I often come across blogs and advertisements mentioning a weight loss pill or weight loss vitamin. It is frustrating that so many people still believe that they can successfully lose weight and maintain a healthy weight through the use of a weight loss pill. While there are some prescription medications and even over the counter supplements that are beneficial to a weight loss effort, there is no magic cure, pill, or other "silver bullet" to combat obesity. I cannot stress this point enough. There is no pill, vitamin, supplement or potion for that matter that can simply make you thin and healthy. That being said, I would like to talk about some weight loss vitamins that are beneficial when combined with a complete approach to weight loss, such as a medical weight loss program.

Iron is an important mineral to maintain proper health and metabolic function. Iron deficiency or anemia is a very common nutritional abnormality. Iron deficiencies are slightly more common in women, but are not infrequent in men either.

We have found that many of our post-op bariatric patients experience some difficulty in maintaining proper iron levels. This is typically treated with a nutritional supplement to help the patient keep proper iron levels.

There are a variety of B vitamins that are beneficial to maintaining proper health and metabolic function. Here is just a little information on some of the benefits of these vitamins.

Vitamin B1 or Thiamine is essential for proper neural function as well as carbohydrate metabolism.

Vitamin B6 or Pyridoxine Hydrochloride helps maintain your blood sugar levels within a normal range. It helps convert stored carbohydrates or other nutrients to glucose to maintain normal blood sugar levels.

Vitamin B9 or Folic Acid (Folate) is important for the body to grow new cells.

Vitamin B12 or Cyanocobalamin is important for the normal functioning of the of the brain and nervous system.

Vitamin A has plays a necessary and extremely beneficial role in a variety of your body's systems including vision, immune system strength, skin and bone health and more.

Vitamin E can be found in a number of vegetables and nuts such as asparagus, almonds, avocado, etc.. This fat soluble vitamin is a strong antioxidant.

Zinc is an important mineral as it plays a crucial role in the body's ability to heal itself. There is strong evidence to suggest that zinc can speed recovery time for combating the common cold as well.

Calcium most well known benefit is healthy bones, but this mineral is also essential in muscle and nerve function. It is important to note that the body cannot make use of Calcium without Vitamin D. Vitamin D is usually created by the body in the skin. This happens when the skin is exposed to sunlight. It is not just the plants that need the sun for their nutritional requirements. The vitamin can still be found in food sources including Fish and Eggs.

There are so many different vitamins, minerals and other nutritional supplements that we could discuss within the scope of this hubpage. It is important to understand that this is only a touching the surface of the information available on these and other supplements and their individual and cumulative effect on weight loss and weight maintenance.

The best first step to proper nutrition is eating a well rounded diet of fresh natural foods. Try to avoid overly processed and fast foods in your diet. If you feel you may still need some help maintaining proper nutrient levels then a supplement may be the way to go for you.