Chromium Picolinate to help with carb cravings?

[D618]

Hi all,
I recently heard about the supplement Chromium Picolinate, which is supposed to help regulate blood sugar and help control carb cravings. I saw a blog post written by a fellow Sleever, and she said her bariatric surgeon recommended it to help with carb cravings. Have any of you used this supplement? If so, did it work well for you? What time of day is best to take it? I'm thinking it may be most beneficial in the evening, as that's when all of my cravings for junk food hit! And that's my biggest struggle right now!
I'm considering trying it out, but would like more reviews and experiences from people who have tried and liked it. Or have you found a different supplement that works well to control hunger/increased appetite (especially late night snacking). Thank you!

[GigiUSA]

I am excited to see what others say about this supplement. I hate the carb cravings I am experiencing pre-op and want to avoid them post-op if at all possible. Thank you.

[jamma]

Most likely, once you stop eating carbs, you will not crave them. That is generally what sleevers find, and is certainly true for me.

[Sandra3]

I did try the chromium a few years ago during my one year diet. I didn't really notice any difference, sorry. May be post-sleeve it's different?

[Shirl]

Hi all,
I recently heard about the supplement Chromium Picolinate, which is supposed to help regulate blood sugar and help control carb cravings. I saw a blog post written by a fellow Sleever, and she said her bariatric surgeon recommended it to help with carb cravings. Have any of you used this supplement? If so, did it work well for you? What time of day is best to take it? I'm thinking it may be most beneficial in the evening, as that's when all of my cravings for junk food hit! And that's my biggest struggle right now!
I'm considering trying it out, but would like more reviews and experiences from people who have tried and liked it. Or have you found a different supplement that works well to control hunger/increased appetite (especially late night snacking). Thank you!

If you are looking for a miracle pill it's NOT. Most multivitamins have a good amount of CP and that may be good enough for most of us. I also took an extra dose for a time, but did not experience any reduction of cravings.

Dr. Weil doesn't mention it in his assessment, but I have read studies that too much CP can induce depression in some individuals, it's one of the reasons I stopped taking the extra dose. https://www.drweil.com/vitamins-supp...s-of-chromium/

Eating a well balanced diet on a regular schedule will definitely assist in feeling cravings or grazing tendencies. I have to be very very diligent about giving in to my cravings when I get them. I am always around junk food, I count my blessings that most of the time I don't cave in.

But... I follow a pretty balanced way of eating and I have been trying to up my calories, so this week I am experimenting with the Paleo version of the Bulletproof Coffee. And talk about not getting hungry!!! If I didn't eat on a regular schedule I would have gone all day without eating. It was actually counterproductive to my upping my calories, since I actually ate less than I intended because I was really not hungry AND that is a rare thing for me lol!

Ps...

I posted the recipe here if you are interested in trying: https://www.gastricsleeve.com/forum/...735#post576735

[Pam G]

Shirl, it's ok to have low calories on days you have high fat (like with the BPC).

You can alternate low carb days with higher carb days. Your body won't go into starvation mode, because it'll be getting a jolt of calories/carbs every few days.

It's ok to not eat sometimes....fasting is a good thing.

If you are looking for a miracle pill it's NOT. Most multivitamins have a good amount of CP and that may be good enough for most of us. I also took an extra dose for a time, but did not experience any reduction of cravings.

Dr. Weil doesn't mention it in his assessment, but I have read studies that too much CP can induce depression in some individuals, it's one of the reasons I stopped taking the extra dose. https://www.drweil.com/vitamins-supp...s-of-chromium/

Eating a well balanced diet on a regular schedule will definitely assist in feeling cravings or grazing tendencies. I have to be very very diligent about giving in to my cravings when I get them. I am always around junk food, I count my blessings that most of the time I don't cave in.

But... I follow a pretty balanced way of eating and I have been trying to up my calories, so this week I am experimenting with the Paleo version of the Bulletproof Coffee. And talk about not getting hungry!!! If I didn't eat on a regular schedule I would have gone all day without eating. It was actually counterproductive to my upping my calories, since I actually ate less than I intended because I was really not hungry AND that is a rare thing for me lol!

Ps...

I posted the recipe here if you are interested in trying: https://www.gastricsleeve.com/forum/...735#post576735

[Shirl]

Shirl, it's ok to have low calories on days you have high fat (like with the BPC).

You can alternate low carb days with higher carb days. Your body won't go into starvation mode, because it'll be getting a jolt of calories/carbs every few days.

It's ok to not eat sometimes....fasting is a good thing.

Good to know. I really don't understand Keto fully, I am still learning, but I'd like to think that I am fasting if I stop eating at 8pm at night and don't eat until after 9am the next morning. ;-D

One of the video's I saw on the KETO Summit talked about intermit fasting which is approximately 16 hours. The Keto Coach sounded like she was not a huge advocate of fasting, and she did say she doesn't do well on long fasts, and that fasting is not for everyone, it's not a one size fits all, some benefits while others don't.

[Ann2]

I'm one of those folks who just eats a wide range of foods -- protein, carbs, fats, dairy, veggies, fruits, gluten, even a little sugar.

The only thing that causes me cravings is when I go over a certain amount of sugar several days in a row -- like during the Christmas holidays. And boy do I feel like a monster has awakened in my brain.

"ME WANT MORE CHOCOLATE, MORE SUGAR, MORE SWEETS!" it says.

So then I cut out the sugar for 3-4 days. And then the monster goes back to sleep.

God, that monster is exhausting!

[Pam G]

RehabNurse does intermittant fasting....just fyi

the best 'fast' is at least 16 hours. Your body doesn't start going into the fat stores until after 12 hours of fasting, so with a 16 hour fast, you'll get 4 hours of fat burning (at least I think that's how it works...RehabNurse is better at explaining things than I am...)

With a keto diet, you also avoid the highs and lows of insulin spikes that come with ingesting sugars (carbs are just long chains of sugars linked together), and the high fat keeps us satiated so we don't go nuts from hunger.

Good to know. I really don't understand Keto fully, I am still learning, but I'd like to think that I am fasting if I stop eating at 8pm at night and don't eat until after 9am the next morning. ;-D

One of the video's I saw on the KETO Summit talked about intermit fasting which is approximately 16 hours. The Keto Coach sounded like she was not a huge advocate of fasting, and she did say she doesn't do well on long fasts, and that fasting is not for everyone, it's not a one size fits all, some benefits while others don't.

[Pam G]

I can't get my monster to STFU!!!

Plus, you hardly eat anything, Ann! I'd be so hungry if I ate what you do! But I'd prob weigh a lot less, too. hmmmmm

I'm one of those folks who just eats a wide range of foods -- protein, carbs, fats, dairy, veggies, fruits, gluten, even a little sugar.

The only thing that causes me cravings is when I go over a certain amount of sugar several days in a row -- like during the Christmas holidays. And boy do I feel like a monster has awakened in my brain.

"ME WANT MORE CHOCOLATE, MORE SUGAR, MORE SWEETS!" it says.

So then I cut out the sugar for 3-4 days. And then the monster goes back to sleep.

God, that monster is exhausting!

[Christie13]

I also (Like Sandra) tried it years ago and it did nothing for me. Right now I follow a low carb lifestyle and don't really crave them. I do have them occasionally and as long as I am not overdoing it I can stay on track.