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No more chewables! Tell me about your vitamins?



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I've gotten the go ahead from my surgeon that I do not have to use chewable or liquid vitamins anymore and I'm anxious to move on. I have about a month's worth left of my chewables so I have time to research and comparison shop.

I'm really interested in hearing from those of you who've had labs done already (I have not) and have good numbers.

What do you take? Would you be so kind to tell me the brand and where you get them? If you have a link to it that would be amazing!

Thanks!

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I take one pre-natal rather than two regular Vitamins. Your Life by nature's bounty pre-natal. I also take a Vitamin D, B-12 (every other day because my levels are actually a bit high) and B-1. the B-1 is stinky and gross for something so small. The B-12 and D are Sundown Naturals. and the B-1 is Nature Made. I get my Vitamins at the grocery store and/or Walgreen's.

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At my third month visit with the bariatrician, I was switched from chewables to Bariatric Advantage AE, which I get online from www.bariatricadvantage.com. I call them my Bariatric Advantage AE horse pill stink a** Vitamin. They are huge like a pre-natal Vitamin and have everything in them that I was paying for all of the chewables individually. At my six month visit with bloodwork, my numbers were excellent.

No lie, they are big. I could not swallow them. I cut them in half - still too big. I cut them in fours which made them swallowable, but the pieces had sharp corners on them. So now I pulverize it with a mortar and pestle and add them to yogurt (which I put sugar free raspberry jam in it) or fruit flavored Jello Water or chocolate pudding to mask the berry-ish stench. I have even put it in cranberry-grape juice, which was sort of ok.

The vitamin does its job, but ewwwwww!

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I take GNC mega womens dialy multiple Vitamin and a Calcium supplement (over 45 don't want osteoporis). My first blood work is due back today or tomorrow....but as for feeling well I feel great

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I was given the go-ahead to transition from chewables (actually about 2 months ago) and tried a multi and calcium citrate but it was hard to swallow the large pills and it felt like they were getting stuck so I quit with those pills. For about 1 month now I have been taking capsules for my Iron and calcium citrate and the go down perfectly. My surgery center had no problem with this as long as I was taking the proper dosage. So now I still take a chewable multi (Centrium) , Iron in capsule from, Calcium citrate in capsule form, B12 in sublingual form, and Vitamin D in pill form. I had my labs run in October and they were good, except I needed to increase my iron a bit because I never was taking the right dosage. Everything I take I get from Vitamin Shoppe, except I get the B12 from costco.

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My program suggests 2 optisource (buy at Walgreens) twice daily, plus 500 mg calcium citrate plus D (the pills you can get at any drugstore or Target/Walmart, but the chewables at bariatricadvantage.com)

I have had labs drawn at 1 month, 2 months and 3 months. Everything normal except low hemoglobin (iron) which was a problem for me before surgery. Hope this helps!

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I get my bariatric Vitamins (big and icky...but effective) from InsureNutrition.com along with my Protein Shakes and scar cream :)... you may qualify for free products as well by filling out the form on the website...they do all the rest of the work; and once a month it's delivered to my door

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I am moving away from chewables....I've used swanson Vitamins online website for many years to buy vitamins and other supplements.< /p>

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How long post op are you? I cannot wait to go to a swallowable Vitamin.

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...

Edited by Kindle

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I'm a big fan of whole food based Vitamins. they have cofactors and micronutrients that just can't be duplicated in synthetic Vitamin products (it's like eating an orange vs taking a Vitamin C tablet).

I currently take Garden of Life Vitamin Code for Women. daily dose is 4 capsules but I only take 2. I also take Nature's Bounty Vitamin D 5000iu 3 times/week and B12 500mcg sublingual every other day.

I used to also take Calcium citrate 1000mg and an Iron supplement a couple times/week, but my 6 month labs showed these my Calcium and Iron were high so I stopped taking them (I eat a lot of dairy and red meat, so.....)

I'm scheduled for my 1 year labs next month, so I'll see what adjustments, if any, I may need to make at that point. regular bloodwork with full vitamin, mineral and iron panels is the best thing to do for keeping ahead of any deficiencies.....even years postop.

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Just curious…what's wrong with the chewables?

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The chewables I bought were very pleasant...berry flavored bariatric Vitamins I bought on Amazon inexpensively by Twin Labs (?)....during my last doctor visit, I was told I could switch whenever I wanted and that my stomach would tell me if the switch wasn't "right"...mine are Men's Multi Prime by Swansons...I am also taking the Calcium supplement pill and B12 supplements....the tablet size is 'R'...it's not a small tablet...I can feel it, but doctor told me the primary consideration is how the lining of your stomach reacts to the pill...I was afraid of the small anti-reflux pill I was given the night of the surgery in the hospital, but nothing happened.

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    • Alisa_S

      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.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      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.
      · 1 reply
      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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        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

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

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
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