The G.I. Diet: The Easy, Healthy Way to Permanent Weight Loss Hardcover – November 4, 2003

(See update at the end of the review)
First, I just have to say thank you to all of those who wrote reviews before me. It was reading through all your comments and that helped me decide to give one more diet a try.

(I got both books, The GI Diet and Living the GI Diet, which has a lot more recipies in it, and some of the ones I mention here are from that edition) Now, regarding the books and the diet: The books are set up in such a way that they are extremely easy to follow. I love the red, yellow, and green light idea for the various foods listed. The only part that is a little confusing at first is the portion size, but once you get used to not having to measure everything you eat, it is great! This book lists portions as how much of the plate it fills: 1/4 for meat, 1/4 for pasta, rice etc, and 1/2 for fruits and veggies. Now how much easier can that be? Sure, there are some things that you have to be more precise with, but not that many. The recipe sections are set up by categories that are very easy to follow. So far I have tried only a few of the recipes. I work very late hours, so there isn't time for serious cooking on work nights. Mom and I do meat and veggie meals, or a little wheat pasta with veggies and cottage cheese usually on those nights. But on my three days off we cook. Most recipes make enough servings that we can have leftovers the next day, or freeze the extra for meals when you need something quick. The recipes we have tried so far are fantastic! They don't even taste like you are on a diet. Three of our favorites are the Lazy Cabbage Rolls, Hunter Chicken, and Meat lasagna. Makes your mouth water just remembering how good it all was.

So, how is it working, you might wonder? Mom and I have been on the diet for three weeks. So far Mom has lost 8 pounds and I have lost 10. We have both lost over 2 inches from our waist measurements. Sure, we are just beginning, and most people can stick to a diet for that long, but honestly,this is the easiest diet I have ever done, and by far the most effective. I don't feel deprived of anything (with the exception of a nice big Hershey bar <G>), but I am learning that I don't need one. My energy level is higher and doesn't flucuate through the day like it did before when I had sudden peaks and dips in my blood sugar. Now, it stays level all day, and I don't feel like I am going to fall asleep at my computer at work.

Anyone who is considering starting a new diet should consider this one. You'll be glad you did!

(Update) I've been on the diet now since February 1, 2005, and I have lost just under 50 pounds. I admit I wasn't as strict with it over the summer since it gets too hot in our house to do much baking or cooking of things that take very long to prepare, but I didn't gain back a pound over those three months that I was a little lax. We just ate simpler meals, stuck strictly to the whole grain and no sugar rules and I maintained my loss through those hot months. Now that it is moving into cooler weather again, I am anxious to get back in the swing of things. Oh, by the way. I have gone from a size 28 to a size 22. My goal is to reach a size 16, which is small enough for me since I am nearly six feet tall. <G> My mother has gone from a size 22 to a size 16 and is aiming for a size 12. She's maintained her loss through the summer and even managed to drop 3-4 pounds during those hot months. This really is the easiest, and the best, diet I have ever tried and it has become a lifestyle change that I know I can stay with even once I reach my goals.

The thing about diets is that any "diet" you adopt for some specific, finite purpose (e.g. "I will eat a low-carb diet until I have lost 20 pounds" or "I will reduce my intake of fat and sugar until my cholesterol levels improve") is that they assume your "diet" is temporary, and at some point (after reaching your goal, presumably), you can "go back" to eating "normally." Well, if eating "normally" resulted in your current physical condition, what do you think will happen when you resume eating that way? Hence the failure of most diets. The only way a diet is going to work for you permanently is if it can become your PERMANENT DIET, i.e., the way you eat for the rest of your life. So, who can follow a low-carb diet or a coconut diet or a no-sugar-or-fat-or-anything-tasty diet or eat supplements and prepackaged meals FOREVER? No one.

This diet you can follow permanently. Yes, it does mean giving up junk food and greasy, fatty foods or foods made mostly of sugar and starch (or at least, limiting them to the occasional cheat meal, and by OCCASIONAL I mean "every couple of months," not "a couple times a week"!). But if you're not prepared to cut McDonald's and Oreos and Haagen Daaz out of your life, or at least confine them to a RARE treat, then you're not prepared to lose weight permanently, because you'll never accomplish any serious weight loss goals eating that stuff, sorry. The thing is, the G.I. diet doesn't try to exclude entire arbitrary categories of food or tell you you can only eat foods from certain groups. Instead, it lists foods as "red light" (don't eat at all, except for those RARE treats), "yellow light" (indulge occasionally but don't make them a regular part of your meals) and "green light" (eat all you want).

Now, here's the thing -- While the G.I. diet is based on the "glycemic index," i.e., how fast different foods metabolize into sugar -- there is nothing magical about the "green light" foods. Any book on nutrition will tell you what's healthy to eat (fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lowfat/nonfat dairy, lean meats) and what's not (sugar, fatty meats, full-fat dairy, anything made of "enriched" white flour, which basically turns into sugar almost immediately upon hitting your bloodstream). So you can follow this diet without obsessing over the GI ratings of different foods. The red light/yellow light/green light system is a useful guide, so you know, for example, that bananas, while not "bad" for you, are "yellow light" because they have a much higher starch content, and apples or berries are a better choice. No surprise that bacon is "red light," but there are plenty of meats that are "green light," you just have to be choosy about both your selections and your portion sizes. (If you're a vegetarian or even a vegan, the GI diet will suit you fine too.)

Mostly what you will learn is the choices you should substitute for less optimal foods. Apples are better than bananas. Sweet potatoes are better than regular potatoes. Brown rice is better than white rice. Old fashioned oatmeal is better than "instant" oatmeal. Skim milk is better than whole milk. Canadian bacon is better than ham or regular bacon. White meat is better than dark meat, and tenderloin is better than flank or round steaks. Again, none of this is a mystery and there are no magical combinations to learn, but you have to be willing to make these kinds of substititions PERMANENTLY.

I've been following the GI diet for almost a year now, with very good results. I supplemented it with a serious exercise program, but on the other hand, I never followed the stricter "Phase I" portion of the diet (where you are supposed to eat nothing but "green light" foods). I've cut "red light" foods 99% out of my diet (I can't give up cream in my coffee) and "yellow light" foods make up less than 20% of my diet. I do not feel hungry or deprived, and I eat plenty of stuff I like.

There are several recipes in this book that work very well as meal staples. I use them repeatedly, week after week. "Living the GI Diet," by the same author, is basically a GI Diet cookbook with many more recipes, also worth getting.

I purchased this book for a family member because it focuses on pursuing a low-sugar diet. I've read a lot on nutrition and after finding out how much of an impact refined sugars have on our bodies, in the form of extra fat and also in the form of a lowered immune system, I started reading this book myself, and now its my Bible. Its absolutely amazing, I'm a 19 year old college student, never dieted before, following these easy to decipher green, yellow, and red light precautions for food. Many surprises in this book, for me anyway- some foods that I thought were great for my health really aren't, and vice versa...did you know dark chocolate has a relatively low glycemic index? How cool is that??

I know many diets that claim, "This is not a diet, but a way of life." The truth is, any diet is a way of life, and restricting certain foods completely from any diet is usually fruitless. This book doesnt do that- it merely gives you indispensable information about what you are putting into your body so as to keep you healthy and vital forever. It even has a GI shopping list inside of it- some of the foods on it are impractical if you don't live near a health food store or want to spend a lot of money, but many of the foods are easy to find and inexpensive. Take a look at some of the good, healthy recipe this book offers as well.

I'd also recommend a website, called the World's Healthiest Foods, where you can take a quiz about how much you eat certain foods, and it will tell you what nutritiets may be lacking in your diet and how to supplement them. Happy reading!