The Glycemic Index
Some people love to hop up and down about their latest fad diets. But, at the same time, they aren’t losing any weight. Other folks might try crazy ideas like near starvation diets or meal plans that cut out entire groups of food in the quest for a better body. Chances are, if they manage to lose any weight, those diets aren’t usually sustainable.
A hard truth is that most of those people will put it right back on as soon as they add whatever food groups they cut out, back in to their daily consumption. Further, they won’t be able to cut out those foods indefinitely, which leads to a conundrum.
If you’ve tried losing weight in the past but struggled due to bad dieting advice, this info might help.
A lot of people have quietly used the glycemic index to shed years of flab. It may not be sexy or get a ton of press outside of nutritionist and dietician offices, but it works.
Call me crazy, but I believe a diet should produce results before anyone goes wild for it. Celebrity diets rarely have any benefits, but people flock to them anyways. That’s precisely why we’ve created this short guide about the glycemic index.
What is the Glycemic Index
The simple definition is that it’s a number. The glycemic index score of a food tells you how fast your body turns its carbs into glucose. It’s an important factor for determining the effect a food has on the hormone insulin.
Most people have heard of the word insulin. You may even recognize it as something people with diabetes use as medication. A lot of people don’t know it is an actual human hormone we create, that helps regulate blood sugar in our bodies.
The higher a food’s glycemic index score, the more it affects your blood sugar levels. That means, if you want to control your blood sugar and the hormone insulin, it’s best to eat low glycemic index foods.
Understanding Glycemic Index Scores: Low, Medium, and High
The lower the glycemic index score a food has, the easier it is on your blood sugar. That’s important because when blood sugar is unregulated, it causes your body to store fat.
Here is the breakdown for low, medium, and high glycemic ranges:
- Low Glycemic Index – includes any foods that are 55 or lower
- Medium Glycemic Index – Includes any foods between 56 – 69
- High Glycemic Index – Includes any foods 70 or higher
High glycemic foods include potatoes, rice, pasta, white bread, cookies, cakes, and other snacks.
Low glycemic foods include berries (all kinds), spinach, broccoli, brussel sprouts, artichokes, asparagus.
Notice that things like potato chips, crackers, and soda are all high glycemic foods and beverages, which spike your insulin.
It has always been important to control your intake of those types of foods and beverages due to their calorie density, but in light of how it affects blood chemistry, it takes on a new light.
How can using the glycemic index help you lose weight?
Lose Weight Using the Glycemic Index
Part of the reason the glycemic index isn’t toted as a fad diet is that it isn’t a diet. Much like tracking macros, it’s a lifestyle of managing your intake of high glycemic foods. Please notice we didn’t say completely cutting out high glycemic foods.
Using the glycemic index doesn’t mean you have to cut out your favorite foods. You just have to understand how they affect your blood sugar. If you can regulate your blood sugar and exercise several times a week, you can lose weight easily with the glycemic index.
Managing your intake of high glycemic foods can help you shed those unwanted pounds.
Are you looking to lose weight? Try using the glycemic index. It can help you manage your weight in a healthy way.
Let Us help You Out
A proper nutrition plan is a massively important part of your overall health. Eating properly can shed pounds without doing any extra activity, but if you have a desire to get moving, and your doctor has cleared you to do so, hit us up. We’re here to help, offering a variety of customized workout plans to suit your goals.
At CONDITIONerd we are here to help you achieve better physical and mental health through exercise. Check out the plans we offer to our customers and see if you could benefit from working with our team. And if you have questions, you can always contact a CONDITIONerd team member.
Personal trainers, like those found here, can help guide you on your pathway towards reaching your fitness goals, whether that is getting bigger, stronger, faster, more lean, or just generally feeling better.
We can get you setup with a periodized workout plan, supplement information, and advice on nutrition to help you reach your goals.
The only thing you need is some motivation and a willingness to change some old habits.
Get into contact with us to find out what membership is right for you. In a CONDITIONerd program, you’ll be surrounded by others who can help you to get where you want to be.
Generally, our clients start to see some pretty awesome changes in 2-3 months time, some sooner.
