GI Diet Anyone???
 

I've heard a lot about this diet lately and have been checking out info on various websites. It sounds like the kind of "lifestyle" that I could follow.

I've tried so many diets over the years ... most of them gimmicky and unable to stick to for longer than a couple of weeks. I just want to eat normal, healthy food without constantly obsessing about having to count calories, points, carbs, fat, etc.

I checked out Amazon and there are quite a few books available about this diet so I was unsure which were the best ones to purchase. I want a simple, no nonsense book ... one with lots of food lists and their GI Values, and perhaps a recipe book with no nonsense meals for a family, rather than lots of 'gourmet' type meals. If anyone can recommend any books I'd be really grateful.

Has anyone tried this diet? Have you lost or are you losing weight on it? How do you find it, is it easy to follow? Do you find it restrictive at all?

Any info that anyone can give me would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

Nichola

So far, so good
 

My doctor recently recommended a low gi lifestyle for me. I have been counting calories and the scale has been moving a bit slower than we'd like given the effort I've been making. Well, isn't that true of all of us in a way!

I have been using The Low GI Revolution books and have found it is a lot saner than a lot of the stuff people are recommending. It requires a fair bit of planning for me, but I'm still getting the hang of it. The one fantastic thing I have found is that I'm a LOT less hungry on this plan. And I have seen results already.

The down side is that GI can be counterintuitive (what, sweet potatoes are lower than regular potatoes??) and GI is not available for all foods, as easily as calories are. The plan does emphasize low fat and lower calorie. It is not a low carb deal at all. It's just about the right foods and food combinations. Hence the planning.

I feel that this is a plan I can live with and really eat well on so I'm very motivated right now.

Good luck with your weight loss journey! :)

Thanks very much for your reply!

I notice that you've lost several pounds already so it's obviously working for you, well done! :)

The fact that you said you don't feel as hungry following a GI plan as you normally would on a diet is very encouraging!! That's when I tend to slip up ... once I start feeling hungry I tend to pick at anything I can lay my hands on!!

I realise that low fat/lower cals is still important for losing weight, but I'm also encouraged by the fact that it is not a low carb plan ... although I know I need to cut down on my carbs, I couldn't possibly cut them out altogether.

Thanks again for your advice ... I'm off to check out the books at Amazon right now!

Let me know
 

Let me know how it goes for you. I'd love to share recipes or just chat about it and share support. Doesn't seem like there are that many people on Low GI around.
:bubbles:
Good luck!

Hi Bella,

I ordered a couple of books from Amazon on Friday and eagerly await their arrival! :D Until then I'm trying to do my own thing by following the info on various websites. I'm really looking forward to getting started properly though!

I'd love to swop recipes/advice with you and generally support each other. How long have you been following a low GI Diet? When my books arrive I guess I will probably have many questions to ask you, hope you don't mind :)

You're right, there doesn't seem to be many people around here doing the GI diet ... I've only come across yourself and one other person so far.

I'l keep you posted and let you know how I get on with it :)

Nichola

I'm excited to have found this thread!! I just recently purchased a few books on Low GI. Here's what I have so far:

Living the GI Diet - I really like this book. It's an overview of the first book by Rick Gallop (The GI Diet) and a very easy read. It has lots of what you're looking for Nichola .. A food list which is broken out into Red, Yellow and Green light foods, like a traffic light. You avoid the red foods, proceed with caution on the yellow foods and eat as much as you like of the green foods with only a few limitations. For example, with bread, you're allowed only 1 slice of whole grain or stoneground whole wheat bread at a time. It has tips on eating out, exercising, frequently asked questions, sample menu plans and lots of great looking recipes (regular people food, not the gourmet stuff).

I also have the Good Carb Cookbook. This book also has an overview of how to eat on a low-GI diet with sample meal plans and also has great looking recipes. I've only tried one so far and I modified it to suit my tastes but it was wonderful. It's the Oat-Bran Blueberry Muffins only I made mine with Strawberries cuz I don't like blueberry muffins. They're wonderful and I can't wait to make more from this cookbook.

I also have New Glucose Revolution. I haven't read this one yet but I got it based on the reviews at Amazon.

If it's books you're looking for, whatever you do, DO NOT get The Good Carb Diet by Helen Foster. It's a pretty book but that's about it. Most of the space on each page is filled with big bright pictures of food with a very basic overview of GI and recipes that just don't sound very good. I was anxious to get my copy from Amazon and just sent it back for a refund.

If you guys would like, maybe we could get our own support thread going? I'd love others to interact with that aren't obsessively counting points or carb grams. I've done both before and just can't make it work for me anymore.

Slim

Welcome
 

Hey, good to see another GI-er SlimCurves. I have been working a lot on meal planning and learning to substitute my high GI foods with lower ones. It is still mind boggling to me to find that some of the foods I thought were healthy were actually zipping through my digestive system, raising my blood sugar and sabotaging my weight loss.

And I still haven't been hungry!

PLUS! I'm close to my mini goal of getting out of the 50's and into the 40's.

I can definitely tell you guys which recipes to AVOID from the new glucose revolution LOL!! I've been cooking up a STORM! I found a recipe for some REALLY good low GI, low fat Oatmeal Chocolate chip cookies I made today for the first time.

One thing I can say about the Low GI lifestyle is it really helps that I like to cook. I think some of these changes would be a bit tougher to make if I didn't enjoy cooking at home.

Have you received your book yet Nichola?

I'll be interested to hear your opinion on the Glucose Revolution book as well slim because I looked at the "Living the GI Diet" as well and prefered this one.

:flow2: Leticia

Hello Again, and welcome to 'Slim' :wave: As Leticia has already said, it's great to find another GI Dieter! :D

Yes, my books have literally just arrived! :D I'm so excited I can't wait to read them from cover to cover! I got the 'Living the Gi Diet' by Rick Gallop to begin with and also his Pocket Guide so that I can carry it around with me!

The recipes sound great and I can't wait to try them out ... luckily I enjoy cooking too so I look forward to exchanging some recipes with you girls once I get into it.

How long have you girls been overweight? Is it a fairly recent thing or has it been for many years like me?

Until I had my two kids in my late 20's I was fairly slim ... although I have tried out just about every type of diet you can imagine in order to stay that way ... it never came easy!! Then gradually I gained weight year after year until now, and have been unable to stick to any kind of diet for longer than a week or two!! I'm 42 and don't want to spend the rest of my life like this ... I look and feel old, fat and frumpy, while my friends of the same age look 10 years younger than me! I've had enough of this and hope that starting on the GI Diet is my turning point.

I'm off to read my books now!

Nichola

Bella - Congratulations on your weight loss thus far. Ok now you got me interested .. Can you post the oatmeal choc chip recipe? I love oatmeal and I love choc chip cookies, I bet they're awesome together!

Even though I haven't read Glucose Revolution yet, I did try the Creamy Mushrooms and Pasta recipe. I fixed it last weekend, couldn't wait to try it and .. let's just say that I haven't tasted anything so bland in a long while! It certainly needs work. I followed it exactly as it is written. I still think the dish could be very good with a different mix of seasonings or something.

What other recipes should I avoid from this book? What's your favorite recipe?

Slim

Since we all like to cook, I have an idea – once a week or so, how about we each pick a recipe from our books to try and then report on how we like it?

Nichola - How are you liking your books? I wasn't aware that there was a pocket guide to the GI Diet. I'll have to search for it. I'd love to exchange recipes too.

Slim

Hello!!! I am Australian and living in Britain!!! On the UK fat chicks thread we often chat about low GI as there are a few of us following a low GI plan. I have been doing it for 6 months now. I calorie count as well. I eat very little bread now, and a lot more whole grains, beans and vegetables. My weight comes off at 1 to 2 pounds a week (with the odd 3 pound week to keep life interesting!!)

I can recommend Anthony Worrall Thompson's GI Diet, really good recipes and good advice. The recipes are easy to follow, most are easy with a few challenging ones. I've also got "The Low GI Cookbook" by Louise Blair, which I don't like as much as the other, but it is still good, and I have got quite a bit of use out of it.

I've found low GI to be fantastic for me, I am never hungry, I have loads of energy, I don't get the mid afternoon pass em the chocolate or I will kill you slump anymore. And hubby likes it too, he loves the food, and the way it makes him feel, and he has lost 10 pounds without trying. I also do a lot of exercise, and find this way of eating really helps me keep up with my exercise, and I have started weight training, which has made a big difference too.

I've been overweight most all my life. I was a chubby child, in my early teen years, I wore a size 12/14. But the weight really began to pile on when I moved out of state (from Ohio to Boston, MA). With no one around to make sure I was eating right, I went way, way overboard. And before I new it, I had ballooned up to a size 22. Through the years, I've managed to lose 30-50 pounds here and there, but I've always gained it back plus some. I was diagnosed with pre-diabetes the summer of 2003 and have been trying to find my way ever since.

Slim

Hi Everyone!

I'm completely engrossed in my books!! Seems really simple and straightforward so far. Surprised to see that some foods I've always thought of as good diet foods are actually high GI, such as rice cakes, which I've always kept in the cupboard for a quick fix snack when I'm feeling peckish ... I guess I'm going to have to change my ways ... maybe this is where I've been going wrong all these years!

I've weighed myself today and have lost 3lbs this week by following my own version of low GI until I received my books. Now I have them so I can follow it properly and will hopefully have another loss to report next week :)

Kykaree, great to hear that you never feel hungry eating low GI ... I don't think I've ever been on a diet when I haven't felt ravenous at some point throughout the day!


Slim, great idea about swopping recipes that we have cooked each week. There's so many in the book that I fancy, I don't know which one to try first!! I think I might try out the 'Hunter-Style Chicken' for dinner tonight ... my mouth is watering already!!

Nichola

Hi All

Another low GI follower here :wave:

Only bought my book a couple of weeks ago and have decided it is a lifestyle change not a quick fix like some of the other diets.

Would love to become part of the group and share successes and tribulations with you while on this journey. I got The Low GI Diet book which is by the same people who did Glucose Revolution. Very comprehensive, explains the in's and out's and has a 12 week guide which incorporates graduall increase in exercise and some personal probing.

A good website is Glycemic Index which has a search engine with updated foods as they are tested.

I have only just started as of today :eek: so am looking for all the support I can get. I would definately be interested in swapping receipes also - I love to cook and do most if not all of the cooking in the house.

Welcome Angela :wave: Good to see yet another GI follower :) I've only started officially today too, as I didn't receive my books from Amazon until yesterday. It's good to have a few people posting, hopefully we can help keep each other motivated.

I'm in the process of compiling a shopping list right now ... with lots of low GI foods of course!! :D

Nichola

Hi Nichola

I am doing my shopping list too :lol:

Well, in between surfing and watching re-runs of Buffy :)

I am looking forward to going shopping tomorrow to buy lots of healthy stuff, legumes and the like and I am also going to buy a set of scales. I haven't weighed myself in years so have guestimated my weight at the moment. Am looking forward to seeing the scale go down, but even more so the dress sizes :crossed:

Hi Everyone,

Didn't get around to shopping yesterday so I have to go this morning ... low GI shopping list at the ready!! :lol:

Angela, I couldn't agree with you more re watching the scale go down, but even more the dress sizes!! My dress size has been creeping up and up at a tremendous rate over the past 12 months.

Can't believe that once upon a time I used to be a 'normal size 10-12(UK)' but for the past seven or eight years I've just about managed to squeeze into a size 16! The past 12 months however have seen me creep up into the 18's! And this past week I had to go out to buy a new outfit for my staff 'do' ... was shocked to find I could no longer squeeze into the 18 and had to have a size 20!!!

I can't let myself get any bigger (not that I want to of course!) because I won't be able to buy any larger clothes in Hong Kong! Clothes buying is a huge problem for me here ... the Asian ladies are sooooo skinny! Lots of shops stock sizes in a S,M,L ... S being a size 6UK, M being a 8-10, L being 12-14 ... so you see my problem?!! The only place that I can shop right now is Marks & Spencer and I'm getting too big for their clothes too as they only have very limited stocks from a size 18 upwards :( That is definitely that last outfit that I buy in a size 20!!!

I was shocked this morning when I measured my waist ... In the 'Living the Gi Diet' book by Rick Gallop, there is a chart showing your ideal BMI, which should be between 20-25 ... mine is 30.6 ... BMI values of 30.0 and over are considered OBESE!!!!!! :fr: In the back of the book there is a weekly weight/waist log ... it tells me that a woman's health is at risk if her waist circumference is 32 inches or more, and a measurement of 35 inches plus puts you in the high-risk category for heart attack and stroke. People with a high level of abdominal fat, whom doctors describe as 'apple-shaped', have a much higher chance of developing cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes!!! ... My waist measurement was 40 inches!!!!!OMG!!!! :yikes: I think this is my wake-up call!!

Nichola

My this thread has grown! haha

I have to get caught up with reading it later. For now, I'm getting ready to go shopping to stock up on some fruits and veggies. Also going to get pictures taken of my two favorite little men (my sons ages 5 months and 4 yrs). I can't wait to see them - they'll be dressed almost alike. Catch up with everyone later!

Slim

Before I go...
 

Is anyone exercising? I'm very torn between doing a boot camp transformation type workout or sticking with what I know I like and can do - Walk Away the Pounds. I'll probably just stick with WATP for a while. So what is everyone doing?

Slim

Hi all

Well here is some GREAT news!

I am not, in fact, 265 lbs, but am 238 - YAY! :dancer:

Mind you it is through absolutely no fault of my own. I thought I was way above my previous high weight, when I am actually still under.

So, yes I did go and buy the scales today and am glad I did. I will not, repeat will not, focus on them however. I think official weigh ins once a month will suffice.

Well, that was the good news, now here is the bad news. The body fat calculator that is on the scales also apparently does not go as high as my body would require :o When the bit came up for it to tell me the % it came up with a big, fat (pardon the pun) error message.

Anyway, thought I would share it with you as my goal is even closer now!

Angela ... WOW, a whopping 27lbs lighter than you thought you were! That must be a great boost for you!!

Slim, exercise is something I really need to get into, I realise that this weight isn't going to come off with diet alone. I also have WATP and used to do it regularly ... but I let things slip ... I'd actually forgotton that I had it!! :( My husband does a lot of hiking around Hong Kong ... earlier this year he took part in a 50K charity walk for which he had to do a lot of training ... I started to walk with him on some of the easier hiking trails, but because our fitness levels are at opposite ends of the scale I felt like I was holding him back as I'm totally unfit and just couldn't keep up with him. Now, the weather is so hot and humid that it really isn't great for outdoor activities ... Perhaps I should dust off the WATP cd and give it another go!

Nichola

Hi Ladies,

Just thought I'd let you know that I tried out one of the recipes in my new book and it turned out quite good ... the only modification that I would make to it would be to score the chicken pieces and perhaps rub some dried herbs/garlic into it before cooking, as the flavours from the sauce (which was delicious!) didn't really get into the chicken. I do have some left over however so I guess it will be more flavoursome now it's been standing in the sauce for 24hours.

For those of you who don't have the Rick Gallop book, here's the recipe, it's worth a try .......

HUNTER-STYLE CHICKEN (serves 6)

450g (1lb) skinless chicken drumsticks
450g (1lb) skinless chicken thighs
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
450g (1lb) mushrooms, quartered
1 each red and green bell peppers, chopped
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
60ml (2fl oz) dry white wine or chicken stock
1 can (400g) chopped tomatoes

1. Sprinkle salt and pepper all over the chicken pieces. Heat half of the oil over a medium-high heat and brown the chicken on both sides. Place on a plate.

2. In the same pan, heat the remaining oil over a medium-high heat and cook the onion, garlic, mushrooms, peppers, oregano and basil for about 15 minutes or until the vegetables are beginning to brown. Pour in the wine and stir the vegetables to deglaze the pan. Add the tomatoes and bring to the boil. Return the chicken to the pan. Reduce the heat; simmer for 45 minutes or until the chicken is starting to fall of the bone.

I served mine with a mixed salad and a portion of basmati rice. Anyone else got any good recipes that they'd like to share? Tonight I'm going to try out one of the others ... but I can't make up my mind which one!

Nichola

The receipe sounds great Nichola. I will definately give it a try.

Unfortunately I haven't any specific low GI receipes but tonight we are having some grilled snapper and salad, perhaps with some oven baked sweet potato fries.

Happy 4th July for all those in the States :)

Ange

Mmmmm, the grilled snapper sounds good ... I must give the oven baked sweet potato a try.

I tried out the 'Indian Vegetable Curry' from my book last night ... was a bit disappointed with it though. It was a bit bland and watery so I had to spice it up a bit with extra spices and I put a bit of yogurt into it to help it thicken a bit. Hubby didn't have any as he was working late, my son enjoyed it and thought it was quite good, but my daughter thought it was awful ... she ate the rice with a bit of the sauce and left most of the veg, except for picking out the broccoli and green beans which she likes. For me it was missing something ... meat perhaps? :rolleyes: Whilst I don't eat too much meat, I could never become vegetarian.

Won't bother posting this recipe as I'm sure you all have veggie curry recipes which are far better than this one turned out.

I wonder what's on the menu tonight??

Nichola

Small roast lamb marinated in honey, mustard and rosemary with roasted root veges. I am so stuffed :dizzy:

Sorry to hear about the curry. Sadly for every great receipe there is always a dudd one somewhere in the book. :(

GI Dieting
 

:flow1: Hello All

I just found this website looks good and joined and voila a few folks are doing the GI Diet. I heard about it awhile back and a friend had been doing well so I decided to get some books and read and find sites such as this. I think it would be an easy way of lifestyle change also. I just discovered that my sugars have risen after all the years of trying a few different diets and eating styles which was disappointing. And I don't eat junk food much (honest) stopped sugar in coffee and tea etc years ago. My only real downfall is ice cream but frequentely eat sugar free stuff. Soooooooooo go figure. Well bottom line is I would really like to give this a go and have a support group to go along with it. I haven't found another site as yet and this one looks great has lots of tools etc. I am from Canada and it seems that so far we are pretty much global which is nice. My biggest challenge is coming up with menus. I'm a structured person and prefer to have stuff already layed out for me (or maybe lazy lol) but I'm going to work on it. My other friend is interested in trying as well but she is not computer savey lol so I may have to teach her. Looking forward to chatting and exchanging tips receipes etc. Have a great day :D

Welcome to Chiky ... glad you have joined us :D How long have you been doing the Gi Diet or have you only just started? We all have things that can sabotage our diets ... with me it's wine :cheers: ... I'm never satisfied with just the one glass!! :o Instead of ice cream how about substituting frozen yogurt ... it hits the spot for me after dinner ... takes ages to eat because it's so hard I can't get the spoon in!! :lol:

Angela, the small roast lamb sounds delicious, and lamb's my favourite ... please post the recipe ... that's one dinner for this weekend sorted :T

Nichola

Fantastic!
 

I was gone for a few days and I see this board is exploding! LOL How fantastic!!!
Welcome chiky and ange! :woo:

I think the idea of posting recipes weekly is great! I will hop on that as soon as I catch up with everything!

I for one have been overweight all my life but this has been my highest period. I kindof buried my head in the sand about it since I've always been overweight but now I'm determined not to do that. I'm ready to not be in the red on all the charts! LOL

I have been exercising 20 minutes per day minimum and following the plan/goals in the LowGI Revolution book. It has been working very well for me so far. I'm actually aiming for 20 minutes every day but will settle for 6 days per week. :ebike:

As far as recipes NOT to try, I tried the first one in the low GI revolution and it was so bad! :nono: LOL DON'T try the "Vegetable Frittata" unless you are seriously modifying it. It was just really ick. Other recipes have been better but that one was seriously a dud. The basil did not taste good with the sweet potatoes and the consistency was bland and not frittata like at all! Just kindof watery and yuck.

I love beans and in caribbean cuisine they are a staple so I'm lucky that way. That helps because they have low gi and they really fill you up.

I find that planning has really been helpful. I make out a menu plan for the week and a grocery list and I shop a couple of times per week to get all the fresh fruits and veggies. I thought this would be a budget breaker but so far I've been surprised. It hasn't been at all.

Okay, I'm done babbling for now! I will post a fabulous recipe later... now I need to go cook some brazilian black beans! YUM!!!

Hi Bella,

Yes, this thread is well and truly taking off!! :woo: If it continues to be so popular maybe they'll make us into a sub-forum on the General Diets board and even more Gi Dieters will notice us!

I know all about burying my head in the sand! ... Done it for the past 15 years!! Just kept hoping I would wake up one morning and the fat would have miraculously disappeared and I'd be thin!! :lol: Obviously it didn't happen!! :mad: I've finally dug myself out of my sandpit and decided to do something about it :)

I'm impressed with you making an effort to exercise every day. Something I really need to do. I finished work yesterday for the summer holidays (I work in a school) so I've now got plenty of time to do something about it. The weather has been very hot and sunny recently so it was my plan to go swimming today (and have a bit of a sun bathe! :cool: ) but got up this morning and it's pouring with rain and stormy!!! ... typical :mad: Hopefully it will clear up for tomorrow!

Looking forward to your fabulous recipe! :T

Nichola

Recipes
 

This one I've been making for years. It's one of my favorites and just happens to be low GI:

Brazilian Black Bean Soup

2 cups dried black beans
6 cups water
5 cloves garlic
1 onion studded with 10+ cloves
2 onions chopped
2 large peppers chopped
Orange Juice (about 2 cups)
Black Pepper
Salt

Place beans and water in a large pot. Add garlic. I usually add 2 cloves whole and mince the rest. Add onion studded with cloves. Cook over low heat about 2 hours. Remove garlic and whole onion. Add chopped onions, green pepper, ground pepper, salt and orange juice. Cook until tender.

For quicker cooking make sure to soak the beans overnight or you can use a pressure cooker. Fresh squeezed orange juice is best and you can garnish with orange slices. This is also good with stewed tomatoes or home made salsa. Very rich and satisfying. :T If you are not against meat, it's especially good if you add some ham. A great way to use leftover ham.


And...

:cookie: Low GI/Low Fat Oatmeal Chocolate chip cookies

1 cup flour
2tbsp cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
11/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinammon
1/2 cup low fat margarine
11/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg white
3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Stir flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt, cinammon and set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together margarine, brown and white sugar.
Beat in egg white and vanilla.
Stir in dry ingredients.
Mix in oats and chocolate chips.
Bake 8-10 minutes at 350.

If the dough is too thick you can add a little lofat milk but it turned out just right for me. These were delicious!

Enjoy!

Nichola: I hear you on the bad weather! Tropical storms have kept me off the beach :sp: I have a bellydancing workout I love so I've been doing that or a goofy Richard Simmons video which makes me laugh.

What do you teach? I am also on summer vacation. I am a College Instructor and Graduate Student. I teach English at the University, mainly writing courses and some English as a Second Language courses.

That's one thing I'm a bit concerned about is how I will be able to maintain all these changes when I'm running around during the semester.

Have a great day everyone!
:queen: Leticia

Leticia, thanks for the recipes, I look forward to trying them out. I'm having problems finding traditional oats though ... can only find the quick/instant varieties in the shops. This is a problem in Hong Kong as most of the 'Western-type' food has to be imported from US/UK, so we are limited to certain brands ... although we can buy pretty much everything, we can't always find things such as 'low-fat' or 'low-calorie' versions of things. So when a specific recipe requires a low-fat version of something I can't always get it ... very frustrating!

I'm not a teacher, my job title is "Educational Support Assistant" ... sounds more impressive than "Teacher's Assistant" don't you think?! :lol: I only work part-time, every day until lunchtime which suits me fine. I really love my job ... that's something I never thought I'd say! :D I really love working with kids, but don't have the stress and responsibility that a teacher has. The only problem that I have with my job is the staff room ... it's always full of cakes and cookies which I have a hard time trying to resist!!! :devil: Hopefully by the time we return to school after the hols I will be over my cravings for sugary foods!

Nichola

Wow, look at all the great recipes! Looks like I have some experimenting to do! First thing on my list will be those Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies. Well, I won't have time to get to the grocery this weekend, but I don't think I'm needing much. I'm planning on trying a couple of new dishes. I'll be sure to post the recipes and how I liked them.

I'm also going to kickstart my exercise regimen. Starting tomorrow morning, I'm going to start the Walk Away the Pounds Walk Diet. I've had the book forever and just dug it out. The first week I have to walk at least 6 miles. Plan on doing 1 mile each day. I can't wait!


Slim

Exercise
 

Slim: Good luck with your exercise goals! :D
I have been sticking to mine against all odds. I will do my time but I don't have to like it! LOL

Nichola: If the cravings for sweets haven't subsided you'll just have to start contributing low-gi/low-fat sweets to the cache! LOL I'll help with the taste testing of recipes, just to be kind! ;)


I have discovered my personal relationship with chocolate milk. I've never been a milk drinker but the low gi books suggest it as a snack (another revolutionary concept for me... a SNACK? MILK??? :o ) but oddly enough I've been craving it. It helps me with my chocolate cravings (that time of the month!) and it helps me from getting hungry overnight. Who knew?

I think one thing this Low GI stuff is forcing me to do is to rethink foods and food combinations. And it's also been hard to get out of the habit of eating less. I don't mean portions (which I'm measuring religiously) but skipping meals or snacks. I've found that if I stick to my meals and snacks as programmed not only do I not get hungry but I am losing more than when I try to not eat. It's just so instinctive though.

On a serious note, I hope if any of you have friends or loved ones in London they are safe and sound and have been in communication with you. It is truly terrible to see the pain and suffering that result from random acts of senseless violence. My prayers go out to all who have lost loved ones or otherwise had to experience the horrible effects of the bombings. I continue to pray and work for peace. :angel:

Bella - I so agree with you because I don't like exercise either. I've found something that I like doing better than most other things, but if I had my choice, I'd park my hiney on the couch and forget about it. But you can't truly get healthy without adding some exercise to the picture.

I did do my 1 mile this morning, plus I walked to and from the daycare to take my youngest. My oldest had to have oral surgery today, so we dropped the baby off and walked back home to get ready. It was refreshing to get it over and done with and not have it on my mind all day.

Slim

How is everyone's weekend going?

Ok so my plan was to try a couple different new recipes this weekend, but was lazy about it and only got around to trying one. And I really liked it! This will be one that I make again and again...

(Taken from The New Glucose Revolution)

Spicy Noodles

8 oz dried thin egg noodles
2 tsp oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed or 2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
1 tsp minced hot peppers
6 green onions, sliced
1 Tbsp smooth peanut butter
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 cup prepared chicken stock

1. Add the noodles to a large saucepan of boiling water and boil, uncovered, for about 5 minutes or until just tender.
2. While the noodles are cooking, heat the oil in a nonstick frying pan, add the garlic, ginger, chili (hot peppers) and onions and stir-fry for 1 minute. Remove from the heat.

3. Stir in the peanut butter and soy sauce and gradually add the stock, stirring until smooth. Stir over heat until simmering, and simmer for 2 minutes.

4. Drain the noodles and add to the spicy sauce, stirring to coat. Serve immediately.

Serves 4 as an accompaniment

Low GI

Per Serving:

280 Calories
45g Carbs
6g Fat
4g Fiber

The book suggests adding strips of stir-fried chicken or asian-style mixed veggies, but I didn't. I did however throw in some sliced mushrooms to use up the few I had in my fridge before they went bad. Yummm .. this is still on my taste buds!


Slim

That sounds yummy Slim! I might make that this week!

I had pizza for dinner :o But on the sunny side I ate less that I usually would have and I made sure to eat a big old salad! And it was super yummy!

Cramps have kept me from exercising the last two days but I'll be getting back on track tomorrow I'm sure.

How old are your kids? Running around the playground makes for great exercise! LOL I worked in a preschool and had some little soccer fans in the class. Those little kids kicked my butt!!! But it was fun. :p

Hi Girls,

Hope you all had a good weekend. I weighed-in and I'm another 2lbs down, so I'm really pleased about that!

Slim that sounds like a great recipe, one that I'll definitely be trying out.

Exercise and I have never been great buddies!! It's something I have to really push myself to do. Hubby is always telling me that if I get into the habit of doing it regularly I'd end up really enjoying it ... it's getting into the habit that's a problem! I did go for a nice long walk yesterday though with hubby and the dog, so that's a start I suppose.

Have a good week everyone!

Nichola

Way to go Nichola!!!

I have developed a new philosophy on exercise which is a bit weird but it's been working for me:
Since my goal right now is to get a minimum of 20 minutes in, I think of it like medicine. I have to do it cause it's healthy even if I don't want to swallow it or it tastes yucky. I've even done 20 minutes of walking and bouncing around while watching a tv show if I didn't have time to do more structured stuff. (I look like a fool but I am meeting my goal! :cb: )I have to do it. So, it's not really about whether I want to or not. It sounds really silly but it's working for me. LOL And the thing is, once I'm doing 20 minutes, I usually end up doing more cause I'm all sweaty already so I might as well.
In addition to that, I try hard to find things I enjoy doing as exercise. Like swimming or bellydancing. It's easier to get going if it's something I like doing to begin with.

Congrats on your success!

Leticia, your philosophy on exercise makes a lot of sense. I really do need to get myself started on this. I've decided that I'm going to try to walk EVERY day, do some sit-ups ... I must have stomach muscles hidden somewhere! And tomorrow I'm going swimming with my daughter. If I could just manage to do one thing a day it would be a great improvement on what I'm doing right now!

Tonight I'm trying out the Low Gi Thai Red Curry for dinner, if it's any good I'll post it tomorrow for anyone who's interested in trying it.

Nichola