Has anyone used vitamin B12 injections for weight loss

Keepthefaith16
Keepthefaith16 Posts: 6 Member
edited November 18 in Health and Weight Loss
My friend swears by it! Does this work as a supplement?

Replies

  • chunky_pinup
    chunky_pinup Posts: 758 Member
    B12 can definitely give you more energy if you are deficient in it to start with. More energy means you have more umph to get you through the day. More energy can lead to better food choices (you're not so tired that you're just grabbing convenience foods) and more effort to be put towards moving more/burning more calories. It doesn't CAUSE weight loss, but can definitely help give you the energy to focus. But this is only if you actually have a medical deficiency in the first place...

    So no, B12 doesn't cause weight loss.

    If you are medically deficient in B12, getting injections can get you to a more energized state, and can help you stay on track if you are trying to lose weight.
  • CherylG1983
    CherylG1983 Posts: 294 Member
    I've been taking a B50 complex vitamin every day for the past two years. There's no effect on weight loss, but I do find it helps keep me from falling asleep at my desk in the middle of the day. Injections are typically only given to people who are deficient anyway.
  • Gamliela
    Gamliela Posts: 2,468 Member
    Try eating the most nutritious foods you can, this should provide your necessary vitamins. I think a lot of people supplement with a daily vit, that should be adequate.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    Yes - tried them twice in conjunction with an appetite suppressant pill and a VLCD diet. All the weight PLUS MORE came back when I stopped. Now I'm on MFP, using a food scale, weighing and logging all my food.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    I take B-12 supplements per my doctor recommendation for a tendency towards anemia. Does nothing to curb appetite or help with weight loss. Does help the energy level in that is helps keep my hemoglobin levels where they should be.
  • PaulaWallaDingDong
    PaulaWallaDingDong Posts: 4,647 Member
    edited May 2017
    B12 is not for weight loss. If you or any of your friends are being given this supplement without a diagnosed reason to do so, even if it's from a doctor, y'all are being ripped off. Doctors at "weight loss clinics" are no more than product pushers with a degree.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    I was very sick in the late 90s and received vitamins intravenously. I felt much better after each session. I did lose weight during this time but suspect quitting drinking had a whole heck of a lot more to do with it.
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    Vitamins for weight loss?
    No.

    Calorie deficit?
    Yes.
  • karahm78
    karahm78 Posts: 505 Member
    Injections are typically only given to people who are deficient anyway.

    You'd like to think so, but these weight-loss "clinics" will give them to anyone... they have Groupons for them around here all the time. Then they will put them on phentermine, Topamax, and anything else to make another buck.

  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,188 Member
    I take B-12 shots for B-12 anemia. I have taken them for years. I gained most of my weight while talking them. I lost my weight when I started eating at a deficit. B-12 is not some magic supplement that makes you lose weight. It is good to take if you have a deficiency, but it won't affect your weight.
  • ruqayyahsmum
    ruqayyahsmum Posts: 1,513 Member
    edited May 2017
    I take them for the pesky reason of staying alive. Unable to absorb it orally

    Ive gained and lost weight while recieving b12 injections. The only variable was my calorie intake
    Ate more cals than i needed = i gained weight
    Ate less cals than maintenance = i lost weight

    I dont even get the energy boost folks talk about, i just feel slightly less like the walking dead
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,188 Member
    I take them for the pesky reason of staying alive. Unable to absorb it orally

    Ive gained and lost weight while recieving b12 injections. The only variable was my calorie intake
    Ate more cals than i needed = i gained weight
    Ate less cals than maintenance = i lost weight

    I dont even get the energy boost folks talk about, i just feel slightly less like the walking dead

    That is my experience too.
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