RDI for Vitamins and Minerals

[John_Casson]

The daily value for vitamins and minerals are based on a 2000 calorie diet. However, my metabolism (observed based on calories in vs weight change as well as energy levels in response to calorie intakes to distinguish between starvation metabolism and actual calorie needs) is much higher than the standard 2000 calories — even starvation level for my metabolism is much higher than 2000 calories.

The following are the nutrients that I suspect would have a higher RDI for a higher metabolism. Are any of the following nutrients that I need not or should not take more of because of a high metabolism?


Vitamin A; Vitamin C; Vitamin D; Vitamin E; Vitamin B6; Vitamin B12; Calcium; Folate; Manganese; Pantothenic Acid; Riboflavin; Sodium; Thiamin

[John_Casson]

How do I know my metabolism is higher than normal? As I said before, I observed my metabolism based on calories in vs weight change, and also looked at energy levels in response to various calorie intakes to distinguish between starvation metabolism and actual calorie needs. I have an entire excel spreadsheet in which I analyzed the data I have in order to figure out what my metabolism is. This data includes my weight as measured after using the restroom and before eating or drinking anything (as opposed to my weight tracker on this site, for which I use my weight fresh out of bed, before going to the restroom), weight change between that day and the next (calculated after weigh-in the next day), the calories consumed, calorie surplus or deficit (calculated from weight change compared to previous observation on the calorie to pound ratio), calories burned through exercise, calculated calorie expenditure for that day before exercise is accounted for (based on the calorie surplus or deficit and the calorie intake, and subtracting exercise calories from this amount), when I ate breakfast, when I went to bed, when I got up, and several other pieces of information. When looking over the data in the spreadsheet, I can see that I did a total of three sets of observations. The first reveals an average non-starving metabolism of 5441 calories per day before exercise is accounted for. The second and third include the time I spent awake after starting breakfast, and showed a better correlation to my actual metabolism, often predicting my exact weight for each next day after the observations were completed (while I was using the data to guide my diet in progress toward my goal). When it did not predict my weight change exactly, it was almost always within 0.2 pounds, the rounding factor for my scale — and my weight generally changes several pounds each day. The second observation showed an average metabolism of 404 calories for every hour awake since breakfast, and the third observation revealed an average metabolism of 436 calories for every hour awake after starting breakfast. Since I was not looking for exact amounts to the calorie, which is unimportant, I rounded these values to the nearest hundred calories; thereby giving from the first observation an estimated average metabolism of about 5400 calories per day, and from the second and third observations an estimated metabolism of about 400 calories for every hour I am awake after starting breakfast. Around the time of observation, I was going to bed on average an estimated 13½ hours after starting breakfast. When you multiply 13½ hours by 400 calories per hour, you get 5400 calories, which verifies the average metabolism determined by the first observation.

[Paxiled]

Also, the RDI is useless.  Look at how often it's been changed over the years.  People are individuals, not generalizations.  Some need more, some don't, depending on individual situations, and nobody really knows how much of anything we actually optimally would take if we had the opportunity to optimally take something.  We don't even know what optimally means.  Case in point, Vitamin D has recently had the RDI lowered because it was set too high and had some toxicity at that level.  So there you go.

[Paxiled]

No, it doesn't affect nutrient levels in any significant way.  For one thing, several of the vitamins you list are fat soluble, meaning they stick around for awhile -- D, A, E, and to an extent B12.  Second, if you're eating a healthy balanced diet and you're not wasting away you're constantly replenishing the others, and as they're water soluble they leave the body fairly quickly anyway.  I also have to question how you know your metabolism is higher than normal based on your own calculations without any lab tests to confirm it.  I'd say, if you're not getting sick indicating immune system problems or a deficiency and you're not wasting away, you're fine.

[John_Casson]

You didn't answer my question. I asked if any of the vitamins and minerals I listed (Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Calcium, Folate, Manganese, Pantothenic Acid, Riboflavin, Sodium, Thiamin) have a set daily value that does not depend on metabolism. I did not ask how to build mass, how to estimate my metabolism, how much of each macronutrient to eat, how much to sleep, etc. I already know the basics on that — in fact, this past year (my first year of college), I managed to gain 38.4 pounds despite my high metabolism (and trust me, it wasn't easy), and tripled my strength. Also, I don't need a calculator based on the general population to estimate my metabolism — I truly have a high metabolism and that calculator, one of the closest, underestimates my metabolism by almost 29% of my actual (observed) metabolism, before exercise is even accounted for. In other words, if I ate the amount of calories that calculator calls my "maintenance," I would actually be eating slightly over 71% of maintenance (<80% is starvation level). If I ate 500 calories over that amount, I would be eating almost 81% of maintenance, so I would be slightly over starvation level. However, my question had nothing to do with that; it has to do with what micronutrients I should and should not take more of.

[gymdandee]

Do you work out? (exercise strength train and cardio) If you do then do the following.
Increase your daily caloric intake by 500 calories or more over your maintenance calories. Talk with a personal trainer or use the free online calculator to find your personal maintenance caloric intake, then add 500 or more to that total. Spread these calories out over 5 to 8 small meals throughout the day. Follow the "Muscle Nerd" Jeff Anderson's advice and take a post-workout shake consisting of 50 grams of protein, 100 or more grams of carbohydrates, and 30 grams of healthy fats, such as flax seed oil or medium-chain triglycerides. Be advised that figuring out maintenance is trial and error, and it could take you two to three months to figure out your calorie needs on a new training schedule.     online calculator below!!

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/macronutcal.htm

Consume 55 percent of your calories from carbohydrates. With a fast metabolism you need more carbohydrates to gain muscle mass. Good sources of carbohydrates are oatmeal, wheat bread and pasta, sweet potatoes, quinoa and/or brown rice. It may be hard at first to get all the calories in, but you must persevere if you want to gain mass. "Clean" or low-glycemic carbohydrates are better, but you can try fruit juices if you absolutely cannot get the solid food down. Two cups of grape juice for example is an easy way to get 50 grams of carbohydrates.
Take in more healthy fats. Fat is a powerful nutrient because it has more than double the amount of calories per gram, as compared to carbohydrates and protein. Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are typically not stored as body fat and can be used by the body for energy. Monounsaturated fats include olive oil, egg yolks, avocados and nuts and seeds. Polyunsaturated fats are your omega-3, 6 and 9 fats, which are essential for overall health and wellness. Add a serving or two of these healthy fats to each of your meals. Two tablespoons of flax seed oil in a protein shake adds about 250 calories. One particular type of saturated fat, known as MCT or medium chain triglycerides, can be used by the body for energy and fat-burning, according to "Homemade Supplement Secrets" by Jeff Anderson.
Perform three full body workouts per week, focusing on the compound mass movements for each muscle group. Begin each workout with squats or deadlifts to create an anabolic surge of testosterone and growth hormone. For example, start Monday and Friday workouts with squats, and Wednesday workouts with deadlifts. Use a repetition range between 9 and 12 reps on every set to specifically target hypertrophy or muscle growth. Take each set to positive failure, meaning the point at which you cannot do another controlled repetition. Have a spotter help you re-rack the weight to prevent injury. Train progressively by adding weight incrementally from workout to workout as you get stronger.
Take an extra protein shake immediately before going to bed to give your body a ready supply of amino acids to repair your muscles while you sleep. Mix one or two scoops of whey protein with two cups of milk and two tablespoons of flax-seed oil. Make sure to get 7 to 8 hours of restful sleep every night.
pick up a few helpful supplements. If you struggle to get all your meals in, due to time constraints, purchase a weight gainer powder and use it one to three times per day in place of meals. In addition, purchase a multi-enzyme product to help with the breakdown and absorption of the foods you take in. According to the "Muscle Nerd" this very inexpensive supplement can drastically increase your absorption of nutrients, particularly protein. Lastly, consider combining creatine, whey protein and CLA or conjugated linoleic acid. "The Power of Three", an article in the January 2010 issue of "Muscle and Performance", recommends this combo for gaining quick mass.