Diet & Fitness Blog

By Shawn McKee
Staff Writer

This year's hottest diet is not some crazy cleanse or cabbage soup diet, but several celebrities are already singing the praises of this balanced meal plan that will keep you satisfied while slimming you down. If you have tried a dozen different diets only to get frustrated, it's time to try the Glycemic Impact Diet (GI Diet).

Kylie Minogue and Bill and Hillary Clinton have touted the benefits of the GI Diet to lose weight and keep it off. Kim Cattrall and Naomi Campbell attribute their flawless skin to the balanced diet that has helped them stay looking young.

But you don't have to be a rich celebrity to get this great plan. For about the cost of a stamp a day, you can join eDiets and experience how effective the GI Diet is. You won't have to give up the foods you love, dramatically overhaul your lifestyle or starve yourself to lose weight. In fact, you can practically eat all day and still lose weight!

"The main focus of the GI Diet is on whole foods," says eDiets Director of Nutrition Services Pamela Ofstein, MS, RD, LD/N. "The plan provides you with foods that are low in simple sugars while increasing your fiber intake. It also focuses more on vegetables and whole fruits, legumes and unprocessed grains (oatmeal, brown rice, whole-wheat bread), and avoiding highly processed foods."

Several studies show that unprocessed, whole foods are digested and absorbed more slowly than refined, processed foods. Research also suggests that you can lower the risk for heart disease and diabetes by following a meal plan like the GI Diet. Is it right for you?

Try the GI Diet if:
You crave sugar and sweets.
You like to snack.
You have mood swings and/or irritability.
You've been feeling low on energy.
You want a lot of meal choices.

If you take a look at the GI menu, you'll find a plethora of choices. It's based on satisfaction, not deprivation. The diet is not meant as a temporary solution, but as a permanent, healthy way of eating. Check out this sample 2-day menu.

What You Can Eat
No foods are off limits, but you should reduce your intake of simple-carbohydrate foods such as sugar and sugary foods, like sweets, cakes, cookies and soft drinks. Since the GI Diet promotes proper snacking, you will be able to control your cravings and manage your hunger.

You can start your day with a Southwestern omelet, crunchy yogurt parfait or any of the other delicious GI breakfasts on this plan.

When you get hungry, snack on anything from guacamole to a mini-pita pizza. There are so many simple, delicious snacks available to you on the GI Diet.

Dinner doesn't have to be boring: You can eat shrimp scampi, oriental beef stir-fry, balsamic salmon or any other delicious GI dinner. There are so many choices that you will never get bored or go hungry.

Get more information about the GI Diet here.

"I was convinced that there was no way that I could possibly get to eat all the food that the plan suggested and still lose weight," says Keli R., an eDiets member who has shed 22 pounds with the GI Diet plan. "After reading all the articles on the eDiets Web site, though, I realized that it did make sense after all!"

eDiets' Success Story Nancy R., owes her own 65-pound weight loss to the GI Diet and explains her life-changing success this way:

"I wore the extra weight like a heavy, cloudy drape. I feel lighter physically, and in spirit, and heart, too. And that affects everyone in my life! I can't think of an area of my life that it hasn't impacted."

It's time to take that first step toward losing weight and taking control of your health. Join eDiets today to make this the year you reach your weight-loss goals and lose 10 pounds for $20!

Labels: diet, diet-plan, GI-diet, glycemic-impact, lose-weight, weight-loss