Welcome to the Vitalady family

There is so much info for this section I am taking my time to get it right for you.   Bare with us as we continue to make this site better.

There's much to learn. So take your time, look around, and learn more about  Weight Loss Surgery. We hope you enjoy our site and take a moment to drop us a line.

Is Weight Loss surgery my best option?

Maybe Yes / Maybe No

Types of  Bariatric Surgery

You can consider between the main two types of bariatric surgery.  Restrictive or Malabsorptive.  

Restrictive surgeries such as the Sleeve (VSG), Adjustable Band (AGB), the current Gastric Balloon and more are being done.  They are simply the inserting of a device or surgically adjusting the size of your stomach. These procedures are designed to restrict the amount of food you can consume.  They normally do a fair job of getting some of your excess weight off.  

Malabsorptive Surgeries like Roux N Y (RNY) and Duodenal Switch (DS) are a combination of Restrictive and Malabsorptive procedures help you lower the amount you can consume and cause you to malabsorb what you do.  

In our opinion and observation, the restrictive type provide limited success over the long haul.  Folks that are successful have to eliminate foods from their diet that have caused our condition in the first place.  Some feel that changing our eating habits will keep the weight off.  Self will is hard over the long haul. 

Malabsorptive surgeries not only provide the benefit of initial weight loss but create the benefit of malabsorption of nutrients, fats and oils that we can supplement in a low caloric way.  They usually cause conditions that make consuming fat inducing foods very unpleasant.  

Both of us had RNY surgeries in the 90's and feel fortunate to have had both tools in our weight loss tool box.  DC 8/6/18

There is much more to share and we will do so in the near future.

Pre-operative Ideas

Eat, drink and be merry

Post operative Ideas

If all you are taking are multivitamins for supplementation, we think you could be looking for trouble.  As you may know, we believe much differently about supplementing than a large number of doc's and nutritionists.  Our belief comes from watching not only ourselves but a large number of WLS patients on a lot of different programs.  We can only share what we have seen to be successful.

We believe that once a person has a malabsorptive procedure like a DS or RNY, their ability to absorb certain vitamins and minerals is diminished, due to the lack of capacity but more importantly the bypass of the section of intestine that absorbs the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E & K and minerals Iron, Zinc, Calcium and Protein.  To what degree is variable based on the procedure and the person's ability to absorb.  

For a restrictive procedure like a Sleeve or Band the nutritional problems are due to the inability to consume enough foods to provide sufficient nutrition.

We suggest the following supplementation:

Whey Protein supplement.  Protein supplement because volume and malabsorption limit the amount of protein we get from the foods we eat.  Whey protein supplement because it is the best absorbed (higher on the bioavailability list). 

A good multi-vitamin/mineral as a base, primarily for the trace elements.  There is a lot of nutrition in a multi (too low a dose), but in a form that may not be well absorbed.   Just taking more Flintstones will not necessarily keep you properly nourished.  We don't suggest just taking mutis only as the amount we absorb may be limited by the lack of digestive acids available to break them down (our pouch has virtually no acid and the bypass repositions when the bile and pancreatic acid get to the tablets)

Vitamins A , D, E & K and a broad spectrum of B vitamins are best absorbed in dry form only.  If they are in gel caps (oil suspended) they will be ma-absorbed because of the section of intestine bypassed.

Vitamin B-12 is a bit different in that it requires Intrinsic Factor, which is produced in the stomach, to make it absorbable if swallowed.  B-12 sub-lingual can be absorbed through the mucus membranes in the mouth.

Iron, preferably in a form that is easy on our pouch and intestinal tract.  Iron needs to be taken with Vitamin C, separated from all other vitamins, minerals and medications by an hour, before and after, to help it to be absorbed.  Vitamin C needs to be taken with iron to aid the absorption of the iron.

Zinc, simply because it is malabsorbed needs to be dry form.

Calcium CITRATE ONLY.  Although calcium carbonate is less expensive it requires stomach acid to break it down.  From personal experience, we have found calcium carbonate can enter the blood but does not get into the bones.  This is why a serum (blood) test may not give an accurate reading as to your bone health, which is why we need calcium.  Only an annual DEXA scan can give accurate reading on your bone condition.  Also, carbonate forms of calcium aid in the formation of the most common type of kidney stones.  

OK, That is a long winded way to say you need more than multi’s to keep yourself nutritionally balanced and healthy.  We believe a person who is supplementing with these and watching your own lab results will generally be healthier, happier with their weight loss journey and successful LONG TERM.  If you want a suggestion as to amounts to take we can provide a sample program.  We can provide a better idea, if you let us know what procedure you had, how much you are bypassed, and a copy of your 2 most current lab results.  

OK as a salesman for a company dedicated to your long term WLS success, know that we can supply any of these supplements, inexpensively, in a  form you can tolerate and right to your door via USPS or Fed Ex.  No other company has the 20 years combined experience that we have.  Proudly we say we were the first company dedicated to supplying our community and are the best.  'Nuff selling", OK?  DC  8/3/18

ETC, ETC, ETC