Hi All,

I started the 'GI diet' a week ago, was just wondering if anyone here has experience with this diet? Maybe people have tips/recipes/success stories to share???

I am using the book by Rick Gallop (see here http://www.gidiet.com/) - it is going well so far It seems to be a healthier way of eating - also you are supposed to eat 3 meals and 3 snacks each day so I am probably eating more than I used to before!

But (typical me!) I am impatient and want to see results NOW!!! Would love to know if it has worked for other people out there

Thanks

This isn't a new concept. There are several "low GI" diets. South Beach, Atkins, Sugar Busters, Zone, just to name a few. They are all lower GI than the USDA dietary recommendations, but to varying degrees. Atkins is extremely low. I have been very successful in improving my health markers (blood pressure, cholesterol, inflammation markers) and losing excess fat by using the Zone diet principles in the past and now. I lost 40 lbs of fat in college in about 10 months. I got married and lapsed back into my old eating habits, so the weight came back. No surprise there! Look at my profile to see how I'm doing now.

Take your newfound knowledge of the glycemic load / glycemic index of foods, combine that with healthy lean meats and good-for-you fats with mild calorie restriction and you have a great recipe for a sustainable, nutritious, healthy diet.

I'll take a look at that website and let you know what I think. The best nutrition plan is one whose principles can be backed by many, many reputable sources. And kudos to you for buying the book! Gosh, there are so many people that only half-ass follow a plan and don't really do any research or READ about it, and usually go about trying to lose weight the wrong way by following ill-conceived notions about nutrition.

Yes I saw that the low-GI idea has been around for a long time! The Gi diet that Rick Gallop has devised is based on low-GI principles but is also low-calorie and low in bad fats - so it seems like a sensible way to eat! And like you mentioned it includes lean meats and good fats...

The "Zone" sounds interesting - it seems like you are doing very well on it at the moment!!! Thanks for the info - it is nice to know that low-GI in general does work

OK, so one thing I don't like is the "never count calories again" blurb on the website. Granted, with the right low GI foods, it is nearly impossible to overeat them, so counting calories isn't so much of an issue, but still, there are some low GI foods (like oatmeal and beans) that are pretty calorie dense, and if you're used to gobbling down big salads a meager 1/4 cup of oatmeal might not satisfy you to the same degree, so the denser calorie foods you SHOULD count calories. Overeating even low GI foods means excess calories, and we all know what excess calories do.

Based on your post above, it seems that the book might be a little more explanatory about what he's talking about.

Oops, I didn't see your next post before my last one!

It is interesting that you say that because in the book he does talk about calories - that you need to create a calorie deficit etc... even though one of the 'selling points' is "never count calories again"! Bit of a contradiction...

Thankfully I am used to counting calories so I do have an idea of my daily totals without counting TOO strictly. In the book it says you can eat as much as you want of most 'green-light' foods (i.e. good foods) but there are some which have limited portions - like wholegrain bread, cereals (like oatmeal) and so on. So I suppose people who might not be used to counting calories should still be ok if they stick to those portions!