GItrial

GI Diet diary

Fad Diets Insight put our very own guinea pig, Vicky Matthews, on the GI diet for one week. We caught up with her each day to find out how she was getting along.

Age: 26
Occupation: Presentation coordinator
Diet status: Vegetarian
Reason for diet: Brother's wedding in August
Start weight: 10 stone 3 lbs / 65 kg
End weight: 10 stone / 63.5 kg

Monday 6th June 2005
Breakfast
Rye bread and Marmite (no butter) x 2
Snack
Low fat yoghurt
Lunch
Houmous, wholemeal roll x 1 and large salad (pepper, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, olives, onion, cabbage)
Snack
Apples x 2
Dinner
Rice noodles, Quorn, cracked pepper sauce, vegetables (broccoli, mushrooms, pepper, courgette)

"I got up early enough to ensure I had breakfast instead of running out of the house hungry. I wasn’t as prepared as I should have been but it was easy to pop to the supermarket at lunch and get some salad, houmous and a couple of rolls. By the end of the day I actually feel like I had eaten more than usual but do not feel overfull or bloated."

Tuesday 7th June 2005
Breakfast
Wholemeal toast and Marmite (no butter) x 1 and baked beans
Snack
Low fat yoghurt
Lunch
Houmous, wholemeal roll x 1 and large salad (pepper, lettuce, watercress, onion, olives, tomato, cucumber)
Snack
Apples x 2
Dinner
Quorn, wholemeal pasta and vegetables (broccoli, mushrooms, pepper, courgette)

"Getting up this morning wasn’t a chore as I was looking forward to a proper breakfast before work. I have been converted to baked beans on toast as a start to the day. I realised that today I haven’t had my usual 4pm lull. My boss will be pleased as I’m getting more work done."

Wednesday 8th June 2005
Breakfast
Porridge and soya milk
Snack
Yoghurt
Lunch
Quorn ham, new potatoes and large salad
Snack
Apples x 2
Dinner
Tofu, vegetables, bean sauce and rice noodles

"Lunch was delicious today and as I’m bringing food to work instead of buying pre-packed stuff I’m also saving a great deal of money. Once again I feel like I’ve eaten a lot, so I am curious to see if I will have lost any weight after one week."

Thursday 9th June 2005
Breakfast
Wholemeal toast and Marmite (no butter) x 1 and baked beans
Snack
Yoghurt
Lunch
Quorn ham, new potatoes and large salad
Snack
Apples x 2
Dinner
Tofu, vegetables, tinned tomatoes and pasta

"Can you overdose on fruit, salad and vegetables? I feel like I’ve eaten more this week than the rest of the year put together. I had a severe pizza craving this evening but managed to resist it. If I had been starving, as I usually am when I get home from work, it may have been a different story but this diet does make me less hungry."

Friday 10th June 2005
Breakfast
Rye bread and Marmite (no butter) x 2
Snack
Yoghurt
Lunch
Vegetable soup, salad and a wholemeal roll
Snack
Apples
Dinner
Tortilla omelette (egg whites only) and salad

"I wisely chose a quiet week to embark on this diet, as alcohol is a big no no. Now it’s the weekend and so far I have managed to abstain. I suspect this is another reason why I am feeling so well."

Saturday 11th June 2005
Breakfast
Toast and scrambled egg whites
Snack
Roasted Peanuts
Lunch
Lentil soup, salad
Snack
Banana
Dinner
Vegetable curry

" Full of beans and sans hangover I was up this morning at about 8am. In the spirit of things I went for a jog around Highbury Fields. I did succumb to one glass of red wine but I felt I deserved it after being so good."

Sunday 12th June 2005
Breakfast
Toast and scrambled egg whites
Snack
Roasted Peanuts
Lunch
Houmous. Wholemeal pitta, salad
Snack
Banana
Dinner
Vegetable curry

"Once again I’ve had a very busy day, but having planned my meal times properly, I have managed to complete the week. I am feeling very pleased with myself!"

Vicky's verdict

"The key to this diet is preparation. The food is appealing and filling, I just had to make sure I thought ahead. Differentiating between the traffic light colours was tricky at first but soon became second nature, and a lot of the time it is common sense.

I think I will continue to follow this diet but cease to call it that and just consider it a way of life, plus I might have to throw in the odd beer and pizza. I’m really pleased that I have lost the weight, but more importantly I feel on really good form both mentally and physically."