I take a number of the supplements, as recommended on my plan (list can be viewed in my journal). But after doing the math I realize that my supplements are only providing a fraction of the amount of each supplement recommended in my plan.

For example, my Calcium & Magnesium supplement gives me only half of what the book recommends. So I would have to double my intake (which the packaging says is not recommended) to meet the amount my plan recommends.

For other supplements such as Vitamin E, I would have to more than triple the dose recommended on the bottle to meet what my plan suggests.

Has anyone else come across this? Is it safe to double or triple up on your supplements to meet what your plan recommends - even if the manufacturer 'does not recommended it'?

Any advise is appreciated. Thanks.

Generally it is fine to go over the recommended dose however something like vit E is fat soluable and can cause a problem. I would suggest taking to a pharmacist and they should be able to guide U.

I agree that it can be okay, but you need to speak with a doctor or pharmacist. Many vitamins, if "overdosed," can be just as dangerous and have as many adverse affects as medicines. Also, I would be very careful if you're mixing vitamin and herbal supplements, which can also react badly with one another.

Shalom,
Sh'ra

Thanks to both of you for your advise. I think for the moment I am going to stick with the the level of supplements that I am taking. Some of the amounts listed in the plan seemed a little extreme!

I don't think I am taking any herbal supplements I guess that Evening Primrose Oil & Starflower (Borage) Oil are herbal. But they are very commonly used and I haven't experienced any 'wierdness'. But it is good advise to keep in mind. Thank you.

Sh'ra - we are about the same height and have a similar weight goal! You have done really well so far- congrats - let's hope i can do so well in the coming months

gwilson38 - i was not aware of that fact about Vitamin E - thanks for the tip

Take care

V.

..."Side effects associated with vitamin E supplements are exceedingly rare. Unlike other fat-soluble vitamins, such as A, D and K, vitamin E is relatively non-toxic, even at doses of 1,000 or more percent of the current daily value (DV) of 30 IU (international units)

"

This is from this link to a vitamin and mineral site. The link was posted recently when I was asking similar questions.

Supplements A to Z

Overage on doses from bottles happens in a wierd way. I take a vitamin B complex with 50 mg of each of the B's. The bottle says to take only one a day. BUT, you can also buy a B complex that is at 100 mg of each a day. Go figure.

Anyway, the link is a good source of info on vitamin,s mineral sand herbs and might help answer your questions. The Atkins book and PP also give recommended dosages, which are generally higher than the bottles, and the books explain why they recommend higher does. I bought a book called The encyclopedia of vitamins, minerals and supplements, and it gives a lot of info on whether higher does are safe, and in some cases why the RDA is considered very low and out of date.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for posting the link - it seems like a good resource - I will spend some time there and hopefully learn a few things.

Congrats on your 12 weeks of LCing and weight loss! Your doing really well. You and everyone here are such great role models!

Angela - what an excellent site. I've bookmarked it. You are (as usual) a goddess

Vilandra,
I noticed your stats; you seem to be doing well also

You should check out the other forums on this board as well if you haven't had time. There are some excellent ones, and many for those of use who have quite a bit to lose.

Shalom,
sh'ra

Thanks, Angela!

The link you gave is very useful.

The RDA is the bare minumum of each nutrient to prevent nutritional deficiency ... it is NOT the same as the RDI (reccomended daily intake) ...

As is the case with Vit. E ... 30 IU's is a joke ... I take 1200 IU per day and everything is fine. Remember: fat burning (as LC diets are) and exercise produces lots of free radicals. Your doses of A,C,E and K should be high.

One last little bit of info :

From what I understand, 100% of Calcium and Magnesium cannot be taken at once. They are also very bulky vitamins. Which is why they almost always come in 33% ratios, to be taken three times a day.

Our bodies are not capable of absorbing 100% RDA amounts of calcium, so taking three at once would just result in peeing out 66%....which is a waste of vitamins.

I like to take my multi in the morning (which has some cal/mag in it) and one cal/mag during the afternoon (whenever I remember) and one at night (I've been told magnesium has a calming effect).

Grace