The Glycemic Index Diet for Dummies - Meri Raffetto [45]
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.
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.
Feeling out of your comfort zone at first
Changing habits is critical for long-term weight loss, but it comes with one large challenge — stepping out of your comfort zone. Anytime you do something new that's different from your prior conditioning, your habitual brain tells you to stop and return to your old habits because this change feels different and uncomfortable. You turally feel tension when changing habits, which in return forces you to act. You either slip into default mode and go back to your old, comfortable habits, or you stick to your decision and move forward to create new habits.
Maybe you're starting a new job that requires you to be in the office at 8:00 am. Now you have to get up at 6:00 am when you're used to getting up at 7:30 am. Pretty uncomfortable, huh? You're tired, it's dark outside, and your body clock feels completely off. Can't you just feel your body pulling you back to bed? Well, you have two choices: You can get up, despite how uncomfortable you feel,