The Glycemic Index Diet for Dummies - Meri Raffetto [33]
You may not lose weight every week. Don't fret if the scale shows the same weight for a few weeks in a row. The reason may simply be that you haven't created enough of a calorie deficit with the dietary and exercise changes you're making. Review your food journal (see Chapter 6 for how to create one if you haven't already) to evaluate how you're doing with your changes and see whether you can make adjustments in some areas.
I bet this isn't exactly the news you were hoping for. After all, when you want to lose weight, you want immediate results. Following a low-glycemic diet will help you lose weight, especially if you have insulin resistance (see the later "Do You Have Insulin Resistance?" section for more on this condition). However, slower weight loss simply makes sense when you look at the big picture.
Here are the facts: It takes 3,500 calories to lose 1 pound of body fat, and consuming low-glycemic foods helps ensure you don't store more calores as fat than necessary. So in order to lose 2 pounds a week, you have to make a 1,000-calorie deficit every single day. For most folks, creating a 1,000-calorie deficit requires immediate and drastic changes to their diet and exercise every day. (Note that it takes about six weeks of consistent exercise before you begin to see changes in your body shape.) They may decide to turn to one of the many very-low-calorie diet programs out there in order to achieve that 1,000-calorie deficit. However, consuming too few calories on a regular basis may decrease your metabolism (check out Chapter 8 to discover other factors affecting metabolism). Plus, that's just tough to live with long term.
The majority of people gradually enter into a diet program and aren't always consistent in the beginning. That's a normal part of making changes and is perfectly okay, but it also means that expecting to see major results in the first few weeks of any diet isn't very realistic.
Just because you don't see immediate results doesn't mean your weight-loss efforts aren't working. You're just creating a smaller calorie deficit each day; that deficit will still lead to weight loss but over a longer period of time.
Reviewing the pros and cons of different approaches to weight loss
The following sections break down the pros and cons of taking a fast, aggressive approach to weight loss versus a slow and steady one. There's no right or wrong answer here; the goal is simply to become aware of how these two weight-loss approaches work. If you want a better long-term success rate, then allow yourself some time to make lifestyle changes that will stick. If you want to see quicker results, you absolutely can. Just be prepared to work a little harder and commit to long-term changes.
If you have medical issues and your doctor has specifically requested you lose weight at a quicker rate, I strongly encourage you to consult with a registered dietitian who can monitor you closely.
1,000-calorie deficit with a low-glycemic diet
Pros:
You'll see quicker results (an average of a 2-pound weight loss per week),which is very desirable.
Motivation is strong because you can see quick results.
Cons:
You must work harder and make significant changes right away. (To give you an example, a 30-minute brisk walk burns around 175 calories. To hit a 1,000-calorie deficit just by exercising this way, you'd still have a long way to go.)
Being on a strict diet regimen requires an increased amount of focus that can be tough to maintain for long.
Long-term compliance is significantly decreased. Research has proven that when people make more than a 400-calorie deficit each day, they're less likely to stick with the changes long term; ultimately they regain their weight.
Taking the fast approach to weight loss doesn't give you time to change your habits. It takes 30 days (or even up to three months!) to change one habit. When you try to jump into new eating and exercise habits all at once,