Vitamin D

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RLFlores92
RLFlores92 Posts: 32 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm 5'2" and 171lbs currently. I've been logging for 172 days now and haven't really lost any weight. I don't eat horribly, about 1300-1400 calories per day, portion sizes are normal and I splurge on a meal or two per week. I exercise 3 to 4 days a week with cardio and strength training. When I exercise if I'm running my heart rate peaks at 192 but is generally at 165 for most of the run. I wear a heart rate monitor when I exercise to get accurate calories burned. Today I got a call back from my doctor about some blood work and was told I had a vitamin D deficiency. My levels are at 13 when at the lowest they should be at 30! They are giving me a prescription for the supplement. Now I had this problem when I was 16 and was put on a prescription for a while. I lost A LOT of weight back then. I also worked at Domino's Pizza and ate there twice a day and still weighed 120lbs. I started gaining weight about a year and a half after I stopped taking the Vitamin D supplement. I also had issues with my thyroid for a while. I know this may be far fetched but could my severe deficiency be why I can't lose any weight?
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Replies

  • chunky_pinup
    chunky_pinup Posts: 758 Member
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    Do you weigh and measure your food? I *used* to think I was eating 1400 calories. Then I bought a food scale and turns out I was eating about double that. Which is why I was not losing.
  • RLFlores92
    RLFlores92 Posts: 32 Member
    edited February 2016
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    I do. I also read all my food labels and watch my fats, carbs and proteins.
  • RuNaRoUnDaFiEld
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
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    Did they test your thyroid this time also? There is a strong link with thyroid and vitamin D deficiencies.
  • kellykneppergrundy
    kellykneppergrundy Posts: 234 Member
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    I have also suffered from this last winter when I was struggling to lose weight and looked into the evidence around it. There was a study that showed vitamin D supplementation could help obese and overweight people lose (statistically) significantly more weight than people who were not supplementing. I think the difference over the course of a year was about 8 pounds. I did lose a bit after a got my blood levels into an optimal range but whether or not that was due to the vitamin D or because I simple ate less is hard to say as I was not very diligent about tracking my intake. I did have virtually no vitamin d in my blood and was struggling to stay awake for any length of time. I felt more energetic and was able to move more once I was optimal which no doubt helped. Vitamin d deficiency is very common in people with other disorders such as hypothyroidism (which I have), celiacs, etc., so you might want to get to the bottom of why this is a recurring problem for you.
  • brekober
    brekober Posts: 40 Member
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    A lot of people are vitamin d deficient and don't know it. I started taking a vitamin D every day and not only do I have more energy but I've noticed I lose weight faster when I take it... Not sure why either, but I'll take it!
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,973 Member
    edited February 2016
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    There appears to be a correlation with vitamin D and weight gain in elderly women but further studies are needed.

    Don't change anything else and let us know in a month or two if your weight loss speed up.
  • RLFlores92
    RLFlores92 Posts: 32 Member
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    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »
    Did they test your thyroid this time also? There is a strong link with thyroid and vitamin D deficiencies.

    No they didn't test for that at all. Around 17 i was diagnosed with hypothyroid but when I went back a year later for a check up they said that the problem fixed itself?
  • Lizzypb88
    Lizzypb88 Posts: 367 Member
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    Yes! Well at least the vitamin D part, I'm in the northeast and pretty much everyone is vitamin D deficient, and I've read it can slow your weight loss down.. Not that it would make you stop losing weight, but it can slow your metabolism a tad if you're deficient in D or other B vitamins... Make sure you take a food based vitamin, I've been learning a lot and just because vitamins have a certain amount, doesn't mean your body absorbs it all! Food based ones get absorbed more! As far as your other concerns I'm not sure on, but yes vitamin D deficiency can play a (small) role in weight loss
  • brb_2013
    brb_2013 Posts: 1,197 Member
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    You know, I think many deficiencies and vitamins can hurt and help our efforts. The choir will sing about CICO until they're hoarse but I keep experiencing things that make me question it.
    Like how I finally stopped actually counting calories, stopped taking a medication that I am so absolutely sure lead to my weight gain, and am now supplementing with vitamin D (I believe I experience more depressive symptoms in winter so I have decided it's going to be a regular supplement), and instead of my anti depressant I'm trying a more natural herbal that has shown benefits to depressed patients.

    It's only been a few weeks but I have lost 2lbs without counting anything, and I really hope I'm on to something for myself. We are not simple "in vs out" machines, there is so much happening on a biological level that we cannot rely on such a simple concept being the only solution. So basically I do believe that having vitamin deficiency can slow down or stop weight loss- if your body is worried about the lack of a nutrient, it's not going to help you empty out stores of fat because it's too concerned about what it's lacking. Give it all it needs first then you can focus on losing fat.

    All just my opinion, but based on personal experiences as of late.
  • ManiacalLaugh
    ManiacalLaugh Posts: 1,048 Member
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    brb_2013 wrote: »
    You know, I think many deficiencies and vitamins can hurt and help our efforts. The choir will sing about CICO until they're hoarse but I keep experiencing things that make me question it.
    Like how I finally stopped actually counting calories, stopped taking a medication that I am so absolutely sure lead to my weight gain, and am now supplementing with vitamin D (I believe I experience more depressive symptoms in winter so I have decided it's going to be a regular supplement), and instead of my anti depressant I'm trying a more natural herbal that has shown benefits to depressed patients.

    It's only been a few weeks but I have lost 2lbs without counting anything, and I really hope I'm on to something for myself. We are not simple "in vs out" machines, there is so much happening on a biological level that we cannot rely on such a simple concept being the only solution. So basically I do believe that having vitamin deficiency can slow down or stop weight loss- if your body is worried about the lack of a nutrient, it's not going to help you empty out stores of fat because it's too concerned about what it's lacking. Give it all it needs first then you can focus on losing fat.

    All just my opinion, but based on personal experiences as of late.

    But CICO isn't the description of a "method", it's the description of a "process." CI>CO = weight gain; CI<CO = weight loss; CI=CO = maintenance.

    This doesn't change, regardless of what medication you may be on or what medical things you're going through. This doesn't change if you're a starving child or a fat aristocrat.

    The variance comes in the things that affect our individual "CO" portions of the equation. A heavier person is going to have a higher "CO" than a lighter person. A person with PCOS may have a much lower "CO" than someone who doesn't have it.

    Regardless of whatever diet one chooses to go on, the weight loss will always come from CI<CO. It's just a preference on how one would like to achieve said deficit.
  • lisa0527
    lisa0527 Posts: 49 Member
    edited February 2016
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    Well, that's not completely true. We know that differing gut microbiota extract calories (especially from carbs) at different rates. So the same "calories in the mouth" will not be the same "calories absorbed" for every person. Sadly, many of the things people do to lose weight result in a over growth of gut bacteria that extract calories at a higher rate. Especially artificial sweeteners. Here's a link if anyone is interested. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4494042/
  • abatonfan
    abatonfan Posts: 1,123 Member
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    I think the vast majority of Americans are vitamin D deficient.

    My endocrinologist is really interested in the correlation between vitamin D deficiency and autoimmune diseases (especially type 1 diabetes). I ended up being severely deficient (I think my total D serum was 7 whenever I was tested 2-3 months after my T1DM diagnosis), but I'm not 100% sure if it's the T1DM that brought on the vitamin D deficiency or the vitamin D deficiency that brought on the T1DM (or if there's any connection at all).

    Anyways, I've been religiously taking 2000IU D3 a day for the past year, and it has done nothing other than bring my D3 levels back into normal ranges.
  • sherrifoster123
    sherrifoster123 Posts: 21 Member
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    I was vitamin d deficient and started a supplement a year ago. I gained ten pounds over that year. I don't think it had anything to do with it personally. When you were 16 you might have been able to eat dominos like that; I could. But not anymore.
  • MelaniaTrump
    MelaniaTrump Posts: 2,694 Member
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    Would you ever consider taking a multivitamin? It will have iodine in it which can help regulate thyroid. A multi will also contain a bit of calcium, along with vit D. Take care of your bones.
  • Shells918
    Shells918 Posts: 1,070 Member
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    I found out I had a vitamin D deficiency too. I take 2000 units of D3 every day since July and its perfect now. I also have hypothyroidism and take things for that too. I'm surprised they didn't check that for you but like the others said I would ask to have it checked. Between the two things being corrected it's helped me lose a bit more easily.
  • waterbyrde
    waterbyrde Posts: 30 Member
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    Please speak to your doctor about an autoimmune condition called Hashimoto's syndrome. It attacks the thyroid over time, sometimes causing levels to fluctuate between low and normal and even high. Hashimoto's is the most common cause of hypothyroidism and can be tested even if your thyroid levels are within normal range because of the antibodies it produces.

    Hashimoto's can also affect the parathyroid gland, which controls Vitamin D / calcium balance.

    (And, no, Vitamin D isn't a magic weight loss pill. But it's more like a hormone (not a vitamin) and influences many biological processes, like immune response and bone health.)
  • Bibia2418
    Bibia2418 Posts: 80 Member
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    hi I am Bea from Texas, recently diagnosed with diabetes and found to have a vitamin D deficiency. Mine is 15 and dr. recommended 2000IU of D3. I have also added milk back to my general eating (and eggs yuck-yolks contain D) and I have started going for short walks with no sunscreen to soak up some natural D. I hope I am doing this right!
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
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    As someone with both a thyroid problem and a deficiency in the following:
    iron
    vitamin d
    b complex
    folic acid
    and magnesium

    As well as another autoimmune disorder.....

    No. I call BS. It sounds like a convenient excuse to blame either of those things for your lack of weight loss for the past 6 months. I think it's pretty obvious that what it really boils down to is that you are a.) eating more than you think you are, b.) less active than you think you are, or c.) lack consistency in calorie counting/exercising.

    I encourage you to log more strictly for 2 weeks, lower the calories to 1,200 if you must, and perform light cardiovascular exercise. Re-visit your weight and i can almost assure you that you will have lost.

    It wasn't until i took a long hard look and was very honest with myself that i lost weight with the health problems that i have. I was convinced everything was stacked against me. The truth is that i overate on the weekends, ate too many "cheat meals" (even one of these can undo a few weeks worth of work), didn't exercise as frequently as i thought, and overate of things like nut butters/snacking/tasting. Once i cut this out, accepted it, and truly changed, i lost all of the weight i needed to lose over a 8-12 week period.
  • ogmomma2012
    ogmomma2012 Posts: 1,520 Member
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    Strength training is shown to increase absorption of Vitamin D. I would take a real hard look at your logging and the size of your portions and be really honest with yourself about your food.
  • BurnWithBarn2015
    BurnWithBarn2015 Posts: 1,026 Member
    edited March 2016
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    You eat just more than you think
    Open your diary and let people help you.
    Your logging is maybe far off.

    There are lots of people ( here) that have a thyroid problem or a vitamin D deficiency and lose weight just fine.


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