Bariatric Vitamins
A Must Have!

A bariatric patient should take bariatric specific vitamins. Period.

  • Preop: START your bariatric vitamins
  • Post Op: follow the protocol for your specific surgery (bottom of page).

You’ve taken a huge step toward a healthier life. Now, more than ever, it’s imperative to start nourishing your body with the right vitamins and minerals.

  • Weight loss surgery alters your anatomy FOREVER.
  • Nutrient needs are therefore altered FOREVER. 
  • Vitamins are FOREVER.

Bariatric specific vitamins make it easy 

Bariatric Specific Vitamins Have the Higher Levels of the Vitamins and Minerals You Need After Weight Loss Surgery

A pregnant woman takes a prenatal vitamin for the same reason…it has what she needs.

The vitamins you buy in a drug store/grocery store aren’t made for a person whose anatomy has been surgically altered.

You’ll require levels of vitamins and minerals OVER AND ABOVE what an over-the-counter (OTC) supplement has.

Without the right vitamins, you may experience nutrient deficiencies ☹

Vitamins that May Be Affected After Weight Loss Surgery:

  • Vit A
  • Vit D
  • B1
  • B12
  • Folate

Minerals that May Be Affected After Weight Loss Surgery:

  • Calcium
  • Iron
  • Copper
  • Zinc

Chewable Bariatric Vitamins or Tablets/Capsules?

I always recommend chewable multivitamins for the first 1-3 months for best tolerance.

Once you feel ok swallowing a pill bigger than aspirin, you can switch to tablet/capsule multivitamin if you so choose.

  • Chewable iron: especially if you have gastric lap band.
  • Iron tablets may have trouble passing through the band and wind up sitting on top of the band causing irritation.
  • Chewable calcium: It’s just easier to take than those big horse pill calcium tablets/capsules!

Which Brand of Bariatric Vitamins?

I recommend Bariatric Advantage (BA). I’ve used them with my patients for over a decade now and I see good results consistently with patients who use them.

Post Op Bariatric Vitamins: Protocol

Gastric Sleeve (VSG):

BA Multi Chewy Bites: 2 per day

Gastric Bypass (RNY):


Gastric Lap Band:

 

Use Calcium Citrate NOT Calcium Carbonate

After Gastric Sleeve or Gastric Bypass Surgery you’ll have less stomach acid. Therefore, you need a form of calcium that doesn’t require as much stomach acid to get absorbed: Calcium Citrate!

BA Calcium Citrate Chewy Bites are my personal favorite!

They taste like a little sweet treat and deliver a 500mg dose of calcium citrate in each chewy bite. (The Chocolate flavor tastes like tootsie rolls and the Caramel flavor is quite tasty too.)

See my short video for very important info about making sure you’re taking the right dose of calcium.

When to Take Your Bariatric Vitamins

You need a plan! Failing to plan is planning to fail. You need a vitamin schedule!

You've got a handful of vitamins to take and a small stomach that can't hold much at once. To top it off, some nutrients can't be taken together.

Calcium and iron should be taken at least two hours apart. They compete with each other to get absorbed, so taking them at the same time means neither one will get in your system 100%.

See my short video to understand how to spread out your vitamins correctly.

Have your Bloodwork Checked Regularly

Taking bariatric vitamins and having your blood checked regularly (every 3 months in the first year) is an important part of life after bariatric surgery.

It’s easier to prevent nutrient deficiencies than to correct them. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” ~ Benjamin Franklin

You're getting a second chance at life with your weight loss surgery. Take your health seriously along the way!

My bariatric vitamin recommendations are simply intended to get you off on the right foot. Do your regular bloodwork and follow your doctor’s recommendations!

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