The GL Diet Made Easy: How to Eat, Cheat and Still Lose Weight. Nigel Denby
intake and help combat the rising levels of obesity among children.
A low-GL diet has also been shown to be more effective than a low-fat diet in reducing BMI (body mass index) and body fat in obese adolescents.
‘Yesterday I collected my two girls from school to find my eldest in a terrible state. She was white as a sheet, slightly clammy and shaking. It turned out that they’d had the biggest “dorm feast” ever, with the most sweets and fizzy drinks on record, a classic case of sugar overload. Needless to say, she wasn’t very nice to be around – but two low-GL meals later, she’d come back down to earth and actually managed to sleep through the night. Thank you, Nigel, Tina and Deborah, for giving me the knowledge to cope with this kind of blood-sugar overload – it’s making a huge difference to our lives.’
Olivia from Scotland
diet freedom online club member
Low GL and Obesity
Being overweight isn’t just about carrying around excess flab. The fatty tissue produces hormones that can make you susceptible to a number of chronic conditions – and the more overweight you are the greater the risk. Being overweight or obese increases the likelihood of you suffering from cancer, coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, osteoarthritis and stroke.
The good news is that if you are overweight or obese, losing just 10 per cent of your body weight can reduce the risk of these chronic conditions significantly. The research showing beneficial weight loss on a low-GL diet is plentiful. Both adults and children show marked weight benefits and loss of excess body fat when following a low-GL diet.
Being on a low-GL diet doesn’t reduce your metabolic rate as much as being on a low-fat diet – so at rest you are burning more calories on the GL Diet. This can only help with weight loss. GL dieters also report feeling less hungry than low-fat, low-calorie dieters, and actually eat less! Again, great for losing those wobbly bits.
‘I’ve lost 7 stone since using the diet freedom website and books. It’s a really logical way to lose weight and becomes second nature very quickly. It also makes you feel really good. The best thing, though, is that I’ve not regained any of the weight I’ve lost – this is a first as I’d yo-yo dieted my way through life up until this point. My confidence is much increased and it would be no exaggeration to say it has changed my life completely.’
Joe from Worthing
‘In the two weeks I’ve been following this way of life, I haven’t stopped eating and I haven’t felt hungry. I’ve continued with a glass of red wine in the evenings, I’ve had the odd bit of chocolate and I’ve still lost 7lb. Can’t be bad – I only wish I’d come across it sooner. Thanks to all involved with the books, the forum and all its members.’
Caroline
diet freedom online club member
‘I thought I’d cheer myself up this morning by weighing myself, even though I hadn’t planned to do so, and I’m absolutely delighted with the result! In the six-and-a-bit weeks since I started the diet I’ve lost a total of … 15lb! That’s 6lb lost since my last weigh-in only two-and-a-half weeks ago. I’m taking as little exercise as ever, so I have to attribute my improved girth to the diet. This is definitely a very workable plan and fits in well with family life. It’s easy to build meals around this sort of food, supplementing a basic low-GL core with higher-GL accompaniments and extras (such as potatoes) for the rest of the family. I’m very pleasantly surprised to find that it also helps me to lose weight!’
Astrid from Essex
Low GL and Concentration
Ever get the mid-morning or mid-afternoon sleepy feeling – when you just can’t keep your eyes open? This can be a real problem if you’re at work or school and supposed to be concentrating and firing on all cylinders.
Your brain relies on glucose as its sole source of energy – your muscles can use other things like fat and protein but the brain needs glucose. If your brain doesn’t get enough then everything else slows down and that’s why you feel sleepy.
Studies in the UK show that children who eat breakfast in the morning perform better and have better concentration in lessons. Choosing a low-GL breakfast like porridge or an oat-based cereal and eating low-GL snacks and meals throughout the day have a similar effect in contributing to this improved performance and concentration.
By following the GL Diet you give your body a steady supply of energy throughout the day, your brain has plenty of glucose to keep it going, and your muscles have plenty of fuel to keep you active too. The GL Diet is great for both body and mind!
Chapter Four THE PLAN – HOW TO EAT
Time and time again we’ve seen diets burst on to the scene that promise miraculous weight loss but seem to overlook the body’s basic need for a balanced diet – to achieve not only a healthy weight but also a healthy mind. We believe passionately that any lifestyle plan for weight loss should be a lifelong commitment to eating a healthy, balanced diet and being more active. However, we also understand that in the real world some people just want to drop a dress/clothes size before they go on holiday or for a special event. Either way, for any diet to get the thumbs up from us, the route to weight loss has to be sustainable, safe and enjoyable.
The GL Diet isn’t just about switching to low-GL foods; it’s also about making healthier choices whenever possible within the framework of a balanced diet. This is where we get down to the nitty-gritty. By following these guidelines you can be sure you’ll get all the good nutrition you need to stay healthy and to lose any excess weight.
The GL Diet Guidelines
These are the things we think are important to focus on for a balanced diet and lifestyle, and we know they will work for you:
• Eat three meals per day plus two snacks.
• Don’t go longer than four hours without eating.
• Eat no more than you can fit into your cupped hands at each meal.
• Swap high-GL carbs (like white bread) for low-GL carbs (like soy and linseed bread).
• Aim for two to three protein-rich foods each day – variety is the key.
• Base your snacks on low-GL fruit and vegetables.
• Try to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables every day.
• A moderate intake of fat is fine. Aim to eat mainly the healthier mono- and polyunsaturated fats such as olive oil and olive oil-based spread, vegetable and nut oils. Read labels and avoid harmful hydrogenated/trans fats hidden in many food products. Some foods are now labelled as containing ‘non-hydrogenated fats’, which is great.
• Be aware of salt hidden in many processed foods and don’t add it to recipes or at the table.
• Drink six to eight glasses of fluid each day – water is best.
• Try to be more active and make it fun – aim for 30 minutes each day.
Most of us know the basics of healthy eating. However, choosing the right foods can be daunting, so we often put our heads in the sand and carry on regardless. But you can relax – our recipes and food lists take care of all that so you can get on with your life, look and feel great and still enjoy fabulous food.
Sometimes understanding a few of the facts behind the healthy eating guidelines we suggest can make it a bit easier to see why we should all be making