The thing about diets is that any "diet" you adopt for some specific, finite purpose (e.g. "I will eat a low-carb diet until I have lost 20 pounds" or "I will reduce my intake of fat and sugar until my cholesterol levels improve") is that they assume your "diet" is temporary, and at some point (after reaching your goal, presumably), you can "go back" to eating "normally." Well, if eating "normally" resulted in your current physical condition, what do you think will happen when you resume eating that way? Hence the failure of most diets. The only way a diet is going to work for you permanently is if it can become your PERMANENT DIET, i.e., the way you eat for the rest of your life. So, who can follow a low-carb diet or a coconut diet or a no-sugar-or-fat-or-anything-tasty diet or eat supplements and prepackaged meals FOREVER? No one.

This diet you can follow permanently. Yes, it does mean giving up junk food and greasy, fatty foods or foods made mostly of sugar and starch (or at least, limiting them to the occasional cheat meal, and by OCCASIONAL I mean "every couple of months," not "a couple times a week"!). But if you're not prepared to cut McDonald's and Oreos and Haagen Daaz out of your life, or at least confine them to a RARE treat, then you're not prepared to lose weight permanently, because you'll never accomplish any serious weight loss goals eating that stuff, sorry. The thing is, the G.I. diet doesn't try to exclude entire arbitrary categories of food or tell you you can only eat foods from certain groups. Instead, it lists foods as "red light" (don't eat at all, except for those RARE treats), "yellow light" (indulge occasionally but don't make them a regular part of your meals) and "green light" (eat all you want).

Now, here's the thing -- While the G.I. diet is based on the "glycemic index," i.e., how fast different foods metabolize into sugar -- there is nothing magical about the "green light" foods. Any book on nutrition will tell you what's healthy to eat (fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lowfat/nonfat dairy, lean meats) and what's not (sugar, fatty meats, full-fat dairy, anything made of "enriched" white flour, which basically turns into sugar almost immediately upon hitting your bloodstream). So you can follow this diet without obsessing over the GI ratings of different foods. The red light/yellow light/green light system is a useful guide, so you know, for example, that bananas, while not "bad" for you, are "yellow light" because they have a much higher starch content, and apples or berries are a better choice. No surprise that bacon is "red light," but there are plenty of meats that are "green light," you just have to be choosy about both your selections and your portion sizes. (If you're a vegetarian or even a vegan, the GI diet will suit you fine too.)

Mostly what you will learn is the choices you should substitute for less optimal foods. Apples are better than bananas. Sweet potatoes are better than regular potatoes. Brown rice is better than white rice. Old fashioned oatmeal is better than "instant" oatmeal. Skim milk is better than whole milk. Canadian bacon is better than ham or regular bacon. White meat is better than dark meat, and tenderloin is better than flank or round steaks. Again, none of this is a mystery and there are no magical combinations to learn, but you have to be willing to make these kinds of substititions PERMANENTLY.

I've been following the GI diet for almost a year now, with very good results. I supplemented it with a serious exercise program, but on the other hand, I never followed the stricter "Phase I" portion of the diet (where you are supposed to eat nothing but "green light" foods). I've cut "red light" foods 99% out of my diet (I can't give up cream in my coffee) and "yellow light" foods make up less than 20% of my diet. I do not feel hungry or deprived, and I eat plenty of stuff I like.

There are several recipes in this book that work very well as meal staples. I use them repeatedly, week after week. "Living the GI Diet," by the same author, is basically a GI Diet cookbook with many more recipes, also worth getting.

I teach nutrition and I love this book. I think its focus on the GI is right on track with what people need to learn. Having said this, I think there are a few areas in which the book was a little misleading:

1. Body Mass Index (BMI). While Gallop criticizes traditional methods of measuring excess fat, he goes on to endorse the Body Mass Index (BMI) approach. The BMI only considers two inputs: weight and height and can therefore be wildly inaccurate in estimating body fat. On page 17, Gallop writes that, "if you are ... overly muscled (and you really have to be a dedicated bodybuilder to qualify), these numbers in all probability do not apply to you." There are many more people than Gallop suggests whose body compositions are not accurately estimated by the BMI. You're better off getting a body composition test done at a respectable health club, or buying a scale that incorporates body composition analysis.

2. Glycemic Load. I imagine that legitimate concerns about space limitations and simplicity had something to do with Gallop not discussing the Glycemic Load. By considering the density of a carbohydrate, glycemic load or GL (GL = GI (%) x grams of carbohydrates per serving) builds on the GI to provide a measure of total glycemic response to a food. Many of the foods (most notably fruits) that Gallop labels as those that should be avoided have very low carbohydrate density and therefore very little impact on blood sugar or weight gain. They offer excellent sources of micronutrients and antioxidants and should not be discouraged.

3. Benefits of Exercise. While Gallop acknowledges the long-lasting metabolic benefits of exercise and muscle development late in Chapter 8, most of his calculations related to weight loss from exercise do not take these metabolic benefits into account. It's worth noting that 5 pounds of muscle burns over 11,000 calories each year - that's over 3 pounds of fat.'

Despite these limitations, I think this is an excellent book that should be undestood by anyone interested in a sustainable and healthy approach to weight loss.

I bought this and followed the diet it really worked on me. I started loosing my weight. This is a very good and useful book and keeps you healthy. I recommend this book to everyone.

I also liked Positive Habits"...it is sold out at Amazon but I found it for a discount at the Barnes & Noble website, or you can get it at "The Power of Positive Habits" website. ..the web address is the same as the book title and they are giving away over $1,000 in free e-books today"

What does this book offer that we don't already know? Low calorie, low fat, low carbs moderate dairy and moderate protien (about a 1/4 of a plate or, say, the size of a deck of cards)will result in weight loss. Who is paying to hear this again?

I am a member of Weight Watchers since January 1979. I lost weight and kept it off until 1993 when I had my last child. I kept all the weight I gained during this last pregnancy. I was at 200 lbs and am 5'5" tall. This same weight stayed with me until 2003. I was going through menopause so I began HRT (hormone replacement therapy). Being older my metabolism really slowed down, so I added more weight to my body. I got to 223 lbs and I began to panic, since both my sisters are Type 2 diabetics and are morbidly obese. My own BMI is over 30.

I am on medication for HBP and recently was diagnosed with diabetis too. My regiment is diet and exercise and glucose monitoring once a day.

Since I am a weight watcher, I began my program to lose my weight again. I kept a food journal and added walking 2 miles 4 days a week to my regiment. I was losing weight the healthy way (1 - 2 lbs a week), but after 4 months, my weight just stayed the same. I would lose 2 lbs and the next week gain them back. This cycle continued for about 6 weeks. I had already purchased the G.I. Diet but never read it. Imagine that... but when I decided to give this book a try, I was impressed so much by Mr. Gallop's writing and how it seemed that he was speaking to me and my way of life. I decided to try it, after all I am a lifetime member of weight watchers what could it hurt.

After being on this diet for 2 weeks, I lost over 3.5 lbs. My energy level is up and my mind is focused. I cannot believe how clear my mental well being is now that I am following this food plan. I love it and highly recommended this to both my sisters.

I will update later as I am so excited about these changes in my well being.