The Glycemic Index Diet for Dummies (22 page)

Asking yourself the
right questions

People often dive right into new diet regimens only to find that those regimens don't work for them or that now just isn't the right time in their lives to make changes. If you're still trying to decide whether a low-glycemic diet is appropriate for you, take a few minutes to ask yourself the following questions:

Can I see myself following a low-glycemic diet for a lifetime?

Am I ready to make lifestyle changes?

Am I willing to look at this as a process rather than a quick fix?

Do I enjoy low-glycemic foods?

Do I enjoy trying new foods and recipes?

Will I have good support from my family?

Do the low-glycemic guidelines seem like something that will work in my current lifestyle? If not, am I willing to make some changes to my lifestyle (such as cooking at home more and/or buying new foods)?

What do I really want — to lose weight fast or to lose a little weight more slowly so I can give myself the time and space to adopt new habits?

If losing weight was just a matter of following a plan and exercising, then it'd be easy. However, losing weight successfully and for the long haul requires changing your habits and, in some cases, a lifetime of conditioning. That makes the road a bit harder, but it's not impossible to travel if you take the time to point yourself on the right path. Evaluating your dieting history and addressing the preceding questions fully will set you up for long-term weight-loss success on a low-glycemic diet.

Do You Hav
e Insulin Resistance?

Insulin resistance
is a condition in which your muscle, fat, and liver cells don't respond properly to
insulin,
a hormone produced by the pancreas that transports
blood glucose
(blood sugar) from the food you eat into your cells. As a result, your body needs more insulin to help blood glucose enter your cells. The pancreas tries to keep up with this increased demand for insulin by producing more. Eventually, the pancreas fails to keep up with the body's need for insulin, and excess blood glucose builds up.

Many people with insulin resistance have high levels of both blood glucose and insulin circulating in their blood at the same time. Among other health complications, this excess blood glucose and insulin can cause your body to store more calories as fat and can increase food cravings and feelings of hunger. People who are overweight and inactive have a higher risk of developing some sort of insulin resistance. The thing is, you can have insulin resistance without even realizing it. The only way to know for sure is to undergo a blood test.

Perhaps you've been tested for and diagnosed with insulin resistance. If so, then good for you because you can take measures to deal with it. One such measure is to follow a low-glycemic lifestyle. A low-glycemic approach to eating is helpful in improving insulin function and preventing insulin resistance from turning into an even bigger health concern. When you consume enough low-glycemic foods on a regular basis, you cut down the amount of excess blood glucose floating around in your blood, allowing your pancreas to produce less insulin, so you wind up using blood glucose as energy instead of storing it as fat.

The following sections give you the scoop on health conditions and symptoms associated with insulin resistance, as well as advice on how to begin managing this condition by following a low-glycemic lifestyle.

Health conditions relat
ed to insulin resistance

In some cases, insulin resistance is a byproduct of obesity, but it can also be a byproduct of numerous health issues. Following are several known health issues associated with insulin resistance (you can find more information on most of these health conditions in Chapter 22):

Prediabetes

Type 2 diabetes