The weight loss scandal

Posted by kathryn on June 4, 2010

People are always asking me how to lose weight and I try not to get involved because it is such a complex subject. I do tell everyone that diets are a ‘no no’ but suggest they pick low GI (glycemic index) foods to eat so that they don’t upset their blood sugar and insulin levels.

I haven’t looked at this area for a long time so thought I’d just update my knowledge – what a minefield! I Googled GI foods and the first site I clicked on (http://www.weightloss resources.co.uk) showed me a table that I found most confusing.

It’s worth noting that to qualify for the Glycemic Index, food should contain carbohydrate (starch, glucose and other sugars). That’s easy then, I hear you say, that covers just about everything in the baker’s shop and the sweet shop… Ho, ho, ho. This is where the recipe books come in because, as you know, our meals should have a balance of carbs and protein but more of that later as I was amused to read that there are some processed foods on the GI list because they contain flour! (http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk)

I moved on to a website focused on the South Beach Diet (http://www.southbeach-diet-plan.com). We’ve even heard of this in darkest Sussex… What’s interesting about The South Beach Diet is that they imply that it’s OK to include tart, cake, croissants and muffins in your regime as they are considered medium level on the GI chart but one interesting point – don’t be fooled by those lightweight rice cakes (look like polystyrene to me); they are a definite ‘no no’. They qualify High in the GI stakes. In fact there were a lot of processed foods on their list. EVEN, get this, Snickers and M&M’s (listed as Low!!) but there is a caveat that explains (in very small print at the end of the page) that these foods are high in ‘empty calories’ (remind me to look up what that means). What I do know is that in quantity, these foods cause obesity; kind of defeats the object really, doesn’t it?

The next site I looked at was more sensible (http://www.lowcarbiseasy.com) until I realised it’s another name for The Atkins Diet which has often been critized; there is some good advice on there, though.

A lot of these sites carry an ad that says “Lose inchess off your stomach every month by changing three things”. If you click on this and, yes, I was tempted, you’ll be taken to one of those US web sites (sorry US but you are notorious for this type of selling) that’s 18 pages long (yawn, yawn), doesn’t give any tips along the way but wants you to part with large sums of money to get this ‘secret’. Actually, it ain’t no ‘secret’. The SECRET is, a balance meal, three times a day with little or no processed foods (as these are high in sugar and flour and other undesirables which cause problems to your metabolism; encouraging cells to store fat as there isn’t enough nutrition in processed foods to be healthy).

Another site (http//:www.the-gi-diet.org) also contained the 18 page ad but I ignored that and found some interesting information. for instance, I liked the fact that they employed a traffic light system of menu choices but… then they spoil it by putting Special K in the breakfast list. Special K has had a lot of bad press in the UK (and righfully so) as far from being healthy, it contains high levels of fat, sugar and salt. I don’t know how they get away with it.

Actually, http://www.wikipedia.org comes out on top for me. Full of factual information allowing me to make an informed decision. Wiki also states that “the GI of foods is determined under experimental conditions after an overnight fast and might not apply to foods consumed later in the day”. I’m glad they mentioned that. What this tells me is that your own metabolic rate of breaking down the food you eat plays a major part in our everyday health (and weight gain/loss).

One very important point that I must mention is that not one of the websites, I mention here, says anything about the benefits of exercise for a healthy lifestyle. Exercise is important because it helps the body to metabolise the food consumed more efficiently. No exercise = constipation. Exercise plus better nutrition plus drinking plenty of water = happy days!” Pooping” more (sorry, but daily pooping is important to your health), stabilising your metabolism, reducing those nasty fat cells and improving your energy cells to create a healthier you.

Before I finish, please, please, ignore foods that say they have extra vitamins and minerals added. It’s just a tease! These ‘extras’ are processed which means they’ve been heat treated which in turn destroys the goodness! You have been warned …

Find more of this here http://www.simplyhormones.com/mainsubsubpage.asp?pid=837 and my Tip for Instant Weight Loss: http://www.simplyhormones.com/mainsubsubsubpage.asp?pid=13

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