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2008 Summer Newsletter
One of the most common recurring questions I am asked by readers is "how much weight should I lose?" As setting realistic targets are critical to everyone who wishes to lose weight, this is not an unreasonable question.
Let me state at the outset that ultimately how much weight you wish to lose is entirely your own personal choice. As everybody's situation and needs are different, it's impossible to have any precise universal solution. Each of you has different considerations and motivations for losing weight: some of you want to improve your appearance and turn the clock back to more youthful days; some of you are concerned about your health while others want to increase their mobility and energy levels in middle-age and beyond. All these impact on the amount of weight you are planning to lose.
Let me give you some examples: Debbie was concerned that her obesity was preventing her being an active grandmother. She was quite content to be overweight but not obese.
David had a family history of premature death from diabetes and he was a borderline diabetic. He was determined not to share the rest of the family's fate and set very aggressive weight loss goals.
Ann wanted to regain her wedding day weight after two pregnancies and was determined to get back into the bikini she wore on her honeymoon. No compromise here!
The best I can do is to give you the internationally accepted guidelines for a healthy weight range based upon the BMI [Body Mass Index] which is a measurement that correlates your weight and height. There is a BMI calculation chart in all my books for you to refer to. This gives a range of weights: --
Healthy weight: BMI 19 - 24.
Overweight: BMI 25 - 29.
Obese: BMI 30 - 39.
Morbidly obese: BMI 40 and over
The reason BMI gives a range is to allow for different body frames. Clearly Woody Allen and Arnold Schwarzenegger have different sized body frames!
People with small frames should target the bottom third of the healthy weight range at a BMI 19 - 20; medium frame BMI 21 - 22; and large frames, the top third at a BMI 23 - 24.
So Mary who is 5'5" tall with a small frame has a healthy weight range of 8 stone 2 pounds to 8 stone 8 pounds (114 - 120 pounds); while Sue, who is also a 5'5" but with a large frame, would have a healthy weight range of 9 stone 12 pounds to 10 stone 4 pounds (138 - 144 pounds), or up to 1 stone 10 pounds more than Mary. The taller you are, the larger the spread in the number of pounds in the range.
All that is left is to calculate your frame size. The following table is a simple way of doing this by using your wrist measurement. Take a measuring tape and put it around your wrist at its narrowest point. Then check the measurement against the chart below.
Female
| Wrist Size In Inches |
Height Under 5'2" |
Height 5'2" - 5'5" |
Height Over 5'5" |
| Under 5.5 |
S |
S |
S |
| 5.5-5.75 |
M |
S |
S |
| 5.75-6.00 |
L |
S |
S |
| 6.00-6.25 |
L |
M |
S |
| 6.25-6.5 |
L |
L |
M |
| Over 6.5 |
L |
L |
L |
Key: S = small; M = medium; L = large.
Male
Height 5'5" or more, the measurements are simply:
Wrist under 6.5 inches = small frame
Wrist 6.5 - 7 .5 inches = medium frame
Wrist over 7.5 inches = large frame
Source: US National Library of Medicine
Apply your frame size to the appropriate BMI segment, and that is your healthy weight range.
Some of you may be heavily muscled, particularly men, which puts you outside the BMI averages. You may consider adding up to a couple of BMI points to your rating. So for instance those of you who are heavily muscled with a large frame, could raise your BMI from 23 - 24 to 25 - 26.
The other consideration is your age. If you are over 65, then regardless of your frame size, you should consider adding another 10% to your healthy weight range, as that additional fat layer may help protect you if you fall, as well as providing an energy reserve should you have any serious illness.
There has also been some recent research that suggests that seniors in their 70's, who are a little overweight, tend to live longer than those who are either underweight or at a healthy weight.
Again, I would like to stress that selecting your target weight is in the end a matter of personal choice. Some people for instance, prefer to select a series of small weight loss goals which they re evaluate as each one is reached.
I can provide you with statistical advice on what constitutes a healthy weight, but the decision on what works best for you is ultimately your call.
Readers’ Letters
Just a short note to say wow this really works. I'm a fifty eight year old woman who has M.S. so therefore can't do much exercising, but thanks to the G.I. way of eating I've lost 3 stone.
Yours very gratefully,
Liz.
The GI diet is nothing short of incredible. I lost 10 pounds the first week and my stomach was full of food. I have learned that eating actually helps you to lose weight. I am leaner and less flabby. I eat cereal, beans, 7 grain bread, soups, salads and fruit. I am finally in control of weight management and I make green light selections 90% of the time. I am 3 1/2 stone lighter. I am very grateful to you. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Your friend, Lisa.
I can't believe it I am still losing weight. I have now lost 2 stone 4 lbs which isn't huge by others standards but I have never lost this amount and still losing. My husband is complaining that it is expensive having to buy me new clothes!! It is the positive buzz it gives you and I might even have my photograph taken ... instead of always taking the photographs. It is so simple yet so effective. Thank you.
Catherine.
I had to write to let you know this is an amazing book. My husband and I were told by our doctor we had to lose weight because our Cholesterol numbers were climbing. She told us to go buy this book and follow the diet and come back in 3 months. Well I left that day thinking ... another diet that won't work. However we bought the book and got started. Now it's been 3 months we are normal weight now having lost our extra stone. Best of all the cholesterol levels are normal, and we feel great. This is the way we are going to eat now for the rest of our lives. We never felt at any time we were on a diet and were never hungry. Thank you so much. We feel much better now with more energy and look better too. We are in our 50s. So much for middle age spread!!! It can be beat. Thanks once again.
Jane.
My husband and I needed to lose weight and looked at different options. Someone told us about the GI Diet and we borrowed her book. We loved the idea and agreed this would be the most sensible way of losing weight but also keep it off. We bought the book for ourselves, along with the cookbook. We cook a lot at home and we were pleasantly surprised to find that, so far, all recipes we tried were a hit! Even our 3 year old likes (most) of them. We have been entertaining with recipes from the book and when people ask us about the food we made, they are stunned that this is the food we eat and are losing weight. I think a few more books are being as a few of our friends and family members are getting the Cookbook. "Diets" do not work for us. We do not like to feel like we are being deprived. We do not think of this as a "diet". This is a lifestyle change and we are embracing it, and discovering new foods. In 3 months, we each have lost 1 stone 4 pounds. We are halfway to our goal
s and feeling wonderful.
Sonia.
I am a 52 year old male. I am 6' tall. I am obese. On December 26, 2007, I weighed in at 21 stone. I have stuck loyally to the program and followed your advice in the book to the letter. I have been weighing myself every two weeks since then. On Sat. January 19th, 2008 I had lost 2 stone in 25 days. I am so pleased. I can walk properly again. I feel great. I truly believe I was a meal away from diabetes and just a few away from knee surgery. I have been walking lots as well and now walk 3 miles a day. I even ran a short distance the other day. I have my energy back. I have tried to diet before with no results, as I just couldn't stick to it. I was always so hungry. Your program is different and it really works. Thanks for giving me my life back. I will let you know when I reach my goal of 13 1/2 stone. I will do it. Thank you.
Innes.
I started following the GI Diet on 1/2/2007 at the weight of 21 stone, age 49. It's been my goal to lose 10 stone 10 lbs and I figured it would take me three years, according to your book. In the first week on the plan I felt a tremendous increase in energy. Thirteen months later, on 2/2/2008 I have lost over 7 stone. My cholesterol numbers are significantly lower as is my blood sugar. I don't know how much longer it will take to lose another 3 1/2 stone, but it really doesn't matter. For the first time in 20 years I weigh less than 14 stone! My doctor is so thrilled with my progress she wants to read your book to refer other patients to it and now my husband is trying to follow it - though more losely than I do. Thank you for this tremendous gift! I finally feel that I have found a plan of eating that I can live with, one day at a time, for the rest of my life! Now I just wish I could afford a new wardrobe because I don't have much of anything left that fits to wear towork -
but that's another matter!
Susan.
Recipe
Here is a delicious summer salad recipe taken from the G.I. Diet Clinic.
Tabbouleh Salad
This is a salad you see a lot in the grocery store deli. It is very simple to make and very tasty to eat. The main ingredient is parsley so be sure to use Italian parsley for best flavour.
360ml (2/3 pint) water
120g (4oz) bulgur wheat
1/2 tsp grated lemon rind
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 small clove garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 tin (410g) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3 plum tomatoes, diced
1/4 cucumber, diced
45g (1 1/2oz) finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
20g (2/3oz) finely chopped fresh mint
1 tbsp chopped fresh chives
- In saucepan bring water to boil; add bulgur wheat. Cover and reduce heat to low and cook for about 10 minutes or until water is absorbed. Using fork, scrape into large bowl; let cool.
- In small bowl whisk together lemon rind and juices, oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and cumin; pour over bulgur. Stir in chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumber, parsley, mint and chives until well combined.
Makes 4-6 servings.
Storage: This salad will last up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
If you would like to read
more recipes, please
click here.
G.I. Diet Clinic
The G.I. Diet Clinic continues to receive rave reviews from readers, particularly those readers who have a significant amount of weight to lose. If you would like to know more, please visit the website www.gidietclinic.com.
Readers' Forum
Many, many people have requested an online forum to share their G.I. Diet experiences, recipes and suggestions. To accommodate this, I will be launching a new premium website in the fall which will feature an online forum that readers can raise questions, make comments and share their stories. There will be a modest single lifetime charge for access, as unlike most health/diet websites, I have chosen not to have any commercial sponsorship so as to ensure complete integrity.
You will be receiving an invitation to join the new Green-light Forum shortly.
Thanks to all of you who have provided me with such valuable feedback. I thoroughly enjoy reading your stories, and I do read them all personally.
Kind regards, Rick G.
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