Hey guys I am looking for a multivitamin to make sure I am getting all the vitamins I need while trying to lose weight. Are they all the same or is there something i should be looking for? I see some people say get one with no iron. Why? Which is the best? I see some have like 1000% of everything and others have 100% while others have 50%. Any input would be great.

B vitamins make you hungry

Hey guys I am looking for a multivitamin to make sure I am getting all the vitamins I need while trying to lose weight. Are they all the same or is there something i should be looking for? I see some people say get one with no iron. Why? Which is the best? I see some have like 1000% of everything and others have 100% while others have 50%. Any input would be great.

I would not waste your money on anything more than One-A-Day or similar. Even that's probably overkill. Focus on getting most of your nutrients from food...the multivitamin is not supposed to be a replacement for proper nutrition.

As for the iron: I'm going to guess you are male. Healthy men do not need iron supplements, and in fact taking them can be harmful. Do not take iron supplements except on the advice of a doctor.

One of the things I particularly like about FitDay (http://www.fitday.com) is that once you've set up a food diary you can run reports to determine wheether you're meting your nutritional needs.

I was particularly concerned about daily equirements for calcium, iron and Vitamin D and this helped me determin how much of a daily supplement I needed to take.

Stacy

You might want to check out amino acids:

L-Arginine-
1.)"promotes lipolysis (fat breakdown) per se4, suggesting that arginine may help with the utilization of body fat stores during exercise or when dieting for fat loss.
2.) "It might be used as part of an exercise and dietary regimen designed for fat loss along with supplements such as green tea extract, caffeine, and L-tyrosine."

L-Tyrosine-
1.)" During a fat-loss regimen that includes thermogenic supplements such as ephedrine or green tea extract, L-tyrosine may enhance the anorectic (appetite suppressing) actions of these supplements".
2.)"L-tyrosine can be taken to ensure optimal thyroid function when attempting to lose body fat with diet and exercise, as well as enhance the appetite-suppressant effects of thermogenics."

Acetyl L-Carnitine-
1.)"N-Acetyl L-Carnitine (NAC) is a modified (acetylated) form of L-Carnitine, a nitrogen-containing compound derived from L-Lysine. The carnitine molecule is necessary for the proper movement of fat molecules into the mitochondria for oxidation (fat burning)."
-however regular carinitine is helpfull before/during exercise.

I recommend adding L-Leucine with these because Leucine is needed in order to absorb any protein at all. Check out TrueProtein.com and look at their custom mixes. I used their descriptions in the quotes above. If you want 5% off order, use promocode CRJ777.=D

Oh by the way, I think a reason they say 1000% or 50% like you said is because lets say for B12, a supplement bottle shows 1000% D.V. Well the body can only absorb like 10% of that making it 100% (I think). Maybe not

If you are trying to lose weight, you are probably dieting. If you are dieting, there is a good chance you might be missing some good vitamins/minerals.

If money is no object, and you don't mind downing 22 pills at a time :eek:, animal pak might be worth a look. http://www.1fast400.com/?products_id=241

Personally, I like Adam from NOW. http://www.1fast400.com/?products_id=1192
That's assuming you are a guy. If you're a woman, I would look at Eve. http://www.1fast400.com/?products_id=2009

I won't speak to what you should or shouldn't take, but the percentages you see are the percent of the USDA Recommended Daily Allowance. This is how much the USDA thinks the average person should consume on a daily basis in order to get all the nutrition they need. The reason supplements may have numbers above 100% is that some people believe you need more of these nutrients if you are active, or they prescribe some training benefit to a higher dose (e.g. protein).

I won't speak to what you should or shouldn't take, but the percentages you see are the percent of the USDA Recommended Daily Allowance. This is how much the USDA thinks the average person should consume on a daily basis in order to get all the nutrition they need. The reason supplements may have numbers above 100% is that some people believe you need more of these nutrients if you are active, or they prescribe some training benefit to a higher dose (e.g. protein).

The RDA is NOT how much the average person should consume. That is a huge misconception that some companies like Post and Kellogg have been putting in there adds for years and now most Americans believe that what the RDA is. The actual RDA was created years ago to determine the bear minimum a society on average needs to prevent deficiencies, such as scurvy, In other words they take the average of kids, elderly, middle age people, sedentary people... so the RDA is the minimum that average needs to prevent a deficiency. If you an active adult in your 20's the RDA probably won't even prevent deficiencies., much less be enough to sustain your active life style.

If you really want it ALL try this: http://www.druckerlabs.com/intramax.html

If you are trying to lose weight, you are probably dieting. If you are dieting, there is a good chance you might be missing some good vitamins/minerals.



This was my reasoning for considering a multivitamin.

And thanks everyone for the replies.

I take flintstones :)

plus a calcium, magnesium & zinc pill

Hey guys I am looking for a multivitamin to make sure I am getting all the vitamins I need while trying to lose weight. Are they all the same or is there something i should be looking for? I see some people say get one with no iron. Why? Which is the best? I see some have like 1000% of everything and others have 100% while others have 50%. Any input would be great.

I agree that you should be trying to get most of your nutrients from good food. A multivitamin is an okay thing to add.

There are lots of athletes who go beyond that and use specific supplements. That's a risky thing to do in my book:

1) There isn't good long-term data around the safety of taking many supplements over the long term
2) The research around the benefits of many supplements aren't great.
3) The entire supplement industry is mostly unregulated. Supplements vary in potency, and manufacturers can make a lot of claims without validating them.

As for the iron: I'm going to guess you are male. Healthy men do not need iron supplements, and in fact taking them can be harmful. Do not take iron supplements except on the advice of a doctor.

Absolutely. Another reason they make multivitamins without iron is that iron can cause constipation in some people.

I think a daily multivitamin wouldn't hurt for most people. Every doctor I've had thought it was a good idea. If all you have access to is a mainstream pharmacy, a pharmacist can steer you in the direction of daily multivitamin brands produced with good quality control.

My doctor advises me to take a multi. Sams Club and Costco are good places to buy vitamins of good quality that don't cost much, according to Consumer Reports. I would go with the ones that say"100 %" rather than high potency products. My reason is that you should get your nutrients from your food, and the vitamins are really just insurance.

Liquid Multi is the best solution. Fill in the holes in your nutrition with them then let your food choices fill in the carbs, protein, fiber, taste you want. Check out: www.MetabolicWealth.com Thats what I use and it does make a huge difference.

a multivit is actually a good idea to take.....one reason being its hard to cover all your bases when trying to get vitamins from foods.....despite our best intentions....the other is the placebo effect...taking a multivit 'makes' you feel better.

That's no placebo effect. Don't underestimate the kick from a slight oversupply of B-Complex vitamins.

H

hey if 'holywater' has a placebo effect you better believe multivit's will!!.............;)

This is what I take... but I only take one a day. The label says to take 3 :rolleyes:

http://www.vitacost.com/NaturesWayAliveMultivitaminWholeFoodEnergizer-NoIronAdded

This is what I take... but I only take one a day. The label says to take 3 :rolleyes:

http://www.vitacost.com/NaturesWayAliveMultivitaminWholeFoodEnergizer-NoIronAdded


looks like the pill version of V8

I see some people say get one with no iron. Why?

Men don't need to add iron to there diet. Women need it more than men because of there monthly blood loss. Too much iron becomes a free-flowing radical in your body which can lead to cancer.

Too much iron also inhibits the absorption of calcium as well.

The RDA is NOT how much the average person should consume. That is a huge misconception that some companies like Post and Kellogg have been putting in there adds for years and now most Americans believe that what the RDA is. The actual RDA was created years ago to determine the bear minimum a society on average needs to prevent deficiencies, such as scurvy, In other words they take the average of kids, elderly, middle age people, sedentary people... so the RDA is the minimum that average needs to prevent a deficiency. If you an active adult in your 20's the RDA probably won't even prevent deficiencies., much less be enough to sustain your active life style.
While you are partially right, you are not completely right...
RDA is the amount of a nutrient sufficient for 98% of the population. One can assume that he would fit into this category. You are thinking of EAR, which is the amount of nutrient that is sufficient to maintain a specific body function and prevent disease, but may not be as much as one should consume. The last reference would be AI, adequate intake, which is the average amount of nutrient consumed by the healthy population. Both AI and RDA are considered to in the "safe level" on the scale of standards set by the USDA.

On another note, I would not recomend taking a multivitamin unless you know there is no way that you diet can/will fulfill one of the nutrient requirements. It is always best to get these vitamins and minerals from food when possible. Exceptions might come for people who have severe food allergies and cannot consume numerous types of foods and therefore cannot get an adequate amount of a certain nutrient. An example may be Vitamin D and lactose intolerants. Visit websites like eatright.org to find out more about what foods provide what nutrients. I gave up taking multivitamins and have altered my diet to be more healthy and accomodate all of my needs. I am a college student on a small grocery budget, so if I can do it, anyone can! Also, look into books like Carmichael's books on eating/nutrition for athletes (he even has his own cookbook now!) or Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook. It is a great resource that can answer all your questions.
~Nick

Men don't need to add iron to there diet. Women need it more than men because of there monthly blood loss. Too much iron becomes a free-flowing radical in your body which can lead to cancer.

I've heard it recommended that men donate blood regularly for this reason. Any of you guys do that?

Go to the library or book store and pick up a copy of "The Diet Cure" by Julia Ross to peruse. An interesting read about body chemistry and what you may be missing. I take GNC Women's Ultra Mega Active as it has the extra's that are helpful for a 6 day a week cycle training program.

I've heard it recommended that men donate blood regularly for this reason. Any of you guys do that?

I'd like to but they won't take my blood because i've lived in the UK......seems they're worried i'm going to give someone mad cow......:eek:

Go to the library or book store and pick up a copy of "The Diet Cure" by Julia Ross to peruse. An interesting read about body chemistry and what you may be missing. I take GNC Women's Ultra Mega Active as it has the extra's that are helpful for a 6 day a week cycle training program.
While a multivitamin may be helpful in some cases, I would say that if you have to take one, that should lead you to reevaluate your diet. Multivitamins are a man-made thing. Natural foods contain ALL the nutrients needed for a healthy diet. You just have to find the right foods.
~Nick

well yes i agree with you that its best you eat a proper diet; there are many factors that exclude a person getting the range of vitamins and minerals they need. so in that respect a mulitivit is a good way to cover ones bases........i mean its not like its going to do any harm

While a multivitamin may be helpful in some cases, I would say that if you have to take one, that should lead you to reevaluate your diet. Multivitamins are a man-made thing. Natural foods contain ALL the nutrients needed for a healthy diet. You just have to find the right foods.
~Nick

Or perhaps reevaluate where your food is being grown. Soil depletion due to re-farming the same soil has reduced the nutrition in our foods, and this is not a new discovery. In 1936, USDA tests found that 100g of fresh spinach had vitamins and minerals equal to 158mg. By 1965, the same amount of fresh spinach had reduced to 27mg. Apparently, it’s down to 3mg today.

Take the time to look up and read US Senate Document #264. The interesting thing is that it was written in 1936. Now I know that this document has been the basis for a lot of snake-oil salesman nutrition schemes, and I'm not supporting that sort of thing at all. Just that a simple multivitamin is a good idea and not a waste of money.

It won't hurt as long as you are only consuming vitamins such as the water soluable ones in excess. Those can easily be cleared on a daily basis. Other things such as some major minerals and trace minerals would be a very bad thing to simply "cover your bases" with. Just some food for thought.
~Nick

I take effervescent multi tablets. Not every day, but maybe 4-5 times a week.

The thing with them is that you can break them in half, for example, and simply get half the daily amount that way, if you're not sure how much you need. If the tablet is well balanced, most or all of the vitamins and "minerals" will be close to some form of RDA, so halving the amount should put you safely beyond any long-term overdose risk.

I've heard it recommended that men donate blood regularly for this reason. Any of you guys do that?

Welll I have never heard it put quite that way. Of course, donating blood is a great idea and everyone should consider doing it at least once a year. But having it "recommended", regularly, to promote blood loss the same as women experience via menstruation? I don't buy that. Active athletes should definitely consider the timing of donations, because usually along with blood loss comes a (temporary) performance hit.

However, men who do donate blood reguarly (actually, frequently) *might* need an iron supplement because of the blood loss. But it's still something to be taken up with a doctor, because taking an iron supplement when you don't really need it can be dangerous.

I donate about 2-3 times a year and have never had any need for iron. But I do usually need some time off the bike (a day or 2) after donating, because it really does "take a lot out of you" :)

I just heard an interesting piece on NPR (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6429320) about how veggies may not be as nutritious as they once were. I'm already convinced from the soil depletion issues alone, but I never thought about modern varieties of veggies being less nutritious due to genetics.

So.......for the average cyclist of say about 45 something, what would you consider taking as far as supplements beyond just a multi vitamin? No 20 pills, just a good quality multi and what? Vit c, Calcium, any ideas on the most important 6 would be great.

jman

It is not a decision that should necesarrily be based on what others take. It should be completely personal based on your diet. I would look into finding a free diet analysis program online where you can plug in the foods you have consumed in a day and see what the caloric breakdown is, vitamin/mineral intake, etc. Do this for 3 days and do not alter your diet from what you usually eat. There is a tendency for people to eat much healthier or intelligently whenthey know their diet is being analyzed. Take an average of things and determine what your diet is lacking from there. With water soluable vitamins such as the many b vitamins and vitamin c, it is hard to take too much as long as you stick with a reasonable vitamin. I would suggest reading the labels. Stay away from those vitamins that provide 1000% of the RDA. Buy a vitamin based on your needs. I still advocate getting your vitamins from food sources but recent research with the depletion of nutrients in many fruits and veggies leads me to think it would not be a bad idea to take a multivitamin as well. Hope this helps!
~Nick

One problem where I live is that all our milk (except whole milk, 3% fat) is fortified with vitamins A and D. 0.5% fat milk has about 1/20 of RDA per 100 g, and people like me, who drink a lot of milk (often more than 1.5 litres a day, get a high dose, which is in addition to the A and D I get from all the other food. So, my choice is either six times as much fat from my milk, or a substantial dose of A and D.

Save your money and buy gold. You'll get more for your money and make your honey happy. Think of your diet as 40% food and 60% activity. If you're over weight you've been doing the opposite. Activity makes you stronger, not a pill. :rolleyes:

Have you taken the DruckerLabs liquid vitamin? I have wondered about it.

So.......for the average cyclist of say about 45, what would you consider taking as far as supplements beyond just a multi vitamin? Not 20 pills, just a good quality multi and what? Vit c, Calcium, any ideas on the most important 6 would be great.

jman

I listed 6, but the last two are iffy. You can’t rank order of importance with essential things... but I tried anyways. :)

-Fish oil (EFA); you can use fish liver oil during the winter. Flax oil is great too, but you can’t fry with it.
-Multivitamin
-Vitamin C 500mg
-Vitamin E 400IU

-Ca/Mg (2:1) with D
-Gluocosamine

Lets see others lists and highly subjective ordering of importance.

Have you taken the DruckerLabs liquid vitamin? I have wondered about it.

I've been taking it every day for 3 months & have been happy with the results.

Just for an update I bought a multivitamin and have been taking it for a couple of weeks. I am just doing it because with dieting I feel I am not getting everything I need and I think this will help fill in any blanks.

This is what I am taking. I have been taking one a day with breakfast in the morning even though they say to take 2 daily. Is it necesary to take 2? Is it bad to have 3333% Thiamin (Vitamin B-1) or 2941% Vitamin B2 or any of the other B vitamins?

http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/store/en/browse/sku_detail.jsp?id=VS-2304