The Glycemic Load Diet

I like you feel there is not enough info in most diet book about why we over eat.

I think I stand on this topic where you stand on the milk topic from your previous post. Starchy vegetables and bread are the cause for the obesity epidemic? Sure, if they are fried, but really, the problem is not that we eat too much brown rice or too much steamed sweet potatoes and turnips. I do agree that they are not ideal foods (leafy green vegetables are much better), especially as you say, in our sedentary culture, but I also think it is good to keep some perspective.

wait... I thought brown rice and sweet potatoes were LOW gi foods. or are those banned here too? *goes back to read*
"activate slow-twitch muscle" lol. sorry I just find that really funny.
But honestly, it's not that we overeat starchy vegetables exactly, it's that we OVEREAT- Period. It makes me kind of sad that everything is SO over-complicated these days. *sigh*
Other than that though, I quite like the original GI diet It makes sense to me along with the Zone, but is less rigid.

Thompson's diet approach may be right for some people. As someone who is in that 22% range of insulin resistant, I cannot be relaxed about the grains that I eat. I agree with Helena that brown rice, sweet potatoes and turnips are not the problem. The problem is all of our grain is refined to the point of having no nutritional value whatsoever, and everything has corn syrup in it. I also agree that it is important to pay attention to the messages of our bodies - they will tell us when particular foods are not good for them. There is very little real food in its original form that is off limits for me.

This sounds interesting. The author also gets credibility points for not claiming that this diet is "the perfect solution for EVERYONE!" as many diet book authors do.

The Atkins diet, has higher phases that include lots of carbs, even grain!

Dr. Atkins was a passionate believer that 'not one diet fits all'.

Some people who are really sensitive need that ketogenic level to get them losing.

Glycemic Load Diet is just another name for a Low carb diet. It looks (rightly so) at the total carbohydrate intake as well as GI effect.

I find it amusing how all these people are aware of Low GI, when years ago, nobody cared. All they cared about was calories and fat.

They all have bagged Dr. Atkins, but he was a Low GI pioneer.

I totally agree that the average joe reading about low carb in the paper then making up his own version, is the problem.

Mmmm, sweet potatoes. So yummy!

I have IR and, since being diagnosed, have researched the heck out of it. The studies that have been conducted on the effects of exercise on IR have demonstrated that weight training, or building fast-twitch muscle fibres, were far more beneficial over other forms of exercise. Those who solely performed cardiovascular exercises such as walking saw no significant decrease in symptoms of IR. That's not to say, however, that improving one cardiovascular system is not worthwhile. I have to ask where he gets his information on the benefits of building slow-twitch muscle fibres since there is overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

I think it's great that there is information on treating IR through lifestyle, and managing blood sugar does have an effect on helping someone with IR to see fat loss. Trust me - it is no small feat seeing even a small weight loss when you are insulin resistant. Did he mention, at all, the need to create a calorie deficit? Because, even with IR, we're still subject to the rules of physics...

Also, there are many people with IR who won't simply loose fat by "just [not eating] more than a quarter serving of flour products, potatoes, or rice at a time, and abstain[ing] from sugar-containing soft drinks and fruit juices." Many people also need insulin sensitizing medications to get the ball rolling.

As someone who's been slowly chipping away at my adipose tissues for the last nine months, if he didn't talk at all about the emotional/mental side of weight loss, he has really missed the boat on this one. Mindset plays such a huge role and, with increasing links being made between depression and insulin resistance, emotional eating/disordered eating and mental health need to be addressed.

And What do french fries, doughnuts, and white pasta have in common? Carbs and trans fats. No wander why we are sick these days.

Even though this diet is pointing people in the right direction it still has it's flaws. This my years of research it believe and have tested that starchy breads and pastas are not cause of weight gain but more timing and lack of exercise. Timing is everything and is what bodybuilders live by every day. By eating these foods earily in the day and eating light at night they do not have to be excluded from your diet. I eat breads in tell after lunch and then focus on low glycemic vegtables, fruit, and protein. Exercise is the most important as 63% of people in the United States do not get enough exercise plus there nutrition is no better. Live free and eat and exercise right!

I bought the book and have been following it for months. It is a very common sense and easy to follow diet. It never says you can't eat things like brown rice. It has sound science (the author is a board certified cardiologist) and, 90+ pounds later, I can assure you it is a "diet" I can follow easily for the rest of my life. The book also recommends more than every other day aerobic activity for those who are deskbound. Given you can buy it at Walmart.com for about $10.00 it sounds like most folks posting negative comments here are too afraid to lose weight to actually try something different. I've given away over a dozen copies of the book and everyone I've given it to loves it because it is something they can follow. I'll add that items such as Dreamfields Pasta, Orowheat's (and others) lower carb breads, new low carb tortillas and similar items make it much easier to enjoy foods excluded by diets such as Atkins. Dr. Thompson also recommends doing high intensity strength training in addition to regular aerobic exercise and does not view either as anything but essential. His point is that you don't need to spend 3 hours in the gym every day to get in shape.

BTW - the term "Glycemic Load" was coined at Harvard Medical School to explain the actual biological impact of foods on blood sugar. As Dr. Thompson points out, raw carrots are a "High GI" food however you'd have to eat, according to Harvard Medical School, nearly 2 pounds of carrots to raise your blood sugar significantly. Since glycemic load measures the impact of real life portions on blood sugar you can easily ascertain the impact of how much you're eating on your blood sugar. The formula is a simple one, divide the GI of a food by 100 and multiply that result times the grams of available carbs in whatever food you're eating. The result is the glycemic load. 20 or less is moderate, 10 or less is low.

My husband has been diagnosed a few weeks ago as a Diabetic. We are still in the testing stage to create a Baseline. I purchased this book in place of another (not knowing the difference) and am most happy with what I am learning. Since I have to keep track of what he eats, I have noticed a pattern in the Blood Sugar testing, already. Commercial soups with some sort of starch additives make his numbers go higher. Soups and meals without starches are lower. I have to believe there is some credibility to this GL Theory. BTW, my hubby is 84 and is handling this new diagnosis well, under the circumstances.

I plan to purchase a number of the books to give as gifts. I am pleased with the short term results.

I have been following the Glycemic Load Diet for only 10 days and have reduced my insulin medicine by half and my fasting blood sugar has dropped 30 points! This is good new for diabetics!

I think the one thing we have to keep in mind is that everyone is different. Some people respond well to low fat, higher (good) carbohydrate diets, while others, like myself, respond well to diets higher in protein and lower in starch. There are a couple of points to take into consideration. First, humans have relied on grain for millennia as a major source of nutrition, however, we did not have the refined sugars, nor the over-hybridized grains of today. No one needs the starch, as Thompson points out, that is contained in rice, potatoes, and grains...no matter how it's prepared. Potatoes and cultivated rice are a fairly recent addition to the diet of those of us of Northern European descent and over the years, we have added more and more of these to our diet. Just like the starch used on shirts, it's a filler, intended to stave off starvation, not be a primary source of nutrition. In the US in particular, whether it's bread, or mac'n'cheese, or baked potatoes, we've allowed this filler to become a mainstay of our diets.

Second is the proliferation of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in EVERYTHING. Not only does HFCS add unwanted, unnecessary calories, it also prevents the production of leptin, the hormone that tells us when to stop eating. Check the labels...it lurks in everything.

As far as sweet potatoes go...you probably can't find anything healthier (or yummier :) ), so go for it. As for turnips? Turnips, lima beans, and eggplant are the closest thing to proof that there might, indeed, be a devil after all--they are that nasty (to me, at least).

Cheers!

The Glycemic LOAD diet works, and of course if you watch calories. I lost 40 lbs. on it, and have maintained my weight loss for over a year ! Insulin resistance and diabetes is on my father's side. This diet is one of the healthiest diets for your blood sugar, triglycerides, and keeping your good cholesterol up. If you don't believe me, get a blood glucose meter, and test your blood sugar half hour after eating 2 pieces of bread , or a piece of cake !! A half hour after eating WHITE CARBS, your blood sugar will rise higher than with protein, fats, nuts, yogurt, and low glycemic fruits. !!! It is that SPIKE that tells your body to store fat with that energy!! Glycemic Load DIET and South Beach philosophy is a way of life for ME !!!