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Low GI (glycemic index) and weight loss success
October 16, 2008
The glycemic index is the new buzzword in dieting. People have a tendency follow new fads or what is popular. There are several weight loss programs that mentioned the glycemic index, but most people don’t know what it is and why it is important.
Following a low G.I. program is nothing new. As a matter of fact, that is how we all use to eat. Well, at least those of us over forty. It was not until we adapted a diet so full of process foods that we had to research the glycemic index and understand its impact on our health.
The glycemic index measures the impact of carbs on blood sugar levels. High GI foods such as sugar, white flour and rice raise blood sugar levels and insulin production. High GI foods throw your metabolic switch into fat storage mode (independent of calories!)
Low GI foods promote weight loss while preserving lean muscle mass and do not lower metabolic rate. Low GI foods give your body a steady stream of energy. Low glycemic eating addresses body composition resulting in fat loss and an optimal metabolic rate.
Understand how the glycemic index and glycemic load is calculated is very important. There are some popular diets that create low glycemic foods by adding fat. I always suggest learning how to read labels which I will blog about soon.
Healthy regards,
Del-Metri Williams, MBA NC CTLC
Weight Management Coach
How do carbs affect diet and weight loss?
October 14, 2008
Most of us are not born carbohydrate sensitive. Not understanding how food influences our body has caused an increase in metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance. Many people are in a pre-diabetic state without realizing it.
One of the greatest causes of carbohydrate sensitivity is the popularity of low carb dieting. The body’s insulin response becomes ineffective when these diets are prolonged. Once you start eating carbohydrates again, your blood sugar rises too quickly. As a result, your body does not respond to insulin. The excess carbs are then stored as fat. In turn your body fat percentage increases.
When you are carbohydrate sensitive, even when you eat something that is healthy for example a salad, chicken breast and a small roll; your body will respond to the small roll as if you ate half of a chocolate cake. Carbohydrate sensitive can come from yo-yo dieting and eating junk all of your life.
I cringe when I see parents give their children constant processed foods that are filled with sugar. Even though the children don’t have a weight problem, those constant carbs and sugar are setting their children up to be carbohydrate sensitive. This is one of the reason we are seeing the age of adult onset diabetes getting lower and lower.
Healthy regards,
Del-Metri Williams, MBA NC CTLC
Weight Management Coach
The first rule of weight loss success
October 10, 2008
The majority of diets do not focus on body composition. The first rule of healthy weight loss is muscle dictates metabolism. When I coached my husband in weight management he lost thirty-three pounds in 2 months. It took me twice as long to lose the same amount of weight. What I like best about coaching males is that they see results fast. What I hate the most about coaching males is that they see results fast. It is so unfair.
The male body naturally has more muscle then the female body. Muscle burns calories. The object of healthy weight loss is to maintain muscle mass while losing fat. Most diets fail at this. The more fat you carry, the fewer calories your body will burn. It is easier to gain or regain weight in the form of body fat.
Understanding body composition will help you reach your weight loss goals. Many women shun away weight training, since muscle weighs more than fat they think they will gain weight. Women should pay attention to the inches they lost first. Eventually the pounds will come off. I recommend using a scale that will measure body fat. Your body fat percentage and waist circumference will dictate how healthy you really are.
Del-Metri Williams, MBA NC CTLC
Weight Management Coach
Low carb or not low carb diet
October 9, 2008
One of my most successful diets was a variation of the “low carb” craze. I tried Atkins and lost 10 pounds in two weeks. I even put my husband on it. He was so cranky, for the sake of our marriage I asked him to stop. When you are not a meat eater, it is a very hard diet to follow. I saw a more sophisticated low carb diet on Oprah (it must be good, since it was on Oprah). I followed it for almost a year. I thought it was my last diet. It was not until I stopped, that I realized I developed some bad habits. In the process I destroyed my metabolism.
The low carbohydrate diet has unnecessary restrictions of fiber rich foods. It is also very high in fat. To be honest, no one has ever got fat eating broccoli, which is off every low carb eating plan. You can’t eat broccoli, but you can have all the bacon you want. It doesn’t even make sense. Like other fad diets, the low carb diet cannot be followed long term. High protein and high fat results in muscle and water loss. You can also forget about going to the bathroom. I admit you can lose weight on this diet. But, you cannot have lifetime healthy results.
Del-Metri Williams, MBA NC CTLC
Weight Management Coach
Who survived the liquid diet?
October 8, 2008
I lasted two hours on Slim-fast. I think it made me hungry. I was ready to eat a half of cow. I did not realize what was in the drink and why I was so hungry. It was not good that I was lactose intolerant too. There are people who successfully lost weight on liquid diets. The most famous was Oprah. My sister did well on the liquid diet also. I really applaud their discipline. They did all the rights things. They did not fail the diet, the diet failed them.
Meal replacement diets set everyone up for long-term failure. It is more severe than calorie restriction. Ninety-five percent gain back the weight in one year. Ninety-seven percent gain back the weight in two years. It is an unsuccessful quick fix. Most of the weight loss is muscle, so you end up will a lower weight and a higher body fat percentage. Since it cannot be done long-term, the weight gained back is generally fat instead of muscle.
Most meal replacements are filled with vitamins. Unfortunately it is not nutritionally balanced. They are also filled with a lot of sugar. Punishing yourself with these meal replacements is not worth the fatigue and hunger that come with it. I am not against all shake products, but I am against using them as meal replacements.
Del-Metri Williams, MBA NC CTLC
Weight Management Coach
Should I cut calories on my diet?
October 7, 2008
If it is true that you must burn more calories than what you consume; why aren’t low calorie diets working? Calories in and calories out seem so simple. Cutting calories decreases your metabolism by 10% to 15%. It cannot be followed long term. I think I lasted two weeks on the famous calorie counting diet. Of course now they count points. Becoming a professional calorie counter only made me think about how hungry I was. When I was younger, starving myself was cool. I could live off of diet coke for lunch. As I got older, I realize that I could not make it on 800 calories a day. I was tired and I could not think. Like most people, I just gave up.
You will lose weight when you cut calories. Most of the weight loss is muscle, not fat. After you stop dieting you may be smaller, but you are also fatter. Because you have changed your body fat percent, the weight you gain back is now more fat added to your body. That is why people end up getting fatter after they diet. The problem is that all calories are not created equal. Calories from sugar affect your body systems differently.
Healthy regards,
Del-Metri Williams, MBA NC CTLC
Weight Management Coach
