Glycemic Index Diet For Dummies
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Experiencing long-term weight loss on a low-glycemic diet means creating some new dietary habits. That's right, habits. Try not to look at this diet as a temporary plan; if you do, be prepared for weight regain down the road. Seek out ways to make a low-glycemic diet work in your lifestyle. After the new changes become habits, maintaining your weight loss becomes much easier.

Changing habits takes three ingredients:

  • Time: The old thought was that it takes 30 days to form a new habit, but new research shows it can take up to three months. Keep this fact in mind as you begin making changes. It may take some time to feel that these new changes have become habits.

    However, you know your low-glycemic diet is a habit when your eating choices are on autopilot and you don't need to put as much focus on memorizing lists of low-glycemic foods.

  • Consistency: This is the most important part of making new habits. If you start creating some changes, go back to your old habits for two weeks, and then try some new changes again, it'll be a l-o-n-g time before your new diet feels like a natural part of your life. You won't be perfect, but try not to let setbacks turn into weeks so that you're practicing your goals consistently.

  • Patience: Beating yourself up when you face setbacks and challenges is easy, but try not to give in to the temptation. After all, you're adopting a new lifestyle that (just like any other new change) takes some time to master.

You don't have to love every change you try. The trick is to find the changes you do like and put your focus there so they become habits. You can find many strategies to make a low-glycemic diet work in your unique lifestyle.

For example, most people feel that finding low-glycemic rice and pastas that work in their lifestyle is a bit challenging. On the flip side, they may find it simple to add in low-glycemic fruits and vegetables because a wider amount of options exist. Focusing on the positive changes helps you feel accomplished, which in turn helps you achieve your goals.

About This Article

This article is from the book:

About the book author:

Meri Raffetto, RD, is the founder and developer of Real Living Nutrition Services, providing online weight loss programs to empower people to make small changes to achieve lasting results. Meri specializes in weight management and heart disease prevention and is a member of the American Dietetic Association.

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