Starting a Bariatric Reset — Who Wants to Do It With Me?

[StephT]

My surgeon had a dietitian on staff that I met with before and after surgery and she determined my daily vitamin routine. I took Flintstones chewable for a month after surgery and then started the bariatric vitamins after the 1st month ended.

She recommended taking calcium citrate in addition to a daily multivitamin because the bariatric multivitamin did not provide enough calcium to meet my needs after bariatric surgery. She recommended calcium citrate over calcium carbonate since it is absorbed well with reduced stomach acid and doesn't require food for absorption.

I found these recommended daily calcium ranges online for bariatric patients, but your surgeon/nutritionist might recommend something different for you:

• Sleeve gastrectomy (VSG): 1,200–1,500 mg of calcium daily
• Gastric bypass (RNY): 1,200–1,500 mg daily
• Duodenal switch (DS): 1,800–2,400 mg daily

 

[dianeseattle]

What do you take them for? I was never told to take anything like that

Depending on your menstrual age and actual age, women need about 1500mg of calcium every day. But the body can only absorb 500mg at a time. So I take 3 doses a day to meet my calcium needs.

Also, a very important thing is that it needs to be calcium citrate, not calcium carbonate. That was something tricky I had to learn the hard way 20 years ago, when bariatric surgery was so much less common. Calcium citrate is water soluble. Calcium carbonate requires stomach acid to break down, and stomach acid is not something you have a lot of after surgery.

Do you have a nutritionist or dietician? You really need one for the first year or so. And the FDA government site is also extremely helpful to help maintain a healthy diet.