Low GI "Diet"

Hello!

I've been doing a little research concerning this Low GI Diet Revolution. Now, I've read many many times that diet fads are practically evil. However, I know of one poster here who has had success following this concept. I read a little from the book's preview and it seems to be sensible. 

Having grown up eating beans, "taters", gravy, etc., I've found it hard to change certain aspects of my diet. Of course, things have drastically improved within the past year or so. Old habits die hard, though, and I'd like to have a diet sort of laid out in front of me like this book seems to do. If I have a good starting point, I'm sure I can work from there. I've currently lost weight while exercising and counting calories. But, I'd like to eat a bit...cleaner, if that makes sense. The foods I currently eat leave me feeling hungry shortly after. This GI thing claims to incorporate foods that basically stick with you for longer periods of time. 

I'm pretty much looking for people who have had success, or failures, with this approach. Is it easy, and CHEAP, to follow? Did you successfully lose weight by following it? Have you maintained your weight loss for a significant amount of time? Has your overall health improved? Have you suffered any sort of ill effects since you started? I'd appreciate reviews before buying the book, heh. 

Thanks much!

GI is basically the explanation for my username...   I started with a Low GI diet back in 2004 and I'm still with it today... mostly because I really enjoy eating that way.  I lost over 50lbs initially because I combined Low GI eating with calorie/portion control and increased exercise.... since then I've maintained my weight rather better than I've ever managed to in the past.  Five years isn't bad.

I find Low GI eating very satisfying... as the books say, you really do feel fuller for a little longer if you make slightly different choices.  I've never been a huge fan of sugar so ditching sugary foods was not a problem.  And I also find it very cheap because Low GI foods are the 'un-mucked-around-with' type that are not in fancy packets with fancy prices.  They're cheap boring things like oats, beans, cabbages and wholemeal bread.  Some call it 'clean' eating, I think it's just traditional healthy food.  What I would say is that I cook more than I used to since all of these wholefoods require a little more effort to convert into a meal than some dish of dubious goop that you pop in the microwave.  But it's a very small trade-off.

My health has improved.  Things like BP are down (something I have to watch after a tricky pregnancy) and I have lots more energy than I used to.  Losing weight has helped get rid of a mild asthma condition and I'm told I snore less...   I hardly ever get colds and minor ailments either.  Maybe I'm just lucky or maybe all this good nutrition is keeping me safe!

What's really good about Low GI eating is that nobody notices   I can look at most restaurant menus (if you don't count god awful fast-food joints) and there will be lots of things that fit the bill.  A working definition of a fad diet to me is one where you're sending the waiter to the kitchen with a list of neurotic demands or where you have to take your own food to parties.... brrrrr...  Also, I can feed Low GI meals to friends, family, kids and not only does no-one twig but I also get rave reviews!  That made losing weight and keeping it off a lot, lot easier because everyone eats the same as me.... happily.

I'd thoroughly recommend it.  Take from it as much as you want rather than think there are hard and fast 'rules' from which thou shalt not deviate!!!  Then it's pleasant, flexible and nice to live with.  Good luck

Wonderful, I appreciate the reply and info. It's great that it's worked out so well for you! I'm going to go ahead and order the book.

That's an interesting bit of trivia about you Gi-Jane

Incidentally, would you find a Fructose Index (FI) helpful ?  It looks like it would solve the issue the GI has with having to take into account the Glycemic Load too.

Some researchers that worked originally on the GI are now saying that a FI might be more helpful.

...We suggest that the G.I. is better aimed at identifying foods that stimulate insulin secretion rather than foods that stimulate insulin resistance...

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17763967

It looks like without too much fructose your insulin levels are able to come down in between meals.  Hence, your body is able to regulate your fat stores correctly.

Patrick

Trivia? ...     I don't personally think a fructose index would be helpful ...  Sticking to one or two pieces of fruit a day seems to cover that one off.     My take on Low GI was not to try to memorise individual GI (or GL or FI) ratings but to simply categorise things as 'High', 'Medium' or 'Low' GI and then use a bit of commonsense on portion-control for things that either don't have a GI rating or which are Low GI but very high in calories e.g. nuts, butter, cheese.   This was a suggestion by Rick Gallop in his book 'The Low GI Diet' and it's incredibly easy to apply.  Might not please the purists but it's very practical.

Oops, I just checked the English definition and I don't think "trivia" means exactly the same thing in English than in French.  My meaning was "interesting personal information"

Patrick

I started watching my consumption of high GI foods due to a type 2 diabetes diagnosis, and was able to get blood sugar under control within a couple of weeks.  After that I lost weight, and for the period I was dieting I severely restricted high GI foods.  Some of this was by food selection, but portion control was the most important thing.  For me weight loss has been all about counting food and exercise calories.  In general high GI foods are high in calorie density, and so are not as satisfying to control the hunger pangs that result from a high deficit weight loss regime.

I've been maintaining at a weight 50 lbs lighter than I was 2 years ago.  At this point I exercise a lot more than I used to, and I still count the calories in a daily diary.  I don't watch the high GI foods as closely as I used to, but I still keep an eye on cookies, sugar, candy and starchy foods.   I took liquid milk and dry breakfast cereal out of my diet early on and haven't really gone back to either one.  I still get plenty of dairy via unsweetened yogurt and cheese, two very low GI alternatives to liquid milk.

In sum a low GI diet is a good thing for your health.  But you won't lose weight unless you maintain consistent calorie deficits week in and week out.  That means lots of exercise and putting down the fork when your portion is gone.

Hi there,

I've literally just started eating low GI and already I feel good!

Normally, with having a white bread sandwich and muffin for lunch I feel bloated for like an hour and then peckish around 2-half 2ish (now!).  However, my low GI meal of ravioli (which I'm hoping is low GI after a little research), peas and carrots, I'm comfortable, not too full AND not hungry.  Therefore, don't feel the need to snack.

I've ordered the book too, I'll keep you posted!