I bought these vitamins at Walmart as was suggested for the low price and yes, I got very nauseous (spelling?) when I took them at first with just my tea before breakfast. I noticed weight loss when I started taking them but it also coincided with my going back to WW so I don't know if it really works. Thank you Susan for clearing up the green tea theory. Everything I read on it said it worked. I have been occasionally been drinking green tea instead of black but even that makes me a little nauseous. So now I'm back to decaffeinated Earl Grey. Thank you all for your feedback. Even though I didn't ask the question, I was curious about this and like most of you, I felt that since it was a vitamin from a well known company and not a "weight loss supplement", per se, it would be alright to take. I think I may finish the bottle and then find another vitamin. I wish you all good health which what we are really working for.

I have a bottle, which I really need to start taking on a regular basis. I've had no problems anytime I've taken them, which has always been with food.

Now after reading some of the +++ posts, I'm gonna put them out where I can see them!

I have just recently purchased the second bottle of the One A Day Weight Smart, not because I think they are really helping me to lose, I just feel like I need a daily vitamin and One A Day has been aroung so long. Like I said I have already taken 51 of them started second bottle this morning. I have NOT noticed any extra energy and don't think they have suppressed my appetite, because there have been times I could have ate my desk, I just have been doing better food wise.
So you say well is she for them or against them? Well I am taking them have had NO adverse effects but don't think they can take the credit for the work I have done to lose, but I guess I was looking at it if I am going to take a vitamin why not take one that might possibly give my 35 year old sluggish metabolism a little boost????!!!!!!?????

Who knows?

Doesn't green tea have a high amount of caffeine in it? I tend to get a racing heart when I have too much caffeine. I'm wondering if the nauseous feelings people are getting are because of all the caffeine in the supplement. I'm not positive of this but I did read somewhere that green tea does have a large dose of caffeine in it.

Green Tea Extract (Catechins) Catechins are flavonoids and have antioxidant properties. One of the catechins, EGCG, has been shown to have a slight thermogenic effect on fat cells. Recommended dosage is between 125 and 250mg of EGCG daily, according to the Physicians Desk Reference for Nutritional Supplements.

Unfortunately, the One a Day WeightSmart only contain 27mg of EGCG per dosage.

Neek, I'm not sure of the caffeine content of green tea, especially since it is highly processed to be used in this product. However, the package ingredient label states that this product contains caffeine powder as an ingredient.

Some people are not sensitive to caffeine or other stimulents unless they are in very high dosages. However, many of us have reactions at low dosages.

One a Day has been around for as long as I can remember. For many years, they were THE vitamin to take. However, the market is much more competitive today. The vitamin section in the drugstore is no longer a section, but usually an aisle. Their decision to go into the herbal market would be a business decision and doesn't necessarily validate the product.

Here are some guidelines for choosing multi-vitamins, published by the Berkeley Wellness Center, University of California:
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Multivitamins/Minerals


Claims, Benefits: Provides nutrients to supplement a healthy (or unhealthy) diet.

Bottom Line: Many people should take a basic supplement, especially people over 60, women of child-bearing age, vegans, and anyone not eating a balanced diet. It needn't cost more than pennies a day.

Full Article, Wellness Letter, July 1999:

Should you take a multivitamin? And which one?

As more and more Americans take multivitamin/mineral pills, marketing hype and consumer confusion have increased. Of course, it's possible—and usually preferable—to get your nutrients from a healthy, balanced diet (vitamin E is an exception, see below). But surveys consistently show that large groups of Americans tend to fall short in a variety of key vitamins and minerals.

Here are some reasons to consider taking a multi:

• Many, if not most, people over 60 don't get the nutrients they need, for a variety of reasons (see Wellness Letter, February 1998). For instance, aging itself may make it more difficult to absorb and utilize certain nutrients. The major problem nutrients for older people are vitamins D, C, B-6, and B-12, and folic acid, as well as minerals such as zinc.
• All women who might become pregnant—that is 70 million Americans—should take 400 IU of folic acid daily. This B vitamin helps prevent neural tube birth defects that affect thousands of babies every year in the U.S. The surest way to get that much folic acid is with a multi. The folic acid in supplements (and in fortified grain products) is better absorbed by the body than the vitamin found naturally in food.

• Many premenopausal women do not consume enough iron. The amount found in most basic multivitamins can help prevent a decline in women's iron stores.

• Vegans, who consume no animal products, may not be consuming enough vitamin B-12, zinc, or calcium.

• People on low-calorie diets, as well as heavy drinkers, are likely to have a shortfall of vitamins and minerals.

• Poor people tend to have the poorest diets and would thus benefit from a multivitamin.

• Anyone else not eating a balanced diet (at least five fruits and vegetables a day, as well as whole grains, low-fat dairy, and small servings of lean meat, poultry, or fish) may not be getting enough folic acid, B-6, and B-12. In recent years evidence has grown about the role these B vitamins play in lowering homocysteine levels in the blood and thus reducing the risk of heart disease. Folic acid may also help prevent cervical and colon cancer. Most multivitamin supplements have 100% of the daily recommended intake of these Bs.

• Pregnant women should probably take a multi, but should discuss their nutritional needs with their doctors.

Not everyone needs a multivitamin/mineral. But the above list includes more than half of all Americans, for whom a basic multi makes sense.

Your buying guide

The labels on supplements list the amount of each nutrient and the percentage of the "Daily Value" (the FDA's reference values used on foods and supplements) that represents. Here's what you need to know:

• A multivitamin/mineral need not cost more than a few cents a day. Most store-brand and generic products are fine.
• Look for "USP" on the label. This means that the product meets the standards of the U.S. Pharmacopeia, including one for disintegration, and has been tested under controlled laboratory conditions. Most brand-name vitamins aren't labeled USP, because the manufacturers either don't want to do the tests, or prefer to guarantee the products via the brand names. Generic or store brands are more often labeled USP, and are cheaper anyway.

• Most important: Look for 100% of the Daily Value of the following vitamins: A (some from beta carotene), B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B-6, B-12, folic acid, and D.

• Look for up to 100% of the Daily Value of the following minerals: copper, zinc, magnesium, iron, iodine, selenium (not more than 200 mcg), and chromium (not more than 200 mcg). Most multis also contain tiny amounts of trace minerals such as boron, manganese, and molybdenum.

• Least important: Most contain some potassium, phosphorus, pantothenic acid, and biotin, but you can ignore these since they are easily found in food.

• Most multis contain 100%, or even 200%, of the Daily Value of vitamins C and E, but this is not enough to provide the full antioxidant effects and other potential benefits of these vitamins. We recommend that everyone consume 200 to 800 IU of E and 250 to 500 milligrams of C a day.You'll definitely need a pill to get that much E (that's the amount in a pound or two of sunflower seeds or two quarts of corn oil). And unless you eat lots of broccoli, peppers, kiwifruit, and oranges, you'll probably need a pill to get that much C.

• Calcium is bulky, so a multi will contain only a small amount of it. Unless you consume enough dairy products, broccoli, and salmon or sardines (with bones), you should take separate calcium supplements. Everyone needs at least 1,000 milligrams of calcium a day, from food and/or supplements. Women over 50 and men over 65 need 1,200 to 1,500 milligrams a day.

• Premenopausal women should look for 100% of the Daily Value of iron. In contrast, people with the genetic disorder hemochromatosis (who absorb too much iron) should avoid supplemental iron.

• More than 100% of the Daily Value isn't necessarily better. Up to 200% of the B vitamins is okay, but large doses of copper, for instance, can interfere with the absorption of zinc, and vice versa. And large doses of vitamin A or D can be dangerous.

• Take your multi with food. If it contains iron, don't take a calcium supplement at the same time, since iron interferes with calcium absorption.

• Words you don't need to see listed on the bottle: "stress formula," "sugar-free," "starch-free," "natural," "super-potency," "senior formula," "slow-release," enzymes, hormones, amino acids, PABA, or ginseng and other herbs. These serve no purpose and add to the price.



But keep in mind: Even if you take a multi, you still need to have a balanced, healthy diet. These pills are not magic bullets. Foods—particularly fruits, vegetables, and whole grains—provide fiber as well as countless beneficial phytochemicals not found in any pill.

UC Berkeley Wellness Letter, July 1999

My favorite multi has got to be the Source of Life CAPSULES. My mother in law used to get us the "tablets"-those things were a horse pill and hard as a rock! Sure, it makes my pee neon green, but I do actually notice a change in how I'm feeling when I take them. I used to take Enzymatic Therapy Women's blend but again, hard as a rock and horsey sized. Those were astronomical in cost (not that the Source of Life ones are much cheaper-they want you to take 9 a DAY!!) and hard to track down since we only had 1 health food store at the time. The Source of Life ones are easy going down, and I don't take the daily recommended-strictly because of cost-but I do split up the dosing so I'm getting two, three times a day.

All I know is I feel better (health wise) when I take them, and there isn't anything freaky in them.

be safe,
Melis

Hmmm..interesting thread..i've not tried these but i did change to drinking green tea because of the hype i'd heard about it helping with weightloss and after drinking several cups a day for the past 3 months i can confidently say that it makes no difference whatsoever

Ive been taking these for close to a month, and after I figured out I had to eat before I took them, I noticed a big difference, my appetite wasn't as high and I felt more energy. I haven't really noticed if I've lost weight with them, since I'm doing WW, but I do lose around 2-3 pounds per weeek, so maybe they are helping. If nothing else, they have my iron in them, which I need anyways.

It is important that they should be used as a supplement to a healthy diet and exercise. Sounds like a catch, but it is true. There simply is not a pill on the market that allows the weight to just drop off. I will say that trying to avoid foods is hard, and taking a pill is not going to help. I have been successful eating balanced meals (moderate portions) and exercising. I have a milk shake here and there from a fast food place to keep the cravings down. It is working. Too many people are risking too much on shoddy products.

I am 24, I choose not to take it because I think it is geared towards a women aged 30,and over, but on the flip side It is a vitamin what could it hurt?
I choose to go with the One-A-Day Womens Mulitvitamin, I get the same nutrients, and I may try the weight smart next time around.

I tried taking it after having half of my breakfast & felt fine.

IMHO, a multi-vitamin doesn't hurt and can help. But it doesn't have to be some whoop-de-doo special formulation. I buy a Centrum-Silver clone at Sam's Club, and I also take additional calcium, Vitamin E, Lecithin (I've got high cholesterol), Folic Acid, Niacin and I just recently added garlic.

Look for a multi-vitamin which contains the 100% RDA of most of the vitamins and minerals. Don't get all hyped up on the lutein and saw palmetto and whatever else the marketing people are throwing at the public. If you wish to take additional supplements, do the research on them first, and make SURE they won't clash with any prescribed medication you are taking.

One very important thing to remember is that A, D, E, and K are FAT SOLUBLE vitamins. This means that anything over the amount your body can use will be stored in the fat tissues of your body, and they can accumulate to toxic levels, especially Vitamin A. For these vitamins, more does not mean better.

The B vitamins, and Vitamin C are water soluble. If you take too much, the excess gets filtered out of the body by the kidneys. After taking a multi-vitamin you make a bathroom visit and your urine is bright yellow with a "vitamin-y" smell, that's your dollars you are flushing down the toidy.

Also watch your intake of iron. Many supplement companies made big bucks hyping to folks that fatigue was a consequence of "iron-poor blood." Truth is, fatigue is more likely the result of lousy diet, poor sleeping habits, too much stress, and not enough exercise. Iron intake in excess of the 100% RDA CAN be toxic to some people. If you in your menopausal years (or after), do NOT take iron supplements.

Ideally, we SHOULD get our nutrients from our food. However, dieters, especially those following a very limited intake (such as Atkins) could benefit from supplements.

Just educate yourselves and don't blow all your money on advertising hype.



Peace and nutrition,
~VOW