Does Women's One a Day Active Metabolism Help You Lose Weight?

The healthy way to lose weight is to balance food intake and exercise. This means to consume about the same amount of calories that you burn in a day. A simplified way to estimate the amount of calories burned in a day is to multiply weight in pounds by ten. A man who weighs 190 pounds could expect to burn approximately 1900 calories a day at baseline, not including exercise. If a 190-pound man eats about 1900 calories per day he will not lose or gain weight. This is an estimate. Other factors, like genes, age, and gender, affect daily calorie requirements.

Active MetabolismTM Is Not for Weight Loss

The multi-vitamin One A Day® Women's Active MetabolismTM formula is not intended as a weight loss aid. The company website says the supplement is not for weight control but to “support metabolism and help you feel energized.” The Active MetabolismTM formula is very similar to the One A Day® Women's formula, with two differences: Active MetabolismTM has more of the B vitamins, and a recommended dose contains about as much caffeine as a cup of coffee.

What Is Metabolism?

Daily Dose of Vitamins For a 60 Year Old Woman

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Metabolism is the process of chemical reactions that sustain life. Metabolic reactions are important for reproduction, maintaining structures like muscle and bone and responding to stimuli -- like making your muscles contract when you are hit in the kneecap. These reactions don’t occur independently; they require catalysts -- like a spark that ignites a fire. Vitamins are required for the “sparks” that ignite these reactions. For example, vitamin B1 (thiamin) and B2 (riboflavin) are required for the metabolism of fat, carbohydrate and protein.

Supplements Can Prevent Vitamin Deficiency

B vitamins like thiamin and riboflavin are essential nutrients. Severe, long-term deficiency results in death. However, vitamin deficiency is uncommon in healthy individuals who eat adequate amounts of nutrients. Vitamin deficiency primarily occurs during starvation (as in extreme weight loss). Taking a multi-vitamin supplement during weight loss will prevent most dietary deficiencies. Supplementation during weight loss is generally a good idea, especially for individuals on extremely low calorie diets (around 1000 calories per day), because they may not be getting adequate amounts of vitamins from the food in their diet.

Diet and Exercise

Allergy to Vitamin B-12

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According to a 2009 American Dietetic Association position paper on weight management, a healthy way to lose weight is to expend more energy than you consume 1. Dietitians suggest that people who want to lose weight should reduce their calorie intake and increase their energy expenditure. For some individuals, caffeine may alter appetite or provide motivation for exercise. Caffeine and vitamin supplements do not induce weight loss alone but may support your weight loss goals.