Vitamins...

brandynot

Growing up I was given vitamins daily with one exception, 1st grade. (Apparently I ate my family out of house and home when I took them regularly in early elementary.) Well...during college I took a nutrition class and started researching more about Vitamins and how the body processes these "man made medications" we are told to take for better health. The more I read the more I became concerned about the vitamins I was taking. Between the information out there on how the vitamin industry is not regulated to the theories about if you eat "right" you should intake your daily allowance of vitamins through the food you eat. I even read a few medical journal articles about "leftover" vitamins in your body once you have absorbed the nutrients your body "needs".

I am saying all of this to say...in the past 10 years I have pretty much stopped taking vitamins. But now that I am starting to seriously become more active and maintain an active lifestyle for the long haul I am wondering if I need to re-introduce vitamins into my life. Last year for about a month I was taking the GNC vitamin packs and I loved my energy levels for the first few weeks, but after about a month and a half they started making me nauseous so I stopped.

So I am curious...whatvitamins do you all take (or not take)? And any additional information you have on the topic is always welcomed!

Thanks,
*B

CarolinaGrace77

This is my personal experience and opinion...

I am not a big vitamin or suppliment person. They really aren't needed in healthy eating unless there is some form of medical issue. I am on the list who prefers to get nutrition from food, not pills or powders.

Now with that said...when I do reduced calories I do take a multi. I also like my prot. powder as it helps me reach my desired macro grams. Currently, I got into a funk of not enough veggies which I hope to break out of today dang it.

There is a huge issue with suppliments not being regulated. I'll share an example.
In HS chem we took Total cereal with iron into the lab. Remember that cereal? It cost more than normal Total cereal. In the lab we proved that there was definitely iron in the cereal but it was also definitely NOT the iron needed in human bodies. This form of iron could not and would never be absorbed and used in human bodies. Yet the cereal implied otherwise.

I take geritol...don't laugh. I read where the cheaper vitamins are actually absorbed better than the designer expensive suppliments. Also geritol has biotin which helps me not lose my hair on calorie reduced eating plans. So, that is why I chose it. If I ditch the multi, I'd take biotin suppliment. When winter cold season hits (generally in Oct) I start taking vit C. I've had one cold, really a sinus infection in about 5 years. I can't say the vit C is what is doing that magic, but I have no plans of stopping it.

My suppliments consist of a whey prot powder and geritol...that is it. I take them for very specific reasons to help me reach my desired results. I'm considering trying a joint suppliment b/c my right hip aches and gets puffy swollen with too much Turbo Fire & jogging.

I am not a pill person...if there is any way I can NOT take a pill I'm for it. I don't feel vitamins, suppliments, and a lot of medicines out there make you healthier. When I start the joint suppliment, I'll track how I feel it is working. If there isn't a noticable improvement, then I will ditch it. I'm skeptical.

When it comes to what we put into our bodies, it is a very personal choice. The only advice I'd give is to analyze your health issues and diet. Is there anything you could add or take away to really improve it? Does the addition actually give a measurable benefit? Does it help you reach your desired results? Is the benefit worth the $$ cost as well as any potential side effects? Is there a non-pill alternative?

joyincincy

I hate taking pills, especially those that make me feel worse and not better, of which every vitamin I have ever tried does to me. Very similar to what you started to experience. The only exceptions that I could see them being required would be any condition that does not allow the body (or environment) to produce the outcome that said-certain vitamin would produce. I know that living on the East coast can result in issues with not enough Vit D, perhaps that is something you should be tested for and then consider. Overall, however, I don't use them and only exceptions are when I am out backpacking in the mountains and this is due to eating dehydrated meals and sweating like crazy or when I am feeling unwell, in which I O.D. on Vit C through the Emergen-C packet drink.

teamryan90

When I was a child growing up vitamins were the "in thing". My mother had us kids taking one every morning. I remember my brothers and myself would fight over who got what flavor.

Within the past 5 years I have tried taking a few different types of vitamins but stopped because they did not make my body feel right. I live in northern Wisconsin where its either raining or snowing. My doctor told me to take vitamin D. After a few weeks of taking vitamin D my stomach became very bloated. The bloating did not go away until several days after I stopped taking the vitamin.

I have tried other multivitamins in the past and I get nauseous when I take them. Back in my first few weeks of P90X I had soreness in my joints to I tried taking fish oil pills. It made it worse. When I took the pills in my recovery week I was miserable. I tried the pills again a few weeks later and experienced soreness again that was twice as bad.

I have not read a lot about vitamins or supplements since my few recent experiences with vitamins have not been positive for me. Maybe for some people they can help. I guess everyone's body is different and can react differently.

I do not like to take any kind of medication unless I have to. If I get a migraine I will try to wait it out and see if it goes away. I have been on heart burn/acid reflux medication for about 10 years now. When I miss a dose the pain becomes unbearable and it keeps me up all night. However the past few months I have missed a few doses and been fine. My heartburn and acid reflux has gotten 90% better since I started P90X and eating healthier. I hope that I can quit taking this pill soon.

I am not against vitamins. If I found some that made my life healthier and I notice a difference then I would use them. I do not like the nauseous feeling.

brandynot

Thanks for all your feedback! Seems you all feel the same as I do. I will continue to eat my vitamins and if I find I have a deficit when I go to the doctor next month I will reassess then. I have not had any issues thus far...I just wanted to be proactive if I could be! Thanks again!

chaser1977

I think what Carolinagrace said is spot on. I have tried a number of supplements early on in this journey, thinking about it now it's kinda scary how many pills I was taking. Eeek. I take a protein shake on the mornings I don't cook my own breakfast or if I am going to be under my goal for protein in a day I will take one after workout. I prefer to get my protein from food, if u check out my diary you will see I'm a meatatarian I can tell my recovery from DOMS is slowed if I am under my protein goal, I also find about 125g carbs a day makes me feel pretty good. Fats keep me full, really. They also regulate hormones and other body functions and I can 'feel' it when my macros are off. Only supplement I have taken and felt like it made a difference is creatine. This was during my heaviest lift routine and didn't feel tapped out 1/2 thru a workout. Now I only take my protein shakes. After P90X is complete I will probably pick back up with 5g of creatine in my morning shake to coincide with Wendler 5/3/1 lifting program. (Subject to change of course)
If you have some questions about specific supplements I am happy to give you any knowledge or experiences I can.

CarolinaGrace77

Hey while we're chatting about this stuff...give me some experience & opinions on joint pain. My issue is growing up a cheerleader since K5, track, weight lifting, etc...has left my knees & especially my right hip vulnerable.

I've been to a doc, had xrays done...no real issue that can be fixed by them. It is natural wear & age. I'm 30. My leg joints are probably 50 =-)
My recent flare happened after doing the inferno challenge for 5 days and doing a Fire 30 or what ever 3 days before that. 8 days of fairly intense cardio. I did low impact, which for me means no jumping. The right side became slightly swollen and ached in the joints. Specifically in the knee cap & radiated around to the top of the knee where it puffs up. The hip was dead center joint and it hurt I'd say maybe 4 or 5...and was constant. I was out of comission for several days and very inactive. Not what I want.

Here is what I chose for remedies:
I'm incorporating stretch days where I do yoga. Also I stretch 10 minutes post work out when the muscles are warm.
I'm doing low impact.
I'm walking to stretch sore muscles. This I found helps most with DOMS.
Sorry..still do jogging and won't stop...just cut back. I love walking & jogging more than any other cardio.
I am weight lifting to strengthen muscles and support my joints. Currently doing barbell as I enjoy that most.
Ice & heat packs alternating
Soaking in hot bath
Tiger Balm
Advil when I know I have to go out and move around

Today, I started taking Ostio Bi Flex...I am hoping it will help lessen the pain going forward so I can stay as active as I like. I'm not expecting miracles.

Well there is the detailed background. Anything I'm missing? Other options.

brandynot

Carolina

I have tried osteo bi flex as well as the GNC version of joint/chondroitin meds...both for some reason made me have adverse affects. I am not sure why but the side effects were definitely from the meds as when I stopped them I no longer had issue.

My knees are pretty bad from training for two half marathons in 2011 that I ran 15 days apart. My knees have been snap crackle and poppin ever since (too bad I cant make any money like the rice crispy guys...LOL) This is the main reason I stopped training for races and decided to focus on lower impact weight loss methods since I know I am carrying extra weight and that stresses the knees too.

When it first happened my doctor said that I needed to start working out the major muscles around my knee. The stronger my leg muscles get the more those muscles pick up the slack and lessen the stress on the knee. Honestly I thought that Insanity was going to be really tough on my knees but surprisingly its not. I know this workout is really helping my legs gain strength and I am not running/jogging/walking while I am in the 60 day insanity program.

With all that said after my 60 days I plan to resume my 10K training program on much stronger legs and hopefully my knee woes will be less than they were prior to my insanity journey.

I will keep you posted. And again...just my experience. There are many who the chondroitin meds work...unfortunately I am not one of them.

Brandy

chaser1977

Either one of you went to see a orthopedic surgeon with a specialty in sports medicine? Or was it general practitioner?

brandynot

Mine was gen practitioner.

CarolinaGrace77

I saw both. No real help. The theory from the specialist is that there is no cushion between my leg joints. Bone is grinding against bone. They sent me to physical therapy...=-/ where I worked out for crying out loud. It didn't help.

I'm sure it is partly genetic. My mom had to have early knee replacement.

Brandy hit on good advice...build up supporting muscles. Ice packs...that helps with swelling. Advil helps with that and pain.

It is a shame, because my kick boxing kicks are horrible =-)

I'm working around it. I just can't go full throttle all out.