What are you taking?

I take 4 opti source chewables, you can get them at Walgreens, and then I take gummy B complex, and a gummy B-12, I take 2 of the b complex and 4 of the B-12 and i take a gummy vitamin D, since I was extremely low even before surgery! I use Vitafusion and they are low in calories (5). Just go with what works for you!

Do you know that four Optisource only gives you about half of most vitamins you need?  And you can't absorb the kind of calcium in it so you need to take calcium citrate?  Also, do you understand why you can't absorb B12 from that gummy but need a sublingual instead?

Kelly,
I am concerned by what youa re saying since my NUT is the one that suggested the ones that I take! Can you tell me what you take> at least for a multi? I will go get sublinguals tomorrow! This is frustrating as it is also expensive to be throwing money away!

I wanna bang my head against a wall when people tell me their nutritionist is telling them to take these things.

Here's what the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery says about a multi, and after I tell you what they say, I'll give you a link so you can go read it all for yourself.  And maybe email it to your nut, too, since she obviously hasn't read it.

They say we need a multi that has 100% of the RDA of most stuff in it.  But then they say we need to take two of those a day, so that means we need 200% of the RDA of stuff.  If you take four Optisource, you get 100% of most stuff.  So you'd need eight to get the 200% you need.

You can take eight if you want, but if you get a good adult multi like Centrum, you would only need two a day.  I'd rather take two than eight.

Now, the ASMBS says we need 1500-2000 mg calcium citrate, and it has to be citrate, not carbonate.  That's because you need lots of stomach acid to absorb carbonate but our pouches don't have much acid in them.  Four Optisource has 1000 mg calcium carbonate.  So you're not getting any calcium right now.

The reason you need the sublingual B12 is because to absorb B12 that goes in your stomach, you need this stuff called intrinsic factor in there.  But our pouches hardly have any of that.  With the sublingual, it goes right into your blood stream.

Here's the ASMBS link:
nutrition.otago.ac.nz/__data/assets/file/0005/4784/Bariatric NutritionReading.pdf

I hate throwing money away too.  Do you know someone (that has not had RNY) that might be able to use the B12 gummies?

The multi I use is either Centrum or just the store brand equivalent, whatever's cheaper.  Sometimes I can get Centrum cheaper on sale than the store brand.

Thx so much for your input! I went out today and got all new vitamins! I found one called Onesource at Walmart and it looks really good, it is a pill but has mostly 200% of most things and others are at 300%. I am also taking biotin and the B12, plus a calcium citrate! Oh, and back on my D capsules!
Thanks again!

sounds very good!

I take Twinlabs daily one w/o iron capsules 2x a day. I tried various chewables and they all made me want to vomit. lol My labs have come back great with the capsules so I'm sticking with them for now. They're kinda big but they're a capsule so they're easier to take, for me anyway.

I wish we could take gummy anything, it seems none of them have what we need in them. :(

My surgery is scheduled 2/28 but what i do remember from my nutritionist appointment the doc wants me on bariatric advantage chewables only for the 1st month but then he sais u ghet the best effect when u take the ones u swallow...idk the difference yet but i cant stand the horse pills now pre-op so i can only imagine post

Well, I went to Costco and bought the Centrum. I also take trader joes B-12 sublingual and calcium citrate in liquid form cause I can't stand the horse pills. Those I can't swallow for sure, even cut up and I can't eat the wafers. They make me gag, so I take it in liquid form and as a treat I eat the baritric advantage calcium chews.