Book Review: Subject - Health Matters

Title: The G.I. Diet - The Easy, Healthy Way to Permanent Weight Loss
Author: Rick Gallop
Publisher Random House Canada
ISBN: 0-679-31056-8

Like most people I set goals for myself each year. And yes, like most people I eventually get around to working on them. I set two personal goals for myself this year. (1) Lose 40 pounds and (2) Limit myself to just 6 cups of coffee a day. Breaking old habits and starting new ones is sometimes easier said then done. It boils down to how bad do you want it. Life is all about WIIFM's. (What's In It For Me)? You need to be convinced that there is something in it for you or you won't change; plain and simple. I am self-employed so to be physically fit and in good health is important to my livelihood. (I'm 53 years old and I know the older I get the more difficult it will be to stay in good health)

Diets for the most part don't work. It isn't just a case of restricting what you eat until you get down to your target weight; but rather changing how and what you eat so that you can keep the weight off. (If you don't replace the bad habit with a good habit, then you are destined to go back to the weight you where). Obesity in North America has reached epidemic proportions. We are being tempted with unhealthy food choices everyday in the name of convenience. It's economics 101. If you keep buying it and eating it companies will continue to supply it. However, all is not lost. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. The one thing that everyone has 100% control over is choice. You just need to make better food and snack choices.

If you're like me you need a diet that is simple to understand, easy to follow without using spinning wheels, fancy graphs and charts, and one that you don't have to count calories or pre-measure portions. (You need to look at this as a life plan not just a diet plan.) There are some great diet books on the market today. Dieting after all is Big Business. (Pun intended.) After looking over the selection at my local Chapters bookstore I decided on Rick Gallop's book, "The G. I. Diet - The Easy, Healthy Way to Permanent Weight Loss". His book had everything I was looking for.

How did Rick Gallop's book, The G. I. Diet stack up against my selection criteria?

1. Simple to understand: The book is written in plain language that is easy to read and understand. Rick explains in detail the relationship between, Fats (good and bad), Carbohydrates (sugar), and Protein (every meal plan should include some protein, preferably low-fat).



2. Easy to follow: I found the book to be well laid out. He explains how you gained the weight in the first place and why it's so difficult to keep it off. It really is true, "You are what you eat." Rick believes that permanent weight loss is a 2-phase process and he guides you through each phase step by step.



3. No counting calories or pre-weighing portions: The book includes a complete G. I. Diet Food Guide with breakfast, lunch and dinner suggestions as well as healthy snacks. To help you decide on what foods to eat Rick created 3-coloured zones. Foods appearing in the Red Zone are your "Do not eat these foods under any circumstance zone"; The Yellow Zone is the "OK to eat but eat them sparingly zone"; and the Green Zone is the "Knock your socks off and eat all you want zone". The book also includes some great tips on portion size, when eating out, healthy alternative snacks, ideal weight charts, shopping lists, recipes, etc.

No life plan would be complete without a daily exercise program. You need to burn off excess fat in order to maintain your desired weight. (I'm going to exercise 10 minutes a day. Nothing too strenuous. They will be exercises that I can do in the comforts of my own home or hotel room when I'm away.) Rick has included some exercise suggestions in his book. I'll report back to you now and again on my progress or if you want to find out how I'm doing feel free to e-mail me at bsmith@pldynamics.com and I'll let you know. Enjoy the read and good health to you.