Question:
Vitamins and weight loss???? HELP!!

   — Pamela H. (posted on September 23, 2003)

September 23, 2003
I am 6 weeks post-op, and while I was in the hospital I was given two flintstone chewable multivitiams daily. They are so sweet, I could not see myself taking them for the rest of my life, so I took a long look at the choices that were available. I choose Centrum chewable multivitiams, they have 100% of daily iron, and also have the folic acid required by women, they are orange flavor and taste pretty good. Yes, I was told you have to take a multivitiam for the rest of your life. For the second part of your question, I can not give you the actually formula for weight loss. My surgeon went by the weight chart of the insurance and figured what my goal weight should be and told me how long it would take to maintain that weight. He told me that I should lose 15 lbs pure month, for 12 months. Hope this helps. You may want to ask your surgeon about the weight numbers.
   — cindy

September 23, 2003
Only your Surgeon can provide you w/ the weight loss info that you seek. They know the stats based on your body type. W/ regards to vitamins, I take a Vitamin Shoppe Adult Chewable twice daily, Liquid B12 and a Calcium Chewable twice daily. Miz D 7wks Post.
   — [Deactivated Member]

September 23, 2003
I take 1 pre-natal vitamin and 1 trinsicon pill per day. Both are prescription drugs.
   — Patty H.

September 23, 2003
Check with your doc about specific vitamin requirements: there is some variation. Since I came home from the hospital nearly six months ago, I take two children's multivitamins with iron per day, three 500 mg. calcium citrate chewables a day, and a sublingual B-12 once a week. I occasionally take potassium and zinc, as well. Be careful with the iron and calcium as iron interferes with calcium absorption. Try to leave about two hours between these vitamins. Also note that people can absorb only 500 mg of calcium at a time, so spread these out over the day, too. As far as what's "on track" for you, the best advice is to ask your surgeon. There are some weight loss planners (there's on on this site, under Fun Things To Do), but these are very general estimations that do not take your personal factors into consideration. That kind of comparison, especially if you don't match the planner, can be very discouraging and defeating. Your doc will have the best indication of what's right for you.
   — Vespa R.

September 25, 2003
As long as your RNY remains intact, there are certain elements you'll have to supplement. Protein, iron, calciu, vites A, D, E, zinc & B12, maybe others. If there coes a time that you are eating enough volume to bypass your bbypass, you will also be bypassing your wt loss. The absorption does improve with time, which is a mixed blessing. We're in no hurry to pay for better absorptoin, having just bought malabsorption. The basic 8 elements we need to supp, need to be done in specific ways, though they need not be expensive, just correct. There are many "one size fits all" vites on the market today, often using "for bariatric pts" as part of the title or catch phrase, but I have seen none that stands alone & does not need furhter enhancement to make a full "set".
   — vitalady