I'm hungry all the time- gaining weight

Chromium polynicotinate 200-600 mcg daily (start at the lower dose and raise if you need it)
L-glutamine - 1000-2000 mg daily, Take 500mg 30 mins before meals for best results

There are other supplements that help with this but these are the ones that seem to work best and make the most difference in terms of cravings and hunger.  I am insulin resistant and these are specifically to help stabilize blood sugar.

Rose,

I have a question, you say you are insulin resistant.  Do you take insulin?  I am diabetic, I take Lantus which works for a while then it doesn't work so well and have to up the number of units.  

Just wondering if you take Chromium polnicotinate and L-glutamine along with insulin?

Thank you!

I am not diabetic..although I was heading that direction.  I stave off diabetes with low carb, exercise, VSG, and those supplements. Insulin resistant means that I don't react well to carbs.. I have a low tolerance to glucose, I can gain weight easily, etc. Here's some info on the topic:

 http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/insulinresistance/

 You can reverse your diabetes in most cases with lifestyle changes, but it's easier said than done.  Chromium is  huge help with insulin resistance and diabetes.

Thanks for the info.  Yeah I talked to my pcp and endo and both said my pancreas just doesn't produce like it should, NO MATTER what I eat, how much I exercise, etc.  So reversing diabetes isn't ALWAYS possible and I've always been one to NOT BE NORMAL.  UGH!!!  Oh well it is what it is and it would always be a LOT worse!

Sorry to hijack...

Good to see you, Sublimate.

I hope your plastics go smoothly and you have a speedy recovery!

Lindsey

Sublimate, what's the diff b/n chromium picolinate and the polynicotinate? I was insulin resistant and pre diabetic before surgery but the insulin has never been tested after surgery, though my blood sugar has been consistently low. So I'm curious about these supplements...
Lizanne

I love you!!!  That is all =)

Hi there!

Thank you for your interesting and informative post!

I went to the Pharmacist, because I couldn't find either of these supplements and asked a couple of questions.  He said, to start with either of the two (chromium or L-Glutamine) for a couple of weeks to see if I found a change, this way I would know if one worked and one didn't, which made perfect sense to me.  I started with the Chromium and found Swiss Naturals 500 mcg. (See below) The medicinal ingredient says Elemental Chromium (Chromium Yeast)  500 mcg.  He also mentioned that this dose was somewhat on the high side (it was the only type of Chromium that they had).  

I just read a study where sets of obese women were given Chromium Picolinate and another given Chromium Nicotinate.  Those with the Picolinate on average gained weight and those using Nicotinate lost.  I have no idea which of those two (if either), I should take or if the one that I got was ok to use.  Are you familiar with this brand?  What dosage do you use?  Any special time of day or with anything?

Any help would be appreciated, thanks!

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Chromium increases the effective action of insulin and helps the body to metabolize carbohydrates and fats.

Minerals are nutrients that work in conjunction with vitamins and proteins to maintain your overall physical and mental well being. Minerals are present in all our tissues and maintain physiological processes necessary for the proper functioning of the nervous system, muscles, teeth, heart, brain, hormone production, metabolism, vitamin absorption, water and tissue fluid balance.

No artificial flavours or colours. No preservatives, sweeteners, dairy, corn, soy, gluten or wheat.

Dosage: 500 mcg
 

I'm so sorry that you're going through this Jen.  It's interesting that now that so many of us are 2+ years out, we get to see what the realities are.

I hit my 2 year mark this month and can see that I'm am empyting more quickly.  While I personaly hate chicken breast meat, I've started incorporating it into my food plan.  More chicken breast, more lean pork chops, less ground beef, ground turkey etc.  I find that the denser the protein, the longer it keeps me full.

I did the cottage cheese test at 18 months and could eat 6 oz.  I did it last week for the 2 year test and I could eat 8 oz.  I wasn't happy about that.  Dense protien, 4 oz and I'm full.  6 oz of white fish or salmon and there's room for nothing else. Sometimes I hate to eat the veggies and I just want the protein because I know it's my best shot for staying full for 4 hours.

I'm tracking my food and keeping it within the 1200 calorie a day range.  This is only possible because the dense protein fills me so quickly.  Things like eggs, cheese, cottage cheese, greek yogurt just go in and out.  I use Quest bars when I'm away from home and the hunger hits because they are so high in fiber.  Better than other grab and go items and they give me 20 grams of protein.  In the last few weeks I started adding a protein drink the morning in hopes that higher doses of protein will provide nutrients throughout the day and help with the hunger.

For me, recently unemployed after 18 years, I know that a lot of my hunger is in my head which it's up to me to find ways to be amused, aside from food.

We're all in the same boat and I really want to thank you for starting this conversation for all of us.  I have my 2 year visit with my surgeon tomorrow, but I know that his answer is standard and will be to stick to 3 meals a day with no supplementation and no snacking.  ARGGGG... I'd rather discuss the realities and how to deal with them!