Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Vitamins for Slimming-Down


I have been neglecting taking a multi-vitamin.

There are those points where I am really good at taking my vitamins and do it for a week straight, then I slack off and forget. It turns into not taking them for months and the bottles get pushed to the back of the cupboard and forgotten.

There is an article in the February issue of SHAPE magazine called "Slim-Down Supplements Every Woman Needs" written by a registered dietitian. The first paragraph begins like this:

                          "If you're working out, watching what you eat and still not 
                         shedding pounds, upping your intake of certain key nutrients 
                                                may help improve results..."

The article talks about 3 different vitamins that aid in a woman's weight loss- Vitamin D, Vitamin C, and Calcium.

A study of overweight men and women who had a higher level of Vitamin D when starting a low calorie eating plan lost more weight and belly fat than the control group. The article suggests to begin with 400 IU and get a blood test to see if you need more.

Vitamin C helps the body use fat for energy instead of storing it in the body. Vitamin C comes from a fruit and veggies. Start with 500mg but decrease if you eat lots of fruits and veg.

Calcium makes you feel fuller longer. Feeling full = not overeating. Makes sense right? The study cited found that overweight women who took 1200mg of Calcium a day lost 13 lbs. more in a 15 week period than those who took a placebo. The article cautions to start with 2 doses of 500mg of Calcium per day. Why 2 doses? The body can't absorb more than 500mg at a time.

This article set off some weight loss sirens for me! I thought, you dumbass, why aren't you taking your vitamins?!? So, I dug out the bottles from the back of my breakfast cupboard and checked the expiry dates. Still good! I set out another challenge for myself- take your vitamins for a full week (let's start small).

Will you take the vitamin challenge with me?

4 comments:

  1. I never thought about vitamins! You're quite right, a good idea to take a multivitamin to supplement sensible eating!
    Count me in - I don't have any at the back of any cupboard but will go buy tomorrow
    Great suggestion
    Dawn

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  2. Oooh, I am so in. I still consistently forget to take my vitamin. It helps to know that it may help me lose weight! How cool. Thanks for posting this!

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  3. Great! I have already taken mine 2 days in a row. Way to go me!

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  4. I will! This is good to know. I am so glad you didn't start raving about some diet pill...I was almost afraid to read this post.

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