There’s an article out today claiming that using the glycemic index to pick what foods to eat is an ineffective way to create a healthy diet. The glycemic index is a big part of the South Beach Diet, which is my diet, so I took offense to this claim because, well, check me out.
Diets are like religion, and I feel like someone just took a swipe at my God. But like any religion, I know I’m not completely rational about people who don’t worship the same dieting deity as I do. Even if scientists were able to definitively prove that the South Beach Diet killed baby penguins, colluded with terrorists and pushed over little old ladies in the street, I would be unable to think ill of it. My personal experience of losing over 135 pounds is going to trump some random researcher’s results any day of the week and twice on Sundays.
This article mostly just reminds me of why I never bothered going on a diet before. Obesity researchers can’t agree on anything! They just make us scared to put food in our mouths. I bet if you collected enough articles on dieting you could find a justifiable reason why any food you eat is going to cause you to drop dead.
So ultimately, you just have to run with something and I’m running with the South Beach Diet. (At least I’m not running with scissors.) Sure, it may ultimately prove to be flawed, but I don’t believe in a “perfect” diet. This is a “good enough” diet and that’s good enough for me. Maybe I’m losing weight because of the glycemic index or maybe following these rules just helps me eat less. Whatever it’s doing, it’s working. Dude, check me out.
little miss ess says
March 1, 2006 at 3:40 pmJust stick your half your previous size fingers in your half your previous size ears and go la la la la la and keep rockin’ with what is obviously working for you. Like you, I am convinced that none of them know what they’re talking about.
Marla says
March 1, 2006 at 4:04 pmI FEEL YOU! Suggestions and recommendations are one thing, but I have exactly ZERO interest in a perfect stranger telling me why blah-blah-blah doesn’t work. You are dead-on that diets are like religion. I LOVE your rotating progress photos! Cool!
Hilly says
March 1, 2006 at 4:20 pmI just think that there is a diet out there that is geared for every person and we have to find the one that works for us, you know? Like, I tried South Beach and Atkins and it made me sick but I love WW then dumped it for The Three Hour Diet, which works the best of anything I’ve tried.
Dontcha worry about the studies; just go with your gut…you know, your SHRINKING gut!
Purl Princess says
March 1, 2006 at 5:59 pmI’d say your results are definitely proof enough that the South Beach Diet works… amazing.
Elizabeth says
March 1, 2006 at 6:20 pmSouth Beach works! They can kiss my butt. I’ve been on it since Sunday and I’m down 3 pounds, not craving a thing, and feeling healthier already. A little sluggish, but that’ll pass when I enter phase 2 and can add fruits and whole grains back into my diet.
Your results already prove they can kiss off.
Kalyn says
March 1, 2006 at 7:28 pmI laughed when I read this. I feel exactly the same way. I lost 42 pounds (all I needed to lose) and have kept it off for nearly two years. What do they know anyway.
Kim says
March 1, 2006 at 8:53 pmYou can’t deny the results – you look amazing!! Keep up the great work!!
dee says
March 1, 2006 at 10:06 pmlol you know how I have visions of you running with scissors and like this science type person shaking their head at you.
But like you said, CHECK YOU OUT! It doesn’t matter if it’s not perfect, I agree with you that every diet has it’s good and bad points and it’s up to the person how they go about it. Diets should be used as tools to form the healthy eating plans and habits…they’re not the Be all and End all of health.
Plus, I did check you out and like I’ve told you it’s such an inspiration and I love that I know another blogger who’s doing the same diet as me.
We should totally start a club. And maybe have routine check out days ;D.
Kalyn says
March 2, 2006 at 7:35 amI was going to write this to you privately, but when I read your “contact me” info you said to leave it in a comment, so I decided others might be interested. I’m the Weight Loss contributing editor at a site called BlogHer (for women bloggers) and I’ve been featuring you. Here’s the latest one:
http://blogher.org/node/3023
To find the other time, go to the posts under Food and Drink.
Also, you might be interested in my food blog, which is specifically for South Beach Diet Recipes:
http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com
Good luck in continuing your diet. I think your blog is very inspirational to a lot of people.
Amy says
March 2, 2006 at 8:22 amthey’re just narcissists. you know what works for you, screw their findings. and thanks again for the dvd name.
TZ says
March 2, 2006 at 11:00 amHi,
First off I would like to congratulate you on your outstanding weight loss success! You are an inspiration for many!
As a dietitian, I get very frustrated at how the media reports nutritional science. It seems that all of the people reading this blog do, as well. I also get very sad when I hear people here say things such as, “eh! they don’t know what they’re talking about.” True, we don’t have all of the answers right now, but we are working VERY HARD to find out as much information about obesity as possible as well as the best treatments for it. The media does a huge disservice to our field by reporting “sound bites” and headlines from isolated studies.
That being said, South Beach diet does work. So does Atkins, Low-fat, Zone, etc. ANY diet works if you stick with it. What the research has not been able to prove is that any one fad diet works any better than the rest for any particular reason – even the glycemic index! People lose weight when they consistently decrease their calories and increase their activity.
I am very happy that you are having such great success, especially since the South Beach Diet is fairly healthy as far as fad diets go. It focuses on healthy fats, whole grains, and vegetables which we all need more of! Just please be sensitive to us nutrition researchers out there who are devoting our lives to learn as much as we can about obesity. It’s the media that chooses to print what they do!!
Keep up the great work!!
Chris (Diary of a Fatman) says
March 2, 2006 at 4:30 pmI read that when you do the Glycemic Index diet, you lose your hair, your flatulence spontaneously combusts, and you have to kill a kitten for each 20 lbs that you lose.
PastaQueen says
March 3, 2006 at 2:07 pmKalyn – Wow, thanks for the links! I’m flattered. BlogHer looks like an interesting site. And you obviously have great taste :)
TZ – Point well taken. You’re absolutely right. You don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater and just because we don’t know everything doesn’t mean we don’t know anything. I really should know better. I have a friend who works in the media department of a government cancer organization, so her day mostly consists of taking calls from reporters and telling them that no, deodorant and cell phones DON’T cause cancer. Media types like to simplify things and write about whatever makes a good story, which I guess this article shows.
Neetah says
April 22, 2006 at 4:34 pmGirl, you do your thing! You look good. Keep doing whatever you are doing, it appears to be working for you. Don’t let people toss their negative comments at you. You are an inspiration to me. Bless you.
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Calidaho says
October 28, 2008 at 8:23 pm@TZ – I think that one of the things that makes the SBD work for some is that it provides a way to kick the sugar ups and downs. Sure, eating less and moving more is the way to lose weight but if you are constantly famished because you can’t keep your blood sugar from going crazy, you will eat. Because you HAVE to in order to keep from feeling like passing out.
When I have totally given up sweets, I am much less hungry througout the day.
So, some people can lose weight eating low fat, high carb. Others need to keep the blood sugar in check.