Discovery Home & Health

Day 1 of GI completed.[]
Discovered I am still greedy and ate all the grapes in one day[:I]
Other than that, enjoyed the feeling of eating healthy food. Loved my beanie and humous salad.
Stayed off work today, bad cold getting the better of me, so lead a very sloth like existence all day. I desperately need to get back on the exercise bandwagon before I turn into a quivering jelly-like mass of flab!
Determined to get to bed before midnight tonight so I'll bid you goodnight.[]

Couldn't resist jumping onto the scales this morning. Don't know what I expected after yesterdays's grapefest! Anyway, that taught me, I've put on a pound.[:I] Moral of the story, don't buy big bags of grapes...
Back to work today, although still feeling a bit grotty. My parents return from 3 weeks in Thailand this afternoon so I'll be collecting them from the station, be good to have them back.
Anyone else want to join me here? I need your support.[]

Hi BJ

I'm still in abstinence so I can't give you much help as far as practical advice is concerned but I've done loads of research so that I can have a plan about what to do once I've got through the management stage. It starts in 6 weeks after 12 months of total abstinence, so I am naturally wanting to be well-informed before I get there.

I have read loads of GI books, and I've cooked most of the Anthony Worrall Thompson recipes for my family and they have all said that they are good portions and very tasty.

I am currently reading an Australian book from Matalan - I don't have it with me at the moment so I can't give you the details but if you like I'll put them on here when I get home, I like it so far because it gives you a shopping list, a time planner (for pre preparing your lunches etc for work), menus and a 21 day wall hanger with all the meals on it. It sounds a bit like the Tesco service but you don't have to just shop in one place! The downside is that it tends to have things like Lebanese cucumbers on the list - now I don't know about you but I've never heard of a Lebanese cucumber!!

Good luck with losing the weight, I know Manic Mandi has been very successful at maintaining her weight and it was her that inspired me with GI. The more I have read about it (and I've read loads!!) the more it seems to be the sensible (and easy) option - I do like food and I don't want to have to survive on a lettuce leaf just to maintain my current size 12 and GI looks like the answer to me.

I'll be interested to hear how you get on!

WG x

Thanks for all that WG[]
I'll look out for that book next time I'm in Matalan, sounds good.
Are you doing CD, LL or LT? How much weight have you lost? Must be a lot if you've been on abstinence for a year.
I'm enjoying the low GI food but I think I need to eat less to lose weight. I've not had any exercise for a few weeks and it's obviously having a detrimental effect on my midriff.[:I]
At least my parents are back now, so I can tap into their babysitting services to get myself to the gym.
Today I have eaten:
Breakfast: Fruit and fibre with skimmed milk and a teaspoon of honey
Lunch: Salad with slice of beef, humous and wholemeal pitta, fat free yoghurt
Snack: Malt loaf, 2 slices
Dinner: Loads of veg, grilled chicken, humous, sweet potato, fat free yoghurt
Snack: Alpen bar

If there's anything there that you know I shouldn't even be thinking about, let alone eating, please let me know![] I'm still a GI virgin.
Bye for now,
BJX

Hi all,

Hope you don't mind me butting in, I am in the second week of management LL style, and am interested in the GI for maintenance, does anyone know when you can stop eating packs and follow the GI programme, also a good book for beginers, I have the AWT book but would like something that can explain it in great detail for a complete moron. I know about food and why the GI will work but not exactly which foods are in which group etc

Hi Guys

Aww, WeatherGirl, thank you... *blush*

Rebel - I'd look for the books by Rick Gallop. There is the main book but also a handy, pocket sized book that lists everything in it's red, yello, green categories... very handy and after a while it gets easy to remember too.

One quick tip though if you find yourself without a list... if it's a manufactured food, especially one that has been highly processed, then it is 'likely' to be in the red. Also, anything that is high in starchy or sugary carbs, even if they are all natural (jacket spuds for one *shudders*) are red. Just think to yourself whether it will be readily available energy to your body, whether it will take a while to digest. The longer it takes to digest the better it is (well, within reason!)....

Also, go join my management thread - plenty of management ladies in there who will support you all the way.

Boobyjood - nothing in your list looks wrong at all, well, except perhaps for the humous. Humous is very scrummy but I have to restrict myself with it as although it's quite good GI-wise it's also quite high in fat, which isn't good. Check the nutrition values of your snacks too. They may appear to be good from the 'whole grain' point of view but don't be fooled... they will probably be held together with so much sugar that the whole grain goodness gets completely overshadowed.

You mentioned that you thought your portions might be too big. It really depends on what part of the meal was the big portion! I will quite happily have a heaped plate load, but at least half of it will be salad. I restrict my intake of carbs to (usually) less than a quarter of a plate and the rest is the protein portion. I also avoid breads for most of the time, even if they are wholemeal/wholegrain etc etc. The fact that they are made of flour, which is processed and therefore easily digestible, makes me bloated and craving for more.

Oh, and if I ate breakfast, lunch AND dinner I doubt I would have managed to lose the last stone since finishing abstinance... I snack on a handful of fruit or nuts throughout the day, and have one meal in the evening. BUT, and it is a big BUT, that is the way I am, that is the way I have always eaten. I don't do meals because it is a meal time, I eat when I am hungry. Today, because I went straight from work to college and don't get home until 10pm, I had a rasher of bacon, a slice of dry bread (yes, I did say bread!) and a portion of mushrooms this morning at work, I also bought myself a pot of porridge, which I ate (cold) at about 2pm as I knew this would see me through and I wouldn't be hungry for the rest of the day. Thing is, I would never normally have a breakfast, especially one like today, but because I knew I'd have nothing else today it didn't matter. It's still a balancing act... and always will be.

I really need to shut up now... and go to bed.

Night all
Manic
x

Hi Jude - love the thread - something new here. Yes I thought Homous was a bad idea - you do like it don't you!!!!

Gotr to dash - also left you a message on my thread - let's email soon.

Raining again - ah well winter drawers on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

xxxxxxxxxDiane

Good morning GI girlies[]
Welcome on board Rebel, how much weight have you lost?
Mandi, thanks, as always, for all your useful advice. I do love my humous, I buy the healthy eating version but still need to watch my portions[:I]
I think like you, I need to avoid bread whenever I can. I'm trying to stick to wholemeal pitta bread as it's not quite so moreish.
Started the day today with a bowl of plump, juicy blackberries smoothered in Mullerlight yoghurt. Scrummy, but I feel like I need to eat carbs now...No time though, got to put on my face and do the school run in the pouring rain, before another busy day at work.
TGIF[]
Bye for now,
JudeX

Sorry Diane, forgot to give you a mention because I'd just replied on your own thread.[][:I]

Hi Jude - posted on my thread for you - loving this thread - really interesting and useful to see how you get on - I might lose 7 pounds or so on packs and then do GI green of course - very very sensible and sooo healthy...

Have a lovely weekend. We just intend to chill and do a little xmas shopping on sunday.

xxxxxxxxxDiane

Mmmm, having second thoughts today.[:I] Scales say I've put on a pound and I've got dreadful wind, just as well I've got the house to myself![]
Still worrying about getting into my dress next Saturday, so I'm sorely tempted to do a few days of two foodpacks/one healthy GI meal. I can't do total SS as my fridge and cupboards are full of scrummy healthy GI food![:I]
My head's telling me I should stick with it, I'll probably mess up my metabolism by returning to packs, but I've got to get into that dress![:I][]
Anyway, I'll start the day with a mad cleaning frenzy then I'll hit the gym for the first time in weeks. Maybe the exercise will make the difference.
How's everyone else doing?

Jude - I posted on the management thread - please read it - I came to my senses really quickly - read Anthony Worrall Thompson's GI Diet and cookbook while soaking in the bath - I think we both need to look at portion control - the food is lovely - great recipes - but he does stress portion control - (or the Drs who wrote that section do anyway)!!

If you just reduce portion size and keep to the GI and maybe replace 1 meal a day with a pack that may help - boy aren't we mad!!!!!!!!!!![}][}][}][}][}]

You are spot on about fearing putting the weight back on but we must learn from our experiences and move on not backwards again!!!!!!!!!

Lots of love to you and I hope you enjoyed the gym.

xxxxxDiane

Thanks Diane, more words of wisdom again[]
I've been to the gym, walked briskly into the village and back (about 3 miles) and now I'm off into Southport for some Chrimbo shopping. I'll have a look for AWT's GI book, sounds good.
My mum is interested in giving GI a go, but she can't be bothered to read up on it, just wants me to give her a week's menu plan.
Just had my lunch; chicken, beans, veg, brown rice and a wholemeal pitta, followed by Mullerlight, a few nuts and a dried apricot. Portion control, what portion control?![:I] Can't seem to bring a meal to an end!
Must go or the shops will be shut.
Bye for now,
JudeX

Hi

Mandi many thanks for the tips, I will check out the management thread but can't promise to read from the start!!!

I am sure that there is loads of advice for me to follow.

Boobyjood, I have lost 5 stone exactly on LL, as I am only 5 ft tall thats one stone per foot. It took me about 4.5 months, I used to look like a bouncy ball! now its more like an elf. (Got to be an improvement).

Thanks for all the advice and I will keep an eye on this thread for when I am allowed to eat all the "good" GI foods.

Keep up the good tips, this site kept me motivated when I was on the programme and now its helping me through management, I can't thank everyone on here enough.

What do you weigh now Rebel?

Jude - rice and pitta bread might be too much together - my suspicion about the GI plan is that you can't eat loads - you just won't lose much weight on it!!! It's more for maintenance I think!!! Loved what I ate yesterday - really healthy and a bit naughty and scales show a slight increase but it was probably what I ate on Friday that has caught up on me! WHAT ARE WE LIKE!!!!!!!!!

XXXXXXXXDiane