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The Glycemix Index (GI) - Key To Fat Loss Or Just Another Diet Gimmick By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCSwww.burnthefat.com
The glycemic index (GI) is a scale from 1 to 100 that measures how quickly carbohydratefoods are broken down into glucose. The original purpose for the glycemic index was tohelp diabetics keep their blood sugar under control. The glycemic index has recentlyattracted 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 thefoods that are best for losing weight.According to advocates of the glycemic index system, foods that are high on the GI scalesuch as rice cakes, carrots, potatoes, watermelon or grape juice are "unfavorable" andshould be avoided because high GI foods are absorbed quickly, raise blood sugar rapidlyand 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 asyour only criteria to choose carbs on a weight loss program.For example, the glycemic index is based on eating carbohydrates by themselves in afasted state. If you are following effective principles of fat-burning and muscle buildingnutrition 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 eachfood in the fasted state, the glycemic index loses some of its significance. you should beeating small, frequent meals to increase your energy, maintain lean body mass andoptimize metabolism for fat loss. However, since the glycemic index of various foodswas developed based on eating each food in the fasted state, the glycemic index losessome 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 areeaten in mixed meals that contain protein and some fat, the glycemic index loses evenmore of its significance because the protein and fat slows the absorption of thecarbohydrates (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 islower than the potatoes by itself.Rice cakes have a very high glycemic index, but if you were to put a couple tablespoonsof peanut butter on them, the fat would slow the absorption of the carbs, thereby loweringthe glycemic index of the combination.A far more important and relevant criteria for selecting carbs for weight loss - as well asall 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 glycemicindex is ridiculous.I know many bodybuilders (myself included) who eat high glycemic index foods such aswhite potatoes every day right up until the day of a competition and they reach singledigit body fat. How do they do it if high GI foods “make you fat?” It’s simple – high GIfoods DON’T necessarily make you fat – choosing natural foods and burning morecalories than you consume are far more important factors. Although it’s not correct to saythat all calories are created equal, a calorie deficit is the most important factor of all whenfat 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 ingeneral? Sure. Is eating high GI foods after your workouts a good idea? Absolutely. Butdiet 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" inmarketing 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 haveto take in the bigger picture, which includes calories/energy balance, meal timing andfrequency, macronutrient composition, choice of processed versus refined foods as wellas 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 TheFat, Feed The Muscle website at:
www.burnthefat.comAbout 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, NaturalBodybuilding, 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
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