I am on track to have VGS surgery in April. I had an appointment yesterday with a nutritionist and she told me that my surgeon doesn't recommend fruit juices due to dumping. I love having a fruit smoothie each morning. I asked her about smoothies and she seemed hesitant. Has anyone had any problems with dumping because of fruit juice or smoothies? I know everyone is different but I don't think I've ever head or read anything about juice not being tolerated. I'm really bummed out cause I got a Ninja for Christmas and was really thinking it'd be a life saver after my surgery. Besides juice does anyone have anything they know causes them to dump or that just doesn't agree with their stomach?

We also talked about Vitamins and I found one that is reasonably priced and covers all there requirements but Calcium, but I'm struggling to find a calcium. They want me to have at least 1200-1500 units of calcium circulate. The highest calcium citrate I can find is 500 mg which means I'd need 3 a day plus my multi. Not to mention they are pretty expensive! I know the multi has to be 2 hours the calcium but can all 3 calcium chews be taken at once? Basically I'm trying to not have to take pills all day long and also be economical if possible. I have found some pills that claim to have 600 mg of calcium in them but they don't specify what type of calcium. Does it really matter if it's citrate or carbonate?

Thanks for any help you can provide! You guys help me more then you could ever know and if it wasn't for the community I wouldn't have decided to make this step toward better health.

Yes is does matter that it's calcium citrate not carbonate. Biologically, calcium from foods and some types of dietary supplements must become ionized in an acid medium in order to be absorbed in the small intestine. In bariatric patients, certain forms of calcium such as calcium carbonate (found in many over-the-counter vitamins) are not likely to be well-absorbed after surgery because they require interaction with hydrochloric acid which is limited after common procedures. After bariatric surgery, there is less contact of food with stomach acid, making it difficult to absorb calcium carbonate. For this reason, calcium citrate is generally recommended after bariatric surgery to support absorption.

Also your fruit smoothies are a no-no. Especially early on. Why? Because for bariatric patients you are dealing with smaller tummy space. Your priorities are Protein then Fluid then veg. and maybe fruit. As fruit smoothie that may be too much sugar for your body to process. If your body doesn't process sugar it turns to fat. fruit juice is not necessarily a no no. Some people use 50% diluted fruit juice to get their fluids in but you need to keep in mind fruit is number 4 in the needs hierarchy. Your priority is protein & fluids, preferably Water.

As for vitamins/supplements I do take them all day. My schedule is as follows:

AM - Multivitamin, D3, Biotin

Mid-Morning - Calcium Citrate+D

Mid-afternoon - Calcium Citrate+D, Omeprazole

PM - Multivitamin, D3, Biotin, Zyrtec-D

On Sundays at noon I take B12 sublingual

I also took colace for 30 days post-op

Edited January 7, 201511 yr by BLERDgirl

Fruit juices and smoothies are medically fine, as long as you recognize that you are likely taking in a lot more sugar and calories than you and your surgeon would find optimal. If you mix in some Protein powder and use light juices or low sugar smoothie mix options, you can still drink smoothies- it's just really important to be aware of how quickly the calories and sugar can add up.

I am one of those lucky people that gets dumping and yes, fruit juice, smoothies, milk shakes, Desserts, and really anything with too much sugar or too much fat does all kinds of fun things for me. Usually with sugars I start getting really hot (like hot flashes level hot- or at least I imagine that's what it's comparable too), my heart rate increases, I get sweaty, and during the first six months or so of surgery I would need to lay down for about 20 minutes because I felt so crummy. If I realize what's happening quickly, I avoid the puking that is accompanied with mouthfuls of goo. If I don't recognize that I'm getting sick, sometimes I don't have the hot flashes, heart rate increase, and flushed feeling, but I just skip straight to the barfing. Basically when I eat something I shouldn't, I lean over the toilet (after sprinting to the bathroom), open my mouth, and it all comes spewing out coated in this thick slimy oozy goo- a little like the Exorcist.

I don't regret my decision to have the sleeve and many people never experience any form of dumping, so I would not let the possibility deter you from the surgery.

I started putting fruit in smoothies at about three months, BUT I was only having a couple a week - on strength training days - and usually berries smooshed in the blender. I am a year out and in a weeks time have a couple of apples, a few berries in yogurt twice, a small banana (work-out days) and a few tangerines.

I spread it out and have not had any problem with dumping. HOWEVER, I have been a slow loser, and I am sure that is why. But I am only fourteen pounds from goal, so I am not giving up fruit now. I still do not eat fruit several times a day like I used to. I also have not had so much as a cold since my surgery on 12/23/2013.

I eat fruit but I eat whole fruit where you also get fiber and other nutrients. I rarely drink fruit juices. I have never had dumping syndrome and @@AvaFern description of it sounds horrible. I can say I have had a pain free, issue free journey so far and I contribute that to following my nutritionist instructions closely. I don't want to do anything now that could possibly set me up for problems further down the road.

Edited January 8, 201511 yr by BLERDgirl

With my smoothies I use frozen fruit, half cup low or no fat Greek yogurt, half water half juice, and ice. Then I add a scoop of protein powder so my protein for just one smoothie is 35 grams! I figured that when I got to week 3-4 this would be and easy way to have something I love and get my protein at the same time. I could just use water or maybe fine a recipe that doesn't use any juice at all. I'm just concerned that the fruit itself would cause the dumping. Any advice?

I have not had any issues using fruit so maybe cutting out the fruit juice would work.