question

[loving.life 110]

My fitnesspal shows I am getting in 100% of my Calcium with my Protein Drinks and Beans etc. Why do I still need a calcium supplement?

[LilBoo007 491]

Yes!!! RNY is a malabsorption surgery meaning you don't absorb the nutrients like a normal person does anymore, so while MFP is saying you are getting all of your needed Calcium for the day you really aren't due to the RNY... Take the extra calcium each day as recommended by your Dr.

[Getting-used-to-new-me 119]

I think LilBoo's right. I know the blood tests before my doctor visits every few months, from now on after surgery, are to check on my Calcium and other nutrient levels. In my case they're also still checking my blood for the co-morbidities that made the RNY medically necessary too, like high cholesterol. So far so good! Doing what's recommended by your Doctor and their team is always the best advice now.

[DLCoggin 1,788]

My Fitness Pal is a great app! I've been using it every day for well over two years and highly recommend it. And it absolutely was NOT written for the very specific needs of bariatric surgery patients. MFP, like nearly all of the food logging apps on the market, was written with a "one size fits all" point of view. And that applies not only to Protein, fats and carbs but to Vitamins, calorie goals, everything.

Bariatric surgery folks have some very specific needs and especially in the case of RnY, Calcium is a biggie. Fail to take a calcium supplement, for life, and you dramatically increase your risk of developing osteoporosis. Serious stuff. Someone very near and dear to me developed it fifteen years after RnY. At the time of his surgery, doctors were not yet aware of the long term threat of calcium shortage following RnY. He is fifteen times more likely to break a bone than someone who does not have osteoporosis. The doctor told him that in severe cases it may not even be the result of a fall. Weakened bones can fracture simply from the weight of the skeletal structure of your body.

Follow the protocol from your team as closely to the letter as you possibly can. For life. You'll be glad you did and you'll be lovin' the new you for a very long time!!

Edited March 4, 2014 by DLCoggin