Is anyone else trying to GI?

I have a couple of books - which I love - and am fairly convinced that this is probably the best 'non-diet diet' around.

It seems to be common sense, healthy eating, no calorie counting etc etc etc and best of all it fits all of the dietitian/nutritionist info I teach (I know... so why can't I lose weight?).

I just wondered if anyone else on UKFC was doing it. I'd love to swap ideas, recipes, meal plans etc.

Books I have and what I think of them:

Rick Gallop: the GI DIET: the 'origianl' good book for explanations - self admittedly useless at recipes - also has a website which I do not rate particulary highly - free "membership" though

Rick Gallop: the Pocket GI book: a small book of red, amber, green lists - useful if you can't remember the details.

Anthony Worral Thompsons GI Diet: Wonderful, but then I love cooking this 'bistro' style food. May be a bit too 'luvvy' if you don't love cooking. Great intro with loads of easy info, including kcals, fat, saturated fat and sodium measures for each recipe.

Louise Blair: Low GI cook book: yet more easy to understand info in the intro. Recipes are equally 'luvvy' - e.g. griddled duck with plum confit and layered potatoes - inlcudes info on kcals, protein, carbs and fat

I use these two as my guidelines for what a GI meal could be. Then I go to my bean books for more ideas:

Readers Digest Rice, beans and grains: Deeeeeeeeeeeelicious, not as vegetarian as it sounds. Includes info on kcals, protein, fat, sat fat, carbs, sugars and fibre, plus vitimin content

Louise Blair Easy Beans: Does what it says on the tin. Very simply laid out - no colour piccies here. Simple and easy to prepare tasty dishes. Info includes protein, fat, carbs, kcals and dietary fibre

I take these and then mix them up with my sensible book

Rose Elliot take five: a committted vegetarian extolling the virtues of fruit and veg. A little OTT but soooooooooo useful - no nutritional info

And last but by absolutely no means least

Ruth Watson Fat Girl Slim: heaven. So funny, true to me and my life, a mix between fat confessions and scrumptious recipes - a book me and the DH use very regularly.

As you can probably tell I am a cookery book fiend - I love taking recipes and modifying them to suit - but just recently we have got stuck in a rut, using the same old ingredients in the same old ways.

So if you are GI Janeing HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!!!!

Read you later

Snap, Snap Snap, I use regularly Fat Girl Slim (Ruth's book was the first I ever read when I decided I had to do something about my weight, and she saved my life!!!!) AWT's Low GI, and the Louise Blair one. During the week my evening meals are pretty simple, usually a piece of protein, a low GI carb and lots of veggies. During the weekend I am more likely to use a more "luvvie" recipe. I am a bit of a foodie, which got me in this mess in the first place, but it's one of the things that is helping get me out of it!!!

awwwww I thought this was going to be about commando training!



I think the low GI seems very sensible. I base my treat on the GI - I read somewhere someday that a Mars bar is low GI!

2frus - sorry!

But if you ask nice I'll send you my "KillAKommando" circuits cards - I regularly drop even the fittest participant!!!

Just need to practice what I screech!!!!

I follow a loose version of the GI diet, but only because it's the sort of food I like anyway. I eat lots of whole grains, pulses, fish, veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds - these are the foods I'd choose whether I was trying to eat healthily or not. The food groups I struggle to eat are the dairy, meat and fats group - I don't like eggs, milk, cheese, butter, cream, meat, poultry etc - so I have to make a conscious effort to get enough calcium into my diet.

I'm probably not much help to you, though, because I'm the least foodie person I know. I'd happily eat the same few meals day in and day out, and I rarely cook or experiment with new foods and new recipes. I guess I know what I like, and I tend to stick to a few tried and tested favourites.

Good luck with the programme - in my opinion it is far and away the most sensible programme around - at last fashion has caught up with common sense!

All the best, (G.I.) Janey

I have some books to read for it.... but I've not motivation to get going! grrrrrrrrrrrr

Hi Everyone who's doing this

I was thinking about this as I really don't want to go on another diet (I'm sure that is where my food bingeing came from). I've read quite a bit about this and it seems that you have to go by the Glycemic load rather than GI, which incorporates the amount of carbs perserving. All the books I've seen are called GI so do they also cover GL???

I'm a bit unsure about it as I love my carbs, especially potatoes which I believe I won't be allowed any more

How have you found this eating plan??

The way I see it GI isn't a diet it's a way of life, you can make simple choices to your existing eating plan to make it low GI, choose rye bread, brown rice, making up meals with lots of legumes like chick peas.

To keep it simple, GL looks at the whole meal, so whilst you may have something high GI like risotto rice, with vegetables and protein such as chicken, the overall GI is brought down.

In my experience all the GI books cover GL, as GL is just the way it's put together.

Yes you can eat potatoes, especially new potatoes. If you have something cooked a long time, like a jacket potato, that is going to be high GI, if you pair it with cottage cheese and baked bean the overall GI is brought down, and it's a good choice, that is the GL in action.

GI has really worked for me, as you always feel full and satisfied, which is half the battle won!

Sounds good to me, thanks Kykaree - I have a friend who has a couple of books so I'll have a quick look at those before I buy any.