Senior vitamins VS Barimelts

[Lee6Lee]

My doctor will be requesting blood labs soon, but she is insisting I begin taking Barimelts. I've taken everything from adult gummi vitamins to senior vitamins. I guess my labs will show how it is. Those Barimelts vitamins are expensive, and she wants me to get three kinds. She is my GP, not the doc that performed the surgery in Mexico. She said they are finding long term vitamin deficiencies in bariatric surgery patients. We have even witnessed some on this forum. Need some thoughts.

[KariVSG]

good luck

[ghost_ryder]

My thoughts, listen to the doctors but you can get a second opinion from the Surgeon

[tinman]

My doctor will be requesting blood labs soon, but she is insisting I begin taking Barimelts. I've taken everything from adult gummi vitamins to senior vitamins. I guess my labs will show how it is. Those Barimelts vitamins are expensive, and she wants me to get three kinds. She is my GP, not the doc that performed the surgery in Mexico. She said they are finding long term vitamin deficiencies in bariatric surgery patients. We have even witnessed some on this forum. Need some thoughts.

Well look who dropped in from outta nowhere! Good to see you back on here. I have some strong opinions about this. So, in typical tinman fashion, I will deliver my opinion with the same effect as blunt force trauma......lol.

I get my blood tested every six months specifically for vitamins and essential minerals. For the last two years, my results have been very good. The previous two years, they were not. So, I started thinking about how I could change that up. You know my thought process here. Make a plan, work the plan, own the results, change as necessary.

I decided that there wasn't enough room in my sleeve for the protein, carbs and fat that I needed to function properly as well stuffing spinach and green beans on top of that. You see, we don't eat enough of the veggies to actually make a difference in our blood work. You would have to eat nothing but veggies all day long in order to satisfy the daily requirements. So, I decided to completely ditch the veggies and make up for their absence with nothing but supplements. That way, I could actually double up on the protein, carbs, and fat. Protein revs up your metabolism and your metabolism burns the carbs and fat for fuel. If your metabolism drops, the carbs and fat turn into stored fuel....fat.

So, I take a bucket full of pills and a double dose of a very bad ass liquid vitamin. My pill routine changes as my blood dictates every six months. Like all other issues regarding doctors, I say that what ever your doctor wants you to take, you should look at with an eye toward skepticism. It's very possible that the Barimelt rep was just in your doctor's office five minutes before you were. It's also possible that your doctor genuinely feels like you will benefit from the Barimelts. I'm here to tell you that the one size fits all approach to nutrition doesn't impress me and if your GP is prescribing this supplement because they prescribe it to all of their middle age patients, then that should also tell you everything you need to know.

The four pillars of post op life are Nutrition, Hydration, Supplements, and Exercise. Ignore any of them and you will feel the effects very quickly. If you are still in the losing stage of your trip, then you will be stalling, stalling often, and staying stalled for long periods of time. If you are in maintenance, you will notice yourself becoming lethargic, maybe getting some "brain fog", and worst yet, actually gaining weight.

So, as I always say, make a plan, work the plan, own the results and change as needed. That's good advice for losing and great advice for maintenance.

Good to see you back on here.

[Lee6Lee]

Great advice, as usual. And who of us does not like being pointed out in some way by Tinman...

[Ann2]

Like Tinman, I also love seeing you here lately, Lee.

I really hope your blood tests turn out great. It's so important for us to have those tests. Your doc's right -- stuff can go off the rails, and the sooner we know, the better, so we can fix it.

So I'd really trust what your blood tests reveal. If everything looks A-OK, I'd just keep on doing what you've been doing. If something needs boosting, boost that.

For anyone who cares, the following has been my experience and what's worked for me (so far):

For the record, I'm 2 years, 1 month post-op. Therefore, I just had my second annual big ole battery of blood tests about a month ago. Of all the 40 tests I had done, everything looked fine (except for one thing -- more about that in a minute), including iron, B12, magnesium, iron, and folic acid.

So far, I've been taking daily a chewable Centrum multi-vitamin-mineral, fish oil capsule, probiotic (10 billion), biotin, and a chewable chocolate calcium/D3. Twice a week I take a little B12 pill. I also take an H2 blocker antacid twice a day and levothyroxine for a slow thyroid. I don't take extra iron. And I don't take any funky stuff like HGH, diet pills, steroids, or any "miracle supplements" sold through a gym or on the 'net.

I'm one of those who CAN eat lots of veggies and fruits and whole grains and have done so ever since my capacity increased enough for me to get serious about that. It's a rare day when I don't get in at least 5 veggies/fruits a day. Yesterday, I got in 6 -- baby carrots, tomatoes, spaghetti squash, zucchini, and two servings of strawberries. I also had 98 grams of protein (turkey, chicken, sharp cheddar cheese, skim milk, Greek yogurt, a protein drink, whole wheat bread, and all-bran cereal).

I also had 2 cups of coffee, a biscotti, a few squares of dark chocolate, and some chardonnay. Obviously, my food life doesn't suck.

The one thing that surprised me about my blood test results -- for the first time, my two liver tests (AST and ALT) were slightly high. Since I honestly, truly, no more, I swear, have only 5-ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of scotch a day and never more than 7 drinks a week, I was bummed. So now I'm conducting a science experiment -- I'm having a single drink (wine only, no scotch) every other day. I have asked my PCP to re-do my liver tests next January. If my results are back in normal range, I'll keep drinking every other day. If not, I'll conduct a different, sadder science experiment.

Again, I hope your blood tests are perfecto!

[Kindle]

As long as you are getting regular bloodwork and everything looks good, you feel good, etc, I don't see what difference it makes what brand of vitamins you take. I've never taken "bariatric" vitamins, including the ones my surgeon wanted me to take, and my levels are always normal, or even high. For example, I have reduced my B12 and D supplements to 3-4 days/week instead of every day because that's all I need. I not only had to stop taking iron supplements, I actually switched to a senior multi that contains no iron because my ferritin always comes back high (I eat a boat load of red meat). If any of my levels ever drop, I will obviously modify my supplement regimen. But I take the brand I prefer, which is whole food based with probiotics and digestive enzymes, not a chemically synthesized vitamin.

I guess the biggest thing I'd be concerned with is that you are getting the right things checked and the frequency of testing so you pick up on any deficiencies before they become problems. The main nutrients you typically find problems with post-WLS are B1, B12, B9 (folate) D3, zinc, magnesium, calcium and iron/ferritin. So many of these effect each other, so a proper balance is vital. The problem with checking calcium is that blood tests are worthless. Only a dex scan can give you a true picture. As for frequency, Im getting labs done every 10-12 months. And just a side note, make sure you take your multi with a fatty snack or meal to allow absorption of the fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K)

[thenewmetoday]

Hi all. I am 4.5 years, I use chewable vits., caltrate D and give myself a b12 shot every two months. My blood is checked every 6 mo and have not had any issues. For veggies I chop raw veggies and eat it like popcorn. Works for me. cheers