Do vitamins help you lose weight?

Options
I started taking a multi-vitamin and also a calcium, vitamin C, and iron supplement a few weeks ago and it seems to have jump-started my weight loss. It could be because I am having less cravings and more energy to work out. I also sleep better at night. Anyone else experience this - or is this just a fluke?

Replies

  • becaholic
    becaholic Posts: 21 Member
    Options
    I believe so! Watch the move Food Nation. It is a documentary about food and how everything in America is processed to a point of no nutrition.. I'm not too great at explaining so if you watch it, it would really inform you. It made me have a different perspective on my diet. When your body is deprived of the minerals and vitamins it needs it probably stores whatever it can and you just remain hungry whichleads into over eating. Hope that helped.
  • laneydawn
    laneydawn Posts: 64
    Options
    No experience with vitamins, but I have had success with taking CLA. Its a natural thing that your body makes, but as we get older our bodies make less of it. It helps burn stored fat.
  • kaylarachellee
    kaylarachellee Posts: 201 Member
    Options
    B vitamins!!!
  • mcpherson4
    mcpherson4 Posts: 287 Member
    Options
    for later.
  • ably65
    ably65 Posts: 41
    Options
    I put on 80 pounds and couldn't figure out why. After FIVE years of MD visits my micronutrients were tested and they found out that I was severely D deficient. I started to supplement and I dropped about 35 pounds within a couple of months. Now I am having trouble taking off the rest.

    D is actually a co-hormone and thyroid requires D to work. I think that vitamin deficiencies are a HUGE part of our obesity epidemic but, until recently, this cause was dismissed by mainstream medicine.
  • rafor
    rafor Posts: 78 Member
    Options
    I can tell you for sure that vitamins have helped my weight loss. I know my ticker says otherwise (because I reset it when I recommitted to losing weight) but I've lost over 75 lbs and vitamins helped.
  • akhebert4
    akhebert4 Posts: 9
    Options
    This is so interesting! WHat vitamin are you specifically taking that you find helpful?
  • KimBickel
    KimBickel Posts: 22 Member
    Options
    I drink Shakeology, a supplement made from superfoods. It's been extremely helpful in maintaining my weight loss, reducing cravings, and keeping me energized.
  • wingednotes
    wingednotes Posts: 279
    Options
    OK, you sold me. Heading over to my multivitamin now. :)
  • rgfetters
    rgfetters Posts: 1
    Options
    Why not try to eat a variety of fruits and veggies and meats so you get your vitamins and minerals from your food? In the past I worked with a nutritionist who had complete profiles of the food and what it had in it (not just the ones on the nutrition label), and she was able to identify what was missing. Not sure if the supplements really get everything...
  • Cindym82
    Cindym82 Posts: 1,245 Member
    Options
    I found out I was low on vitamin D and vitamin B, since taking the recommended amount I've dropped 8lbs. I also take a multi vitamin
  • kalynn06
    kalynn06 Posts: 368 Member
    Options
    For me, taking a multi does seem to help with weight loss.

    There was a very small study in China a few years ago that seemed to support the idea that multi vitamin use in obese women was linked to weight loss. (Effects of multivitamin and mineral supplementation on adiposity, energy expenditure and lipid profiles in obese Chinese women, 2010 International Journal of Obesity).
  • now_or_never12
    now_or_never12 Posts: 849 Member
    Options
    I don't think normal daily vitamins really help themselves with weight loss. However, I find that when I take mine regularly I have more energy, am more alert and focused etc which helps me stay on track and get that exercise in (and be more productive while exercising).
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
    Options
    I never notice any difference one way or the other with a multi, but my diet is probably pretty vitamin-rich by itself.

    I wonder about the mega doses of B vitamins in vitamin shots, though. I seem to get an energy boost / appetite suppressant effect from those.
  • mandi2r
    mandi2r Posts: 228 Member
    Options
    I've only been taking a multi-vitamin, b-12, biotin, and an iron supplement. I haven't noticed it help my weightloss but I been feeling better..
    I seem to have more energy and my skin has cleared up and seems more vibrant (but that could be from my change in diet or me exercising more)
    I only been taking iron because my doctor told me that I need to.
    And I've always been taking a multi since I was pregnant.
  • miracle4me
    miracle4me Posts: 522 Member
    Options
    Thanks for posting this topic I needed the answers to the question also. :smile:
  • gogophers
    gogophers Posts: 190 Member
    Options
    My understanding of this is that vitamins do not have a DIRECT effect on weight loss. However, if you have a vitamin deficiency, this can lead to certain triggers that may cause problems with your weight loss goals. This can be anything from depression to an actual biological pathway that lowers your metabolism. Surplus vitamin intake doesn't provide any benefit and depending on the particular vitamin, could harm your organs. So, essentially, vitamins won't really help you to lose weight, but they will ensure you optimal conditions for losing weight (in that way it does "help" you lose weight, but hopefully you see what I'm getting at).

    That said, if you can get your vitamins naturally, it is safer, cheaper, and better for your body to do so. It's safer because it's almost impossible to overdose on vitamins if you don't take supplements (this probably isn't an issue with a daily multivitamin, but may become an issue if you start taking individual vitamins). It's better for your body because your body is naturally accustomed to breaking down vitamins in food. It isn't nearly as efficient at using vitamins contained in a pill. It will also allow you to fill your stomach up with food that's good for you. You only eat so much in a given day, so if you force yourself to get your vitamins naturally, you won't be able to fill your diet up with food that doesn't have vitamins in it.

    The main take-away answer to your question is:
    Ensuring you have a proper balance of vitamins is essential to your overall health and improving your overall health should be your ultimate goal. So, you should ensure you are getting enough vitamins, and if at all possible, you should obtain as much of those vitamins through natural sources as you can.
  • Rachelc1992
    Rachelc1992 Posts: 246 Member
    Options
    Did anybody try the vitamins and it helped them? Obviously along side healthy eating!
    Interested to know! x
  • kendalslimmer
    kendalslimmer Posts: 579 Member
    Options
    I've just started taking a multivitimin, D3 and B12. We shall see if they help! :-)