down—especially if you have strained your pancreas for a long time.
Chromium’s importance in the regulation of blood sugar has been recognized
since the 1950s. Chromium has also been shown to facilitate weight loss. I
recommend 4,000 to 5,000 micrograms of chromium picolinate per day as part
of the Perfect 10 Diet program initially. You should take that much until your
sugar cravings go away, and at that point, you can reduce your intake to 1,000
micrograms. If the problem still exists, your physician may prescribe a diabetic
drug to increase insulin sensitivity, and this may help you shed the pounds.
However, if you’re a diabetic, a word of caution: your diabetic medications
may need to be adjusted lower, now that you’re on the Perfect 10 Diet. The same
holds true if you are taking insulin shots, as your sugar levels will be reduced.
If you are a diabetic on insulin, you may not be able to lose a lot of weight on
the Perfect 10 Diet. Why? Your insulin level in this situation is not regulated by
your diet; instead, it’s regulated by the amounts of insulin you inject. It’s
important to get off insulin injections, if your body is still able to make it, to
achieve weightloss results. But how can you do that? Check your insulin level in
your doctor’s office after a meal that includes sugar, such as a doughnut or a
glass of orange juice. (It’s a one-time deal on the Perfect 10 Diet before you kiss
sugar good-bye.) If your insulin level is over 10 after this sugary meal, your
pancreas is still making insulin. That means that you can control your diabetes
simply by following the Perfect 10 Diet alone, and you won’t need insulin
injections. Oral diabetic medications may be sufficient, and that can help you
lose the stubborn pounds.
Glucagon
Glucagon, the fat-burning hormone, is not routinely checked unless a pancreatic
tumor is suspected. You don’t need to worry about fixing your glucagon level via
supplements; it should regulate on the Perfect 10 Diet after you fix the insulin
disturbance.
Leptin
I check leptin levels for many of my patients, especially when they have an
insulin problem, since both hormones go hand in hand. Many, but not all,
laboratories perform leptin analysis. Within 2 to 3 weeks after beginning the
Perfect 10 Diet, nearly everyone will experience a dramatic decline in leptin
levels. Younger people have quicker results than older people, who have more
damage to undo.