On the GI are you at some point counting calories?

Topanga... great site and great recipes. Thanks for sharing! I was hitting a low point myself with a plateau that has lasted two weeks... but at least I'm not gaining! I plan to kick up my workout this week as well. Thanks again for the encouraging info and keep up the great work!

Hi thanks for your reply

I realise if its low gi its okay but are low carb products by default low gi?

None of the products state if they are or arent

First, thanks to those who commented on my website. I appreciate it as it took some work to set up.

Secondly, no I don't count calories ... no need to on low GI. I do use fitday.com to keep track now because so many were asking me what I was eating etc. I don't "count" them as in try to stay under a certain number, if I'm hungry, I eat. However, when I do tally up what I'm eating, I tend to be between 1700 and 2300 on an average day.

I would think that most low carb products would certainly be low GI because the GI rating only applies to carbohydrate foods. There are chocolate bars that are low GI, and M&Ms peanut candies are low GI. But I agree with Quincy in that they should be occasional treats used in moderation. The GI is not the only factor to consider when deciding whether to eat a particular food.

Anna
288 / 230 / 130
58 Pounds Gone using Low G.I.

Topanga.. if you don't mind my asking, how long have you been losing? I know the weight loss will be different for everyone but I'm just curious how many months it took to lose the weight... a great accomplishment regardless of time! I am doing a modified low-carb right now but have heard many good things about GI diet.. sounds less restrictive to me.. and I think this weekend I may go out and buy some books on it. Any suggestions? I already have sandra woodruff's low gi cookbook.
Thx.
lkp

I just revisited your site, Topanga, and saw that you had "as of oct 2003." sorry for missing that!

Nope. no counting calories. At least not on the particular version of low g.i. I am doing. This is the only "measure" I have to follow: 1/4 plate protein (lean meat), 1/4 plate moderate g.i. (brown rice) and 1/2 plate low g.i. (almost every kind of veggie).
Slow but steady.

Oh I use that cookbook almost every day, it's wonderful! The other great book I recommend is called "The New Glucose Revolution" and it explains low GI, has lists of foods and their GI rating, and also a few more recipes. Good luck!

I need some advice - I've been on the Atkins diet for about 10 months and have lost about 4 stone (56lbs) but I want to lose another 2 stone (28lbs). The only way I have been able to make any real progress is by staying on the Induction phase for far too long and I'm not even doing it properly anyway (I try not to go above 10g of carbs a day). Although I am pleased with what I have achieved I dont feel at all healthy and I'm getting really frustrated with the limited food, made even worse by the fact that I have some food allergies so I'm even more restricted.
I bought a GI Diet book and I really want to do it. It seems so much better for you. I've never been entirely comfortable being on a diet that doesnt let you eat fruit! But I'm really worried about undoing all my hard work. Its been such a struggle and I'd be devastated if I put any weight back on.
So, does anyone have any advice about how to switch from Atkins to GI? I'd love to hear other peoples stories and what the weight loss/gain prospects are after switching.
Sorry to ramble on, I'm new to all this!

I have just started reading the GI Diet. So far it sounds fairly doable to me. I always thought I was eating too much fat on Atkins and this might just be the answer. It also sounds a lot like the South Beach Diet. Will keep checking this thread to see what all of you think.

Hi MrsCee
I started the GI Diet about a week ago now and I was doing Atkins before. I didnt manage to get any advice about how to ease myself into eating good carbs as opposed to practically no carbs, I just went for it and I think it was a bit of a shock to my system. I have gained 2 lbs since but it is early days. I feel so much better and I look forward to my meals now. I am still trying to find a good balance between the amount of calories and carbs I should eat every day but I think I'm getting there.
Its definately worth having a go at it. I would probably go back to Atkins if I feel that I've gained too much during the transition and losing again is difficult but I hope I dont have too!
Good Luck!

I have the Living the GI Diet book by Rick Gallop. I haven't really started the "diet" yet, but am slowly incorporating the ideas into my life. I can't say I have lost weight (no scale to weigh myself with), but I am feeling better when I eat as he suggests. My headaches are going away, and my stomach is a bit flatter. Now if that's just because my cola intake is less, I'll take it!

One thing I like is that you don't have to count calories. And I can eat things that I like and it's all ok!

One last point - from my experience. I switched to 100% stoneground bread as is recommended by Rick Gallop. One morning I had to grab some white bread instead for part of my breakfast. I found that I don't even like the taste of the processed bread, and that I was hungry almost immediately after I ate the white bread! I can say that this diet will work for me once I start on it fully (I never have time to pack snacks in the morning...have to start making muffins) and when exercise is back in my life on a full time basis.

I have begun this new way of eating and have read the book twice. It's great to hear your success stories, please keep them coming.

The apple bran muffins in the first GI Diet book are quite good, moist and easily to double or triple. The granola bars are really dry but my husband who is not on any diet liked them.

I feel the same way. I eat Burgen Soy & Linseed low GI bread, which is available here in Australia, and since I've switched, I can't eat the regular white bread anymore either. So blah and tasteless. I love the multigrain breads. I'm a big bread fan, so I'm really glad I can still eat bread and lose weight. Good luck to you in your new way of eating.

Anna
288 / 223.5 / 130
64.5 Pounds Gone using Low G.I.

Vary interesting check out my post on the alkaline diet in the protein power board