Vitamins?

I take a multivitamin, 1000 mgs of Vit C, and a calcium supplement with Vit D added. I was Vit D deficient despite the fact that I have dairy every day. My doctor said you can't get enough Calcium and Vit D from dairy unless you're consuming more than the recommended allowance. I am pretty sure my Vit D is close to normal again because I have more energy and the weight is coming off really fast.

FDA recommends 400-500 units a day but the stuff I've been reading online says more like 1000-2000 units a day. Mine was pretty low and I was having some arthritic type pain and working hard but not able to lose. She took my blood level and it was half what the lowest end of normal said it should be. She put me on the 50,000 unit pills once a week for a month. Now I consume around 1000 units per day.

I was told by my nutritionist if I don’t follow a structured diet I should take a multi-vitamin.

Vitamins and mineral have toxicity levels too, like everything else. It is easily possible to take too much. Even the RDI are higher amounts than what most of the population need for optimal function. So going too much above, especially via concentration such as supplimentation can be detrimental.

While suppliments can be useful, its a better idea to try and get what your body needs from food, it also means they are taken in correct combinations, and with the macronutrients needed to help absorption and correct use of them.

and Vitamin D can best be absorbed/utilised from sensible sun exposure.

There are two types of vitamins: fat soluble and water soluble. Water soluble vitamins act the way you said; your body takes what it needs and most of the rest is eliminated as waste. Excess fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K) are stored in fat and in the liver making it more likely to have negative consequences to consuming too many supplements of these kinds.

I was also advised to take vitamins if your are taking Whey protein as it pulls some of the calcim from your bones...per the lady at GNC.