Reminder about calcium
Just wanted to post a little reminder about calcium. The ASMBS says we need 1500-2000 mg calcium per day and recommends calcium citrate. The two most common kinds of calcium found in supplements are calcium citrate and calcium carbonate. Tums, Viactiv and Caltrate are all calcium carbonate and we don’t absorb that well at all. We absorb about 4% of the calcium in it so you’d need to take about 60 Viactivs every day to get enough calcium. No, that’s not a typo. Optisource also contains calcium carbonate and Bariatric Fusion has a mixture of calcium carbonate and calcium citrate.
Citracal (most forms of it, anyway, but not the gummies) and generic forms of Citracal contain calcium citrate, which is what we need. It’s hard to find chewable calcium citrate in stores but Celebrate and Bariatric Advantage both make them and you can order online. Upcal D, which is a powder you can mix in a drink, is also calcium citrate. You can find liquid forms as well.
Tricalcium phosphate is another kind of calcium found in some supplements and it is also not absorbed well at all. That’s what’s in Flintstones. Wellesse, a liquid calcium supplement, contains a mixture of tricalcium phosphate and calcium citrate, so you’ll only absorb some of the calcium in there. The Citracal gummies also have tricalcium phosphate.
Make sure you take your calcium in doses of 500-600 mg and take them at least two hours apart. Read the label carefully to see what the serving size is. Like, Citrical petites have 400 mg per serving but a serving is TWO pills.
Take them two hours away from your iron.
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
Kelly,
What do you take for supplements? I am using 2 Flintstone MV per day, 2 calcium chews that are similar to Viactic, and B12. I guess I need to look at switching my supplements. What do you recommend? I don't mind ordering online!
Thanks,
Jamie
I use a multi like Centrum or a generic equivalent. For calcium, I use generic calcium citrate most of the time and occasionally Upcal D and Calcet creamy bites.
Flintstones are missing several nutrients we need. If the calcium chews are like Viactiv, they are the wrong kind of calcium. Also we need 1500-2000 mg a day and can only absorb about 500 at a time, so we need to take calcium three or four times a day.
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
These for the calcium citrate?
http://www.amazon.com/Calcet-Chocolate-Fudge-Calcium-Citrate/dp/B0042B86WW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1352998466&sr=8-1&keywords=calcet+creamy+bites
Id have to take 4 per day?
I have to do chewable or liquid supplements now. I was doing centrum chewables but couldn't stand them. Any recommendations? :)
Thanks for your help. I want to make sure I'm on the right things. I want my body to stay healthy and strong!
Three or four a day. They are delicious (I think). If you put them in the freezer they taste like a frozen candy bar. They get expensive, though.
You might want to try Upcal D for some of your calcium, It's a powder and it has no taste and you can put it in any drink. It's pretty cheap but you do have to order online. I use the Calcet bites sometimes but they are too expensive for me to use for all my calcium.
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
I actually like the Centrum Chewables, so I may not be the best judge of these. But here goes! I recently switched from regular Centrum Chewables to Centrum Silver Chewables, and they taste very different. The regular Centrum, well the generic that I had of them, were tart and citrusy. The Centrum Silver, non-generic, is somewhat creamier and less tart. It's more of a berry flavor. So you might try the Centrum Silver Chewables. Just a thought!
Lapband 4/2005: 342HW, 202LW
RNY 7/30/2012: 292HW, 276SW
I personally would go with the Centrum Silver chewables anyway, as they have selenium and the regular Centrum chewables do not. The regular Centrum that you swallow has it, just not the chewable.
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
