I was wondering what people out there are doing for vitamins and calcium? I have tried a liquid centrum and it tastes HORRIBLE! Any suggestions? Any things you have tried that work or taste better? Please let me know. :biggrin: Was banded 8/20/08 and am starting to feel worried about my choice. Bottom line, are most of you out there happy with your lapband choice? The future looks a little scary.

My band date is next week, but I already got my vitamins. I got the Walgreen's brand (orange flavor) of Centrum chewables called High Potency A thru Z. They taste pretty good, but I'm also taking sugar free Tums for calcium, and I use them as a quick vitamin chaser, and they're very good.

I started out doing Flintstones Chewables....told some friends, "The only thing I had to eat today was Fred."

I now use Centrum chewables. I have not taken any of the liquids, but I know that liquid meds and I do not get along very well.

It sounds like you're really asking about the surgery, though....the future for you is different. Some of the ways will not seem good -- for example, you need to find ways to fill yourself up other than with food; that can be a challenge. However, I'm now four months post-op and I can tell you without a doubt that this was the right choice for me at the right time.

I have gone from an all-time high of 297 pounds to 187 pounds today. (I was not at my high when I had surgery.)

You're just a few days post-op. It's normal to have "buyer's remorse" at this point. Hang in there, work the plan and it will work for you.

Edited August 29, 200817 yr by Enchanted
Yikes..My Signature is Out of Date!

I have been using Childrens Chewable vitamins, even now 8 months post surgery. I made the mistake and bought the gummy vitamins once and they got stuck!

I alternate between the chewable children's vitamins, one in the morning and one in the evening and gummy vitamins I ordered through Costco's website.

Bariatriceating.com makes chewables with the right amount of everything just for us. I also take their chewable iron and their chewable calcium. The calcium tastes like cinammon Altoids. You can also get Target's version of the Centrum chewables. I actually like them better than the Centrum. I have never been able to swallow pills, and this life choice is perfect for people like me who always needed chewables/liquids/dissolving medicines and the like. The world has finally caught up with me!

i use the celebrat vitamins for banders and they're great the complete multi vitamin is blackberry (chewable) and the calcium (chewable also) comes in strawberry cream and hot coco, i got the hot coco and like it alot, reasonable priced and gets shipped fast!

I'm curious if anyone has a calcium citrate they like. My dr. says that calcium citrate is the best absorbed--no tums or the caramel type calcium chews. I found a chewable "wafer" in calcium citrate, but it is about the size of a brick and you have to chew 2 of them to get in the 500mg/serving. My surgeon wants us to take 500 mg four times a day! This seems a little overkill to me. What do your doctors reccommend? We are also supposed to avoid eating for one hour before and after taking the calcium. I have just given up on trying to take it. I am doing everything else as prescribed. I will work on the calcium later!

As for Vitamins, I take whatever children's chewable happens to be the cheapest. We have a grocery store chain that's closing here, and I was able to stock up on a variety of childrens vitamins, B-12, and liquid Tylenol. I'm stocked for a year at least! (except for the calcium, DRAT!)

Flinstones vitamins...or better yet the Wal-mart brand! They taste good and they have the same amount of nutrients that a regular adult multi-vitamin would have.

Eyespy, my doctor recommends 1200 mg of calcium citrate a day, 600 mg AM and 600 mg PM. I found the Twinlab chewables at Vitamin Shoppe, which may be the same that you are talking about. Each wafer is the size of 5 quarters stacked together, and to get my RDA I take 2 1/2 at a time. They taste like weak Sweetarts to me, so it's kind of like getting candy. lol Calcium is a large molecule, so any method of delivering the amount required is going to be large. Oh, and the bottle recommends to take with a meal, which conflicts with your doctor's instructions. I'm sure it has something to do with absorption.

For Vitamins, I've been doing the Centrum chewables, but I've ordered some JuicePlus Chewables (my nutritionist recommends them). We'll see how those are.

Edited August 29, 200817 yr by MistyD65

Yes Misty. Those are the very ones! I think they are distgusting!

I am going to ask about taking them without food. I think the problem is supposed to be that they can inhibit the absorption of iron. I have been told from my nutritionist plus other sources prior to the band, that your body cannot absorb more than 500 mg/calcium at a time, so even if you take more than that at a time, you are still only getting the 500 mg.

I figure I am getting way more calcium than before the surgery anyway. I never used to have dairy or take supplements. Now I mix milk or soy milk with my protein shakes. My goals is to get it in at least once/day and then work my way up. I think my big hang up is how cheap I am. If I take the amount they want me to, that one GINORMOUS bottle only lasts about a week! That's about 40 bucks/month.

Oh well, I can't make all the changes at once!

I use Spectravite orange flavored chewables from CVS Pharmacy and they taste great.

The first days/weeks after surgery are very tough. We all go through moments of doubt at this time. However, once you get a fill or two you will probably feel much better about your choice. Banding is the best thing I ever did for myself, and at 7 months out, I am only 15 small pounds from goal :0).

Hang in there, it gets so much easier as time goes on.

I take 2 Flintstones Chewables with Iron. As for those asking about the calcium citrate I have found if you SMASH them in ziplock bag and take a little at a time works well. This is what my doctor has recommended. Good luck!

Thank you sooooo much! I never even thought about childrens chewables! I probably do have buyers remorse, but I've lost 20 pounds and already feel better...But being on a diet forever just sounds a little...hard, and all the things we have to do to accomodate the diet (like I just can't seem to drink the required protien shakes) just seems daunting. I've had relatively few problems but am starting to want to eat something maybe thats what worries me. Thank you again. JB

I take Caltrate 600mg + Vit-D Chewables for my calcium. There are 3 flavors in the bottle, cherry, orange and fruit punch. They are pretty decent and I chew one after lunch and 1 after dinner.

I also have Centrum Chewables Multivitamin/Miltimineral in orange flavor. Also not bad. I only take one of these at lunch time.

I got both at Wal-Mart.

ETA: Those Viactive Caramel calcium chews are full of calories and carbs and you have to eat several of them for your recommended daily allowance. Not worth it IMO.

They have a vitamin specifically for bariatric patients called OptiSource. Walgreen's carries it. It is orange flavored and tastes like candy; it is really good.