Getting the hang of low GI

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It has taken me a couple of weeks to get the hang of low GI. For the first week, I wasn't really following it right, didn't lose weight. The second week it was on again and off again, but I lost 3 pounds. This week I am able to follow fairly close, but haven't weighed yet. I have noticed that I sleep better at night, don't have a fraction of the hot flashes and night sweats and am not hungry like I used to be. It does take a lot of preparation, though. Three days a week I work two jobs and it is as much as 9 hours between lunch and dinner. I have to take snacks to keep me going, but it is getting easier.

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  • sazzet
    sazzet Posts: 56 Member
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    Hi, I have been on the GI diet for 16 days now and I have lost 7 pounds. While I watch what I eat, I am also counting my calories on myfitnesspal. It is amazing and I enjoy what I eat. There are so many things you can do with this diet. If you need any ideas, I have a few and we could share our recipes.
  • justplainoleanne
    justplainoleanne Posts: 38 Member
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    I would love to share recipes!
  • McGinity2010
    McGinity2010 Posts: 2 Member
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    I have recently found out I have what they call PCOS. The doctor sujest I go on a low Gl diet I seem to be at a loss when i think of what I can have and what I can't so any reciepes you would be willing to share might just help me along.
  • justplainoleanne
    justplainoleanne Posts: 38 Member
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    At first, the easiest way to get started is to eat plain fruits and vegetables and meats. There are a lot of good books out there to help. I purchased "The Low GI Handbook" Dr. Jennie Brand-Miller has several books out that seem helpful. My doctor explained that one half of every plate should be fruits and vegetables, one quarter should be carbs (beans are a better start, but pasta works too, and one quarter should be protein. www.glycemicindex.com can be helpful as well. What you are really trying to do with this diet is avoid sugar highs and lows.
  • julyjiggle
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    Hey there I am new to this forum!

    I have just started on the low GI diet. It seemed a reasonable lifestyle change. Now I am supposed to reduce my carbs to 25gr a day for the first two weeks to kick start the diet. At the same time as I am following that, I am tracking my calories and exercise on MFP and it keeps telling me that I need to consume more calories! To eat back the calories I exercised away. But I am at a loss as to what more to eat! any ideas with low GI snacks?
    Thank you!

    PS... I would love to share recipes! I simply love to cook - that might explain my weight problem :)
  • sisterphonetica
    sisterphonetica Posts: 59 Member
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    Hi, this is a quiet group, but I'd love to join you.

    I found Low GI alone didn't help me lose weight but I think I eat pretty healthily anyway. So I'm trying to remain low GI while counting calories with MFP.

    How we all doing?
  • priscillaho
    priscillaho Posts: 2 Member
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    Any hints for the GI diet? I'm on day 3 and constantly find myself fretting over what I can eat. Trying to keep a 1200 calorie/day diet on myfitnesspal (MFP) with minimum 45 minutes vigorous exercise 5 days a week.
  • codytrim
    codytrim Posts: 1
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    I'm back on the low GL again after having my third baby recently. We tried it about 3 years ago and both my husband and I lost the weight we wanted to quite quickly. As I was breastfeeding at the time (and am now too) I didn't limit my food but just chose from the recommended lists - and didn't count calories. I have never really dieted as for me if I eat healthily and exercise it generally keeps me ok. It's different after pregnancies however so I needed the push.
    What I like about low GL is that it's healthy, good food and not all substituted "low-fat" or substitute sugar in everything (which it turns out are bad for you according to low GL).
    So basically you are trying to balance your blood sugars by eating slow-releasing-sugar foods. It's not just about eating veg etc - some fruits are quite high and dried fruit is a no-no. Combining protein with carbs makes the GL lower so for example having a small handful of cashews with a yoghurt will get you more results than just yoghurt on its own. Who would have thought? But it works and you don't get hungry. Also there's a big difference between the GL of some carbs - Jasmine Rice for example is about 4 times that of brown basmati - so even that switch did a lot. I eat a lot of things like oats (porridge), crackers and hummous, avocado and smoked salmon wraps etc. The book we used was Patrick Holfords Low GL diet bible and it has lots of recipes etc. He also talks about how a low GL diet protects against everything from Diabetes to Cancer. That's another reason we veer towards these foods as they are healthier all round (lots of "good" fats,).
    I'd definitely recommend it as an approach to healthy eating but also as very good for weight loss. Would love to see people join this group and exchange recipes etc.
  • tripsmom3
    tripsmom3 Posts: 11 Member
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    Does anyone know if there is a low GI diary that tracks nutrition using that system? I want to change my dietary habits to a GI friendly plan but have a hard time tracking. What are you doing to track the carbs/proteiin ratios?