Vitamins... CHECK!
Surgery is the 27th, but I wanted to get everything I needed before hand, so I didnt have to go out right away when I get home.
My fiancee will be staying with me the first week, and I know he will go get anything I need, but Id rather be prepared, ya know?
So we bought the vitamins I would need, and some of the foods on the "liquid" phase so I will have things when I get home. We didnt buy anything that wasn't on the "grocery list" sent home by the nutritionist at the hospital, just so we could be sure.
I have already emailed the dietician twice with questions... I am using this for all its worth! :D
The countdown begins!
My fiancee will be staying with me the first week, and I know he will go get anything I need, but Id rather be prepared, ya know?
So we bought the vitamins I would need, and some of the foods on the "liquid" phase so I will have things when I get home. We didnt buy anything that wasn't on the "grocery list" sent home by the nutritionist at the hospital, just so we could be sure.
I have already emailed the dietician twice with questions... I am using this for all its worth! :D
The countdown begins!
congratulations on your surgery date. Here is a list of vitamins you will need to start with - some you can get locally and some you need to get online.
Multi vitamin - centrum silver chewables is just fine and very cheap - tastes really good and has everything you need in it. This is my first choice in mulits and you must take it 2 times daily. If you take any other multi - make sure it has selenium in it and there must be vitamin A that isnt all beta carotene - no childrens's, no prenatals and no gummies.
Calcium citrate = 1500-2000mg per day in 3-4 daily doses, no more than 650mg at a time at least 2 hours away from any iron or thyroid medication and each dose at least 2 hours apart from each other. You can check out bariatric advantage.com or celebrate.com for some sample packs - they have tons of different flavors of chewables for immediately after surgery - some are really good and some not so good =- everyone has different likes. Once you get the sample pack,you can order what you like.
The bariatric advantage lozenges are 500mg each - the cherry ones are delicious - you take them 3-4 times daily for a total of 1500-2000mg daily. the chewies are 250mg each and the raspberry ones are delicious - like starburst - take 2 of them 3 to 4 times daily to get 1500 to 2000mg daily. THis can get expensive, so many people mix it up and use both - a few of the chewies but most of the lozenges. Honestly, I have never tried the celebrate stuff, so I can talk about there stuff.
Once you can switch to pills if you want to switch, you can get citrical - either maximums or petites. the maximum are 630mg for 2 tablets - take 2 tablets 3 times per day for a total of 1890mg. The petites are 600mg for 3 tablets, so you take them 3 times per day (total of 9 pills) and you get 1800mg.
(it sounds like alot but it really isn't bad, you get used to it after awhile)
Vitamin B12 - minimum starting dose is 1000mcg daily or monthly injection
Vitamin B1 - 100mg daily
Vitamin D3 = depends on your vitamin D level = mininum of 5,000-10,000units daily but some need more
iron with vitamin C -the best iron that you find that you absorb, is easy on your stomach, non-constipating, and pretty cheap - has the vitamin C already in the iron, so you don't have to buy a separate bottle - is called tender irons from vitalady.com they are Dry D3 - you want D3-5 , that is the 5,000 unit capsule. the other one is the D3-50, which is a 50,000 unit capsule which most of us use but I don't know your vitamin D level - you might need it once you have your labs done but I would start with the lower dose, you can always take a few of them and you take them daily the large dose ones we only take a couple times per week.
That is pretty much what you start with for supplements, as time goes by and you have labs done, this will change - I hope I didn't confuse you by going into details - if you need me to simplify it a bit, I can.
As far as foods go:
you want to go to GNC and get some Isopure Zero Carb protein drinks - they are high protein drinks - kind of like kool ade - some really sweet but some are tolerable. I can handle the grape and fruit punch at times - they have tons of protein - 40 grams per 20 ounces of fluids. You can drink very slowly at first if your surgeon doesnt' give you any, ask one of the nurses for 1 ounce medicine cups that they give out medicine in. That is what my surgeon had me drink out of at first - they are 1 ounce. So, for the first week, it was 1 ounce every 10 minutes and then for the 2nd week it was 2 ounces every 10 minutes so I filled up the cup twice. Then I went out a bought 3, 4 and 6 ounce cups because at 3 weeks it went 3 ounces every 15minutes, 4 ounces every 20 minutes. 6 ounces every 30 minutes.
For foods,
Clear Fluids(This is usually only for anywhere from 3 days to 2 weeks)
you want to get stuff like broth, SF ice pops, SF jello, Powder packets to put in a water bottle that are less than 10 calories, Isopure Zerocarb Protein Drink
Fluids- soups iwith no pieces, I have creamy tomato and it was great. Protein drinks, milk,decaf coffee, tea, some program allow SF juices - mine didn't,
Once you get to the pureed stage it is easy - you have lots of choices - more than you think, you can take tuna, egg, chicken, turkey either one and put it in a food processor and blend it up, then add mayo and you get either tuna salad, chicken salad, egg salad or turkey salad - just a little mushier than usual but it still tasted the same. You can have ricotta cheese and put alittle bit of tomato sauce in it, put in the micromave and heat it up and it is delicious. For those that like cottage cheese, I hear you just blend that up in the food processor.
These are just a few ideas.
It is late right now but I have recipes for protein shakes if you need - PM me and I will give them to you
good luck
Multi vitamin - centrum silver chewables is just fine and very cheap - tastes really good and has everything you need in it. This is my first choice in mulits and you must take it 2 times daily. If you take any other multi - make sure it has selenium in it and there must be vitamin A that isnt all beta carotene - no childrens's, no prenatals and no gummies.
Calcium citrate = 1500-2000mg per day in 3-4 daily doses, no more than 650mg at a time at least 2 hours away from any iron or thyroid medication and each dose at least 2 hours apart from each other. You can check out bariatric advantage.com or celebrate.com for some sample packs - they have tons of different flavors of chewables for immediately after surgery - some are really good and some not so good =- everyone has different likes. Once you get the sample pack,you can order what you like.
The bariatric advantage lozenges are 500mg each - the cherry ones are delicious - you take them 3-4 times daily for a total of 1500-2000mg daily. the chewies are 250mg each and the raspberry ones are delicious - like starburst - take 2 of them 3 to 4 times daily to get 1500 to 2000mg daily. THis can get expensive, so many people mix it up and use both - a few of the chewies but most of the lozenges. Honestly, I have never tried the celebrate stuff, so I can talk about there stuff.
Once you can switch to pills if you want to switch, you can get citrical - either maximums or petites. the maximum are 630mg for 2 tablets - take 2 tablets 3 times per day for a total of 1890mg. The petites are 600mg for 3 tablets, so you take them 3 times per day (total of 9 pills) and you get 1800mg.
(it sounds like alot but it really isn't bad, you get used to it after awhile)
Vitamin B12 - minimum starting dose is 1000mcg daily or monthly injection
Vitamin B1 - 100mg daily
Vitamin D3 = depends on your vitamin D level = mininum of 5,000-10,000units daily but some need more
iron with vitamin C -the best iron that you find that you absorb, is easy on your stomach, non-constipating, and pretty cheap - has the vitamin C already in the iron, so you don't have to buy a separate bottle - is called tender irons from vitalady.com they are Dry D3 - you want D3-5 , that is the 5,000 unit capsule. the other one is the D3-50, which is a 50,000 unit capsule which most of us use but I don't know your vitamin D level - you might need it once you have your labs done but I would start with the lower dose, you can always take a few of them and you take them daily the large dose ones we only take a couple times per week.
That is pretty much what you start with for supplements, as time goes by and you have labs done, this will change - I hope I didn't confuse you by going into details - if you need me to simplify it a bit, I can.
As far as foods go:
you want to go to GNC and get some Isopure Zero Carb protein drinks - they are high protein drinks - kind of like kool ade - some really sweet but some are tolerable. I can handle the grape and fruit punch at times - they have tons of protein - 40 grams per 20 ounces of fluids. You can drink very slowly at first if your surgeon doesnt' give you any, ask one of the nurses for 1 ounce medicine cups that they give out medicine in. That is what my surgeon had me drink out of at first - they are 1 ounce. So, for the first week, it was 1 ounce every 10 minutes and then for the 2nd week it was 2 ounces every 10 minutes so I filled up the cup twice. Then I went out a bought 3, 4 and 6 ounce cups because at 3 weeks it went 3 ounces every 15minutes, 4 ounces every 20 minutes. 6 ounces every 30 minutes.
For foods,
Clear Fluids(This is usually only for anywhere from 3 days to 2 weeks)
you want to get stuff like broth, SF ice pops, SF jello, Powder packets to put in a water bottle that are less than 10 calories, Isopure Zerocarb Protein Drink
Fluids- soups iwith no pieces, I have creamy tomato and it was great. Protein drinks, milk,decaf coffee, tea, some program allow SF juices - mine didn't,
Once you get to the pureed stage it is easy - you have lots of choices - more than you think, you can take tuna, egg, chicken, turkey either one and put it in a food processor and blend it up, then add mayo and you get either tuna salad, chicken salad, egg salad or turkey salad - just a little mushier than usual but it still tasted the same. You can have ricotta cheese and put alittle bit of tomato sauce in it, put in the micromave and heat it up and it is delicious. For those that like cottage cheese, I hear you just blend that up in the food processor.
These are just a few ideas.
It is late right now but I have recipes for protein shakes if you need - PM me and I will give them to you
good luck
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