“Good” Carbs and “Bad” Carbs

Occasionally diets will classify carbs as either “good” or “bad”.  While Fat Loss For Idiots avoids the terms “good carbs” and “bad carbs”, it does follow the principle which gave us these terms – the Glycemic Index.  The main idea is that foods with a low Glycemic Index are better for you than foods with a higher Glycemic Index.  Or… low Glycemic Index carbs are “good”, while high Glycemic Index carbs are “bad”.

The Glycemic Index

The Glycemic Index, or “GI”, is simply a way we measure how much effect carbohydrates have on blood glucose levels.  Foods with a high GI (the ones you are avoiding on Fat Loss 4 Idiots) will result in higher blood glucose levels, while foods with a low GI (those foods which you are eating a lot of with Fat Loss 4 Idiots) will result in lower blood glucose levels.  The difference in blood glucose levels is mostly due to the fact that lower GI foods are digested and absorbed more slowly than higher GI foods.  As these foods are slowly digested and released into the bloodstream, they can be “taken up” slowly and steadily.  With higher GI foods, they are easily digested and absorbed, therefore the glucose from these foods is basically dumped into the bloodstream, causing a significant increase in blood glucose.

Blood glucose values are especially important for people with diabetes, whose insulin does not work as well as non-diabetics.  Insulin is released as a result of blood glucose values.  Higher blood glucose levels will result in the release of more insulin.  The take home message is that with low GI foods, insulin sensitivity may improve, and a “healthier” metabolism might be achieved.  High GI foods do not always result in large insulin release, however, and low GI foods do not always result in smaller insulin release.  But, in general, low GI foods are a very effective way to control insulin and create a healthier, more normal metabolism.  One of the reasons Fat Loss 4 Idiots causes fat loss so effectively is because you will be avoiding those high GI foods, and eating so many of the low GI foods.

Low GI (Good Carbs) and Weight Control

Research leads us to believe that high GI foods, or “bad carbs”, may be a factor leading to fat gain.  One study performed in 2004 found that rats eating a high GI diet were not only fatter than rats with a low GI diet, they also had less lean body mass.  Imagine that simply by eating white bread and cake, you are building up fat and losing muscle; that’s what this study says may be happening.  Realize that although this study was done on rats, and not humans, much of what we know from science is a result of animal studies and not human trials.  (It is far more ethical to force rats to gain weight and waste their muscles, than if we were to do that with human beings!)  Thus, we have sometimes come to call low GI carbs “good”, while we refer to higher GI carbs as “bad”, and we will want to avoid bad carbs while following the Fat Loss 4 Idiots diet.

So… Now I’m Never Allowed to Eat High GI Again?

At this point, high GI foods probably look pretty evil.  In fact, Fat Loss 4 Idiots, with a very few exceptions, has virtually banned you from eating these.  This is a pretty depressing outlook for a lot of us, especially considering many of the tastiest foods are undoubtedly high GI.  Does this mean you’re never going to eat a piece of birthday cake again?  Almost certainly not.  You should avoid these foods while you’re following the Fat Loss 4 Idiots diet, there’s no bones about it.  But, once you’ve achieved your fat loss goal, you’ll find it’s OK to eat these foods every once in a while.  Eat some cake at your best friend’s wedding, or have a piece of pizza at the big game on Monday night, but don’t go crazy, here.  Remember, these foods do still contribute to fat gain.

The point is, while you are losing weight with Fat Loss 4 Idiots, eating high GI is just getting in the way.  What’s the point of trying to lose fat, and eating foods which you know will make your body store fat?  You will only be shooting yourself in the foot.  Once you’ve lost the fat, it’s not the end of the world to eat a high GI food every once in a while.  At this point, you are not trying to lose fat, and hopefully, Fat Loss 4 Idiots has taught you enough healthy behaviors that you are following out which will balance out the “junk”, and you will not put on fat.

Is It Ever OK to Eat “Bad Carbs”?

Actually, yes.  There are occasions when it is actually preferable to eat high GI foods rather than low GI.  Again, these times are not while you are following Fat Loss 4 Idiots and trying to lose weight.  High GI foods have great nutritional value for athletes during and immediately after exercise.  An athlete will want low GI food before exercise, because these will release glucose (carbs, which you will remember are energy) into the bloodstream steadily over the course of the exercise.  During the exercise, high GI foods will release glucose quickly into the blood, providing an available source of energy immediately.  Following exercise, high GI foods are also preferable because they quickly provide a readily available source of energy to replenish used fuel sources, and also to repair damaged tissues.  However, these foods are most useful at exercise intensities far above what you will be doing with Fat Loss 4 Idiots (unless you are training for a marathon, or some other sport at a similar intensity).