I think it very well could be. My history sounds like you. When I was a teenager I gained all my weight quickly. (over 3 months in college) I had the thought that there was something wrong then. Over the next ten years... I tried to diet and always got stuck... well before my goal and then would gain it back insanely quick. I was eating low food. I was exercising.

But this was the only diet I tried when I had full vitamin d levels. And it went so much easier.

I have actually struggled recently... I suspect even though I am taking more vitamin D, I am just not getting enough.

Here is also what I think happened last year... vitamin D gets stored in fat. Last year I started burning fat and releasing vitamin d that had been stored in the fat. So the levels were high with lower supplementation. Now, at 160... I have less fat, and I am not burning too much. So I have to take more vitamin d.

Had I not had that recent test, I would have been down at lower levels. I am now taking about 4000 IU per day. But since I am not seeing a ton of weight results .. I am wondering if I am taking enough.

I just had mine tested last week. The results were 9. Not good. I started taking 5,000 IU a day. Hopefully it makes a difference.

I'm actually going to have a blood test for some other things, just checked and D3 is checked. lol. Hoping to go Saturday.

My D levels are low as well. I had been taking supplements for a few months, then got overwhelmed with all the vitamins I was taking, so I took a break. Three months later, I'm finding that I have huge cravings for fat and my weight is stuck, no matter what I do. I did some reading into the fat cravings and read somewhere that I might be experiencing them because I'm short on the fat-soluble vitamins, namely D, and my body thinks it's not getting enough fats.

Also read somewhere that it's not enought to just take the D. Also need to get into the sun for 15 minutes to make it work. I thought all I needed was to get direct sunlight, but with such a low level of D, I need both?

Hope all this information is accurate. Started taking my supplements again five days ago. Fat cravings stopped two days ago. Am really looking forward to the weight dropping!

Well, the strongest I could get my hands on is 1000IU. I've been taking one, sometimes two, most days. If I want to go for a larger dose, do I need to buy a stronger version? The idea of taking up to 5 tablets at once just feels wrong, even if I were to space them out over the day. A bit confused...

From the Mayo Clinic website:
You'd have to take an awful lot to get to that level. Five capsules isn't that much. You can take them all once a day.

Ah, cool, thanks

I'll continue experimenting with it, see what works best

I take 5000IU a day. If I miss a dose, I'll double up the next day. I get blood tests routinely and my serum Vit D levels are still only in the 70's which is good but not great and definitely not toxic.

I have to have some bloodwork done this week, I'm going to see if I can have this test added. I've already bought the supplements and have been taking them for a few days. I know I don't get near enough sunlight!

I am not sure but I think it is possible that you need it from the sun in some small amount. However, it is really NOT true that 15 minutes in the sun will give you what you need. There is a ton of other factors that can really reduce how much Vitamin D you produce. There is a pollution map I saw once and it showed clearly that even on a bright sunny day in the middle of summer you can have too much pollution to get enough of the UVB rays in 15 minutes. Also, in some parts of the US you basically cannot get the correct rays any other time but from 11 AM to 2 PM from May until September.

That said, I had an interesting thing happen this year. It was the only year I did not get my Thanksgiving trip to Florida (were I usually got at least a slight burn) and I have been paying for it all winter long. Even though I take a supplement -- it just didn't work properly with a long period without sun. I live in the northeast so that is October to April with no sun. My levels were low and I had three colds in three months.

I have heard that you can get the UVB rays that produce vitamin d from tanning salons. But I have not yet gone. So I presume that doing that one or two times during the winter could be enough to really help.

You should try Amazon. They definitely have more than 1000 IU.

But lets get the terminology down correctly. The 50,000 IU pill that doctors give out is Vitamin D2. D2 is a form that is not as easily accessible to the body. Your body takes that and makes D3. So.. you need much MORE of it to get D3. If you take D3 direct, your body can use that and so, you need much less.

So I believe the oft quoted like is that 10000 IU of D3 and UNDER has been shown to be safe. So when people say that 50000 IU is toxic, that CAN be toxic if it is D3. NOT D2 (or the prescription form).

As far as I know you can take up to 10000 IU of D3 without showing any toxic symptoms and frankly, again, it is not what you take --it is the level in your blood.

I picked up some Nature Made D3 tablets at Big Lots for $2. I'm going to see if they make a noticeable difference for me. I know I do not get enough sunlight, so maybe this will help me out.

Sorry, but this really bothered me. The diagnosis was not a hysterectomy, as I'm sure you would remember if you had had one. I assume you mean that it was your recommended course of treatment???

Seems to be some confusion amongst everybody. The information she posted stated that 50,000 IU could be toxic...not 5,000. But other posts mention 1,000 IU and then 10,000 and 5,000 and then 50,000. It's all very confusing.

Having said all that...I need an annual work up, so I'll make sure to get my levels tested.

Yes.. when people refer to large IUs they are probably talking about Vitamin D2. The lower levels are D3. I don't think they sell over 5000 IU of D3. And the 50000 IU of D2 I think is by prescription only.

That makes sense. And I am hypersensitive to sunlight and heat - it triggers migraines and I burn easily, so I avoid it. Well, the sun is one of the few good sources of vitamin D. I just got on a new multivitamin, but not sure if I am getting enough vitamin D. How much worked well for you?

I had a complete blood work almost a year ago, and I was told that my iron levels were really low, and my vitamin D levels were really low as well.

So they put me on Vitamin D2 50,000 unit, and gave me some iron pills. Unfortunately, I couldn't take the iron pills because just one pill made me severely constipated.

So I've had to really focus on eating foods that are rich in Iron. I'm also taking Calcium supplements because I'm lactose intolerant.

So at the moment, I'm taking Calcium, Vitamin D2, and B12 energy pills. Mind you, these three are all gummie pills as I have trouble swallowing the regular pills.

I must say, I can definitely tell the difference when I have gone a week without taking my pills. I'm exhausted, can't get off the couch, and really depressed. Once I take my pills, then my energy levels do improve and I'm much more active in doing things. My goal this summer is to get out more and especially to get a tan. I've been white my whole life, and I really want to get a tan for a change.