATE, b12 (yes, really), and iron (really, I don't care if you've been "fixed" or if they disagree.. 95% of ALL RNYers need iron at 5 yrs out.. take iron now to avoid a needle down the road).


I don't come to the state boards often (way too many, stretched too thin as it is) but I can easily be found on the RNY board, the Main Board, on Facebook, or on my blog (just click the crayon thingy in my signature). 

I may sound "preachy" but it's cause I've been here and done that with REALLY bad supplementation advice and I'd like to help others avoid the same pitfalls I went through.

Let me know if I can help.