Should I take a multivitamin?

As the nutritionist for the program, many patients ask me if they should take a multivitamin if they are taking the serotonin supplement. I believe a multivitamin is necessary. The serotonin has some vitamins and minerals to help the body and the mind through the stress of weight loss but it is not a complete multi. In this crazy world we live in, we sometimes don’t get the nutrients we need depending upon our eating habits. And if we are very stressed (which who isn’t today), our bodies need more nutrients such as the B vitamins, Vitamin C, Calcium and Magnesium. Also if we are on a reduced calorie diet as in our program, we will naturally get in less nutrients.

It is recommended that you take a multivitamin if you are in one of these groups:

•Women of childbearing age: They need 400 IU daily of folate (the form in supplements is called folic acid). This B vitamin helps prevent neural tube birth defects; women need to build up their folate stores at least several weeks before becoming pregnant. The folic acid in supplements and fortified foods is better absorbed by the body than the folate found naturally in food (this is also true of vitamin B12). In addition, many pre-menopausal women do not consume enough iron and can benefit from the amount in a basic multivitamin.

• Over 60 years of age: Most don’t get the nutrients they need, for a variety of reasons. For instance, aging itself may make it more difficult to absorb and utilize certain nutrients. The major problem nutrients for older people are vitamins D, C, B6, B12, and folic acid, as well as minerals such as zinc, calcium, and magnesium.

• Strict vegetarians: Those who eat no animal products, may not get enough vitamin B12, zinc, iron, and calcium.

• Those on weight-loss diets, as well as heavy drinkers or smokers: Are likely to have a shortfall of vitamins and minerals.

• Those not eating a balanced diet (at least five fruits and vegetables a day, as well as whole grains, low-fat dairy, and small servings of lean meat, poultry, or fish) may not be getting enough folic acid, B6, and B12. These B vitamins play a role in lowering homocysteine levels in the blood and thus may help reduce the risk of heart disease and, recent studies suggest, Alzheimer’s disease and osteoporosis. Folic acid may also help prevent cervical and colon cancer.

There are a variety of multivitamins out there from One-A-Day to Centrum to store brands. Just look on the label and be sure you are getting 100% of the Daily Value for the major vitamins and minerals that have daily requirements. We also have a multivitamin that I formulated that has a little bit of serotonin in there that was developed to be used with our Serotonin Formula. The extra serotonin gives it a nice kick to enhance mood and energy.

Big Breakfast with Chocolate to Help weight loss?

An article last week, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/19/AR2008061901659.html?referrer=emailarticle detailed a study which concluded that a very large breakfast, including lots of carbohydrates, actually helped obese women lose weight as opposed to the women who ingested a much lesser breakfast with less carbs.

The article referred to higher levels of serotonin in the morning causing less carb cravings resulting in people not wanting to eat as much breakfast, but as the day progresses and serotonin levels drop, people start reaching for more food sources. If they were to satisfy their carb requirments in the morning, there would be less food ingestion later.

My feelings on this? Not sure yet. Clearly, I am not quite certain we should be encouraging our patients to eat Captain Crunch in the morning with the donut as a way of losing weight. The article sure makes it seem it is a simple as this. IT IS NEVER SIMPLE.

I will try contacting the lead article writer to get some more info. In the meantime, PLEASE always take internet articles/study summaries for what they are: PRELIMINARY data to be looked at with interest pending more data.

More on serotonin

Check this out....Here is another article on the benefits of increased serotonin. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080605150908.htm It certainly makes the point for continuing on serotonin well after your weight loss is achieved.

weight loss and marketing scam

I was running around Burke Lake Park yesterday morning (kind of slow...this age thing really sucks...not much fun being passed by young mothers jogging and pushing their strollers with babies in them) and heard on the radio a commercial that made it sound like a study: 'We are recruiting people now who want to lose signifcant weight for a "risk-free" trial of _____." The commercial went on about this miraculous new supplement that produces outstanding weight loss. The tenure of the commercial made it sound as if they were soliciting study participants for a trial of this. In fact, this was nothing more than playing words to make it seem as if this was a study, but in reality, this was nothing more than a scam to get people to call. Once on the phone, I have no doubt that the "operators on duty" would try to extract the credit card from the caller...shipe the product and not ding the credit card for 30 days..hence the "free trial". These companies know full well that many people will not bother to return the bottle of bogus pills and their credit card will be charged.

I have brought this up before but will do so again: anything that sounds too good to be true always is too good to be true, as this relates to claims for "easy" weight loss. To lose weight effectively and for the long term, lifestyle changes are required. There is no such thing as the magic pill . (Except our serotonin products....okay...teasing here...even our great pills are an ADJUNCT to what is really required for long term weight loss)

45% of Workers are Heavier than Last Year

A recent survey of 7,688 U.S. employees by Careerbuilder shows that 45% of workers have gained weight at their current jobs over the last year.

Other findings include:

• Twenty-six percent of employees report they have gained more than ten pounds and 12 percent say they gained more than 20 pounds while in their present positions.
  
  
• Women are more likely (50 percent) than men (42 percent) to say they have gained weight at their current jobs.
  
  
• Nearly two-in-five (38 percent) percent of employees surveyed eat out for lunch twice or more per week, making it difficult to control portions and calorie intake.
  
  
• Snacking can also be a slippery slope for those trying to cut back on calories, as two-thirds (66 percent) of employees surveyed snack at least once a day, while nearly 25 percent snack at least twice a day.

If these trends continue, workers will continue to gain weight year after year. It might be a good idea to learn more about what you can do now by clicking here to make sure that next year you are not part of the group of works that pack on more pounds.