# The GI Diet



## maddisonsquare (Apr 12, 2014)

Good morning. Hope you are all keeping well. When my boyfriend was in town last weekend he bought me a copy of the Gi Diet, which I have flicked through but not read properly due to work, commitments etc. 
I saw the colour coded lists of foods they suggest we eat and my question really is - when at DESMONDS i was given guidelines to a healthy diet. (I can understand that none of the health professionals want to endorse any one diet but I am still confused and I know its probably really really simple but its taking up far too much of my time with me thinking about it). I diversed haha. If I followed the colour coded lists of food in the Gi diet would it bring my levels down and would I lose weight. Or am I better to join  / follow a well known diet. Or take DESMONDS advise, which I found helpful but didnt really tell me anything I wasnt already aware of with diet/lifestyle. But saying that I really enjoyed the course for all the other things I learnt.
I am very overweight and I know we are all different but I really dont know which is best. I am dithering and getting nowhere at the moment.
Any help would be gratefully received xxx


----------



## AlisonM (Apr 12, 2014)

The GI diet reduces glycaemic load which in turn reduces the blood sugar levels. You can eat what you want when you want and tailor it to meet your needs, always remembering though that the higher the food item is on the Glycaemic Index, the higher your BGs are likely to go as a result of eating it. On the diet, you should be able to lose weight, according to what I've read.

I'd say it's well worth trying.

However, Carb counting and reducing carb intake might work even better.


----------



## cherrypie (Apr 12, 2014)

Hi,

The GI diet works for me but I don't have any weight to lose.
I think what you have to remember is that the GI diet is not specifically for diabetics and so as a Type2 you will have to test and see which foods you can tolerate.  
It may be that you will have to eat smaller portions of bread, pasta, rice, cereals or your individual response to a particular food will mean that it is not suitable for you regardless of it's GI value.  Some fruits described as low G.I. may have an impact as well.
The overall value of your meal needs to be low G.I. to lose weight and your tolerance for certain carbohydrates is also an issue.
Some people make the mistake of eating one low GI. food, a slice of toast, and cannot understand that they get a high blood sugar afterwards and yet if they had combined the toast with some protein, fat and fibre then the results would have been different.

Hope this makes sense,

Maise.


----------



## maddisonsquare (Apr 12, 2014)

Thank you very much for your replies. My diet before I was diagnosed was awful so I think any changes for the good will all help. I dont really have a sweet tooth but I love crisps and have learnt they arent good. 
I think if I stick to something for a few weeks and lose weight then its working. I have another check up with nurse in June so thats not too far away and if levels have dropped too then I am onto a winner, if not then I will have to re-think.

Trouble is I am a person who works best when I have strict guidelines. Before I have lost weight on Cambridge Diet, appetite suppressants along with vlc diet (over 25 years ago) and have tried all the brand diets. I lose weight. Feel happy and put it all back on plus more....... 
Now I realise that it is a lifelong change. I am just a little muddled as to what to do for the best. xxx


----------



## AlisonM (Apr 12, 2014)

I've been there too Maddison, I've tried all the diets over the years without success and got really depressed over it all. I finally settled on a low carb 'diet' and portion control which is now working for me far better than any other diet I've tried. I eat very little carbs, small amounts of wholegrain bread and pasta and occasionally wild rice (tried brown, yuck!). I have some protein with almost every meal and small amounts of fruit, mainly berries. I bulk out meals with veg and cook almost everything from scratch so I know what's in the meal (No hidden sugar or salt). For instance:

Breakfast today: one slice wholegrain toast with grilled tomatoes and a big mug of tea.

Lunch: Three bean soup made from fresh soy beans, green beans and garden peas cooked in chicken stock, a small yoghurt (home made) with a few blueberries. More tea.

Dinner will be Cajun Chicken and roasted veg including bell peppers, sweet potato, onions, tomatoes and baby sweetcorn. Oh, and more tea. Plus a litre or so of water throughout the day.

It takes a bit of work, but it's worth it and I've found the 'discipline' required isn't actually too hard.

If you need support to stick to a diet then I perhaps something like Slimming World may be a good idea, some of our other members swear by them. That way you'd get feedback and encouragement when you need it.


----------



## maddisonsquare (Apr 12, 2014)

AlisonM thank you very much for your advice. Your evening meal sounds delicious. I have seen that some members have mentioned SW. My son is willing to come on walks in the evening with me. He is 19 and it will be lovely having that time together to chat and get fit, I would say fitter but in my case I need to get fit first haha. And as much as I moan about exercise and find all the excuses going, once I have been I do feel much better for it. Thank you for your help. xx


----------



## Lurch (Apr 13, 2014)

Hi.  Personally I found GI or GL lists didn't guarantee how a particular food affected my own blood sugar.  As said above, these lists are not designed for diabetes management. 

I only trusted self-testing what I eat, not particular diets. It is a chore to self-test to the degree needed at the start, but you say you like a strict regime!  Your meter will be strict!   Your meter will also be your personal GI/GL index.   I found the low carb route quickly dropped my weight.  Moderate exercise is also important.

I read a lot about what a low carb diet meant.  I didn't set out to follow any particular diet though.  It has a sort of inevitability: reducing carbs means finding 'safer' (ie non trans or saturated) fats and slightly increasing protein. It also means keeping records until you know what you are eating and how it affects you.  I treated my diagnosis like finding the house on fire. First I put the fire out by cutting out all sweets and anything at all that increased my +1 hour after meal BS level above Jenny Ruhl's advised maximum.  My meter put me on a ketogenic, very low carb regime, not me. Once my HBA1c got down to 5.6% and my weight to a healthy level, I started revising my carb intake back up by trying various things like Burgen bread etc.  Like rebuilding with fire-retardant material once the flames have been put out.

If you haven't yet visited her website, try Jenny Ruhl:-
http://www.phlaunt.com/lowcarb/

Jenny provides excellent advice on blood sugar and safe BS limits and also weight loss, and has a great calculator to work out your protein, carb and fat intake too. Pretty much everything you need.

My meal testing phased off after the first two months because by then I had changed my whole diet to satisfy my meter.


----------

