Has anyone here ever determined a negative effect of food supplements on weight loss?

I am a believer in food supplements--in fact I was raised on them. I get lazy, though, and fall into bad habits that can last years at a time. When I first started low-carbing (two years ago) I was steadily losing but not taking supplements. I got my act together and and for the past couple of months have been taking vitamins as regularly as I can remember to. I do find if I don't take them all as soon as I get up in the morning I won't think of them again the rest of the day. I expect it is much better to spread them out over the day, but I figure getting some is better than none.

What I'm beginning to wonder about, though, is I've been losing very, very slowly for the past month of so, with frequent gains of a pound or two without any changes in my eating, which I know is perfectly normal to many. I have noticed, though, that when the scale does suddenly go down it often seems to be after I've forgotten to take my vitamins. I'm beginning to wonder if there is a correlation, but hate to just stop taking them.

Has anyone else ever noticed this or experienced it?

Hi 6XMOM!

CORRELATION DOES NOT EQUAL CAUSATION. Sorry, didn't mean to yell. That was beat into my head a school .

As our weight gets lower we do have to adjust calories downward - so that could be the problem. Eating 10 - 12 times your weight is the rule of thumb, so if your weight has dropped you might want to look into it.

I was eating more than 12 time my body weight and gained on induction the first time around . Boy that was rotten!

Your body needs those supplements for well being. Trust me. I tried induction without them and felt horrible. I know this isn't true for everyone but when you're restricting fruits and veggies and so much water and protein is being filtered through your kidneys, I feel it's really important. Dr. Atkins would not tell us to take them unless they were necessary?

Also, you might try keeping track at www.fitday.com and see if it may be something else. Some folks say their bodies have to take an adjustment break. Some people swear by ditching the sugar free sodas, candies, processed stuff, sodium, cofffee...the list goes on. I'm sure you'll find the answer that is right for you.

Best o'Luck
Jinx

6xMom,

I have wondered the same thing myself. I have noticed the weight seems to come off more easily when I get "lazy" with my vitamins. My facial "flushing" goes away when I stop the vitamins as well.

I track my foods on Fitday, and have noticed that I am only lacking in a few nutrients. I have considered buying these separately to supplement rather than taking a multivitamin. I haven't made that decision yet. There's a lot to consider.

Thanks for the replies. I'm not suggesting that we should try to do completely without supplements, just that perhaps what I am taking is affecting my ability to lose. It is absolutely true that correlation does not equal causation--I'm just wondering, that's all. I think I'll try treating them like we do anything we suspect might be causing stalls, discontinue for a short time and add them back in, etc. If they do seem to be the culprit, then I'm thinking brand-change may be needed--not total elimination!

I am not eating anything unusual for me, and too many calories is definitely NOT my problem--if anything, I have to concentrate on getting enough. My appetite is just not there most of the time. I didn't get the full recommended amount of water in for about a week, and figured that was part of the problem, but I'm back to getting my full amount daily with no results.

I'm not tremendously frustrated--I'm not going up in weight, after all!

I hear ya. Maybe you're really NOT eating enough.

Hey alwazbuzy: facial flushing relates to niacin? As you body adjusts to taking it the flushing wil stop.

http://www.lipidnurse.ca/education_pat_niacin2.html

Jinx

Thanks for the link, Jinx. Someone else had mentioned B vitamins as a cause of my flushing.
I am planning on a visit to a dermatologist soon because I suspect rosecea (sp?).
But it gets MUCH WORSE when on my vitamins. I still haven't adjusted after 2 months. I wonder how much longer it will take.