Vitamin D deficient and anemic. Yikes

[nymoosic 0]

I've had my band for a year and the honeymoon is over. I do love my band, but I'm so tired of eating the 'easy' foods. I used to have a pretty well-balanced diet pre-band, but not any more. My nutritionist just called yesterday to say I am severely deficient in Vitamin D and I am anemic. I totally know why. I don't eat well anymore. I eat what's easy to eat - carbs. I know I'm not getting the right nutrition because my habits have changed. I used to eat yogurt (calcium and D) with my lunch. Now I can barely get my Protein down for lunch. I used to eat more red meat (iron). Now I barely do because it's such a struggle to get down. My weight loss has stalled as a result of all this. I know I need to jump back on the bandwagon but it's so much easier to not fight with my band. Has anyone had the same experience? Any suggestions for more Vit. D/iron-filled food? Help!

[Jodi_620 37]

Are you taking a Calcium plus D supplement. That is something my surgeon said I needed to take along with a daily multi-Vitamin.

Are you saying that you can't even get yogurt down at lunch time? If that is the case then you are too tight.

[nymoosic 0]

Yes, they started me on a weekly Vitamin D supplement.

Yogurt is very slow for me to go down. I can eat it for a snack over a period of 10-15 minutes or so, but not with a regular meal.

[Jodi_620 37]

My surgeon had me on the Calcium Plus Vitamin D pre-op.

I am able to eat most foods. Red meat does take some work, all foods take more work with the band, but it will go down. I watch my carbs so I don't eat yogurt because of sugar content but I get plenty of calcium with other foods. Try to incorporate foods like low fat cheese, dried Beans, almonds, spinach, canned salmon and tuna into your meals. Many cereals are fortified with calcium and vitamin D, add the milk and you are getting a good amount ). Just a cup of plain milk with your Vitamins will help. I know I couldn't eat my regular lunch plus a yogurt too but I find other ways to incorporate calcium into my diet, that plus the Calcium Plus D supplements and Multi-Vitamin have been enough.

[flipman416 2]

Yeah I would take some Vitamin D supplements. Or take Calcium with Vit D. But I know if you need more of a focused vitamin then take the vitamin D by itself heres is a site where they sell them and offer some information.

Bariatric Advantage - Bariatric Advantage Dry Vitamin D Capsules (180 Count)

[HotMama24 0]

The best way to get Vitamin d? GO TANNING!! It has can give you more Vitamin d than suppliments can. The sun does the same thing, but seeing as it is winter it isn't as abundant...and you can't control the sun (leaving you be possibly be overexposed) you can get a sufficent amount of vitamin d by going tanning 3-4 minutes a day 3-4 times a week. You can go more and get some color too :thumbup:

And before people attack me about the whole skin cancer thing... you get skin cancer from overexposure (burning) not from tanning. Actually, the most deadly types of skin cancer are from underexposure :thumbup:

Anyway.... get some color

[Jodi_620 37]

I would say that if you are not getting enough sunlight then of course go out and get some fresh air and sunshine. But this situation is more likely due to your diet so getting enough Vitamin D in your diet is necessary.

Also, here are some good Iron rich foods:

Cereal (best choices cream of wheat, Total, Raisin Bran), Beans (best choices: Chickpea, kidney bean), Vegetables and fruit (best choices: Potato with skin, Green leafy lettuces, Watermelon), meat (Best choices: Liver, clams, beef), Dates and Prunes.

[jcole 1]

I take a Multivitamin that's in the PDA (the only Multivitamin in the PDA) This is a Multivitamin that gives you all the amounts you need at 100% of the actual Vitamin. As in over the counter Vitamins you only get 10% of the actual Vitamin. Here is a link to the Multivitamin 100Pak Health Pak and what it contains.

http://products.usana.com/bin/en_us_healthpak.pdf

Also visit USANA Health Sciences for more info and more products.

If interested in ordering, please respond to this thread and i will assist you!

Thank, Julie

[heatherv 0]

I just had my preop bloodwork done and I also have a Vitamin D deficiency and anemia. I need to take a multivit with Iron and 2000 iu of vit D daily. The best way to get Vit D is sun exposure. I'm not sure about the tanning salon since it's artificial but you should check it out.

[kgloverii 0]

I take Ferrex for my Iron. It is better absorbed than so-fe or the iron supplements out there. You may have to ask the pharmacist for it, but you do not need an RX. Amazon also has good pricing on it. I take it with Orange juice daily and no longer have anemia.

[aubrie 6]

I'm not to sure about artificial light for Vitamin D either, but even if it's winter you can sit naked in front of a sunny window for 15 minutes or so. Just turn the heat up for a few minutes!! Sorry if that was to much information.... You didn't mention drinking milk. Do you like it? A glass of skim milk a couple times a day could help.

Do you like liver? The only reason I'm asking is that liver is a highly concentrated source of Iron. If you can manage a nice pate on some crackers, it might help. It's so soft and easy to get down. I love pate, and there are so many different kinds now. Eggplant and spinach are also high in Iron. I make grilled Japanese eggplant all the time. It's wonderful with a touch of olive oil and sea salt. Peas, lentils and Beans are good sources of Protein. Since it's winter, toss them in the crockpot!

[HotMama24 0]

I do want to verfiy that you can get Vitamin D from tanning salons, its acutally much safer than getting it from the sun (especially in the summer) since you can control the exact amount of exposure. There are so many things that can alter the exposure you get from the sun that it isn't perdicable. UVB produces Vitamin D and tanning bulbs produce UVB just like the sun. Just a little heads up :cursing:

[Jachut 487]

The best way to get Vitamin d? GO TANNING!! It has can give you more Vitamin d than suppliments can. The sun does the same thing, but seeing as it is winter it isn't as abundant...and you can't control the sun (leaving you be possibly be overexposed) you can get a sufficent amount of vitamin d by going tanning 3-4 minutes a day 3-4 times a week. You can go more and get some color too :cursing:

And before people attack me about the whole skin cancer thing... you get skin cancer from overexposure (burning) not from tanning. Actually, the most deadly types of skin cancer are from underexposure :tt1:

Anyway.... get some color :tt2:

No, you get skin cancer from tanning. AND from burning. Solariums are SO bad for you (even worse than the sun) tht they will soon be banned in Australia, already people under 18 have been banned from using them and the lamps are having to be made 40% weaker. Your beliefs about tannning are quite dangerously incorrect. And tanning is not only deadly, it will ruin your skin (and your eyes) over time.

Moderate sunlight exposure - necessary for our health -and problems are arising from people being TOO sun smart here. But sun beds are not a good substitute, even though they do stimulate vit. d synthesis.

By all means, use a sunbed, as an adult its your decision. I've even done it myself for colour for a special occasion. But know how dangerous it really is. It is absolutely not a safe practice.

I guess our culture is different here, with such strong sun, but here we have ads that are designed to shock, like the cigarette advertising and drink driving advertising, with horrid pictures of people with scarred skin from having melanomas removed - just from regular sunlight.

Edited January 27, 2009 by Jachut

[HotMama24 0]

I would love to know where you get your information from, because you are sadly mistaken. Artificial light from tanning beds mirrors that of the sun. It is the same. The difference? You can control it's exposure by the time. There are so many things that can alter the amount of UVA and UVB rays from the sun (weather, time of day, location etc.) which is why it is safer to get light from a bed. As you said, where you are from, the sun is strong, which makes sense why you have to be more sun conscious.

If artificial lights are so dangerous, why would one receive "light therapy" for things like Vitamin D deficiency or for babies who have jaundice, it is the same thing. And if your eyes are well protected, as they should be from tanning bulbs or the sun, then you have no problem.

Also, as far as the cancer being removed, you are thinking of Basal cell carcinoma, not melanoma. Basal Cell is the least deadly and much more common, malignant melanoma is the most deadly and also least common, there is a big difference in these cancers and how deadly they are.

I also want to emphasize again that it is OVEREXPOSURE that causes skin damage, not simply exposure. Look up any medical website, it will tell you the same thing.

[Jachut 487]

OMG - try googling "are solariums healthy?" and see what you get. Its proven beyond doubt, that is why our government is shutting them down. Every tanning salon here carries visible warnings about how sunbeds cause skin cancer and premature aging - its the LAW. You also have to sing a pretty explicit release form to be allowed to use one.

You would not find a doctor in this entire country who would condone the use of sunbeds. Light therapy is ONLY used where the benefit outweighs the risk and even then it is only applied to body parts as required, not placing the entire skin at risk (I mean chemotherapy and radiation therapy are not "healthy" either but we use them when the end justifies the means). Babies who have jaundice are NOT put into light the strength of a sunbed - my god can you IMAGINE how a newborn would burn? That light is very very gentle.

Sunbeds also damage your eyes. Same as the sun does.

This is not a case of making a wacky claim and finding something on the internet to back it up, stuff like this:

Causes of skin cancer - SunSmart (Victoria) http://www.cancerinstitute.org.au/cancer_inst/publications/pdfs/2008-01-18_solariums.pdf

from credible sources is all over the place. This isnt anything new or unusual, its been known for a very long time. Its as irrefutable as the sky being blue. And light from UV beds doesnt mirror that from the sun, its up to 60 yes SIXTY time stronger. Honestly, I dont have any motivation or desire to score points or argue about this and I dont have any problem with any adult deciding they'd rather look tanned and good and are prepared to take the risk of using a sunbed to achieve that but seriously, you absolutely cannot call sunbeds healthy. Nor is tanning in the sun.

Yes, we all do it and I'm not attacking anyone for their choices. But you should know the risk of what you're doing. I really urge you to ask your doctor about this.

Edited January 27, 2009 by Jachut