Anyone take chromium picolinate?

[prolesunited]

My fasting glucose was a little high, so I'm trying to regulate by insulin levels better. I already exercise 5 or 6 times a week, so I'm going to cut the carbs some and lose 10 more pounds. I already have been eating primarily whole-grain breads, whole-wheat pasta, brown rice etc., and eat little refined carbs or sugar, but the doctor said I may be over consuming carbs, even with all my cycling and exercise.

Anyway, I went to the health food store and picked some up. I'm going to take this and work my plan for three months and then have an A1C test to see if there's improvement.

So, I wonder if anyone else has taken it? What were the results?

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

1. I get a migraine from it

Are you vegetarian? I didn't recall if you were or not, but try eating even a small can of tuna after your workouts. Protien alone after a workout can really help regulate your blood sugar.

[prolesunited]

5. I am

and I'm not really eating any fish except for maybe once in a blue moon.

I often eat Cliff or Zone or Genisoy bars before or after workouts, but now I see that the sugar counts are way high on them. Maybe a hard-boiled egg or some cheese or yogurt?

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

6. or *gasp* even a cup of beans or some tofu

you have to get a better handle on protein...eating too many eggs is not good either...I would suggest a handful of nuts, a cup of beans or a couple tablespoons of peanut butter AFTER a workout, not before. Protein helps rebuild the muscle you break down in a workout and that is important to metabolizing and balancing sugar

[ChoralScholar]

2. I shall never die.

Chromium Picolinate, every orifice, every day.

[radwriter0555]

3. You need to balance that high carb diet out with vegetables and fruits.

A LOT. Kick the dairy and eggs back in as well.

I work out at least 4 times a week, and the primary activity I employ to lose weight is to work out first thing in the morning, and to not eat breakfast before the work out.

I also try to kick in another 20 minutes of upper body, boxing type work out in the afternoon, as an afterburner.

Breakfast is a yogurt with granola or cereal added, and a glass of juice.

No matter what type of work out you're doing, you need a balanced diet and it's critical to keep the veggies and fruits in there.

[prolesunited]

4. I certainly didn't mean to imply

that all I'm eating is carbs. I'm a vegetarian, but I do eat dairy and eggs (just about every day) along with a lot of soy and PLENTY of fruits and vegetables.

[pitohui]

9. you have GOT to cut out the fruits

i guess the doctor feels he can't be honest with you, since it is not PC to admit it, but most fruit is going to spike the meter

if you have metabolic syndrome or diabetes -- not sure if you said what caused your abnormal readings -- you need to get fruit juice completely out of the diet, forever, and you probably can't have more than half a piece of fruit a day without spiking the meter

my husband was shocked to learn that our good healthy organically grown fruit could have such an impact, as was i, but remember that natural fruit sugars are fructose, you really can't tolerate them at all if you have a problem

half a piece a fruit a day if you have someone to share it with

otherwise the fruit prob. has to go

[mykpart]

7. I'm a type II diabetic.

I took chromium picolonate for about six months - really had no impact on my blood sugar. Even though you eat complex carbs, you still must limit total carbs to about 20% of your total daily calorie intake.

[pitohui]

10. this poster is correct

it's brutal but it works!

my husband has actually normalized his readings but it's v. v. hard to keep carbs that small a part of the diet

i keep a lot of boiled eggs and nuts and sunflower seeds around for him to snack on

no more fruit

i'm only a little bitter since i grow the fruit myself

[pitohui]

8. took it for years, it did fuck all

i regret the money wasted, it never did anything

my husband has metabolic syndrome and was able to normalize his fasting glucose levels v. quickly on the atkins diet, it might not be pretty, it might not come in a bottle, but it worked

as you have learned, brown rice, whole wheat pasta spike the meter just as good and in my husband's case even more so than white rice, they had to be completely eliminated to normalize his readings, i'm sorry to say