Saturday, October 13, 2007

The Glycemic Index

The Glycemic Index (GI) - Key To Fat Loss Or Just Another Diet Gimmick
By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
www.burnthefat.com

The glycemic index (GI) is a scale from 1 to 100 that measures how quickly carbohydrate foods are broken down into glucose. The original purpose for the glycemic index was to help diabetics keep their blood sugar under control. The glycemic index has recently attracted a lot of attention in the bodybuilding, fitness and weight loss world and has even become the central theme in numerous best-selling diet books as a method to choose the foods that are best for losing weight.

According to advocates of the glycemic index system, foods that are high on the GI scale such as rice cakes, carrots, potatoes, watermelon or grape juice are "unfavorable" and should be avoided because high GI foods are absorbed quickly, raise blood sugar rapidly and are therefore more likely to convert to fat or cause health problems.

Instead, we are urged to consume carbohydrates that are low on the GI scale such as black eye peas, barley, old fashioned oatmeal, peanuts, grapefruit, apples and beans because they do not raise blood sugar as rapidly.

While the GI does have some useful applications, such as the use of high GI foods or drinks for post workout nutrition and the strong emphasis on low GI foods for those with blood sugar regulation problems, there are flaws in strictly using the glycemic index as your only criteria to choose carbs on a weight loss program.

For example, the glycemic index is based on eating carbohydrates by themselves in a fasted state. If you are following effective principles of fat-burning and muscle building nutrition such as those outlined in my Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle (BFFM) e-book (www.burnthefat.com), you should be eating small, frequent meals to increase your energy, maintain lean body mass and optimize metabolism for fat loss.

However, since the glycemic index of various foods was developed based on eating each food in the fasted state, the glycemic index loses some of its significance. you should be eating small, frequent meals to increase your energy, maintain lean body mass and optimize metabolism for fat loss. However, since the glycemic index of various foods was developed based on eating each food in the fasted state, the glycemic index loses some of its significance.

In addition, when you are on a diet program aimed at improving body composition (losing fat or gaining muscle), you will usually be combining carbs and protein together with each meal for the purposes of improving your fat to muscle ratio. When carbs are eaten in mixed meals that contain protein and some fat, the glycemic index loses even more of its significance because the protein and fat slows the absorption of the carbohydrates (as does fiber).

Mashed potatoes have a glycemic index near that of pure glucose, but combine the potatoes with a chicken breast and broccoli and the glycemic index of the entire meal is lower than the potatoes by itself.

Rice cakes have a very high glycemic index, but if you were to put a couple tablespoons of peanut butter on them, the fat would slow the absorption of the carbs, thereby lowering the glycemic index of the combination.

A far more important and relevant criteria for selecting carbs for weight loss - as well as all your other foods, proteins and fats included - is whether they are natural or processed. To say that a healthy person with no metabolic disorders should completely avoid natural, unprocessed foods like carrots or potatoes simply because they are high on the glycemic index is ridiculous.

I know many bodybuilders (myself included) who eat high glycemic index foods such as white potatoes every day right up until the day of a competition and they reach single digit body fat. How do they do it if high GI foods “make you fat?” It’s simple – high GI foods DON’T necessarily make you fat – choosing natural foods and burning more calories than you consume are far more important factors. Although it’s not correct to say that all calories are created equal, a calorie deficit is the most important factor of all when fat loss is your goal.

The glycemic index is clearly not a "gimmick" and should not be completely disregarded, as it is a definitely a legitimate nutritional tool. Is it a good idea to eat low GI foods in general? Sure. Is eating high GI foods after your workouts a good idea? Absolutely. But diet programs which hang their hats on glycemic index alone as the “miracle solution” are just another example of how one single aspect of nutrition can be used as a "hook" in marketing and said to be the "end all be all" of fat loss, when it's really only one small piece of the puzzle.

Eating Low glycemic index foods alone does NOT guarantee you will lose fat. You have to take in the bigger picture, which includes calories/energy balance, meal timing and frequency, macronutrient composition, choice of processed versus refined foods as well as how all these nutritional factors interact with your exercise program.

For more information on carbohydrates and the glycemic index, and for a balanced, gimmick-free look at all aspects of fat-burning nutrition, be sure to visit the Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle website at: www.burnthefat.com

About the Author:

Tom Venuto is a lifetime natural bodybuilder, an NSCA-certified personal trainer (CPT), certified strength & conditioning specialist (CSCS), and author of the #1 best-selling e-book, "Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle.” Tom has written more than 200 articles and has been featured in print magazines such as IRONMAN, Australian IRONMAN, Natural Bodybuilding, Muscular Development, Exercise for Men and Men’s Exercise, as well as on hundreds of websites worldwide. For information on Tom's Fat Loss program, visit: www.burnthefat.com

Friday, October 05, 2007

Muscle Building Mania – A Beginners Guide To Bodybuilding

“Muscle Building Mania – A Blueprint To Building A Body You Can Be Proud Of”

Our story begins in your living room. You’ve just arrived home after another grueling day on the job, competing with your co-workers and battling the behemoths on the freeway.

All you want is something cool to drink and a little R & R in front of the boob tube.

You grab your favorite beverage, flop down into your LazyBoy, flip on the remote and. . .THERE IT IS. . .right in front of your face. Another body that looks like it was carved from a solid piece of granite.

And, here goes that self-defeating prophesy playing the familiar tape in your brain, “some day I’m goona show everybody that I’m not the 160 pound weakling they all think I am.” Someday, some day, some day...

Dear Bodybuilding Wannabe,

Don’t take offense, but does this sound like you? Maybe you’re one of those guys who played sports in school but the years and inactivity have taken their toll.

Or are you someone who has always wanted to look like you just stepped off the runway of a bodybuilding show?

Could it be that you had an experience like the legendary “97 pound weakling, Angelo Charles Siciliano?” He was publicly humiliated when a bully embarrassed him in front of his favorite girl by kicking sand in his face on Coney Island that life-changing day back in the 1920’s. If you have heard the story, the girl walked off right away.

Charles made a decision that day. Run a search, you can find out everything you need to know about him on the internet. From a 97 pound weakling to winning “Most Perfectly Developed Man” contest in
1922, Charles Atlas became an icon whose principles are still in use today by thousands of people around the world.

How did he do it? Simple. He made a decision.

It is the same decision that you are in a position to make today. Take your wishes and wants and finally put them to action. Build a body you can be proud of.

Making the decision is the first step. The second step is to gather information about the options available to help you begin your journey.

Options abound for the beginning bodybuilder and they can all appear quite daunting when you are just getting started. In fact, it’s easy to become extremely confused and discover more questions than answers. Questions like:


How do I build muscle?
How do I strengthen muscle?
Am I healthy enough to begin a muscle building routine?
What should I eat?
How often should I eat?
Should I eat at different intervals throughout the day?
Is there a specific diet for building muscle?
How many calories should I eat?
Should I take supplements?
Should I join a gym?
Can I create my own gym at home?
How can I avoid being ripped off?

While these may seem like very simple answers to a bodybuilding veteran, for the novice faced with decisions that may affect health and lifestyle they are extremely important.

“Muscle Building Mania” is written just for you, the novice who is considering his/her options when approaching such a change in your lifestyle.

You will find answers to the questions above, as well as an exploration of the pros and cons to joining a gym or creating one at home.

Review the different types of equipment that are available to you as a bodybuilder and what purpose they serve.

What changes do you need to make in your dietary habits and what impact they will have on your bodybuilding efforts are revealed.

Learn how to protect yourself against outrageous claims by over zealous marketers.

All this and much more is at your fingertips. “Muscle Building Mania” is an absolute must have for anyone who is considering becoming a bodybuilder.

Before you take that second step, arm yourself with the most powerful tool any budding bodybuilder should have. What is that tool? Knowledge!

Before you even think about your exercise routine
Before you begin researching a nutritional program
Before you shop for supplements
Before you join a gym

Get Your Free Copy of “Muscle Building Mania” right now and put yourself on the road to building a body you can be proud of.

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