MBowman189
January 30, 2011 Protein Drinks & Vitamins:
Jan 30, 2011
Everyone,
Over the last several months I’ve been doing research preparing myself and my wife for having weight loss surgery (WLS). For my wife and I feel we’re very fortunate to have Kaiser Permanente health insurance, and to qualify for WLS you must attend a 12 week Options class to help prepare you for the life changes that come with WLS. This time has proven invaluable as it allowed me the time to do additional research on my own. Part of this research was on the specific WLS types, and to make an educated decision on which surgery would be the best for both of us. Many of you are going through these same information searches, and learning what’s best for your situation, and most have already had your surgery. Many of my OH Friends have shared not only their experiences, but which protein drinks and vitamins their using as well. Two OH Friends have their own web sites; Andrea U. with Vitagarten http://wlsvitagarten.com that has lots of vitamin information, and Pam T. with Blog Journey to a Healthier Life http://www.pamtremble.blogspot.com with lots of nutrition information and recipes.
Another very important part of this research was on Protein Drinks and Vitamins which play a critical part of a WLS patient’s daily diet and exercise regime for the rest of your life. I’ve prepared an Excel spreadsheet with many workbooks which 8 cover powdered and pre-mixed protein drinks, and protein deserts and nectars. All of these proteins are sorted by the cost per serving, so you can see which is cheapest, but make sure to look at the calorie, fats, sugars, and protein content as well. Remember you want no more than 3 grams fat per 100 calories, and at least 20 - 30 grams of protein per serving. Remember, you will need to take in 70 to 100 grams of protein per day. Here are a couple screen shots:
Powder Protein Drinks:
Pre-Mix:
There are also 9 work books for regular multi-vitamins and WLS specific chewable vitamins, iron, and calcium. Make sure to pay close attention to the RDA value which is for a normal person, and not for a WLS patient. When you get to the Optimized and WLS specific vitamin workbooks you will see a column for RDA for WLS patients recommended amounts from the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) Daily Vitamin Recommendations (RNY 200% of Regular Adult RDA for Multivitamins). Each of the vitamins listed will show the RDA based upon a regular person, so if it a malabsorption type surgery such as a RNY, it should be close to 200%. There are also 6 workbooks for My Choice for RNY and My Choice for VSG WLS vitamins. These are very important and I’ve programmed the formulas to calculate taking the vitamins and minerals listed, how close to the 100% of the ASMBS RDA for the specific WLS, how many of each chewable or sublingual you will need to take each day, and what the daily costs will be. If you’re a Kaiser patient, Bariatric Advantage offers a 17% discount if you enter a discount code when ordering, so I’ve added 2 work books to reflect this discount as well. Also, remember that your 8 or 10 vitamins and minerals will have to be taken throughout the day, as iron and calcium have to be taken at least 2 hours apart. You will actually have to establish a vitamin and supplements schedule similar to the one listed below:
Here are some screen shots from the Vitamins workbooks:
RNY Specific:
VSG Specific:
Calcium:
Iron:
My Choice for RNY:
My Choice for VSG:
There is also a workbook for all of the protein products from Vitalady http://www.vitalady.com as they have such a large variety of products and flavors, and even offer most in smaller sample sizes to try them out. This workbook is sorted by name and not price as the others are.
If you would like a copy of the Protein Drink and Vitamin spreadsheet, email me at [email protected], I’ll attach and email you a copy for your review.
Remember, WLS is a major life changing event, and you must be prepared to commit to this for the rest of your life. If you don’t follow the requirements, your health will deteriorate, you will probably experience some hair loss anyway, but without your supplements and proper protein it will probably be much worse. I hope sharing my research will help you with your journey to a healthier life for you and your family.
Martin
