Tip! Know your calories. The most important dietary factor in fat loss is not how many grams of carbohydrate, protein or fat you eat, the most important factor for fat loss is calories. Eat more than you burn each day and you will store fat. Eat less than you burn each day and you will lose fat.It's just that simple.

What to Do

Clearly, trying to determine the effect of a food on blood sugar outside of a laboratory is fraught with complications that would make eating a low glycemic diet an exercise in frustration. That is, if you keep looking at single foods. But if you look at the total diet, there are some words of wisdom to make smart eating a reality.

Choose among a wide variety of whole foods, including whole grains, beans, vegetables, fruits, lowfat dairy products and protein foods. Most likely, you'll automatically be eating a lower glycemic diet as a result. Refined foods - those with fiber removed such as white bread and fruit juices - tend to have a higher glycemic load. What's more, they're lower in all the vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and other substances that make for healthy eating.

If you do want to eat a food with a higher glycemic index, eat it in combination with a protein food. For example, saltines with peanut butter for a snack.

If you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes or high insulin levels, work with your dietitian to determine if some foods have a higher glycemic effect for you. This may involve checking your blood sugar levels after test meals.

Tip! Develop a Plan for Maintenance. Even if you're taking diet pills to help with your weight loss it's important to keep in mind, that once you stop the pills, unless you maintain a balance between your activity level and the food you eat the weight will come back.So save your money - skip the latest book promising easy solutions for type 2 diabetes and weight loss by using the glycemic index. First, it isn't easy; second, it's not necessarily accurate. Try spending your money instead on something that really helps you feel better - like a massage, facial, manicure, pedicure, personal training session, and the like.

Marsha J. Hudnall, MS, RD, CD is director of health communications and senior nutritionist at Green Mountain at Fox Run. For over 34 years, Green Mountain at Fox Run has been a women's weight loss retreat and spa. Green Mountain's unique weight loss program has offered women lifelong solutions for weight management through lifestyle and behavioral change. Learn more about our Mastering Type 2 Diabetes and Prediabetes, offered in concert with the Joslin Diabetes Center, Harvard Medical School.

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