WHAT IS THE GLYCEMIC ADVANTAGE?

Recently, it seems that I've been barraged on TV by ads for Nutrisystem. Their spokes person, a well-known football player, Dan Marino, boasts that he's gotten down to his playing weight. They tell you over and over again that they use the glycemic advantage, which separates good carbs from bad.

What exactly is the glycemic advantage, and is this a good way to lose weight?

If you've read A Novel Diet, you've already figured out that the glycemic advantage is nothing more than a catchword that Nutrisystem has created in place of the glycemic index. They coined the term to make its diet seem different. There are many diets today based on the glycemic index—an index that lists foods according to how quickly they raise your blood sugar.

Atkins popularized the high-protein diet and proved that, by not eating carbs at all, you could lose weight. Dr. Agatston in his South Beach Diet modified the Atkins approach by improving on the quality of the protein (less cholesterol and less trans fatty acids) and by adding carbs that have a lower glycemic index. There is, of course, already a Glycemic Index Diet.

So we know that Nutrisystem is using a well-established method for helping people to lose weight. So what could be bad?

Well, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the Nutrisystem approach—it will work, except for one problem.

Are you going to buy Nutrisystem meals for the rest of your life? What happens when you get to your ideal weight? What have you learned about how to eat when not ordering your meals from Nutrisystem? What new eating habits have you established? Chances are, once you stop ordering your meals from Nutrisystem, you will go back to the same way you always ate, and the weight you lost will rapidly return.

I frequently hear patients say, "But I just need a jump start!"

Please, please remember, all diets work . . . temporarily! So in the end, diets really don't work. The goal has to be habit change. Understanding glycemic index and glycemic load can be extremely helpful. It will teach you to choose better and create the kinds of habits to help you succeed . . . not temporarily . . . but permanently!

Please find further information on glycemic index and glycemic load under Questions and Nutritional Information on this website.