While stage 1 of the Kick Start Diet brings rapid weight loss  you shouldn’t stay on it for longer than 2 weeks.

At that point you can begin stage 2. This involves returning a lot of the carbohydrates you have been avoiding slowly to your diet.
The most crucial part of this stage is to be careful about which carbohydrates you add to your diet.

GI carbohydrates

The ideal carbohydrates have a low glycemic index (GI).
Foods are ranked on a GI scale from 0 to 100. A high GI value is 70 or more, a medium GI is 56 to 69 and a low GI is 55 or less.
Foods with a high GI cause your pancreas to produce insulin, which flows out and sucks the glucose into the cells. In a short period of time your hunger will return and you will feel like eating again.
Good carbohydrates, such as whole grain bread or an apple, enter the bloodstream slowly and don’t cause a serve of insulin, which means you feel full longer.
The big problem in all diets where weight loss occurs is that people feel hungry.
By consuming carbohydrates with a low GI you are able to get all the energy you need, lose weight and not be as hungry.

Protein

Stage two also increases the amount of protein from lean beef, lamb, pork and from fish and eggs that can be consumed.
For vegetarians tofu is important in this stage of the diet.

Fats and oils

Saturated-fat intake needs to be controlled; this fat increases the cholesterol in your blood, which can lead to heart attack and stroke.
The ideal fats are called mono or polyunsaturated fats and come from vegetable oils and olives – but it’s still important to use these fats in moderation.
The other valuable oil is omega 3, which comes from oily fish and from some vegetables. This oil is helps to protect the heart.

Exercise

Just as exercise is important in stage 1 of the Kick Start diet, it is just as important for weight loss in stage 2.
30 to 60 minutes of exercise a day is ideal for weight loss to take place.
Try walking, gardening or even housekeeping; whatever you do, exercise is essential for weight loss.

Side effects

If not eating many carbohydrates, some may find the glucose in their bloodstream becomes too low, causing hypoglycemia. This can cause an aray of symptoms, such as headache, anxiety, irritability and drowsiness.
Try to eat small meals every 3 hours if you are experiencing these symptoms. Avoid rushing to eat high GI foods when you feel the symptoms, as these snacks will make them worse.
If symptoms occur repeatedly consult your doctor.

Watch what you eat
Here are some tips for controlling your food intake.

  1. Use hunger as a cue for eating, not the time of day.
  2. Eat a low GI carbohydrate food when you’re hungry.
  3. Slow down when you eat to give your stomach a chance to let your brain know that it’s full.
  4. When you’re thinking about eating, ask yourself how hungry you really are.
  5. When feeling hungry delay eating for 30 minutes – true hunger will return.
  6. Don’t buy foods you don’t want to eat.
  7. Indulge in the occasional treat; lollies are more satiating than chocolates.
  8. Give yourself time to make changes in your habits; it takes about 6 weeks for your taste buds to readjust to a changed diet.
  9. Once you have prepared your meal put the remaining food away so it’s out of view.
  10. Keep busy during the day.
  11. Don’t restrain your food intake excessively – be sensible about it.

Before starting any new eating plan you should consult your doctor to see if it’s right for you, particularly if you are taking any medication.