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What Supplements Do You Use? What Is Working For You?



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I'd like to ask what you are using for daily supplements, such as Vitamins, minerals, etc. What has worked for you and made you feel better or improved your hair, skin and well being?

Appreciate your input. :)

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I take a daily Multivitamin (Centrum, was chewables until about 8 months out), Tums 2x a day for Calcium (Tums because other Calcium interferes with an Rx med I take), sublingual B12, and Biotin daily. My surgeon told me I could reduce the B12 to 3x a week, but I can tell the difference in my energy level and mental acuity on the days I don't take the B12, so I'm back to daily. I started the Biotin at 2 months out and, while I see a lot of hair in the shower drain, I don't think the thinning has been that severe.

FYI, I also use Neutrogena Body Oil daily on all of my skin except my face because I think my skin is dryer than it was before surgery. I use moisturizer on my face and neck morning and night and I've just added Jergens lotion to the mix at bedtime to help with skin tone. I'm willing to expose more skin than I would have shown 100 pounds ago and the areas that haven't seen sun in years are glaringly white. A little Jergens lotion is helping to even the color out. We're talking upper arms, thighs and slightly lower cut shirts than before, not belly yet. :)

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Thanks for your response Lissa. I have been taking gummies multi-Vitamins, but they don't have Iron so I need to look for something new and find out what other supplements are needed. I posted to see what everyone else uses and get some suggestions.

I've never taken B-12 so no clue how much to take. What is sublingual B-12? Sorry, I have no clue. Is the Biotin just for hair loss?

The Body Oil is a great idea. I love that stuff, but haven't used it in years.

Thanks again

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sublingual B12 just means that the pill dissolves under your tongue. I take 500 mcg daily. The Biotin helps your hair, nails and skin to regenerate themselves supposedly. Nioxin makes a Biotin type med, but it's sold in hair salons and costs a WHOLE lot more than mine. I buy my Vitamins and supplements at either CVS or Walgreens when they have B1G1 sales. It seems to work out that I replace half my Vitamins one month and the other half the next month.

I've never been a big fan of anything Gummy, so I preferred the chewable Centrum, actually Spectravite, the CVS brand. It has 100% of the RDA of most of the vitamins we need except Biotin (13%) and Calcium, both of which I take in other forms. It only has 2% of the RDA of potassium, but I eat a lot of bananas, so I'm not concerned about that Vitamin too much.

You definitely want to go over your Vitamin regimen with your doctor or nutritionist to make sure you're getting what you need. My nutritional needs are slightly different than yours because of Rx meds. Yours will be different from others because of a variety of factors including age, how much you have to lose, what makes up your diet, etc. I get a lot more Vitamin D in daily than someone who lives in a snowy or rainy climate, so I don't have to supplement there. I also get in more Iron than many because I love collard greens and spinach. Others may need an Iron supplement even with a multi with iron in it. I've NEVER had a problem with anemia. Just some things to keep in mine while you're building your routine.

BTW, I used to take glucosamine chondroiton for knee pain. I've eliminated that completely because the knee pain is gone, gone, gone. Some people add in magnesium for knee health, but my doctor says I don't need it so far. What's in my multi is sufficient.

If this all seems overwhelming, I'm sorry. I remember reading other people's vitamin regimens pre-op and thinking I'd NEVER be able to figure it out, but it has evolved over time into the current set up. It may change later. :)

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I'm pre-op, but based on my labs I take 50,000 mg of D 1x/week and daily I take a Multivitamin, 500 mg of B12, and Iron. The multivitamin is not chewable, but I did purchase One A Day gummies for after surgery.

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im 6 months post op and have been taking the Bariatric fusion chewable multivitamin. The Vitamins where designed for bariatric patients. you get all the Vitamins you needs with 3 chewables. its cheap also, 1 bottle will last you a month. my lab work has been fine since i started taking them. the taste is not bad and its not chalky like other chewables.

supplements.html?gclid=CM7uo4OE_q8CFYhM4AodH3a6Gw" rel="external nofollow">http://www.bariatricchoice.com/bariatric-fusion-gastric-bypass-vitamins-supplements.html?gclid=CM7uo4OE_q8CFYhM4AodH3a6Gw

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Thanks for the information!

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I ordered the B-50 Complex Vitamins from Bariatric Advantage assuming the would be fine for after surgery. However, they are capsules not chewables. Has anyone taken these and after surgery when I start taking vitamins again, do I sprinkle them in applesauce or yogurt to take them or can they be swallowed?

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I take Calcium Iron pre natal Biotin and the antacids my husband also gives me a B12 shot one time a month I never took Vitamins before and I now have alot more energy

Sent from my SPH-D700 using VST

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Thanks again, I'm going to look into all your suggestions.

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My surgeon gave me the site to go to for baratric Vitamins. They are amazing. It's called Celebrate.< /p>

I am pre-opp but discovered "Celebrate" as well... I take the Multi-Vitamin w/ Iron, B12 sublingual, and the Calcium . They all taste relatively good and assume I will continue w/ them after surgery as well. ( all are chewable )

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I've been looking at some of the Vitamins that were suggested (thanks again) and was wondering if anyone knows why they contain 3 or even 4 times what is the recommended daily allowance.

Also, how often do you have blood work to check your Vitamins?

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My NUT told me because we r eating so much less now that we need more supplements to make up for what's in food. I've been swallowing tablets, capsules, etc since day 3 post op with no problem. Nurse told me that I could take them & didnt have to sprinkle or crush anything. My multi-vit is chewable cuz it's huge!! I also take a little Fiber supplement.

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      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
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      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

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        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

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