low carb vs low glycemic

Question
Laurie
I find this very confusing.
I was making steady progress in my weight loss eating low carb with lots of fibre and low fat protein.
Then I discovered low glycemic.
Now I am eating sourdough bread, uncle bens rice, and pasta, things I normally wouldnt eat. They may be low glycemic but they look and taste high carb to me!? I am back to eating toast, having rice or noodles with supper, etc.
I am also not losing wight but not gaining any, despite eating the same amount of calories when I was low carb and getting just as much exercise?
What gives?
Should I go back to low carb?
Also, are baked potatoes really that bad? After all,they ARE a vegetable. I find one small one with my meat at supper really fills me up.
Also, have you heard of bitter melon? Its supposed to help with blood sugar when you eat carbs.
Thanks for answering these questions!


Answer
Dear Robert,

Low glycemic index is a term used to describe the effect carbohydrate intake has on raising your blood sugar.  It was developed doing research for diabetics and found that "All carbs are not created equal" and that people with diabetes did not have to avoid everything just because they contained carbs.  All carbs still DO have the same number of calories.  There is debate about whether low glycemic diets do anything different for weight loss, other than that some carbs seem to last longer and you don't get hungry as fast.

One reason you lose weight on a very low carb diet is that your body does not get its preferred source of energy: your body turns to your fat stores and makes another substance to use called "ketone bodies".  These can be useful in a pinch (like when someone goes without food for several days) but they also are seen as a toxin in your body (you may notice some headaches and feelings of dizziness) and your body flushes them out as fast as possible.  You may also notice a larger amount of urination, and low carb diets always caution you to be sure you are drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day.
So a lot of the weight lost is water weight--looks good on the scale, but as soon as you eat normally again you gain the weight back.

I don't think potatoes are bad, and I also don't think rice or bread are bad!
Low carb diets also work, in part, because it keeps people from having 6 slices of bread at a meal or 4 cups of pasta, or any snack foods like cookies or chips or pretzels!

As long as you aren't gaining weight, consider including small portions of carbs, and keep your protein portions reasonable as well (less than 6 ounces, certainly).  Cut down on fat intake (like added dressings, spreads, and oils) and see what happens.  It might be a diet you can stick with a lot longer!

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