Question:
weight gain/vitamins

I just started to regain weight and need a plan of what to eat and how much because I must be doing something wrong. I'm hungry, avoid carbs and I do the treadmill 3 times a week and the gym once a week. The weight is coming oin all of a suuden and I went for a blood test, waiting on that. Also, what vitamin regimin should I be on?    — elaine27 (posted on March 16, 2005)

March 16, 2005
Darlene (that's my mom's name too!), there is conflicting info on your profile, at the top it lists your surgery type as VBG, but in the body you mention a gastric bypass. If you really had VBG, the weight gain could be from a mechanical failure - a staple line disruption (SLD). I had that happen to me and was revised from VBG to RNY. Even with the SLD, I ate smaller portions, but once the food traveled to my larger part of the stomach, I was hungry again pretty soon so I ended up eating more. You can have your surgeon do an endoscopy to see what is going on in there. SLDs can happen with RNY also if you have an non-transected pouch. As for vitamins, that depends on the type of surgery, a gastric bypass (RNY or DS) patient will have different needs that a VBG patient. VBGs still absorb eveything they take in, but the bypasses will malabsorb some things (iron, calcium, b-12, etc). Once you have your blood test results, your doc can advise you if you are low on anything. As a minimum I would take a multi-vitamin twice a day, and at least 1500 mg of calcium. Women need more calcium regardless of WLS. You might need iron also, esp. if you still get your period. Let us know which type of surgery you had and what the blood test says.
   — Ali M