Weighing In On Your Food:
Can The Weight Of Your Food Affect The Weight Of Your Body?

Editor's Note:  Following the glycemic index may help to lose unwanted body fat. However, Jon points out in this recent article that the glycemic index may not be the best strategy.

“Perhaps we’ve been going about this all wrong.”

That’s the consensus from researchers now more interested in “energy density” and “food volume” as opposed to the supposedly tried-and-true “Glycemic Index.” The Glycemic Index (GI) is a ranking of carbohydrate-containing foods, based on the food’s effect on blood sugar compared with a standard reference food’s effect. In short, how carbs affect your body, insulin spikes, and consequently fat storage.

For years nutritionists (myself included) were all about the GI. “Eat foods low on the GI, and you’ll store less fat”, we all chanted. And, there’s some truth to it — just not for the reasons we originally thought. Insulin is still a major issue for heart disease and diabetes management, that is a given. However, it turns out that the energy of food itself may be the key to long-term fat loss.

I’m going to cover a bit about energy density here today. The subject is really quite involved, so I’ll be covering it over several issues — and really trying to focus on what you need to know ‘now’ in order to make this amazing distinction work for you when it comes to shedding body fat.

I discuss many of these concepts in Fit Over 40, far more than I can cover here, as far as “here’s a menu plan that worked for me”. I wasn’t using the term “energy density”, but it’s the same principles as what I originally used to decrease my body fat from 36% to 10%.

First, here are some comments on the latest research from my friend and colleague Christian Finn. His website “TheFactsAboutFitness.com” is superb.

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When I first read about the glycemic index in the early 1990’s, it seemed to make perfect sense. And, being one of those people who have a tendency to obsess over small details, I invested a lot of time and effort in eliminating foods with a high GI from my diet.

Much of this effort, unfortunately, was a complete waste of time.

It’s not that there’s anything wrong with following a diet that has a low GI. However, if you make the same mistake that I did and focus only on the glycemic index (without making a change to your calorie intake too), chances are you’ll end up feeling frustrated because you’re not losing any weight.

In one of the most recent studies of the glycemic index, researchers from the University of Minnesota tested whether lowering the GI of a diet already low in calories would have any further effect on weight loss.

The researchers compared the effects of three low-calorie diets, each with a different glycemic load, on 29 obese adults. All of the diets — high GI, low GI or high fat — provided the same number of calories.

For the first 12 weeks, all food was provided to the subjects (the feeding phase). Then, 22 subjects were told to follow the assigned diet for an additional 24 weeks (the free-living phase).

After 12 weeks, all three groups lost weight. However, there was no significant difference in weight loss between the groups. Subjects on the low GI diet lost, on average, 21.8 pounds (9.9 kilograms), while those on the high GI diet lost 20.5 pounds (9.3 kilograms).

“In summary, lowering the glycemic load and glycemic index of weight reduction diets does not provide any added benefit to energy restriction in promoting weight loss in obese subjects,” conclude the researchers.

Eating a diet with a low glycemic load can help with weight loss. But, that’s largely because many foods with a low glycemic index (with the exception of high-fat foods like nuts and avocados) also have a lower energy density.

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So what does all this mean? All food can be measured in terms of “energy density”. Foods that physically weigh very little yet contain a lot of calories, have a high energy density. Many fats would be in this category. The inverse is true — foods that gather their volume from water, fiber, and non-caloric elements like fruits and vegetables (eaten, not in juice form) have a very low energy density factor despite weighing in as heavy as some of their energy-dense counterparts.

Let’s not confuse “energy density” with foods that give you energy. In fact, it’s just the opposite — often the foods with the lowest energy density (those with the lowest calories and the greatest volume, or weight) provide sustained energy.

Let’s break this down into something we can use. I was working on a “diet plan” (and you know I do not favor that term!) well before reading some of the information I discovered when researching this article. However, I want to give props to those who had the same idea. Dr. Barbara Rolls and her “Volumetrics” plan really kicked off my interest in energy density. Also, a great and simple book called “The Three Apple A Day Plan” by personal trainer/nutritionist Tammi Flynn solidified my thoughts that the key to long-term fat burning is found in volume and energy density of food. Literally, how much your food ‘weighs’ for the amount of calories that food provides.

Naturally my take is a bit different — and I think it’s superior (just being my typical modest self!) I’m going to give you the basics. The rest is going to be released in a book that, for a few months, will be available for only $10 to anyone who has Fit Over 40. That means anyone who has purchased Fit Over 40 today, or a year ago, will get this e-book for less than 1/3 the cost. For the rest of the world the book will be $39. Hey, I treat my Fit Over 40 clients well!

The name of this book? The Most Simple Fitness Plan On Earth. Great title, eh? Well, I really couldn’t think of a more apt description. This book will cover four topics, which will sound very familiar to all of you M-Power users out there: Mind, Meals, Muscle and Motion. I’ve developed the most simple approach I’ve yet to see to get results. With modifications based on your physical abilities, dietary preferences, and skill levels using the principles covered in Fit Over 40, I think this simple book will change the way millions look at fitness.

Sorry to get you all prepped for a book that’s not due out for months, but until then I’ll be giving you key info in these newsletters. Yeah, I know — a lot of my colleagues think that’s business suicide. I don’t. I know I can’t cover the scope of an entire book in newsletters, and I trust that you’ll support me as I give to you. How’s that for a business plan every bank would frown on?

This is the ideal companion to Fit Over 40 because it can be modified according to the FOF principles. I worked a long time to come up with a system that, with the principles taught in Fit Over 40 concerning personalization and role modeling, would work for just about anyone.

While I believe “no” plan covers the bases for everyone, hence Fit Over 40 (there are 53 plans and you select a plan based on role modeling), this info is a great launching pad.

Let’s start right now with the basic foundation: consume foods that consume you. This means eating foods that require a lot of energy from the body to process. Celery fits the bill, but you don’t want to live on it — that’s for sure. Don’t worry, I’m not asking you to. However, you can use celery, protein foods that are higher in thermogenic response (meaning they generate more heat and conversely burn more calories), and low-energy, high-volume foods to fill you up. With that combination, it’s next to impossible to go wrong.

And, it tastes good!

Here’s step one: eat an apple 15 minutes prior to your first meal. Then simply eat a normal breakfast for you. You’ll find you eat less, and your cravings for sugar are diminished. You’ll also find that the pectin in the apple peel will help your blood sugar stabilize, hence you’ll be less hungry throughout the day.

Step two: eat 1-2 raw carrots immediately prior to lunch. Then, just eat your normal lunch. (How easy is this?!) Sure, we step it up a major notch (or 2, or 10) in the actual e-book, but this is a great place to start. The carrot should ‘not’ be feared, even though it is a “high GI food.” It’s also a very low energy density food, and that’s all you need to worry about.

Step three: eat 1-2 raw celery sticks prior to dinner. Then, just eat a high protein, low-carb dinner. That’s it.

Just doing these three things can cause radical changes in your body’s ability to cleanse itself, burn more fat, and fill yourself up prior to eating “normally.” After this stage, we kick it up a few notches and really get the fat burning happening — but for now, start here. Feel the power of energy.

Remember: the weight of your food reflects the weight you see on your scale. Eat food that weighs more but has less calories in the form of energy density and you’re well on your way to a healthy, long-term solution to fat burning.

View the Glycemic Index Chart
 

If you don’t have a copy of Fit Over 40 yet, get yours today. In less than a few minutes you’ll have the number 2 fitness e-book of all time right on your desktop — 304 pages of inspiration, motivation and fitness strategy.

Fit Over 40 isn’t just for people over 40 — it’s an invaluable training and motivational e-book that can save you years, even decades of frustration when it comes to learning what works for your body and seeing the results you want. One of the reasons I wrote the book was to save others the years of trial and error I went through as I went from obese to fit. With over 50 role models profiled, Fit Over 40 will stand the test of time for anyone interested in health, strength, fat loss, muscle, and motivation — at any age.

Jon Benson