Hi Heather,
This is my first post at 3FC, though I've been lurking a while.
I started eating low gi on 5/31. I don't count carbs or fat grams, and I wasn't even too worried about calories in the beginning. I do sort of tally each day to get a rough estimate of calories, because I realized I wasn't eating nearly ENOUGH calories and I feared a slowing metabolism.
A good primer of low gi eating is The GI Diet by Rick Gallop. It's very basic info, but it's good basic stuff and not confusing at all. I got it from my library first (a couple of days after I'd already started eating low gi, going by info online) and then from half.com for a song.
There isn't really informtion about glycemic load in the book, just the gi numbers, but common sense can help you out there.
If a carrot's GI number is similar to something like a small package of M&M's number, the key to figuring out which is best for you to eat (and that's obvious in this case) is how many carbs you get. THe GI numbers were based on 50 grams of carbs. You'd eat an awful lot of carrots to get 50 grams of carbs. So the effect on blood sugar from carrots is much, MUCH smaller than the effect on M&M's (many more carbs per serving) even though the GI numbers aren't that far apart. There are other factors involved, but that one's key.
If you want to know the glycemic load of a food, look it up at nutritiondata.com I think that site's valuable for the numbers alone. I have trouble taking nutrition advice from any site that warns the reader that a large portion of the calories in celery come from sugars.
For just GI numbers, glycemixindex.com is helpful. Though you've probably found both of those while searching online. Rick Gallop's site is gidiet.com But aside from some recipes and very basic information, it's really more an advertisement for his books than it is a good resource, IMO, of course.
Low gi eating stresses fruits, vegetables, certain lower gi whole grains like oatmeal, lowfat dairy, lean animal protein and beans. Make half your meal veggies, about a quarter some low gi carb, and about a quarter lean protein. He also recommends 3 meals and 3 snacks a day. Sometimes I have a hard time getting all those in.
Living the GI Diet also by Rick Gallop has a lot of recipes (some of which are great, and at least one I've tried so far that went directly into the trash). Susan Woodruff--I think that's her name--has a couple good low-carb/good-carb books--The Good Carb Cookbook and Secrets of Low-Carb/Good-Carb Living.
And I under the New Glucose Revolution series of books cover the same low gi ground, but I haven't read those. I may, though.
I only have to feed myself and my daughter, who just turned 12 two weeks ago, and we've always been big fruit and veggie eaters, we just ate poorly aside from that--lots of fast food and convenience foods when I'd get home from work.
We haven't eaten a pre-packaged anything during the month of June, aside from a couple veggie/portobello mushroom burgers and meatless chik'n nuggets that she really wanted to try. I haven't had fast food all month, no junk food, very few processed foods, and then only in small amounts.
And I haven't had chocolate in a month--I haven't wanted it! And I was used to that afternoon Snickers bar from the break room vending machine. Sometimes a snack cake/chips/god knows what else. After about 2 days, the cravings and urges I'd often chalked up to depression, emotional eating, etc. were just gone. My soon-to-be-ex upset me highly last night--before I would have turned to food. Last night, it didn't cross my mind. I thought I was a compulsive overeater/food addict, but now that my blood sugar has stabilized, sometimes I even forget to eat until my stomach growls and hurts to remind me. It's very freeing. I can't recommend it enough. I know one approach can't work for everyone, but oh my gosh it's worth a try.
I've really only been eatingn this way a month, and I've dropped 12 pounds. I also find that the mood swings which were pretty regular before are gone. I don't feel jittery and tense by 5 pm, and I don't feel like napping right after I eat! Overall, my entire being has improved.
I know it's only been a month, but never before has a month passed with me remaining this optimistic, while not starving or being miserable in some other diet-related way. I feel like a cheerleader for low gi eating, and I'm sure I still have tons to learn myself. I don't even consider us on a 'diet,' we're actually just eating healthy, period. Which is why I know I can do this--this is how we eat now, the basis of a lifelong dietary plan.
Do go for it. If I can answer any questions, I'm happy to.
I wanted to put my pretty little trackers here, but I'm new so it won't let me.
Glycemic Index Diet?
