Pre-op stock up

I have had my initial consultation with my bariatric surgeon 10/6/15. My insurance requires a 3-month medically supervised weight loss program so in the meantime, my brain is in high gear trying to prepare as much as possible ahead of time. I live alone with two large dogs so post-op will be interesting to say the least. Don't say call a friend because I really don't have any. I am/was a hermit holed up inside my house where no one judges me.

I love to coupon (very late at night when few are out shopping) and buy up good deals to stock up on things. Lately, I have been saving vitamin coupons.

What are good investments as far as vitamins for AFTER surgery. Is there such a thing as a chewable or liquid calcium supplement that isn't gummy? What about things that don't come in liquids or chewable such as Vitamin D, B Complex, Thiamine? Is my ONLY choice for a complete multivitamin with iron children's chewables?

I am getting a bit worried about how to fix 1 ounce of vegetable or fruit for the first 8 weeks post-op. Should I just get baby food Stage 1 and stop worrying? Is it safe to purchase a protein drink and use 1 oz and refrigerate it after opening? Has anyone found a good chart to go by for nutritional statements of various protein rich foods? Does the baby food meat have good protein content?

First... don't stock up on protein. What you like pre-op, you might HATE post-op. Order single serving samples of protein online or go to a nutrition store. Then you are not stuck with a huge tub of protein that you can't tolerate.

I never was required to use chewable vitamins. I was swallowing whole pills in the hospital after surgery. I was just told to swallow one pill at a time and wait a few minutes between pills. Children's complete vitamins are NOT COMPLETE. They are missing a whole bunch of vitamins that adults need. I use Centrum Silver. Remember that you need Calcium Citrate not Calcium Carbonate. A few months after surgery they will do a set of labs and you can adjust your supplements by what your labs say.

Baby food SUCKS! The pureed phase is fairly short. Your focus will be on protein, so don't even worry about veggies or fruit. If you are taking vitamins and getting your require protein, you will be fine. There are lots of proteins you can eat during the pureed stage that are not meat. I lived on ricotta with a little marinara sauce and mozzarella in the microwave. I liked canned re-fried beans with taco sauce. I also pureed lentil soup. Amy's Organic makes a good one. You won't be eating more than a tablespoon or two at first, so your primary source for protein will be shakes. You will be able to eat meat later on and the shakes can disappear if you can eat enough protein to meet your daily goal. Remember that your main staple will be meat and veggies until you reach your goal weight. Fruit has been known to slow or stop weight loss. It should be limited to one very small serving daily (like 2 or 3 strawberries) and choose very low glycemic fruits. After you get to your goal weight, you can add some fruit back in, but be careful. I have seen people re-gain if they eat too much fruit.

Edited to add: This site is awesome if you are looking for recipes or food ideas after surgery.

The post-op meal plan they have given me for the first 8 weeks is this:

Breakfast Lunch Dinner

1 oz protein 1 oz protein 1 oz protein

1 oz fruit 1 oz vegetable 1 oz starch

I giggled at 1 oz of starch... what is that... two individual pieces of macaroni? But not supposed to have pasta, bread, rice, etc.

How do I prepare 1 oz of fruit or vegetable without doing baby food?

Was also instructed that post-op will be taking Flintstones Complete 1 tablet chewed three times a day. For best absorption, my surgeon prefers chewable if possible, then liquid, then tablets. No gummies allowed.

Flintstones are **** Search this board for the topic, and real, helpful, alternatives.

Audrey

Hi Tattitude,

When I was originally preparing for RNY surgery, I was doing the same thing... planning, planning, planning! I think it's great that you're thinking ahead!

Regarding Vitamins-

Centrum makes a chewable multivitamin that's a decent Orange flavor. It basically tastes like a Flintstones vitamin but it's not a kids vitamin. Don't go for the kids vitamins, whatever you do.

Bariatric Advantage makes a good Chewable Calcium Citrate in a chalky chewable tablet version. I believe they also have a more 'chewy' option that apparently has the texture/consistency of a caramel. I personally went for the Chewable Tablet.

Bariatric Advantage is also good to look for Vitamin D and Iron (if you require iron). All of these are on Amazon, btw!

For Protein-

I am going to disagree with the other poster and suggest you try out some protein flavors prior to surgery. If you dislike it before surgery, it's not likely you'll be able to stand it after surgery... HOWEVER, your tastes after surgery will be super finicky. You might love something the day before surgery then afterwards be unable to stand it. I didn't think that would be me, and lo and behold I disliked my formerly favorite protein drink when I tried it again! Something you could try is the Premier Protein 11oz ready-to-drink shakes... After surgery you can sip on and close the little screw-lid on it and it has 30g of protein and low sugars/calories.

My surgeon recommended (for RNY) to worry more about 64oz of fluids daily, and not worry about eating meats until 6 weeks out. Instead he advised to drink protein during the first 6 weeks so an accurate count can be kept. Regarding baby food (if you're insistent on eating meat!) I took a quick look at Gerber Beef w/Beef Gravy and it looks like 70 Calories, 8g Protein, 2g Carbs... not bad... if you can stomach it, I guess? I'm 11 days out right now and getting my protein in via shakes, greek yogurt, and cheese. When I am allowed more solid foods, I plan on going on to tuna pureed with mayo, chicken salad, etc.

For Vegetables (and fruits, starches, sugars) - I'd just avoid them and focus on protein. You will have very little room in your pouch! Also, you could try deli meats for 1 oz of protein... just beware that some meats will not be easily tolerated early out.

Hope some of this helps!

Did a lot of label reading a couple nights ago, discovered things I thought would be good contain either low protein or have too much sugar/carbs. I was surprised to find Campbell's Tomato Soup contains TOO MANY GRAMS of sugar per 1/2 c. serving and only 1 g protein. Figures since I love it and could eat it every day during the pureed phase! I will have to try the pureed lentil soup. I ended up coming home with string cheese (from Skim milk), fat free cottage cheese and carb control yogurt. Thanks for your suggestions, things I hadn't thought of putting together.

You should also look into the Unjury Chicken Soup protein powder for something savory instead of the usual sweet of protein shakes! Tomorrow for dinner I am planning on pureeing lentils and mixing with the protein powder mix for a super protein-y soup!

I don't care what your surgeon or nutritionist says. Stay far away from starches, fruits and veggies the first several weeks. Mix in a bite for flavor maybe, and that's it. Concentrate on fluids, fats and proteins at first. And your vitamins. That will keep you healthy and help you heal.

Countless posts on this board have proved that having MD, DO, RD or RN after your name doesn't count for much.

And a nutritionist who tells you to eat baby food should be sued for malpractice. Hundreds of people on this board have lost and maintained their losses without resorting to such nonsense.

Audrey

I totally agree with Audrey on this! I have been taking Bariatric Fusion multis since my surgery, 2 full sets of labs later, totally on track. They are chewable, I take 4 a day 2/am and 2/pm, wild cherry flavor. They are specifically made for gastric bypass patients, my surgeon recommended them and I do not take any thing else, it is all included in that one pill.