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Glycemic Index
Dieting or Count Calories?
Question:
I’ve heard that the G.I diet helps to reduce body fat, but surely a low
calorie diet causes frequent fat burning due to a calorie deficit?
Answer:
Yes, calories do count to some degree. Calories are related more to weight
loss, the fewer calories we ingest the more weight we lose, but not all the
weight lost will come from fat loss. Generally the quicker the weight loss,
the more chance it will come from muscle and
water loss rather than fat and
cutting calories quickly results in
rapid weight loss. This is why you
shouldn’t just go for weight loss alone and the reason why experts recommend
only losing an average of 1 -2 pounds per week. This little and often
approach requires a gradual drop in calories so there’s more chance any
weight loss will largely come from reduced body fat stores resulting in a
better chance of long term success.
The G. I. diet works in a similar way but additionally helps to control
blood sugar levels which limit the storage of fat through control of insulin
spikes. This is where the G.I. diet excels. It tends to target the loss of
fat stores rather than just body weight alone. It helps limit the amount of
lean muscle loss, thus maintains a speedy metabolism which keeps you burning
more energy.
The G.I diet may also result in weight loss as a side effect because many
low G. I or natural foods tend to contain fewer calories, thus there is
frequently a natural decrease in calorie intake.
The fact is we burn fat all day; the problem is we often cause any fat loss
to be replaced at the next meal because many convenient foods contain lots
of refined sugars which cause the
pancreas to release more insulin. The high
insulin levels drive excess fat and sugars into cells for storage. The
result is we rarely gain the benefit of a net loss of body fat. If we could
stop or reduce the body from storing fat after eating we would naturally see
a reduction in stored body fat. The G.I. diet does this well if it is
followed correctly. A calorie deficit can also do this but there’s no
guarantee because it is dependent on what the individual eats and how much
he/she reduces calories. With a low calorie diet there’s always the need to
burn off extra energy through exercise because we need to tip the balance in
favour of burning more than is replaced to produce a net loss of
stored fat.
The trouble is the body also breaks down muscle to maintain the
amino acid
pool (protein available in blood). This causes the
metabolism to eventually
slow down resulting in the weight loss plateau.
Calorie counting can help lose weight but given a choice I would prefer to
follow the G.I way of eating.
It is possible to burn body fat without a
calorie deficit if the timing and conditions are correct
For the latest news about G.I. Dieting check
out
eDiets.com. they offer a fantastic GI Diet menu plan
which really helps save you time. The whole process is completely automated and
helps save you devising your own menu.
If you change your diet or introduce new
foods you must consult your doctor before starting.
Please read our
Terms!
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