Lose Weight with Chromium With Chromium Picolinate Supplements vs By Adding More Chromium Rich Foods To Your Diet vs By Drinking Chromium Rich Weight Loss Smoothies
Edited by Donna, Eng
Chromium is a mineral that helps your body lose weight by regulating the way it uses insulin. Chromium is found naturally in many foods and is also sold as a diet pill and vitamin supplement. Chromium is essential to maintaining a healthy weight but levels of the mineral in our bodies drop as we age, causing insulin resistance and weight gain.
Method 1: With Chromium Picolinate Supplements
Chromium Picolinate, often sold as just Chromium, enhances the reaction of insulin, when taken in higher doses than usual. This prevents your body from converting starches and sugars into fat and instead utilizes carbs as proteins. Chromium also helps the liver to process fats more efficiently. This helps your body to work more efficiently to shed pounds and inches.
Chromium picolinate works to help you lose weight because:
- It lowers elevated blood sugar levels and high doses have been used for years to treat weight gain and high blood sugar in people with metabolic disorders, prediabetes, Type 1 Diabetes and Type 2 diabetes and in individuals who are experiencing high blood sugar and weight gain because of high blood sugar
- It is a natural appetite suppressant that simply cuts cravings and makes people feel full
- It can help individuals who are experiencing hormonally induced weight gain as the result of having Polycystic Ovarian Disease
- It is a mood elevator that can make you feel less depressed, important for people who feel low and fatigued while on a limited calorie or low-fat diet
- It prevents and treats age-related mental decline, which helps you focus on your weight loss goals and stay on track when it comes to losing weight
- It also improves athletic performance and helps your body build lean muscle, which helps your body burn calories and fat, even when your body is not working out and at rest
Here is how to take chromium picolinate pills to lose weight
- 1If you are diabetic and already on medications to lower your blood sugar, you are probably not a great candidate or taking chromium picolinate. Chromium diet pills are sometimes not recommended for individuals who suffer from a bi-polar disorder as it can make them feel manic.Check with your physician before taking this supplement, as it may not be a good choice for you.
- 2It is best to do this before you have a meal. The reason you are taking this high dose of Vitamin C in conjunction with the high dose of chromium is because Vitamin C helps your body absorb the chromium. If you are suffering from a metabolic disorder you are advised to up that dose to 1000 mcg of chromium will be more effective at helping you lose the pounds.To lose weight you need to take at least 500 mg of chromium mcg daily along with 1000 mcg of Vitamin C and with a big glass of room temperature water.
- 3Some people have what is called a chromate allergy. If you are allergic to leather, you are also more likely to have this allergy.If you experience a skin rash after taking a high dose of chromium, stop taking it and consult with your doctor.
- 4However, be aware that it is being suggested that taking high doses of chromium over a long period of time it might raise your risk for contracting a liver disease.You can take high doses of chromium indefinitely to lose weight without harming your health.
Method 2: By Adding More Chromium Rich Foods To Your Diet
Adding more chromium rich foods to your daily diet will help you lose weight over the long term, especially if you try to include at least one chromium rich food along with a vitamin C rich one at each meal.
Foods that are high in chromium and yet promote weight loss at the same time include:
- Broccoli, which has only 55 calories and yet supplies 53% of your daily needs for chromium
- Oats, which supply 15% of your daily requirement for chromium as well as fiber and B vitamins that promote weight loss
- Green beans, which supply 6% of your daily needs for chromium
- Romaine lettuce that supplies 4% of your daily needs for chromium
- Black pepper, which supplies 3% of your daily needs for chromium
In order for chromium to be absorbed better by your body you are advised to combine these chromium-rich weight loss foods with ones that are very high in Vitamin C.
Suggestions for meals include:
- Steamed broccoli dressed with salt, black pepper and a lemon juice
- Oatmeal mixed with strawberries, which are very high in Vitamin C
- Steamed green beans mixed with chopped red peppers as red peppers are particularly high vitamin C
- A romaine lettuce salad that contains orange or tangerine segments
- Strawberries sprinkled with black pepper, which makes for an unusual, but tasty snack that is very high in chromium
Other foods that are very rich in chromium, but may contain a high sugar content, a high starch content or fats and cholesterol that may interfere with certain dietary goals include:
- Fruits such as apples, bananas, oranges and grapes
- Vegetables such as mushrooms, potatoes, garlic and corn
- Herbs such as basil, coriander and parsley
- Seafoods that are in the shell such as lobster, oysters, crab, shrimps and mussels
- Meats such as turkey, beef and pork
- Dairy products such as milk, eggs, cottage cheese and yogurt
- Nuts such as brazil nuts, cashews, almonds and peanuts
- Red wine
- Cacao and chocolate
Method 3: By Drinking Chromium Rich Weight Loss Smoothies
You can lose weight and increase your chromium intake at the same time by replacing at least one of the meals you have a day with one of these low-calorie, nutrient rich smoothies. You can expect to lose about two pounds a week by replacing just one meal with these smoothies that are all very rich in Vitamin C and chromium but below 200 calories each.
- 1Whirl together a cup of green grapes, a peeled apple, a half cup of celery juice, a half cup of lettuce juice and a dash of apple cider vinegar with one cup of ice in a blender. If you would like this smoothie to be a bit thicker, you can add two tablespoons of chia seeds, which are a good source of protein and only add about 40 calories to the drink. Celery is a diuretic which helps eliminate bloat and the other ingredients are very rich in chromium. The apple cider vinegar is a natural cleanser of the kidneys and intestines, which helps reduce bloat and a fat appearance around the midriff.Make a Grape, Apple, Celery and Lettuce Weight Loss Smoothie at 68 calories.
Tips and Tricks
- Chromium supplementation in high doses works best in conjunction with a low-fat, low calorie diet and a healthy exercise program that includes weightlifting
- Chromium is used by some naturopaths and weight loss professionals as part of intravenous therapy or weight loss injections, which may be of some use to anyone who is morbidly obese and looking or an effective therapeutic treatment
- If you are experiencing high blood sugar levels and weight gain as the side effect of taking steroids or other medications then you might want to check with your doctor to see if taking chromium picolinate is for you
- Chromium can interact with synthroid, a medication used to regulate the thyroid hormone in the body and in general, it is recommended that you take chromium three to four hours after you take synthroid medication
- Taking NSAIDS like Advil, Motrin, Nuprin, Aleve, Anaprox, Naprelan, Naprosyn and aspirin can escalate the levels of chromium in the body and cause problems
- Try not to take an iron supplement together with a chromium supplement as that can cause either mineral to be malabsorbed
- Don't take chromium supplements together with an antacid as both cancel out the effectiveness of the other
If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.