Favorite vitamins (for WLS grads)?

Hey y'all. It's been a while! I had a gastric bypass back in 2007 and have maintained a size 12 ever since. BUT, I have been horrible about keeping up with a vitamin regimen. Horrible.

My question for you guys is, what are your favorite vitamins? What do you take every day? I've been trying to find a good calcium, iron, etc, but there's so much out there I get lost trying to figure out if it's any good or not. 

Thanks you guys!

I use a generic multi, similar to Centrum.  I use generic calcium citrate most of the time.  I really love the Calcet creamy bites but they are expensive.  I also like Upcal D, which is powdered calcium citrate.  For iron I like Sundown Perfect Iron.  I like the vitalady 50,000 IU D3 capsules because I only have to take three a week, since it's such a big dose.

Start immediately on a good adult multi (2 x day), 1500mg calcium citrate and sublingual B12 every day.   Get to your PCP STAT!!!  and get bloods done and see if you are deficient in anything else so you know what and how much to supplement.

No one should be supplementing blind!!!!!!

i just went today and bought more multi vitamins. They are the Bj warehouse club  brand for 400 tables it was 7.00.or .04 a day/ 1.05 a month.  http://www.bjs.com/berkley--jensen-multi-vitamins--minerals- with-lycopene-for-adults-50-400-count.product.193104?dimId=2 004667             So that one bottle will last me 200 days, I got 2, so that is a whole year of multi for 15.00

calcium citrate: I buy what ever is on sale: this is my most costly vitamin. I like to look at CVS and Walgreens, they run sales for BOGO free all the time. I found some today at Bjs as well it was 400 tablets for 7.99 (they dont have them on website) so they will run me .12 a day or 3.63 a month.

Vitamin C: I bottle is 500 tablets, i take 2 a day so 250 days worth of pills for 7.99 or .03 a day/ .95 a month you can also find these on sale if you look. http://www.bjs.com/berkley--jensen-500mg-chewable-vitamin-c- tablets---500-count.product.130171?dimId=2001909

Iron: Is sundown naturals  I get mine from Walgreens only when its on sale. Last time i got 4 bottles since they were BOGO free. Each bottle is normally 5 something. with taking 2 a day (not everyone needs 6 a day, most people only need 2) . .05 a day/ 1.76 a month. http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/sundown-naturals-high-poten cy-perfect-iron-tablets/ID=prod6021585-product

Vit D: I got mine when they had a BOGO free sale. So 16.99 for 2 years of vitamin d. .02 a day or .60 a month.

B12 2500 mcg is from Walmart I take 1 a day, .06 a day/ or 1.98  a monthhttp://www.walmart.com/ip/Spring-Valley-Sublingual-B12-Vitam in-Supplement-Microlozenges-2500mcg-120-count/24547733

So for prices right now. I only buy mine on sale so I paid less then 5.00 for mine. But for right now it would be about 10.50 a month.

 

 

 

here is my basic set up:

6 am i take my thyroid meds

10 am : 1 multi, 2 calcium, b12, vit d

12 pm: 1 multi, 2 calcium

2 pm: 2 calcium

9 pm: iron, vitamin C and 2 non stimulant stool softener.

 

In addition to blood work, you should also ask your doctor to order a DEXA bone scan.  If you have not been taking calcium regularly, you may have bone loss (and serum calcium level doesn't tell you anything about whether you are been taking enough calcium.  It just tells you whether your body is adequately able to pull calcium from your bones if you aren't getting enough from food and supplements (which is what happens... The body MUST have calcium to function and it does pull what it needs from your bones).  Bone loss can also happen very quickly.  I had my RNY in August of 2007, and my scan two years ago was normal, but the scan this year indicated some bone loss in one hip even though I have been good about taking my three doses of calcium daily!

At the very minimum, you will need two good, adult multivitamins per day, 1500-2000mg of calcium citrate each day, a B12 sublingual and some Vit D (doses of those two will depend on your labs; there teally isn't a "standard" dose).  You may also need iron, but how much depends on your labs.

For multi's, I use Centrum and Centrum Silver (usually one of each), I get the Twinlabs B12 "dots" in the 5000mcg dose so I only have to do one a week (one bottle is about $12 from Amazon or Vitamin Shoppe), I get the 50,000 unit Vit D from www.vitalady.com and take two per week rather than taking something daily), I take Tender Iron (also from vitalady), and I take a combination of calcium citrate products (Upcal D powder that mixes into beverages, capsules from Vitamin Shoppe (they are more flexible than pills, so go down more easily than the large hard pills), Bariatric Advantage raspberry chews, and Calcet Creamy bites in both lemon and chocolate)).  The calcium chews and bites are kind of pricey, but because of my bone loss, I have to take four calcium doses rather than three so using a combination of these things makes it easier to do it since I really like the chewables but have to be practical about money as well and the Upcal D is VERY inexpensive.

I also take a B100 complex and some zinc three times a week.

Please get the lab work and bone scan done ASAP.  Our vitamin levels can drop very quickly without supplementation.

Lora

This is going to be crazy controversial....but I believe exercise  AND cheap   ( try drinking REAL MILK in Ur lattes   rather than pillz)....is the real youth promoting   formula .....

 

you CAN do this   and overcome "middle age "   like it was a mountain ....yes   U do hav 2 conquer Everest   2 succeed - do U hav the wherewhitahl  2 do that ?