My Supplements

Lili has asked me what vitamins I am taking, and what I take will be too long for a reply, so I’m posting it here!


Not very long ago, I decided to go back on my vitamin regime. I know that Dr. Simeons says that no vitamins are necessary and that they may even stall some people, but for me, I feel they are necessary to my success. I am over 100 pounds overweight, and I think I am probably very toxic! Before I started the Simeon’s protocol, I did the “Ultra Metabolism” Diet. It taught me a lot about metabolism and supplements. Just by following the protocol, I lost 20 lbs. For me, I think supplements are essential to my body’s ability to run properly. I was really tired until I went back on them and I wasn’t losing very well. There are hundreds of supplements you can take; you’ve all been in health food stores! I did my research, and these are the ones I decided would be best for me. I have forgone my regular multi-vitamin for now.


Selenium – 200 mcg a day (divided into 2 doses) – Selenium helps the body convert T4 into T3. (Thyroid hormones). I have a history of thyroid problems in my family; both my brother and grandmother have thyroid disease. I have tested “clean” but I have many of the symptoms of a sluggish thyroid. Sometimes the problem is just that your body can’t convert T4 (the inactive form) to T3 (the active form). So you make enough thyroid hormone, but you can’t use it! Some symptoms of sluggish thyroid are: thin finger nails, dry skin, cold when everybody around you is warm, cold hands and feet, muscle fatigue or weakness, constipation, have trouble losing weight, brain fog, morning fatigue, mood swings, thinning of the outer third of your eyebrow, depression or anxiety, heavy periods, worsening of PMS, or other menstrual issues, basal body temp is less than 97.8 first thing in the morning, thinning hair, loss of sex drive, fluid retention (swollen hands and feet).

Vitamin D (the sunshine vitamin) – 800 IU a day (my multivitamin has some… don’t double dose!) - Most people are deficient in Vitamin D, especially those in a northern climate. The sun’s rays are not strong enough in Fall and Winter to provide enough vitamin D in the north. (All of Canada and northern States and anywhere that gets snow!). Being deficient in vitamin D has been linked to breast, colon and prostate cancers. You also need vitamin D to absorb calcium; without it your bones weaken and you are at risk for osteoporosis. It has also been shown to improve your immune system, can help prevent multiple sclerosis and helps boost your metabolism. I believe this is THE MOST IMPORTANT vitamin people should be taking. Be careful though, it is a fat-soluble vitamin, meaning it needs fat to be absorbed, and can’t be eliminated from the body easily. Maximum dose is 1,000 IU a day.

Chromium Picolinate – 200 mcg daily - improves insulin utilization, reduces the body’s fat deposition thereby allowing glucose and amino acids to enter the muscles. It gives you more energy, and helps you lose fat!

Vitamin B complex – I normally take a multi supplement, but now it’s in my sublingual dose – Improves the metabolism of stress hormones. Stress causes your body to release cortisol. Cortisol causes your metabolism to slow and promotes fat storage. (just a side note, drinking coffee also increases your cortisol levels!) If I am really stressed, I’ll pop an extra B-complex.

Pine bark extract – 60 mg minimum- This is a bioflavonoid and a powerful anti-oxidant. Free radicals are caused by oxygen in its singular form - O - . Oxygen molecules like to be paired, so these single oxygen molecules run around taking electrons from other cells and damaging them. This is one of the causes of wrinkles, too! This is called “Oxidation”. (same thing that happens when something rusts!) Oxidized cells don’t function well and one of the repercussions is weight gain and a damaged metabolism. Antioxidants clear out the free radicals and allow your body to “run” better. This boosts your metabolism and can even help your wrinkles! There are many antioxidants you can take: vitamin C, grape seed extract, Quercetin and Pycogenol (pine bark extract). I take a supplement that contains all, but mostly Pine Bark extract. We have a local doctor of Chiropractic here that has dedicated a lot of his career to studying this supplement. He has found it to be helpful with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, ADD, eczema.. and on and on. My 70 year old mother-in-law takes nothing but this, and people mistake her for a woman in her 50s!

Coenzyme Q10 – 60mg to 100 mg a day – helps with mitochondria production. Mitochondria are the “powerhouses of the cells”. They take in nutrients and convert them to energy for the body to utilize. (Grade 12 Biology coming back to you? :D). If you don’t have enough mitochondria, your body can’t utilize the nutrients it’s taking in, which causes you to make more insulin, which if you don’t have enough mitochondria, you can’t utilize… you get the picture. It’s a viscous cycle. It also causes insulin resistance and can lead to type 2 diabetes. In fact, studies have shown that many diabetics don’t have as many, or have slower, mitochondria than non-diabetics! Oxidation also damages mitochondria and many overweight people (whether genetically, or through damage) don’t have enough mitochondria.

Magnesium Citrate – 300 mg (split into 2 doses of 150 mg twice daily) – Magnesium is the relaxation mineral. It is helpful in times of stress because it helps us “loosen up”. Your whole body tightens up if you don’t have enough magnesium… you get headaches, muscle cramps, constipation, and you get irritable! If you feel these symptoms, try magnesium! I suffer from Restless Leg Syndrome, and I’ll often take 300 mg of magnesium before bed to relieve it. Oh, and if you tend toward constipation (as many do on this diet) use the Magnesium citrate, if you tend towards diarrhea, use Magnesium Glycinate.

Vitamin C – 1000 mg split into 2- 500 mg doses – supports your immune system, supports your adrenal glands and helps rid your body of heavy metals (such as the mercury in fish!)

Milk Thistle – 150 mg a day- detoxifies your liver. If you have eaten your fair share of processed/take out foods, chances are you have a fatty liver. Your liver is responsible for processing fat and sugar, and helps coordinate both storage and burning. If you have a fatty liver, it’s not doing a very good job!

Calcium - 1410 mg split into 3 doses a day - I am lactose intolerant, and have always taken calcium. Calcium has also been shown to help with weight loss!

When I’m not on P2, I’ll go back to taking Omega 3-6-9 and Vitamin E.

Taking supplements is a personal choice, and I was nervous to go back on them. I didn’t know how they would affect me. I always pick supplements that say “no sugar, no starch, no salt, no gluten and no lactose”.

More information than you wanted to know, huh, Lili? Wait until I post my thoughts about re-alkalizing the body on your blog! Hehe