Take your vitamins pledge - ThinnerTimes - Gastric Bypass Forum, Lap Band Forum, and Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Forum

bridgetgirl · 09-19-2005, 11:25 AM

Hey guys I just wanted to reach out and make sure that your taking your vitamins. If anything at least a mult-vitamin, at the very least.

many complications can occur as a result of NOT taking vitamins, stuff ranging from malnutrition, atrophy of your muscles (as your body will take nutrients from your muscles that it lacks in your diet) to blindness to death. When you start realizing that your vision is detiorating, its too late. You cant go back and make up for lost time sort of speak.

I dont preach too much on the post op diet, have your candy, cakes and soda, but please please please take your vitamins. When having GBP sugery you trade, yes trade your life of Morbid Obesity to a lifetime of taking vitamins.

I think many people get the wrong idea about the surgery, and the whole malabsorption thing. Your body does not malabsorb calories.. every calorie in counts. What your body does malabsorb is nutrients, vitamins and minerals. You cannnot, and will not ever be able to get this from your postoperative diet. No matter how much read meat and green leafy vegetables you consume.

So please, please pledge here to make a promise to me, us and yourself to take your vitamins everyday!

I swear to take my vitamins everyday! Bridget

PS if you want to read a scary story about one of our own, there is a post from Woody about his wife. Its is extremely important.

bridgetgirl · 09-19-2005, 11:27 AM

I found the story for you.

Important

Now please promise to take them.

Only because I care! Much love~ bridge

Gladitsme · 09-19-2005, 11:33 AM

Ok, I promise!

I've set Saturday as the day I take B12, and every day for the rest.

KellyB · 09-19-2005, 11:54 AM

I'm on the band wagon too! Have done great during the week but not so good on the weekends.......

Every Day!!!! Kelly

mfergusont · 09-19-2005, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bridgetgirl

I think many people get the wrong idea about the surgery, and the whole malabsorption thing. Your body does not malabsorb calories.. every calorie in counts.

Bridget,
my surgeon told me at my 2 month checkup that I am only absorbing 40% of the calories I eat. I didn't think to ask him if this was permanent, so I don't know if your intestines adapt and start absorbing more calories or what but I do know that at least in the beggining you do malabsorb calories. But vitamins and stuff too, thank you for posting this, I had forgotten to take my B12 this weekend and I am now suckin' on it under my tongue.

bridgetgirl · 09-19-2005, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mfergusont

Bridget,
my surgeon told me at my 2 month checkup that I am only absorbing 40% of the calories I eat. I didn't think to ask him if this was permanent, so I don't know if your intestines adapt and start absorbing more calories or what but I do know that at least in the beggining you do malabsorb calories. But vitamins and stuff too, thank you for posting this, I had forgotten to take my B12 this weekend and I am now suckin' on it under my tongue.

Hey Tiff! Glad that this could serve as a reminder for ya, thanks for pledging to take your vits! Now this, think about it, if you REALLY did malabsorb 40% why is it that people get fat again? In all that I have learned and read about, EVERY calorie counts. So dont let that sink in, some people think that they can eat a pice of cake and they are only getting half the calories, thats not true. Otherwise this surgery would be the magic bullet, and it wouldnt be a tool. You malabsorb nutrients, if you eat empty calories time and time again your body will evolve to maintain whatever it can get nutrient wise.... thus the need for high pretien high vegge and fruit intake. You want your body to intake this easily, not to work at absorbing nutrients from crap foods... just for thought, this is a huge debate though. I only speak from my experiences.

Laura@BellaBabies · 09-19-2005, 12:52 PM

I promise to take my vitamins.

Pokey757 · 09-19-2005, 01:18 PM

I recently heard a story from my nutritionist. She had a patient who was 21 yrs old, and had GBS, and was in the stage of getting PS. She had a full body lift/tuck. She had stopped taking the chewable Iron, and was not taking Iron religously. What happened? Her whole wound opened up wide, where she had been cut, on her back. They said it was becuz of Iron deficency. She will be in the hospital for months now with an open wound.

I promise to take my vitamins, bridget !!

bridgetgirl · 09-19-2005, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pokey757

I recently heard a story from my nutritionist. She had a patient who was 21 yrs old, and had GBS, and was in the stage of getting PS. She had a full body lift/tuck. She had stopped taking the chewable Iron, and was not taking Iron religously. What happened? Her whole wound opened up wide, where she had been cut, on her back. They said it was becuz of Iron deficency. She will be in the hospital for months now with an open wound.

I promise to take my vitamins, bridget !!

Yikes! What a story! It happens, it really, really does. People have the, "it wont happen to me attitude" and it can and it does! Its a very serious thing!

mfergusont · 09-19-2005, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bridgetgirl

Hey Tiff! Glad that this could serve as a reminder for ya, thanks for pledging to take your vits! Now this, think about it, if you REALLY did malabsorb 40% why is it that people get fat again? In all that I have learned and read about, EVERY calorie counts. So dont let that sink in, some people think that they can eat a pice of cake and they are only getting half the calories, thats not true. Otherwise this surgery would be the magic bullet, and it wouldnt be a tool. You malabsorb nutrients, if you eat empty calories time and time again your body will evolve to maintain whatever it can get nutrient wise.... thus the need for high pretien high vegge and fruit intake. You want your body to intake this easily, not to work at absorbing nutrients from crap foods... just for thought, this is a huge debate though. I only speak from my experiences.

Hey Bridget! Thanks for your reply!
What you say totally makes sense. It is something I plan on talking to my surgeon about at my next appointment, maybe my nutritionist too. It doesn't make sense that anybody would malabsorb that much and still be able to gain weight back. And I was thinking, oh great, I am struggling to get in calories, no wonder why my body wants to go into starvation mode b/c I am not really absorbing anything.
I had read somewhere when I was researching surgery (wish I could remember where!) that the intestines not bypassed have the ability to start absorbing close to 100% after the honeymoon period by adapting, so maybe there is around a 40% malabsorption rate in the beggining. I dunno. But what you say about it makes more sense to me. You are right: it is setting yourself up for failure longterm if you tell yourself, "well, I can eat this slice of cake/ice cream/candy, because I will only absorb 180 of the 400 calories".
Bottom line: protein, veggies, vitamins. I try to follow this rule and not think about malabsorption and stuff.