The Glycemic-Load Diet: A powerful new program for losing weight and reversing insulin resistance

by Rob Thompson

A cardiologist's revolutionary weight-loss plan that allows dieters to enjoy good carbs while still losing weight The glycemic index has been the basis of many popular diets. But it doesn't take into account the serving sizes people actually eat and eliminates too many foods for dieters to stick with it. Now Dr. Robert Thompson's breakthrough program uses the glycemic load--the glycemic index adjusted for serving size--to take the GI a step forward. The glycemic load is a more accurate and effective tool in controlling weight and insulin resistance, allowing dieters to eat more foods while still burning fat, cutting cravings, and speeding up their metabolism. Safe, simple, and scientifically proven, it's the smartest weight-loss plan yet.

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Cookbooks, Food, Cooking, Diets, Reference

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Ann-marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buy this book.

About a month ago, I was diagnosed with PCOS. I had never heard of it before it came out of my Doctors mouth. After a 1/2hr talk with the doc and a days worth of googling, I discovered I have a genetic disorder that makes my body produces homones in a wonky way. All hormones, including insulin.

Much googling later, I came across this book. I've read it and it seems to make sense to me. He's not promising the moon, or for anyone to lose 20lbs in a week. He is promising a better, healthier way to live that is easy to maintain.

I've been following the diet for a couple weeks now. I'm not going to say it's life changing, that's just a little too dramatic for me, but I will say that I'm losing weight without worrying about calories or measuring anything. I also have stopped having my low blood sugar fits. I feel good, more energy and less bloat.

It's definately easier to do then Atkins. I tried Atkins a few years ago and I couldn't maintain it past 6 months or so. This is easily do-able. I haven't really had any crazy cravings for sugar, bread or pasta yet, maybe I will at some point.

I think that this book is an interesting read, it seems to have sound dietary advice and good health information written in a very friendly approachable way. I think it's worth it for anyone who has PCOS or other insulin issues to give the diet a try. I did, and so far, I'm glad.

I don't know if this will be my miracle cure for the PCOS, I imagine i'll end up on medication just like everyone else, but if this diet helps reduce the effects of the disease i'm up for it.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is neither long nor complicated, which is exactly how weight loss advice should be. This is all about common sense - eat your veggies, eat real food, move on a regular basis, eat little to no "white foods." Dr. Thompson does go into a little more scientific detail about how and why the above advice works but it's still simple to understand. He also explains why once you lose muscle tone reducing calories will only backfire, you MUST exercise to lose weight. If you get bogged down on the details of the glycemic index of each food item you are reading this book all wrong. Just.eat.your.veggies.and.say.no.to.starch. Period. If you do have diabetes, then I highly recommend you hire a registered dietitian. Otherwise, this book should suffice for those trying to avoid diabetes and lose weight w/o any major sacrifices.

[Susan Gast · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVED this book. It reminded me of when my mum told me that when we were "told not to eat eggs" (this was when we were back in the UK), that she read that the UK suffered so much from macular degeneration (due to lack of egg consumption during a 20-year study).

It's the STARCH that we're eating that is making us FAT - the body can't get to USE the fat we have stored as FUEL because it has to use the carbs first - and hey, if you're eating tons of cookies, cakes, and bread - well - that's the fuel the body's going to use first - and the excess? Yes, it sits around your middle - only thing that spare tire is handy for is resting your cuppa tea (or coffee) on...

Again, LOVED the book!

[Aneesa]

My new year's resolution is to adjust my diet to avoid low blood sugar (which has a number of symptoms, including sneezing! I suspected this, and Reddit concurred).

This book is pretty convincing. It says I should stop eating starches and walk at a comfortable place for 40 minutes every other day to correct insulin resistance (there was a whole thing about mitochondria and oxygen). Since 8yo's diet is mostly starches, and her school is 7 minutes away, this will be harder than it seems. Also suggested: chew your bread a lot and have your salad first.

Oh, and the difference between glycemic index and glycemic load is that load takes into account serving size. For instance, whole grain bread has a lower glycemic index than white bread, but when you are eating a slice of whole grain, you are getting more carbs than a slice of white bread, so you would need to eat a smaller slice of whole grain. Or, carrots have a higher glycemic index than some carbs, but you're unlikely to eat 8 carrots in one serving. One single carrot has a lower glycemic load.

I also skimmed a whole stack of books about how to prevent and reverse diabetes (I do not have diabetes). One of them recommended intermittent fasting and bariatric surgery, one of them recommended chromium (I've taken that before when my mom gave me a leftover bottle), one of them recommended sea vegetables, one of them was 600 pages long. They almost all have recipes in the back which I am not going to try.

[Gerald Kinro · Rating 2 out of 5]

Insulin, the enzyme needed to digest glucose is the devil. Sharp rises in it cause problems such as obesity (It is lipogenic), Type II diabetes, and the rest. Dr. Thompson discusses the basis of a diet that limits the amount of high-glycemic foods, those like sugar and other simple carbohydrates. It is the glycemic index—how foods compare with pure sugar, glucose, in raising one’s insulin level. He uses this as a basis of food selection and serving size.

I may add that I am not overweight. Type II diabetes, however, does run in my family, and I am looking for a program to keep my blood sugar in the normal range. I like the basis for this diet. However, Thompson, in my opinion, does not go far enough. What percent of your caloric intake should your glycemic load be? In addition, the tables of foods and their glycemic indices are scant. I would have liked to have seen more.

[Don · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very interesting. It makes you rethink about the complex sugars that you eat and makes you look at lipid profiles and wonder if we’re off track and maybe cholesterol isn’t The culprit of heart disease but sugars that are in everything we eat

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good information.

[Paige Schmit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative!! And lots of yummy new recipes to try

[Kathrynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this author's style of no-nonsense writing. The book explains the difference between Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load in plain, easy to understand, English. The author includes a few chapters on the mind numbing details to support his theories and recommendations for those that want to challenge this idea or method.

About 1/4 of the end of the book contains recipes that I could have done without.

One thing to avoid in this book is REFINED CARBOHYDRATES (rice, bread, potatoes, pasta).

What is the Glycemic Load? Per the author, "Food scientists have recently developed a way to correct glycemic indexes for serving size. It's called the glycemic load and represents the effects on blood glucose of amounts of food people actually eat, rather than what goes on in the research lab." (See page 44)

The author explains some other diets, e.g., Atkins, South Beach, etc. He stresses the importance of eating a healthy diet (yes, fruits and vegetables, less meat), moving, and eliminating refined carbohydrates. This will result in lower triglycerides (belly fat), help resolve hormone imbalances, and so much more.

4.5 Stars!

[Craig Childs · Rating 3 out of 5]

My body's natural inclination towards insulin resistance has reared its head again, so I am back to trying to lose weight, reduce carb consumption, and exercise more. I still have a chance to avoid becoming diabetic, but the odds are winnowing. As I approach fifty, it seems more difficult to reverse the weight gain than it was when I was forty.

It has been a while since I have bothered with this, so I picked up this book to help motivate me. It covers much the same ground as Stop Prediabetes Now, which I read in 2014. The author begins by summarizing the now-accepted medical science that simple carbohydrates are the real culprit, not red meat or fatty foods. It encourages replacing "bad" foods (rice, bread, soft drinks) with "good" foods (red meat, diary, fruits, vegetables) instead of counting calories.

Dr. Thompson's first spin on the topic is that you do not have to cut calories at all. This has not been true in my case, but then I struggle with portion control in general… not to mention I'm a big fan of red wine, scotch whiskey, and gin martinis.

His second spin on the subject concerns the relationship between slow-twitch muscles and insulin resistance:

"The difference between people who are genetically prone to developing insulin resistance and those who are not is that the mitochondria of those predisposed to insulin resistance go into a deeper than normal dormant state when they haven't been used… If you don't use them for a day or two, they go into a kind of sleep mode in which they burn fewer calories and stop responding to insulin. When you exercise them again, they immediately wake up. They remain sensitive to insulin for twenty-four to forty-eight hours, and then they shut back down."

"If you keep your muscles from going into sleep mode--by exercising them every twenty-four to forty-eight hours--they will maintain sensitivity to insulin, your pancreas won't have to make as much insulin, and your body will stop trying to store calories as fat."

You can restore insulin sensitivity with low-impact physical activity such as slow walking 1 to 2 miles per day. (My cerebral palsy makes almost all physical activity feel high-impact, which is generally not much fun, but the plus side is that a half hour of slow walking a day might be enough to actually achieve a significant level of weight loss, which is not true for most people.)

Fully half the book consists of recipes for low glycemic-load foods. I found several that I will prepare and try.

[Thomas]

I like this book. I have seen no negative reviews that actually say more than it could have been shorter, and no more recent books that call it in question, but am open to news of either.

Rob Thompson (Glycemic Load Diabetes Solution) takes a good look at the glycemic load rankings of foods. The old GI (glycemic index) only measured the carbs in food, but not how fast they were converted to glucose in actual humans. GL measures how quickly actual humans (Canadian and Australian human subjects, fed and pricked hundreds of times) turn carbs into glucose. One thing jumps out: starch, and soda. He says nuke them. He says you can see high GL foods from across the room: Flour, rice, bread, pasta, potatoes, tofu, chips, noodles, soda. Brown flour is bad too. These have GLs of 200-500% of bread, meaning they spike glucose even faster than bread.

A pear has a GL of 47% of bread. Meat and fish have only 15%. The mechanism of high GL is this: glucose appearing quickly (spiking) in the bloodstream calls for a rush of insulin. It can take five times the insulin to handle a bread glucose spike than a pear glucose rise, even with he sugar in the pear. Fruit carbs, even with the sugar in fruit, require less insulin because they are processed more slowly, buffered by fiber, and a regulated by the palet. You wouldn’t sit down and eat five pears, but you would eat a bowl of pasta which has an equivalent glucose load.
That’s because pasta appeared after you evolved.

Also, brown rice, brown flour, and brown pasta GLs are still way high. And low fat ice cream is is 114 GL, where high-fat ice-cream is only 68.

Step 1. Stop eating starches and drinking sugared soda. Just stop. Eat pretty much anything else. Have a 10-oz steak, a glass of wine, salad with dressing, ok a small baked potato but with lots of butter and sour cream. Have an ounce of dark chocolate for desert. Or a vanilla Haagen Daz ice cream pop.

Step 2 Is just a little fine tuning after nuking starch..Smooth out carb glucose absorption by eating carbs (fruits and vegetables) together with fats (meat, oil, nuts) and increasing soluble fiber (All-Bran, 1/3 cup only because it has a high GL). Spoon of vinegar maybe in the salad lows down carb to glucose conversion. Acarbose is a drug that slows starch absorption--have one in your wallet in case you are mugged on the street by a pizza.

Step 3: Walk or cycle (I swim laps with fins) 30 minutes a day. Type 2 diabetes is caused by insulin resistance in the large slow-twitch (don't-get-tired) muscles of the legs. Moving like you need to get somewhere but not get out of breath reverses insulin resistance for 24-48 hours. Faster or longer exercise is for other reasons. It has no further insulin effect.

Step 4. Take meds to slow the liver's own independent production of glucose. Thompson favors metformin, for preventing capillary and arterial damage. Even likes it for pre-diabetes and diabetes prevention. OK,he’s an old guy, but he got old with diabetes and metformin.

Step 5 If no starch, meds, and exercise don't get your blood sugar number very close to normal, capillary damage will accumulate and diabetes will increase. Get an insulin pen. You can shoot through your clothes under the table and the person you are talking to won't even know it.

Step 6. If necessary, lower blood pressure and bad LDL cholesterol with meds, to very good (not just normal) numbers. If diet, exercise and diabetes meds don't do it, the reason is genetic, and more of Being Good won't help. Remember you genes got in there before starch was discovered. Bad LDL and high blood pressure are even more harmful to the capillaries than high blood sugar. Carbon monoxide from smoking is also a "risk factor" for capillary damage, especially the heart, brain, kidneys, eyes, and feet. The feet are farthest from the heart. Smoking is the fourth risk factor, along with the first three. The damage is imperceptible. You feel fine doing it. You can cap and trade risk factors. A very good risk factor can offset one you can't improve.

That’s it, I think. Sprinkled through the pages of the book are charts to give you a sense of how outrageous starch GLs are, and some diabetes Fun Facts. OK, I apologize for that.

Crunchy food craving is a sign of fiber deficiency.
Diabetes is a disease of the legs. Insulin resistance is located in the large, slow-twitch (aerobic) leg muscles
Hi fat ice cream GL 68. Lo fat ice cream GL 114. Yes, Haagen Daz is better than 2 plain slices of whole wheat bread. Gotta cut back on lo fat!
Bagel GL 340. 1 oz dark chocolate GL 68
Glucose spikes are inked to macular degeneration. Effect of thick blood on capillaries. Hi glucose blood is syruppy, sluggish, can’t do its pick-up and drop-off chores efficiently. Difficult to prove experimentally, because people don't come to the eye doc with a forty-year grocery list.
Smoothies have hi GL because the amount of fruit is way high. If you had to chew those ingredients, the body would want to stop after one or two, because it is more aware of the sugar than when you gulp it.
Starches were discovered after we evolved to live on meat, nuts, berries, fruits and vegetables. Starches are obtained by crushing, grinding, roasting, pounding, or boiling the husks of seeds, or by digging up potatoes, which are seeds that hide in the ground rather than protect themselves with husks. The starch is there to give the seeds a boost. We are not equipped with sufficient insulin capacity to live well off the starch we hoard and glut ourselves on.
Do not pile on other food ideas. Forget low-fat, low cholesterol, local-only, vegan, or veggie ideas for now. You are fighting for your life. Don’t try to remain hip while beginning to do so. Be plain. Powerful stone-age food cravings undermine diets. Just stop starch. There’s no nutrients in them to crave. Trust your stone age body to sort out the rest. Your brother and sister deer will walk forty miles for a salt lick. Don’t try to be any hipper than that, at least at first.

[Vincent Sargenti · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have tried a lot of diets. They have a little something to teach. I have learned that when you want to speak to your body, the only language it understands is the language of chemistry. This ook has some good information on The Insulin Response, a key to unlocking the body's chemical equation for losing weight and buring fat.

For diabetics, of which I am not one, but for them this is THE book for understanding how to regulate your blood sugar through diet.

This information is good for anyone who eats too much of the wrong kinds of foods and is freakin' fat. That's why I read it. Cuz I'm a pig! But this book helped me along my journey and now I am not so much of a pig and I am not near as fat anymore.

[Esther L Kern · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent explanation of glycemic-load and insulin resistance

Dr. Thompson explains what happens when a person is insulin resistant, how it affects many processes in the body, and how to correct the problem in terms a layperson can understand without talking down to his audience. I found out a little more than a year ago that I have type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance. Since then, I've continued to struggle with weight loss even tho I do try to eat low-carb; but now that I've read Dr. Thompson's book, I'm excited to put his advice and recommendations to work to improve my health, happiness, and satisfaction. Thank you, Dr. Thompson!

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very informative book about the effect of diet on blood sugar. The author states very simply that in order to reduce blood sugar reduce potatoes, rice, bread, and sugary drinks. He says not to be too concerned with diet effect on chlolesterol, since diet can only decrease it by about 5-10%. He attributes the increase in diabetes to diet and a sedentary lifestyle. He recommends walking 20-30 minutes at least four times a week and spaced no further than 48 hours apart to avoid the body becoming resistant to insulin.

[Tonya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book because it is easy to understand, gives you a simple plan, is based on sound principles and research, and isn't extreme. I would like to lose a little weight, but I would LOVE to not get diabetes or the host of other problems that come with insulin resistance. This plan is motivating without being overwhelming, does not involve going hungry, doesn't say you have to cut out all sweets - and explains why. It isn't really a "diet" - more of permanent changes to make for better health. (I should probably come back and re-review it a few months from now....)

[Jackie Richards · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a 4 star at the start/middle and a 3 star at the end 😏. I have been following Zoe Nutrition for the past year and the principles of the book resonate with me and what I’ve learnt on Zoe. However, at the end, I found that the recommended recipes were not very exciting. Also very meat based and maybe a tad old fashioned now. I’m going to embrace a few of the principles as insulin resistance is definitely something I feel we should all think about.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative book about the effect of diet on blood sugar outlining the importance of "The Insulin Response" as THE key to unlocking the body's chemical equation for losing weight and burning fat...Good Stuff & a powerful argument for shifting your diet in a manageable manner!

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading the book and will try to change my diet as book suggest. It will take some time to tell if the method actually work for me. It’s not just about losing weight. It is building news life style.

[Arlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sensible advice.

[Veronica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great information about carbohydrates and blood glucose levels. HOWEVER, very outdated when it comes to fat/protein sections. We now know that saturated fats aren’t so bad for you.

[Colette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat helpful, though a little repetitive of Thompson's Glycemic Load Diabetes Solution. Lots of the same anecdotes and recipes.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written, a little dated but still good advice. The diet works for me. It changed the way I eat and the way I think of eating permanently.

[Danielle Katz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Avoid starchy carbs like bread, pasta and rice. Go for a walk every day.
Simple!

[Stephanie Grzesik Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Makes you think about what you eat. Very informative and helped me to look at food differently

[Lois Peterson]

613.283 T377G

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm really glad I borrowed this from the library. It's more of a pamphlet than a proper book. The main portion of the book is only a 110 pages, with the rest being occupied by recipes and a few glycemic load charts, which pale in comparison to what is available on the internet. Moreover, Thompson repeats himself several times in those few short pages.

That's not to say that it is entirely worthless or that I didn't learn anything, but this isn't a book I can see myself referring back to, and it didn't really have a wake-up call to healthier eating. At least, it didn't tell me I should be eating highly-processed, low-fat versions of food; I'm looking at you The G.I. Diet The Easy Healthy Way to Permanent Weight Loss.

The only thing that really stuck with me is that he points out that starches have no flavor. This has completely transformed my desire for them. Try it. Eat some undoctored oatmeal. It's revolting, gluey and bland. Bite into a cookie. What do you taste? Butter, salt, sugar. You can have all three of these things in limited amounts without the high-glycemic white flour to hold them together. I had a part of a cupcake a few weeks in (it should be noted here that my husband is an incredibly vile sweets pusher, bringing home cookies, brownies, etc. every time I turn around), and all I could taste were the nuts and cinnamon and so much sugar it made my teeth burn, so I do have to say that I have found that one concept in this book incredibly helpful.

Besides that, I've read other books with more recent and more detailed research that I feel cover this subject more effectively.

[Cathie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read. Almost half of it is recipes and references. Written by a doctor.

His point is that glycemic index is misleading because it should really be comparing serving sizes, i.e. the glycemic load. For example, 7 carrots equals the same glycemic load as 1/2 cup of rice even though carrots have a glycemic index almost as high as rice.

* Starch (rice, potatoes, wheat and other grains) is really a filler, it has to have things added to it to give it much taste, it hits your bloodstream from your stomach rather than your intestines
* Cut the starch out of your diet, eat all the meat, dairy, and vegetables you want and you will slowly lose weight (about 1 to 1.5 lbs per month)
* If you are going to have some starch eat your protein first and then have a small amount, so it's not the first thing in your stomach
* Sugar is ok in small amounts, again after eating protein first - he recommends something small and very sweet to satisfy your sweet tooth (hard candy, jelly beans, chocolate)
* Avoid sweet beverages, even if they have artificial sweeteners
* You need to walk about 30 minutes at a time every other day (about 2 miles) to stop your metabolism from slowing down
* If you lose more than a lb a month you need to do weight training at least 3 times a week to stop your metabolism from slowing down
* If you have cholesterol issues take statins to lower it, changing your diet only reduces cholesterol maybe 5 to 10 points -- use your diet to regulate your blood sugar instead

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sooo, when I was growing up, the diet 'rule' was 'don't eat anything white...potatoes, noodles, pasta, bread.' Then we went through Adkins, very similar: load up on meats and fats; but stay away from starches. Then low-fat, and low-sugar.

Thompson's saying pretty much 'no white food.' I've heard of the glycemic index, but the glycemic load is somehow different...confusing, but I don't need to understand to know all my favorite foods are not good for me. I LOVE bread. I love potatoes. Pasta too. All causing my blood sugar to spike and my body to hold onto its 'fat reserves.' *sigh* -- if a piece of bread has a load number of 100 (a pancake has 350), and I should aim for a total of 500 a day...yikes! New eating habits are in line.

I don't understand the chemistry behind all this, and it leads to not understanding some of the load numbers...full fat milk and ice cream has fewer load points than low fat? Sometimes it's because of the sugar manufacturers put into the food after they've taken out the fat.

Confusing and truly disheartening. I want us to be healthy for a long time. but I don't want to give up bread, and I know I can't convince Bob to exercise.

He said he's probably going to regret giving me the book to read. I agree...I can't be in charge of someone else's eating, but I have some serious reeducating to do!! First me, then Bob.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy read but highly repetitive (down to whole sentences repeated multiple times), and a whole recipe section at the end that could have been skipped. The style of writing is simple: 6th grade level, so is easy to skim to gain info. If you are new to the idea of glycemic load, this is a good start. If you are moderately informed and want more detailed info, skip this one. It does have a good list of references (at the end) that are not incorporated into the text itself, so it's hard to tell what matches what info he has written.

My pet peeves
This is a man whose opinion of "starch" like rice and potatoes is that they don't matter in that they aren't the main course, so can easily be eliminated since they have no flavor. This dismissiveness is just a given, throughout the book. Clearly, it is not an Asian opinion on rice or an American opinion on potatoes (mashed or French fried). It's not solely about the flavor; it's about the textures (eating curry without rice just feels wrong) and the ways the rice balances out the strength of the food around it (yin and yang, anyone?). It's about the way the carbs bring out the flavor of the other foods, and provide texture and structure that other foods lack. So eliminating them is not as easy as telling oneself: "they don't matter."

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly sensible, science-based recommendations for losing weight. Roughly aligns with Gary Taubes's (Good Calories, Bad Calories; Why We Get Fat) conclusions about the importance of insulin in determining body composition, but offers more in the way of practical advice. [return][return]Takeaways: 1) starch is much more of a culprit than sugar, because we tend to eat so much at a serving; 2) whole grains are not really much better than white versions when it comes to insulin response (they do have more nutrients, however); 3) allowing some sugar is actually better for diet adherence, just keep portions small and eat after fat & protein; 4) exercising slow-twitch muscles can help greatly with improving insulin sensitivity; he recommends at least 30 minutes of walking, every other day; 5) the objective of strength training is primarily to avoid losing muscle (and hence lowering metabolism) while losing pounds.[return][return]Drawbacks: Pretty repetitive and not a lot of content in the end. I wanted to know more about the glycemic effects of food combining, and how to gauge the glycemic load of actual foods.