I've tried the bariatric vitamins which make me sick to my stomach. I've read reviews on several different brands and kinds of vitamins.

Someone recommended "catalyn," vitamins along with the norm. If you've tried please let me know how it worked.

Just want to get a idea of the brands and type of vitamins you all begun your journey with. I'm four months out and vitamin d and iron are what I NEED.

Walgreen's generics and my labs have been perfect for two years.

I've gone back to GNC mega packs again.

They have most everything I need and are always available.

The particular mega pack I now use is called Men's Mega Joint. It has some additional stuff targeted at joint pain relief.

For the first 4 weeks after surgery I was required to use liquids, and I used Wellesse liquid multi-vitamin, calcium, and iron supplements. I did a double dose of all of them. After that I switched to Trader Joe's High Potency chewable multi-vitamin (I did a double dose for the first six months then switched to a single dose), generic calcium citrate petites, generic Vitamin D, and generic iron supplements, sometimes adding the Wellesse liquid iron to that. I tend to have real problems with iron, and have since I hit puberty -- this isn't a weight loss surgery thing. My labs have always been great -- with the occasional exception of iron, though that tends to be better than before surgery, probably because I am more religious about taking my supplements. I do find that when I supplement with liquid iron I do really well.

One thing I will say is to make sure you take your vitamins with your highest fat meal of the day. Many vitamins need fat for proper absorption.

Also, I've stopped taking calcium supplements entirely, based on my personal assessment of risks and benefits, but I would never tell anyone else to do that.

My mom has a very sensitive GI tract....multiple food intolerances, reflux, IBD, etc. the only Vitamins she can take are whole food based vitamins. All others cause pain, nausea and/or diarrhea. Based on her recommendation I had been taking Source of Life Gold chewables long before surgery. Postop I didn't like the sweetness of the chewables anymore so I switched to Garden of Life Vitamin Code for Women capsules as well as their calcium and vitamin D supplements. I used to take Iron, but my labs came back high so I stopped. They are loaded with Probiotics, digestive enzymes and contain synergistic ingredients that maximize absorption. I like the idea of whole food vitamins instead of chemically synthesized vitamins. They contain micronutrients and cofactors that just can't be duplicated in a lab. For B12 I take Source Naturals methylcobalamin sublingual. (Methylcobalamin is better absorbed than cyanocobalamin)

And ditto to the taking with fat part. I always take my multi with a fatty meal, a couple spoons of Peanut Butter or regular cottage cheese.

I use patches from patchmd.com my NUT told me about it. I would gag on the vitamins I just stopped taking them, now I just stick a small patch on the back of my shoulders each morning.

My mom has a very sensitive GI tract....multiple food intolerances, reflux, IBD, etc. the only Vitamins she can take are whole food based vitamins. All others cause pain, nausea and/or diarrhea. Based on her recommendation I had been taking Source of Life Gold chewables long before surgery. Postop I didn't like the sweetness of the chewables anymore so I switched to Garden of Life Vitamin Code for Women capsules as well as their calcium and vitamin D supplements. I used to take Iron, but my labs came back high so I stopped. They are loaded with probiotics, digestive enzymes and contain synergistic ingredients that maximize absorption. I like the idea of whole food vitamins instead of chemically synthesized vitamins. They contain micronutrients and cofactors that just can't be duplicated in a lab. For B12 I take Source Naturals methylcobalamin sublingual. (Methylcobalamin is better absorbed than cyanocobalamin)

And ditto to the taking with fat part. I always take my multi with a fatty meal, a couple spoons of Peanut Butter or regular cottage cheese.

Have you tried garden of life Protein?

Have you tried garden of life protein?

Yes. Both the Raw Fit and Raw Protein. I was lactose intolerant and couldn't do artificial sweeteners for the first 4 months postop and this was one of the proteins I could tolerate. Since they contain insoluble seeds, they are different from other protein powders. They don't dissolve completely and have a gritty texture. It's best to mix in a blender bottle so you can shake them before drinking to resuspend the parts that settle out. They taste good and the texture didn't bother me....I actually add ground flax seed to most of my protein drinks anyways and it does the same thing.