Fun Monday - A Change in Lifestyle

Grace of Mama Rehema is this week's Fun Monday hostess. Grace is asking the participants to share information about a diet. We can discuss diets that we have tried and tell what we liked or did not like about the diet. Grace encourages us to tell about one diet that you had so much success with, or another that was a torture to follow or both.

I am very happy the Grace has selected this particular topic for this Fun Monday. I have been thinking about writing about my adventures in dieting for a few weeks. Like many dieters, I have become somewhat of a zealot in promoting the diet that works for me. On the other hand, I am somewhat self-conscious about discussing weight. Most of my life, I have been fortunate to be slim. Even as I aged and added some pounds, my height of 5'7" hid some of the extra pounds that I had gained over the past seven or so years. However, I developed a double chin and a tummy paunch, which is definitely not desirable.

Yet, no longer being svelte did not induce me to lose weight. My weight loss was almost accidental, and I lost about 25 pounds in about six months. The plan that we followed is The G.I. Diet developed by Rick Gallop. Here is how this came about. In June2008, my husband and I were at a party, and Daddy D mentioned that he felt tired much of the time. A friend suggested that he might have more energy by losing a few pounds by trying the G.I. Diet. Daddy D like me is tall (he is actually a lot taller at 6'3".) We, tall people, tend to hide our weight gains over our long frames.

So off to the bookstore, we went to purchase both The G.I. Diet and The G.I. Diet Express by Rick Gallop . The Glycemic Index or G.I. Diet by Gallop is based on the premise that all foods are traffic-light color-coded. Green light foods are acceptable foods for the diet and include most fruits and vegetables, fresh fish, fish packed in water, lean meats, whole wheat pastas, almonds, oatmeal, skim milk, fat-free cheese, fat free yogurt to name a few of the main choices.

The plan essentially consists of eating three meals including only the foods from the extensive green light list. Additionally to stave off hunger, dieters are encouraged to eat snacks between meals, again choosing foods from the green light list. Frequently, our snacks consist of plain yogurt with fresh fruit or flavored fat-free yogurt. Another snack time favorite is almonds.

I highly recommend the G.I. Diet. My husband has lost almost 20 pounds, and I lost 25 pounds because I followed his diet. Even though I did have a few pounds to lose and I am very happy with the results, I was following this diet partly for convenience. I probably have reached the yellow light phase of the diet, which is the maintenance phase. In this phase, a few more foods such as bananas, corn, red wine, and unsweetened fruit juices are permitted in addition to the green light foods. Red light foods such as bacon, peanut butter, and Jello should always be avoided. As my title suggests, this is not really a diet as such but a change in lifestyle with a "healthy balanced eating plan to guide you the rest of your life." (Gallop)

In addition to actually losing weight, there are some other positive aspects of the G.I. Diet. The green light foods or foods with a low glycemic index break down slowly leaving the dieter feeling fuller longer. Furthermore, there is no calorie counting, measuring, or quotas.

This is me some 25 pounds thinner than last June without a double chin or tummy paunch. (Sorry No Before Picture)

For a different aspect of this dieting adventure, check out our team blog, Mama Said, Papa Said .