Prenatal vitamins & weight gain

chelsealjames

I just started taking prenatal vitamins for my hair and nail growth about a month ago. My friend told me this weekend that her doc advise her not to take those because they lead to weight gain. Does anyone know about this or have any experience with it?

verbifyvenus

I work at an OB/Gyn clinic and there is no truth to that. It's the same as a multi, but with less vit A and more folic acid. None of which cause weight gain.

epa422

That's fascinating. I definitely gained weight once I started taking a prenatal, but I don't know if I can attribute it to that or going off of birth control or eating more meals to get a healthy balance of food (and thus more calories). I can't understand why they would lead to weight gain.

ckmama

If you look at the ingredients they aren't that different.

My husband swears when he takes any vitamin he eats more food, because he feels like he is starving. Has your appetite changed?

TKelly06

I have been taking prenatal vitamins for about 8 months now and I see no weight gain.

asteppaway

Nah I don't think so...I had a HUGE bottle of prenatals during my pregnancy and have been taking them since then to not be wasteful...I've steadily lost weight even though I am still on them.

MissingMinnesota

I was put on birth control and prenatal vitamins two months ago by my dr and my weight loss has slowed down a bit but it is still a loss and not a gain. This is probably because of the birth control more then the vitamins.

SuzanneRogers

I have taken Prenatal for last 7 years. i just lost 65 lbs after having twins, and no they don't cause weight gain. They help keep you body in check, you eat better when you take them you don't crave as much junk in my experience. I take plant based ones easier on tummy.

BeautifulScarsWECHANGED

Be careful because they contain more iron and too much iron can really mess up your liver....the liver can't work to remove fat properly. I saw a thing on Good Morning America about it.

suzie1983

instead of prenatal vitamins i take a hair skin and nail pill from gmc

ProTFitness

Just take a good mulit for active women and eat healthy and that is all you need for good hair and nails

MLgarcia3

I usually take fish oil for my hair, skin, and nails

stylistchik

I'm a cosmetologist and the best thing you can supplement for healthy hair, skin and nails are good fats (omega-3s) and Biotin. I have no clue about prenatals. I have heard that the reason your hair and nails grow during pregnancy are because your body is in "grow mode" growing a baby and replenishing your cells quicker to keep you healthy. I'm not sure about that.

DrBorkBork

My diabetes doc put me on them for some anemia problems I was having. I should not be needing a nap when I get home from the gym. Exercise is supposed to help you feel energized, not exhausted. They've helped with the energy issue, and I haven't noticed them interfering with my weight loss journey.

chelsealjames

So you when you got on birth control you gained? Cause I am on that as well; maybe that is contributing....

chelsealjames

I was put on birth control and prenatal vitamins two months ago by my dr and my weight loss has slowed down a bit but it is still a loss and not a gain. This is probably because of the birth control more then the vitamins.

So you when you got on birth control you gained? Cause I am on that as well; maybe that is contributing....

Beebee78

I'm a cosmetologist and the best thing you can supplement for healthy hair, skin and nails are good fats (omega-3s) and Biotin. I have no clue about prenatals. I have heard that the reason your hair and nails grow during pregnancy are because your body is in "grow mode" growing a baby and replenishing your cells quicker to keep you healthy. I'm not sure about that.

When I was under a fertility consultant I was advised to only take prenatal vitamins for 3 months before starting trying to conceive and to have a break inbetween because of the iron content and effect on the liver.

I eat a lot of nuts and high protein foods and my hair and nails - and skin for that fact have improved greatly with this xxx

kgesq

I never knew this, and it now explains years of weight gain! I continued my pre-nates after brestfeeding (per the recommendation of the vitamins themselves) Unlike most women, I did not experience this huge drop in weight while breastfeeding and lost basically nothing. I got pregnant again shortly after stopping breastfeeding, so I started them again. I basically wasn't eating for the first few months of both of my pregnancies due to a.m. sickness (severe), but I seemed to have no issues gaining weight. Recently, I experienced a 7 lb weight gain. Why? The store was out of my regular vitamins and I thought it couldn't hurt to pick up the prenatal version. So after a month, I'm steadily going up up up...finally a lightbulb goes off. I got off of them earlier this week. I've already lost three pounds (and bought the right vitamins, now). So YES, they can cause weight gain. I wish I had realized this sooner!!!!

kgesq

(I should add, I think these vitamins contained something to ease stomach discomfort, but I think it actually might stimulate appetite. So yes, my eating habits were a factor--just to clarify! But I had lost weight doing MFP, and kept it off for over a year before going back on prenates and gaining 7 lbs -- up 10 from when I originally lost the weight)

ImtheOnethatsCool

My friend told me this weekend that her doc advise her not to take those because they lead to weight gain.

utter horse poop. Do regular multivitamins cause you weight gain? The prenatal vitamins are not drastically different.

jennifershoo

That is ridiculous!!!!!!! What kind of a doctor says those lies!!!!! He's a quack!

jennifershoo

OP, I recommend Vitamin Code Raw Prenatal Vitamins because they are made from whole foods and don't contain any fillers, additives, preservatives, dyes, etc. Taking a super cheap vitamin can do more harm than good. Quality is better.

BeckyAnne4

i have never heard this. to my knowlege, the only things that really make a prenatal different than a multi are - primarily the amount of folic acid, sometimes iron, and some have the added dha. on occassion they might also have a stool softner built in too. there might be some other exceptions here or there, but really that's about it. not really sure how any of these things can "cause" weight gain. it's not like they come with an extra 500 cals per tablet/capsule to cause you to gain a pound a week. my thought is that the addition of nutrients might just be doing something wacky to your appetite. but then again, i'm no doctor, and really in this world, anything is possible. good luck!

hazeloveu2

YES they CAN make you gain weight. How, you ask? By increasing appetite, which leads to weight gain when you eat more than your body needs. I know this is true because it happened to me.

I began taking prenatals when I found out I was pregnant earlier this year. 2 days later I miscarried. Not wanting the vitamins to go to waste, I continued to take them. I gained 10lbs. I attributed it to hormonal changes, emotional eating, etc, some of which was probably true; but I continued exercising and went back to healthy eating, and yet the weight remained. I began to think that my body had permanently changed and that I would have to accept myself at this new weight and size.

About 2 weeks ago, I forgot to take my vitamins for a couple of days and then decided just to quit taking them altogether. Soon after I noticed a significant decrease in my appetite: I didn’t wake up famished and I wasn’t hungry for dinner. I also noticed my abdomen was tighter and my pants were loose around the waist. I weighed myself this morning to find that I’ve lost 2lbs! I'm eating less because my appetite has gone down since I quit the prenatals.

Thank God for forgetfulness!

FauxBoho

I take prenatals and am losing weight. I certainly haven't noticed an increase in my appetite.

brandimatson

I have been taking prenatal pills, and I have noticed I eat more. I am always starving at night time, and in the morning. I have gained about 5 pounds since I have started using prenatals. I kept doing it because my face was starting to look so amazing, i have crazy acne. I will just have to stop taking them because I am also having a hard time shedding these pounds off I know they are great for me. Yet, I cannot afford to put on these awful pounds seeing that I am so short!

jenns1964

I started taking prenatal vitamins because they do not contain vitamin K. I am taking high does of warfarin and vitamin K supplements counteracts the effect. I am struggling with a ravenous appetite since I started taking them and have put on a few lbs. I think I'll stop and see what happens with my appetite.

Mngirlsweet7

Soon after I got married I started taking prenatal vitamins and 6 months later I gained 18 lbs! And no I am not yet pregnant. What is so crazy is that I eat the same amount as I always have and I exercise way more than I ever have! I run 20 mins every night and do my sit ups and pushups. My bra size went from a 36c to a 34DD! I am beginning to think prenatal vitamins defiantly contribute to my weight gain! There is simply no other explanation!

lisameister13

Med student here: Pre- natal vitamins only have vitamins in them (like the ones in your food and regular multi-vitamins). The only difference between prenatal and regular multivitamins is the amount of some of the vitamins ( increased iron, folic acid, etc).. They DO NOT cause weight gain ( zero calories and do not slow down your metabolism). However, the increased amount of iron can negatively impact your liver, so only take them if you're planning on conceiving or if your health care provider recommended it.

nicholemegan052216

Everybodys body is different certain stuff can make you can weight with others it wont. Vitamins for me dont really do anything for me except give me energy that its. Like birth control can cause women to gain significant amount of weight but it did the opposite to me. It just all depend on how your body reacts to it.

astrocosmiczoom

I'd like to point out here that a lot of people start taking prenatals in conjunction with going on/off or switching birth controls. It's almost definitely the switch in birth controls status affecting the weight gain or loss.