Let's talk Vitamins!! - Page 2 - 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community

Dulce Vida · 12-09-2009, 01:11 PM

Great thread! I was taking a prenatal vitamin daily when I was trying to conceive, but once I stopped trying and decided to lose weight, I also stopped the vitamin. I want to start taking a multi-vitamin, I'm sure I'm not meeting all of my daily requirements even while eating healthier.

Smiling_Sara · 12-10-2009, 10:12 AM

Has anyone taken the women vita packs from GNC? They seem pricy, but I'm willing to spend it if I know it works. More energy=more time in the gym=more weight loss. I"ve calculated that I've only lost 16 pounds the whole year of 2009. Not acceptable in my eyes.

Smiling_Sara · 12-10-2009, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tarisaande

I take fish oil for omega 3 and a basic multivitamin. If they are helping me or just coming out the other end, I can't say, but they do seem to help other people. I think in the case of weighloss they may be of benefit, as reducing food intake also results in reduced nutrient intake, even if we try to balance.

Quote:

Before jumping to a pill though, maybe its just your routine that's making you tired. You haven't described your eating habits and sleep habits, or how often you exercise, etc. If you are not eating enough to maintain your weight (and thus losing weight), your body will be tired because it lacks sufficient energy, and adding exercise on top of that exhausts you even more physically. Not getting enough sleep will do that, too. 8 hours is recommended, but I don't know many people who sleep that much, except on weekends.

Depending how often you exercise or how much you eat, try taking a couple of days-week off. Take a break, and see if that helps your energy. If you feel better after that, then you know you just need to break periodically to let your body recover. You've lost a TON of weight, that's some major adjusting your body is doing.

A vitamin might help take the edge off, but simply resting is the best medicine for being tired. I pushed myself really hard last week, and sunday just blew off the exercise because I was really tired. I ended up sleeping during the time I was going to exercise. I don't regret it at all.

I try to stay within 1600 calories a day. I excersize 4-5 days a week for 90 minutes between cardio and weight lifting. I am in bed most nights by 11pm and wake up by 7am ( tho I am hitting snooze for an hour between 6 and 7 )

Lori Bell · 12-10-2009, 11:36 AM

In the summer I don't take vitamins regularly, except calcium/magnesium for PMS and Omega 3's because I really don't like fish very well. In the fall when the days get shorter and I am no longer eating enormous amounts of garden fresh veggies I add in Vitamin D, vitamin C, a B-complex and have recently began Biotin, (for my hair and nails...not sure if it is helping yet). I always start to drag/get depressed in the winter, and I'm positive it's because of the lack of sunshine, (main source of Vitamin D) I get from not spending my normal spring/summer time hours outside.

Lackie · 12-10-2009, 12:44 PM

I take a pre-natel vitamin that was prescribed since we want to try in the next 3 months.

I also take a Vitamin B complex and plan on going to the Dr to get a prescription for Fish Oil. I was borderline anemic because of my Iron deficiency. I love my vitamins.

dangerousfish · 12-10-2009, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BornToFly

Has anyone taken the women vita packs from GNC? They seem pricy, but I'm willing to spend it if I know it works. More energy=more time in the gym=more weight loss. I"ve calculated that I've only lost 16 pounds the whole year of 2009. Not acceptable in my eyes.

GNC is too expensive for the product, imo. I used to take the GNC woman's multi because I could walk to the GNC store from campus but after peeing radioactive yellow for two months I just got tired of paying for mega-dose vitamins that I was just peeing out. Thankfully GNC is not killing anyone because the fat-soluble vitamins aren't in mega-doses.

My mom is a urological nurse and the office calls radioactive vitamin pee "expensive urine".

If you do buy the vitamin pack you would probably get more out of it if you split the tablets into two doses (obviously splitting capsules doesn't work). And since GNC runs BOGO stock up at those times. I still think you could buy the pack ingredients separate for cheaper. For instance there is only 25mg of ALA, that is not an effective dose. The calcium is 600mg but your body can only absorb about 400mg at one time (you could probably split that pill though).

Looking at the woman's pack it seems like you could get the same benefits and a lower cost with a multi, calcium/D, CLA, and an ALA, or even a green tea (which also is not listed in an effective dose) if you wanted to try that out. All of those you should be able to find in a well stocked grocery store (meijer, trader joe's, a health food store) and bonus since most places put vitamins on BOGO on a standard rotation. If the GNC goes to a really good price I don't think it will hurt you to take it -- if they went clearance price I might even snap some up, honestly.

Umm, I hate to rec it because it does review a lot of potentially dangerous "fat burners" but the site ultimatefatburner is actually very good for breaking down ingredients found in vitamins/minerals and weight loss supplements. So many of those "propitiatory blends" are just window-dressings but expensive window-dressings.