I actually started a Low GI diet without even knowing what a 'low GI diet' was.. and discovered later why and how it worked.
Here is my story. I had been on many low-cal/low-fat diets before.. but I would be starving the whole time I was on the diet .. and would return to eating normally and regain the weight quickly as soon as I stopped the diet.
Then...I bought the Adkin's book and read it... the part about insulin and storing body fat.. and the hunger triggers brought on by carbohydrate-rich foods really hit home with me. I thought hmmm maybe I should try the low-carb diet and see how it works for me...
Well.. it worked, somewhat, but I didn't lose that much weight after a few weeks of dieting.. but what I did notice is that I was never hungry. Something I really hadn't felt my entire life. But, I also noticed several side effects that I didn't like at all.. I felt weak, had bad breath, didn't sleep particularly well, and felt bloated... so I decided to do a little experiment....
I started adding back carbohydrates to my diet.. VERY slowly (one item at a time) and recorded if I felt a return of hunger.. if I did.. I crossed the food back off the list and tried another. For the foods that didn't seem to trigger cravings/hunger.. I continued to eat them. If I felt the cravings/hunger returning, I would either eliminate the food from my diet entirely or carefully limit it .. and eat it only earlier in the day.
What I discovered is that rice, potatoes and anything with processed sugar along with most fruits were the main triggers...so I just eliminated them. I also crossed pasta and corn from my list.
But, what I DID discover, is that whole grain breads/crackers, oat and wheat based cereals (w/very low sugar), dairy products, beans/peas, and some lower sugar fruits (berries, cantaloupe) I could eat without having any problem.
So now that I am losing weight, I've gone even a step further to eat 1/3 of my calories from fat, 1/3 from protein and 1/3 from carbohydrates.. and try to eat the bulk of my carbs before dinner (eating a higher protein dinner) with no snacking at all and this has been the most rapid yet the most simple weight loss I've experienced in my life! What is really crazy is that I had NO IDEA that I was creating a diet for myself that actually was just like a lot of the popular 'Low GI' diets out there.. but now I am totally convinced that my weight problems my whole life have been directly linked to the types of foods I was eating. It is such relief to not be crazed with hunger anymore.. and to be able to eat three reasonable meals every day without feeling deprived (and miserable!). I've actually quit snacking as well.. and feel fantastic.
Sparkpeople enabled me to get everything organized and develop a routine I can live with. I am so glad I found this place! I hope to get down to 140 very soon.. and then I'll start working on my second goal (120 lbs) after that.
"Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out."--
Robert Collier
FORUM: 
TOPIC: 
