How to Lose Belly Fat With a Low Glycemic Diet

Do you want to lose some belly fat? Do you often feel a "crash" after eating certain foods? Then a low glycemic diet may work for you. According to information from the Harvard School of Public Health, the glycemic index is a ranking of foods, particularly carbohydrates, by how rapidly they are digested. Slower-digested foods keep blood sugar levels stable. This helps you avoid sugar "crashes" and also means that your body has less of an opportunity to store extra calories as fat, thus promoting weight loss. Unlike a low-carb diet, which only allows a certain number of carbs per day, a low glycemic diet is not similarly restricted.

Things You'll Need

• Glycemic index
• Journal or notebook

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Instructions

Low Glycemic Diet

• 1

  Locate a glycemic index, or print one out from the resource list below. Study it to learn the foods that are low on the index.

• 2

  Choose your food, and particularly your carbohydrates, wisely. Consume only those which rank fairly low on the glycemic index. Generally speaking, most vegetables, fruits, and whole grains rank lowest on the glycemic index. Foods that rank high on the glycemic index include sugars, foods made from white flours and grains, and nearly all types of processed food.

• 3

  Eat more frequent, smaller meals. Aim to consume five or six smaller meals throughout the day to further avoid swings in blood sugar. In each meal consume a protein source such as poultry, seafood, lean meat, eggs, or beans; a fruit or vegetable; a whole grain; and a small source of healthy fat (such as avocados, coconuts, walnuts, pecans, almonds, peanuts, olive oil, flax oil, or fish oil). Keeping each meal balanced makes it easier to meet your nutritional needs.

• 4

  Maintain a food journal. Each day track your overall caloric intake, listing both the foods you consume and your total number of calories eaten for the day. Weigh yourself at the end of each week, aiming for a one to two pound weight loss. If you are on track, continue eating as before until your weight loss stalls. When your weight loss stalls, simply reduce your calories for each day by 200 to 300, which should prompt your body to continue shedding pounds at a steady rate, until you have met your goal.