Actually I'm glad I ask it too. The last diet I was on, I did the Slim Fast thing, thinking it's good for me because of the vitamins, I'm not one that likes Slim Fast that well, so I decided to start taking vitamins for a healthier weight loss, and the end results is great, I feel much better, have lots more energy, and just better overall health....By the way thanks to all for the comments, I love this place, it's nice to be able to ask questions and get answers and opinions.

I take Solotron Multi-Vitamin that I buy at GNC. It is a 1 per day capsule. I've tried other vitamins but it's best for me to have something I only take 1 of each day as I am not good about remembering or taking a bunch of different pills. I take it first thing in the morning. GNC has a free card program where you 10% off your purchase during the first 10 days of each month. Plus, I watch their sale ads. The bottle I currently have is 240 tablets (which is enough for almost 8 months) and includes iron. It cost less than $20 with the card (regular price $21.99). I used to just buy any 1-a-day vitamin and thought GNC would be way too expensive but I've really liked the Solotron and found the price quite competitive.

A multi-vitamin is probably recommended for most who are "dieting" (at least until adjustment to eating healthy, varied meals.) As noted by Meowee and others, watch out for overdose - particularly Vitamin A (Vit. A's pre-cursor beta-carotene is relatively safer, since your body won't convert them to Vit. A if its got enough).

I also take calcium, fish oil, CoQ 10, glucosamine/chondroitin & CLA and would especially recommend the first 2 (Most people don't get enough calcium, and a multi usually supplies only 10-25% of RDA, and there's a good deal of scientific research highlighting fish oil's cardiovascular benefits).

Also, take your supplements with food (or at least a glass of milk) whenever possible to maximize absorption (and prevent mild effects like upset stomachs and nausea)

Hi. I've been lurking here forever and thought it was finally time to jump in and say something!

Anyway - to offer the opposite prospective - I don't take a supplement for a couple reasons. First I tend to constantly munch on baby carrots which naturally have a ton of vitamin A and I worry that added to a multi I would OD very easily.

Second I've read of some not so great studies that show correlations between supplements and cancer (not to freak anyone out - it was all very preliminary and I think for most people they will find they help more than they hurt)

And finally, and this really is the major reason, by not taking a supplement I'm more motivated to eat healthy. I can't "fall back" on that nutrition so I have to incorporate lots of veggies and fruits into my diet everyday.

Obviously this is just what works for me. I'm single so I can plan all my meals so that they are as nutritious as possible, and I'm really pretty sure I'm getting everything I need. Hope this helps!

Great thread.

Is there a "better" option between those multi pack vitamin things with like 6 pills daily, or the 'just one' pill dose?

The track my thinking is on is, if I start taking vitamins, I'd be taking one fish oil tablet (already take those, they help with joint pain) plus a multi vitamin, extra calcium (I'm on depo) and then maybe a multi-B vitamin because it helps dramatically with my allergic reactions to stuff. (Dunno why, I just know it does) - but does that seem like too much to take?

Especially if it means taking a six pill pack supplement, plus adding the extra three would be like an entire meal worth of pills!

i've been taking the women's One A Day vitamin for 3 years now [splitting half for the morning and half for the night] with two calcium/vitamin d supplements [i'm lactose intolerant] and a b12 vitamin twice daily on my doctor's recommendation.

i ahve been out of my b12 for a few days and i can really feel the difference. my energy levels have plummeted and i can feel that my body desperately needs something.....i can definitely work out and maintain energy throughout the day, but after using them for so long i can really feel the difference.

so i am PRO multi-vitamin with otehr supplements that you may need based on what your doctor suggests.

This is what I take daily. Brace yourselves, it's a lot, lol.

Fish oil (Omega 3)
Flax oil (Omega 3, 6, 9)
Tonalin (CLA)
Evening primrose (GLA)
B-12
B-complex that does not contain B-12
Magnesium
Chromium
Calcium
Multivitamin

Twice a week, I take:
Zinc
Vitamin E

Along with daily exercise, I think the list of daily vitamins is responsible for my high HDL. It's 69.

I tried taking a multi-vitamin, but i have horrible gag reflexes and the smell just makes me gag. I took one and well... it came back up. I think it would benefit me to take one, but if i cant keep it down it doesnt make sense

Try taking it with sugar free/ low sugar chocolate skim milk! That's what I do if it's something that smells REALLY bad. The milk, even skim, is thick enough to coat taste buds, and the chocolate is usually the dominant taste. I put the pill between my teeth, plug my nose, and chug the chocolate milk - or else, like you, there's NO chance it'll stay down.

Just a note with multivitamins, make sure you take them with a decent meal! I had been eating very light for breakfast and taking a multivitamin, then I was working on my Anatomy/Physiology homework and came across this in my text book:

" Vitamins are absorbed unchanged. The fat-soluble vitamins are A, D, E, and K, and are absorbed with other lipids. Therefore, if they are ingested without fat-containing food, they are not absorbed at all but are passed into the feces and wasted. Water-soluble vitamins (the B complex and vitamin C) are absorbed by simple diffusion. . . "

After reading that, I began eating an actual breakfast to take my vitamin with. Soo, don't let the full nutritional value of your vitamins go to waste! Make sure you eat them with a healthy meal containing some fat.