supplements

I am in need of some help.  I'm trying to find calcium, iron, and b12 supplements that are either chewable, powder, or sublingual.  I keep forgetting to take the calcium, and it's probably because i'm sick of swallowing 2 gigantic pills 3 times per day.  Also, what type of protein powder is everyone using?  I've been told to try and find one that can be heated so that I can add it to my food but I can't seem to find any besides the brand "Any Whey".  I'm trying to get all these things in order and as a routine before my surgery, but I'm getting more and more stressed out because there are so many different types of protein powder, supplements and it's making my head spin.  Also, I have found this specific cup that's called "lil sip mug"  Here's the link http://www.bariatricdiet.com/lil_sip_mug.htm  I didn't know if anyone had an issue of swallowing too much liquid at one time that I should think about buying this, or does anyone have any other suggestions?  I guess I'm just paranoid and I don't want to get sick because I drank to much, but I want to make sure that I'm getting enough liquids.  So if anyone could offer me any advice(besides taking a big deep breath and knowing that things will be okay) I would really appreicate it.  Also, I am going for my second nutrition appointment at Vanderbilt on Thursday, has anyone been through Vandy to be able to tell me if the second nutrition appointment is better than the first?

BellBuckleGal,
Hi sorry for the slow response but I've found that Bariatric Advantage is the best Calcium Citrate I like the Cinnamon and Chocolate they are chewable.
I also like their Iron there is no Iron taste or smell I get the Strawberry Flavored. You should have or will get a hand out from your NUT. that will give you a online link to Bariatric Advantage and if you sign up for automatic every three month refill there is no shipping cost. The B-12 I like is made by Superior Source it's a very very small tablet that dissolves under the tongue, I find it at my local health food store.
You might need aVitiamin D and of course a Multi-Vitamin ask your NUT.
These are good quality my vitamin numbers always come back great, plus I really enjoy taking them they taste great.
The second NUT. apt. is one on one she will encourage you to stop the soda and straws as well as drink before during and after your meals. This is the time to start working on slow eating chewing 25-30 times.
I would also encourage you to start a daily journal(a three ring binder works great to stick your hand-outs in as well) marking your food and liquid intake as well as protein, take this with you to each apt. they do like lookiung it over it gives them a real sense of how your doing.
 Also don't get carried away with buying a lot of protein what you find tasty now might not be so after surgery, some how our taste buds change post-op???
Good Luck ask any questions if your not getting a quick enough response don't hesitate to pm me I'll see that quicker.
C'ya Bob

Hey Ms BellBuckleGal  ,

you are now able to purchase the calcium citrate at Kroger. I just took my last one a little while ago, so I'll let you know for sure..And the biotin you can get at the vitamin shoppe in Brentwood. There you can also find alot of your vit.s. too. check at wal-mart, I thank that some of them said that Walmart had some B-12's that were real good.

Thank you both for the help.  I really appreciate it.  Hopefully I can get this all straightened out.

Hi Ms. Bell,

 

I am going to attempt to address your supplement dilemma… If I get off track or fail to address the issue that was up most important please let me know… Oh yea, Ps… thank you for being a participant here at NNEW… It means more than you will ever know….

 

In my early days of post op I quickly discovered the use of a pill crusher… I found an awesome crusher at my local pharmacy for around $2.99.…

 

I crushed the heck out of my calcium supplements… as a matter of fact I think I pulverized those suckers… LOL….

 

I take B12 injections however, you can purchase a B-12 sublingual from Wal-Mart that is the size of a dot that you place under your tongue and dissolves in seconds.

 

My Iron supplement is prescribed by my surgeon. I have been anemic since the birth of my two children and nothing has changed over 22 years…. I take a prescribed Iron supplement by Dr. Richards…

 

Now here is where things can get tricky….

 

Calcium is best absorbed when taken in doses no larger than 600mg at a time.

 

Calcium and iron interfere with one another’s absorption. Do not take iron or a multivitamin that contains iron at the same time as your calcium.
 

I have a time schedule I go by for which I take my vitamin supplements throughout the day… Let me know if you are interested in that schedule and I will post it for you.

 

I am anxious to hear about how your 2nd nutrition visit went… What did you learn?

Trina,
You can call me Heather if you'd like.  My second nutrition visit was...okay.  At the first nutrition group class we were told to bring all of our vitamins and supplements and she would look them over to be sure that we were taking the correct ones.  That never happened.  Basically my second nutrition visit I answered a ton of questions which were also on the paper I was told to fill out and give to her, which she never asked for.  After that she gave me a very very very generic meal plan with no specific amount of food.  For instance I can have a piece of meat that's the size of my palm, 2 carb choices which is stated as 1 small bowl of potatoes/noodles/etc., and then as many "Free" foods as I like, which free foods are not jello and popsicles, they are vegetables.  She also told me that I need to start journaling and writing down how i feel when i eat, and what i'm eating, why i'm eating...basically being conscious of eating in general.  It was suggested that I purchase the workbook "mind over mood" to help me with my binge eating when I get stressed or bored.   I purchased the book and looked through it and ended up returning it because the format was not something I felt as though I would benefit from.  I was also asked what  I thought my goal weight would be, and honestly I want to be healthy and not a diabetic any longer, but I'd still love to have a slim body.  So I didn't tell her an exact weight, and I really didn't want to know what my "goal" weight would be but I was told anyways and it's just 100 pounds from where I am now.  I was told in order to have a healthy pregnancy and child I would need to lose around 150 pounds, and now I feel somewhat defeated because the answer she gave me still means that I won't be able to have a healthy pregnancy, which I hope to have happen in about 2 to 3 years.  And I know that weight is just a number and it shouldn't matter if I'm healthy but it still kind of breaks my heart.  But then again I guess my weight loss really depends on my motivation and devotion and what I make of this entire thing.  I'm hoping if I really follow the meal plan and exercise that I'll be able to come close to the 150 pounds I need to lose.  Do you think that is possible?  I mean has anyone been told that they would only lose a certain amount and in the end you ended up passing that number and losing even more?

So now I'm at a standstill waiting on insurance approval and for Vandy to set a date.  Hopefully I'll be able to have the surgery at the end of March but I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

Could you post your schedule? I would be very interested. My husband and I did not know about the calcium-iron problem and he has been takin his supplements wrong for about 2 years now. I would like to get started taking them right also for my surgery.

Hi C Douglas,



I am so sorry I did not post this for you sooner.  I thought I had. I received an email from Sharon asking me to reply to your post cause she was wanting to know too...  Please forgive me... 



I take the following supplements:



Conison Cap Ethex (Iron) one capsule by mouth everyday


Vitamin D 50000 IU Cap Pliva


Citrical Calcium Citrate Caplets + D  the D has 400 IU the calcium has 630 mg 


Acidophilus 1 Billion CFU's 2 tablets twice a day


Centrum Chewable multi vitamin one tablet every day
B 12 high potency sublingual 2500 mcg


B 12 Injection every 2 weeks



My Iron, B 12, Multi Vitamin and Acidophillus can be taken at the same time.


My Calcium and Vitamin D can be taken at the same time, and I have to keep them seperated from the others.


So my routine looks like this:


Morning:  Multivit, B12, Iron, Acidophillus


Lunch:  Calcium plus D


Dinner:  Calcium plus D, Acidophillus



I hope this helps,  Trina

Calcium and iron interfere with one another’s absorption. Do not take iron or a multivitamin that contains iron at the same time as your calcium.

Hmmmm  I did not know this, is this true for us all (lap-banders too????   I take mine at the same time, guess I might need to change that. 

Hey Stuck,



Yes, that would go for all WLS patients and non WLS patients.



Where you been hiding?????