The Glycemic Index Diet for Dummies (30 page)

You don't have to make diet and exercise your top priority, but you should move them up to a more prominent position in your life. Following are some ideas to help you prioritize your time to accommodate your new low-glycemic lifestyle:

Make a weekly grocery list using your newfound low-glycemic foods.
Save a general list so you can reuse it during busy weeks and not feel like you have to turn to your old standbys. Also check out Chapter 10, which has tips for safely navigating the grocery store on a low-glycemic diet.

Plan your meals.
Meal planning can help make your week go by much easier, even if you have a lot going on. You don't need to plan elaborate breakfasts and lunches. Just keep some basic low-glycemic standbys on hand and double your dinner recipes so you have a few nights of leftovers.

Keep low-glycemic convenience foods stocked.
Doing so allows you to make meals in a pinch if necessary. You can find out more about this strategy in Chapter 10.

Treat your exercise time as important as your haircut appointment.
A haircut appointment is pretty tough to miss, but exercise is easy to put off until another day. Set your exercise date and time and treat it like an appointment that can only be missed for emergencies. (The premiere of the latest hit TV show doesn't count. You can always do a little exercise while watching it.)

Shopping and cooking with low-glycemic foods may take more focus on choices, but it doesn't necessarily take more time. For example, making grilled chicken with spaghetti (a low-glycemic grain) as opposed to grilled chicken over rice (a high-glycemic grain) doesn't take more time to shop for or cook up. You just have to make a priority of doing it.

An adventure with new foods

Believe it or not, eating a low-glycemic diet opens you up to a whole new world of food opportunities. You don't have to learn how to be a top chef, nor do you have to make complicated meals. But you do need to be prepared to explore some delicious new foods. Why? Because some of your staples (some varieties of rice, pasta, fruits, and vegetables) may be high-glycemic foods.

If you keep an open mind and take some time in the beginning to try new low-glycemic foods, you may be pleasantly surprised at the types of foods you discover. Start slow by selecting one section of the grocery store to explore more thoroughly. For example, you can spend some time in the rice and grain section. Amidst the hundreds of varieties of rice you'll find quinoa, a wonderful, chewy, and low-glycemic grain. (Check out Chapte8 for a great stir-fry recipe that calls for quinoa.)

Not only can this food adventure allow you to discover tasty low-glycemic foods but it's also a great way to add more variety to your meals so food doesn't become routine or boring. (When it does, that's when you're likely to stray from your food goals.)

New habits

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. (See Chapter 20 for some advice on dealing with setbacks.)

Patience:
Beating yourself up when you face setbacks and challenges is easy, but please 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.