A sleeve gastrectomy can be a life-changing surgery. By altering the size of your stomach, it reduces your hunger signals, allows you to feel fuller with smaller amounts of food, and helps you minimize your daily intake of calories. It’s the most effective way to treat obesity in the long run, as it doesn't only allow you to lose weight quickly but also to keep it off down the line.
However, to ensure you stay healthy and happy after your bariatric surgery, you must pay close attention to the amount of vitamins and minerals you consume daily. In many instances, you’ll likely need to start using vitamin and mineral supplements.
Have a look below to find out which bariatric multivitamins you should keep a close eye on post-surgery.
Surgeries like gastric sleeve and gastric bypass reduce the size of your stomach. On one hand, that can be exceptionally beneficial when you’re struggling with obesity. These surgeries can help you reduce your body mass index (BMI), lower your blood pressure, and lower your risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
On the other hand, they can inadvertently cause nutritional deficiencies.
When the size of your stomach is reduced, the overall amount of food you can consume is minimized. While that technically means you’ll consume fewer calories and thus expedite your weight loss, it also means that you might accidentally consume lower quantities of essential vitamins and minerals.
Your body needs different vitamins and minerals to support important processes – fighting off infection, boosting your immune system, regulating your hormones, and keeping all bodily processes working normally.
Therefore, if you want to ensure that you’re as healthy as can be after your surgery, you’ll need to start using chewable or liquid supplements.
Even if you’re following a healthy diet, you’ll need to start taking the necessary supplements immediately after your gastric sleeve. What’s more, these supplements aren’t something you’ll need to take for just a few months or a year after surgery. You’ll need to increase your daily vitamin and mineral doses for the rest of your life.
Your doctor will prescribe the exact supplements you’ll need, but some of the most important ones are as follows:
● Multivitamins – you’ll need all vitamins from A to Z. As a general rule of thumb, steer clear of gummy vitamins in the first few months, as they could be more difficult to digest. Go for chewable vitamins or those in liquid form.
● Vitamin B – Pay close attention to vitamin B1 and vitamin B12. The lack of vitamin B could lead to anemia, as well as issues with memory, mood, and more;
● Vitamin D – Vitamin D deficiency is very common after weight loss surgery, which could affect how your body absorbs calcium.
● Calcium – without enough calcium, you could encounter issues with bone health, kidneys, and more. Preferably, you should take calcium citrate in combination with vitamin D, which will improve calcium absorption.
Your doctor will provide you with a full list of all the vitamin and mineral supplements you’ll need, as well as the exact quantities you should use.
On paper, increasing your intake of essential vitamins and minerals seems healthy and safe. However, if you’re not careful, it could cause complications.
For instance, taking a calcium supplement with your iron supplement isn’t a good idea. Calcium could prevent you from absorbing iron properly, so you should take them at different times of the day.
Although calcium and vitamin D work hand-in-hand, you might not always need an additional dose of vitamin D if it’s already in your multivitamin. Typically, taking an extra dose only once a week should be enough.
Overall, the most important things to remember are to take all your supplements exactly how your doctor prescribed, keep your meals small and varied, and pay attention to your protein intake.
Gastric sleeve is a major surgery that could significantly impact your quality of life. That’s why it’s crucial to have it performed by an experienced surgeon.
Dr. Gökçe is a leading expert in weight loss surgery in Turkey. With years of experience under his belt and no less than 8,000 successful surgeries and satisfied patients behind him, he maintains the highest standards in the field.
Offering different types of weight loss surgeries – gastric sleeve, gastric balloon, gastric bypass, and mini gastric bypass – he creates personalized treatments that work for your body and overall lifestyle.
Though booking your weight loss surgery in Turkey could seem frightening, it has many benefits.
Primarily, Turkey is one of the most frequently visited locations for medical tourists. The country is dedicated to delivering every patient the highest quality of care. Clinics must go through a lengthy and complicated process to ensure they follow global standards and obtain the necessary certifications.
Secondly, you won’t have to wait for months on end to receive your treatment. During your free consultations with Dr. Gökçe, you can book your surgery when it suits you – no waiting lists or complex registration processes.
Finally, you can receive treatment from a globally renowned surgeon at a fraction of the cost you’d have to pay in the US or Canada. With Turkey’s lower costs of living and lower costs of labor, surgeries that can be over $20,000 in North America can be performed for under $5,000 in Turkey.
Moreover, your accommodation, transfer between the airport in Turkey, your hotel, and the clinic, as well as all the needed pre- and post-op medications and consultations, are included in the price. The only extra you’ll need to cover is your airfare.
Gastric surgery can help you look and feel healthier and happier. However, you must closely monitor your nutrition post-surgery and ensure you’re taking all your doctor-recommended supplements daily.
Book your free consultation with Dr. Gökçe to learn more about your nutrition post-op and schedule your life-changing surgery in Turkey.
