Hi Nichola

I am doing my shopping list too

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

Hi Everyone,

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

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!!!!!! 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!!!! 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

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!

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 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? 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

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

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

Welcome to Chiky ... glad you have joined us 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 ... I'm never satisfied with just the one glass!! 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!!

Angela, the small roast lamb sounds delicious, and lamb's my favourite ... please post the recipe ... that's one dinner for this weekend sorted

Nichola

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

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.

As far as recipes NOT to try, I tried the first one in the low GI revolution and it was so bad! 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!! 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!! Obviously it didn't happen!! 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! ) but got up this morning and it's pouring with rain and stormy!!! ... typical Hopefully it will clear up for tomorrow!

Looking forward to your fabulous recipe!

Nichola

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. If you are not against meat, it's especially good if you add some ham. A great way to use leftover ham.


And...

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!