I'm so confused about vitamins

[Rainydayz 27]

Every time I ask a question about them I get such different answers. My nut. tells me to take Flintstones, Calcium and B12. But some people tell me that Flintstones are crap. Why? I write to Vitalady and ask the same question. I get a form letter response that tells me to check out their starter packages at $231.00!! Plus I get a list of labs that RNY people have to take. I did not have RNY. Also I don't know how much I trust the Vitalady site to know what is right for us because they have it listed as "VGS" not VSG.

So what I want to know is what Vitamins and minerals are essential to us and in what forms. WHY isn't Flintstones good? What do I need to look for in a multi, Iron, Calcium and anything else. Is there a certain form of Iron that is more absorbable? I don't know what chelate means or tender means. I just want to know what I can buy at Walmart or CVS that is good for me. I cannot spend $200+ on Vitamins right now.

Thanks for any info.

[Caliblonde 25]

My surgeon's office told me to take Flintstones Complete Multivitamins. I couldn't tolerate them after surgery, so I switched and am now taking Vitafusion Gummy Vitamins for adults from costco. They taste yummy and don't make me sick to my stomach.

In addition, I'm taking Nature's Bounty B-12 5000mcg sublingual, NatureMade chewable Vitamin C, and Walgreens Calcium +D chewable.

[Foxbins 625]

You need a "complete" mulivitamin. Flintstones "complete" are okay, Centrum chewables are okay, or pick up a bottle of something "complete" at any store and then compare to the house brand. Here in CA I found "Spectravites" at Walgreen's to be the same as Centrum but cost about half as much.

You need to take 1200 mg of calcium citrate. Citrate is needed because Calcium carbonate is poorly absorbed anyway and is even more poorly absorbed in a less-acid environment like our stomachs after surgery. This is the Citracal brand of pills, not chewables. You may need to pay $$ for a chewable calcium citrate from a bariatric website initially--I have not found a reasonably priced chewable citrate in drugstores. Citracal petites are smaller pills that you can swallow at about 8 weeks out. Whole Foods carries a calcium citrate liquid for about $10 and costco used to but I haven't seen it there lately.

You must take a sublingual B-12 because the part of the stomach that manufactures "intrinsic factor" which is used to absorb B-12 is gone after surgery. I am taking a 2500 mcg dose twice weekly and my B-12 levels are great.

If you still have periods, you probably need to take supplemental Iron. Iron should be taken with Vitamin C to increase absorption. Vitalady sells "tender" iron, it is in the form of carbonyl iron which may have fewer intestinal side effects than the ferrous gluconate form found in most iron supplements. You can find carbonyl iron formulations at drugstores and health food stores or you could try the ferrous gluconate. I take the carbonyl, 60 mg/day, with 400 mg of Vitamin C at the same time.

For maximum absorption, you cannot take calcium and iron at the same time. Separate them by 2 hours.

[kellyw74 258]

You can't go wrong with Centrum that is why their slogan is "Complete from A-Zinc" It has everything in it you need. If you can swallow pills (usually after 4 weeks you don't need chewables), get you some of that and you will be fine.

That is what I take and I am great! I also take B-12, Citracal, and additional iron& Vitamin c because i am anemic.

Kelly

[NukeChik 1]

I'm currently banded, and have had significant health problems due to the nutritional side of banding. I take "Source of Life" Vitamins. You can get either liquid or chewable, I like the taste of the chewable better than the liquid. They are more expensive than the stuff from Walmart or walgreens, but the quality of nutrition is unsurpassed.

When I told my doctor about the Flinstones that my surgeon recommends, he basically laughed his head off and told me the high number of patients he had with my same problems.

i also take fish oil (liquid)' D3, liquid calcium citrate, CO-Q-10, and pro-biotics

[Tiffykins 673]

Personally, I've seen too many people take Flintstones and have issues with other supplemental nutrients, plus I think those are the ones with Calcium in them, and well the Calcium prevents the Iron from being absorbed properly.

I took a chewable from GNC for a long, long time before I found Celebrate Multi Complete chewables. I also use their chewable calcium citrate plus 500 which has magnesium and vit D. And, I love that I just need to take 4 chewables per day. I was taking 8 pills/chewies per day on my previous regimens. The GNC never steered me wrong, I just won some Celebrate from a FB giveaway, and fell in love with them so I switched.

Here's a list from the ASMBS for nutrition and Vitamin guidelines for bariatric patients.

http://www.asmbs.org...s/bgs_final.pdf

I seriously LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this woman's blog, this is one entry I've had bookmarked for a long time, you can peruse her other topics as well:

http://wlsvitagarten...iencies-in-vsg/

There are so many things we need other than just the basic Vitamins. Copper, selenium, zinc to name a few. We just can't eat enough food, and with all the preservatives, free radicals in our bodies, and just overall we've altered our parts, we just can't get enough. Even the most clean eaters, need stuff.

For me, I feel it necessary since I am an adult to take an adult multi.

For all the money I was saving on not buying crap food, I could justify investing that money in a good, high-quality Vitamin that wouldn't fail me.