The Glycemix Index (GI) - Key To Fat Loss Or Just Another
Diet Gimmick
By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
www.burnthefat.com
The glycemic index (GI) is a scale from 1 to 100 that measures how quickly
carbohydrate foods are broken down into glucose. The original purpose for
the glycemic index was to help diabetics keep their blood sugar under control.
The glycemic index has recently attracted a lot of attention in the bodybuilding,
fitness and weight loss world and has even become the central theme in numerous
best-selling diet books as a method to choose the foods that are best for
losing weight.
According to advocates of the glycemic index system, foods that are high
on the GI scale such as rice cakes, carrots, potatoes, watermelon or grape
juice are "unfavorable" and should be avoided because high GI foods are
absorbed quickly, raise blood sugar rapidly and are therefore more likely
to convert to fat or cause health problems.
Instead, we are urged to consume carbohydrates that are low on the GI scale
such as black eye peas, barley, old fashioned oatmeal, peanuts, grapefruit,
apples and beans because they do not raise blood sugar as rapidly.
While the GI does have some useful applications, such as the use of high
GI foods or drinks for post workout nutrition and the strong emphasis on
low GI foods for those with blood sugar regulation problems, there are flaws
in strictly using the glycemic index as your only criteria to choose carbs
on a weight loss program.
For example, the glycemic index is based on eating carbohydrates by themselves
in a fasted state. If you are following effective principles of fat-burning
and muscle building nutrition such as those outlined in my Burn The Fat,
Feed The Muscle (BFFM) e-book (
www.burnthefat.com), you should be eating
small, frequent meals to increase your energy, maintain lean body mass and
optimize metabolism for fat loss.
However, since the glycemic index of various foods was developed based
on eating each food in the fasted state, the glycemic index loses some of
its significance. you should be eating small, frequent meals to increase
your energy, maintain lean body mass and optimize metabolism for fat loss.
However, since the glycemic index of various foods was developed based on
eating each food in the fasted state, the glycemic index loses some of its
significance.
In addition, when you are on a diet program aimed at improving body composition
(losing fat or gaining muscle), you will usually be combining carbs and
protein together with each meal for the purposes of improving your fat to
muscle ratio. When carbs are eaten in mixed meals that contain protein and
some fat, the glycemic index loses even more of its significance because
the protein and fat slows the absorption of the carbohydrates (as does fiber).
Mashed potatoes have a glycemic index near that of pure glucose, but combine
the potatoes with a chicken breast and broccoli and the glycemic index of
the entire meal is lower than the potatoes by itself.
Rice cakes have a very high glycemic index, but if you were to put a couple
tablespoons of peanut butter on them, the fat would slow the absorption
of the carbs, thereby lowering the glycemic index of the combination.
A far more important and relevant criteria for selecting carbs for weight
loss - as well as all your other foods, proteins and fats included - is
whether they are natural or processed. To say that a healthy person with
no metabolic disorders should completely avoid natural, unprocessed foods
like carrots or potatoes simply because they are high on the glycemic index
is ridiculous.
I know many bodybuilders (myself included) who eat high glycemic index
foods such as white potatoes every day right up until the day of a competition
and they reach single digit body fat. How do they do it if high GI foods “make
you fat?” It’s simple – high GI foods DON’T necessarily
make you fat – choosing natural foods and burning more calories than
you consume are far more important factors. Although it’s not correct
to say that all calories are created equal, a calorie deficit is the most
important factor of all when fat loss is your goal.
The glycemic index is clearly not a "gimmick" and should not be completely
disregarded, as it is a definitely a legitimate nutritional tool. Is it
a good idea to eat low GI foods in general? Sure. Is eating high GI foods
after your workouts a good idea? Absolutely. But diet programs which hang
their hats on glycemic index alone as the “miracle solution” are
just another example of how one single aspect of nutrition can be used as
a "hook" in marketing and said to be the "end all be all" of fat loss, when
it's really only one small piece of the puzzle.
Eating Low glycemic index foods alone does NOT guarantee you will lose
fat. You have to take in the bigger picture, which includes calories/energy
balance, meal timing and frequency, macronutrient composition, choice of
processed versus refined foods as well as how all these nutritional factors
interact with your exercise program.
For more information on carbohydrates and the glycemic index, and for a
balanced, gimmick-free look at all aspects of fat-burning nutrition, be
sure to visit the Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle website at:
www.burnthefat.com
About the Author:
Tom Venuto is a lifetime natural bodybuilder, an NSCA-certified personal
trainer (CPT), certified strength & conditioning specialist (CSCS),
and author of the #1 best-selling e-book, "Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle.” Tom
has written more than 200 articles and has been featured in print magazines
such as IRONMAN, Australian IRONMAN, Natural Bodybuilding, Muscular Development,
Exercise for Men and Men’s Exercise, as well as on hundreds of websites
worldwide. For information on Tom's Fat Loss program, visit:
www.burnthefat.com
