South Beach Diet
Dr. Agaston teaches you how you can get a South Beach body.
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BACKGROUND
If you're looking for a diet plan that has grown wildly popular over the past few years, gives your eating habits a dramatic makeover, and shares the name of one of the world's favorite beaches, then the South Beach Diet is for you. Dr. Arthur Agatston, a cardiologist, created this friendly contrast to other prohibitive weight-loss plans and offers a chance to achieve success where you might have previously failed.
The South Beach Diet differs from its low-carb competitor Atkins, in that it restricts saturated fats, which are linked with health problems like heart disease and high cholesterol. It promises that cravings for sugars, sweets and other carbohydrates will disappear as you go along because the diet is supposed to keep blood sugar levels maintained.
The South Beach Diet has three separate phases in which in each phase, you wean yourself away from certain foods and incorporate other South Beach Diet “friendly” foods. The diet promises that you’ll lose 8-12 pounds in the first two weeks as long as you adhere to the guidelines.
PRO
- The South Beach Diet supports a clean way of eating that is void of refined sugars and trans fats
- Its emphasis on fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and heart-healthy fats is an eating plan that is full of vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids
- Support from the medical science community
- Thousands of satisfied clients
- Updated its research in the 2008 release "South Beach Diet: Supercharged"
- Has a maintenance plan
CON
- Research shows that unless you’re diabetic, sugar levels actually remain stable even if you eat a sugary candy bar
- Many South Beach Diet food products contain sugar-alcohols, which may hard to tolerate
- Not very vegetarian friendly
- Its elimination of sugars, certain fruits like bananas and other carbohydrates make it difficult to maintain
- Science behind Dr. Agastaton’s assertions about certain foods and their ability to raise blood sugar levels or put on weight is inaccurate
- No exercise guidelines
FOOD and RECIPES
The first phase lasts for two weeks and has you remove starches like bread, pasta and rice, potatoes, fruits, milk, yogurt, honey and baked goods. Sugars are completely eliminated. During the first phase of South Beach, you'll enjoy three balanced meals and some snacks that should include lean meats and fish, eggs, low-fat cheese, fresh vegetables, beans and nuts.
Phase two of the South Beach Diet will allow you to slowly re-introduce fruits, whole-grain breads and pastas. You'll choose just one carbohydrate and include that in one meal each day for one week. You are encouraged to wait a few days and if there are no noticeable effects, introduce one more healthy carbohydrate. Continue this until you're able to successfully have two or three healthy carbohydrates each day. Phase two will continue until you meet your goal weight.
You'll begin the maintenance, or third, phase of South Beach once you've met your goal weight. It's here that you'll put to practice all that you learned in phases one and two.
The book and website offer many South Beach-friendly recipes. There is also a complete line of South Beach Diet foods that can be purchased in your grocery store from cereals to frozen meals. But many of the nutrition bars and snack items contain artificial sweeteners, which have been known to induce gastrointestinal problems.
EXERCISE
Even though exercise has been shown to be an effective and necessary component to losing weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, there are no specific exercise guidelines in the South Beach Diet.
EXPENSE
The South Beach Diet book costs $24.95. You can join the online program for about $6/week.
CONCLUSION
You must wonder if the South Beach Diet is just another marketing attempt to motivate folks who are desperate to lose weight? With its strong assertions and its complete line of food products hitting grocery store shelves everywhere, makes you question how much of its appeal is fact or fiction? The truth is that any diet that cuts calories will help you lose weight. The South Beach Diet is no different.
It’s encouragement of eating vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy fats is admirable. Its elimination of white sugar and refined carbohydrates is equally laudable albeit challenging to follow. And many people have had a lot luck losing weigh following the South Beach Diet. But the South Beach Diet itself has some scientific flaws and many nutritionists would argue that its promise of losing 8-12 pounds in 14 days is a bit aggressive and may not be able to stand up against the test of time.
But if you’ve got a lot of willpower and don’t mind knowing that you might be buying into another fad diet, then this might be just the diet for you.
Common Misspellings
south beech diet, Southbeach diet, Sobe, SBD, South Beach, South Beech Diet, South Beach Deit, southbeach diet, southbeachdiet.com
SaraWelch: The good 'ol South Beach diet! I love this diet and definitely recommend the book but I am not sure about the online program. Sounds cool though. Anyone else try it?
Dawn: South Beach is a great way to kick start healthy living. I tried it, and lost 4 lbs for starters. It's a great way to help cut back on unnecessary carbs and stratches that you can live without.
MaryLevine: No fruit for 2 weeks, why does that have to be eliminated, I thought fruit was healty....didn't read the book can someone tell me what the south beach diet says about it?
Katiedid: I konw that fruits have sugars and those sugars convert to fat or something. Since they make you get rid of all the sugars then fruit has to go. :( I love fruit!
DanaBoyd: Come to the beach! I've lost five pounds and starting week two of phase one. Best of all I don't feel hungry! I give up on so many diets because I just WANT TO EAT! Not this time. And you don't give up fruit completely, you get to start eating it again in phase two. Good luck!
kstov: I did the south beach diet to lose weight for my wedding day. I did it! 25lbs gone in a couple of months. The bad part...2 years later I weigh more now than I did before! as soon as you get off it, you gain it all back!
Anonymous: That's the whole point..you're not supposed to "go off it". It teaches you a way of eating for the rest of your life. I have never been able to lose weight and I lost 8 lbs in the first two weeks. It's tricky re-introducing the carbs but you just need to monitor yourself. I've now lost 12 lbs and I feel great!
vick: Exactly the south beach diet is a lifestyle change not a quick fix.
Kimmi: On Jan 2006 I went on the South Beach Diet and in the first two weeks I lost 10 pounds. In 6 months I went from 153 to 126 and maintained my weight until September 2007. I quit smoking an have gained 15 pounds back. So it Back to the Beach...South Beach that is....WORKS for me! Thanks Dr, Agatston !
Jamie: I remember eating some of the South Beach diet products and everytime I would eat their snack bars, I would be sick to my stomach. That's when I gave up that diet. It just wasn't agreeing with my stomach and I ain't going to be sticking to a diet where I feel sick all the time.
Anonymous: You can't eat just the bars. As previously stated it is about a lifestyle change. It is about eating healthy portions and foods. All the foods that you are eating are fresh and healthy. I use the meals for emergencies. Most of the pre-packaged foods are for Phase 2 and 3. A lot of the recipes can be made in advance and frozen for later. I have a very busy lifestyle and this is one diet that I have been able to stick too.
Anonymous: ISounds to me like you never gave the diet a chance. The diet does not require you to eat their bars . I love the SB diet!
SouthBeachDieter: South Beach Diet Rocks ! If you don't lose on this diet...than there is NO HOPE for you. Actually I really don't consider this a diet...just a healthier way of eating. South Beach you gotta love it!
kimbo: Why is this Even Called a diet? I agree the first Phase is a little restrictive but only for two weeks. The second Phase ..You start adding some of the restricted food back into your diet. When you lose the weight you want...then you start Phase III this is how you eat for the rest of your life. It really is NOT all that hard. With a little discilpine..you can accomplish your goals. I know I FEEL so much better eating this way. South Beach is just a Healthier way of Eating. I don't consider it a diet at all. When you hear the word diet..dosen't it make you want to run away? I give South Beach a thumbs up. Go ahead and try it...I dare ya!
Anonymous: I have been on SBD for 8 months and have lost 50 lbs., halfway to my goal weight. It's a great, healthy plan. You do not have to eat any of their products or join the online service. Get the book from the library and find one of the free online support groups, if you want. SB actually advises against eating prepared, "convenience" foods. You can have 2 - 3 servings of fruit/day after Phase I. The only things you can't have are refined sugars and carbs. I have never been able to lose weight before and I have had no problem sticking to this plan. No hunger, just great food. There is not a prescribed exercise plan, but it is advised to do the exercise of your choice. There is an updated book coming out in a couple of months and I hear exercise will be part of it.
justlil'oleme: A NEW SB BOOK? Fantastic! I have all of them. They are kinda like a diet BIBLE....lol ! Looking forward to the new book with the exercises and all. What I like about the South Beach Diet Books...everytime I read them..I found something new...I missed. Strange Huh ? Thanks Dr. Agatson for making me realize I needed to start eating Heathier. YOU are an inspiration to everyone! Thanks again!
Anonymous: I think this is is last book...which is available at Amazon. The South Beach Heart Program: The 4-Step Plan that Can Save Your Life (Hardcover) Is there another one??
Anonymous: It works! And if you don't have issues with sugar cravings, or not alot to lose, you can go straight to Phase 2. As far as the bars and other products go, they are for convenience purposes. And I would bet money those bars made Jamie sick because she doesn't tolerate sugar alcohols well (I don't either, and I can't eat the sugar free chocolates, etc either). I do think that saying if this isn't the diet for you "there is no hope for you" is extreme. Everyone reacts differently, some people may prefer weight watchers, for example.
Jackie: How much is the maximum daily intake of beans (or any legumes) during Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet, please?
michele: does anyone know if the atkins bars are ok to eat on phase 1 of the south beach diet?
michele: what does impact carbs mean? When you read the back of some bars it will say 20 grams of carbs but on the front it will say 3grams of impact carbs. Is this ok to eat on the south beach diet?
JoAnne: In response to Michele. You take the total amount of carbs and subtract the fiber and sugar alcohol and that gives you your net carb. I have done Atkins and I think you should be fine eating their bars. I ordered the SBD book and am going to try that. I did lose 28 lbs on Atkins but I found it hard to stay on. My hardest meal to deal with is breakfast because I can't eat eggs everyday and I don't like to put much effort into cooking before I go to work. I am hoping this diet gives me better morning options. Any suggestions? Good luck to all!
Kristin: The South beach Diet is what worked for me and I only have great things to say about it. First of all, I'm a cheater. I can't follow directions well and I eat alot! On the SB Diet, I ate relentlessly but only on the foods that met the low glycemic index. I cheated on mayo and BBQ sauce and plus I ate as much as I wanted of everything I decided I wanted. I rid the fridge of all unwanted (high on glycemic index) food, and filled it with all the goodies that are on the "good" list. I lost 12 pounds and 2 pant sizes initially during the first 2 weeks, and continued to lose an additional 17 pounds over a 3 month period, where I then went on maintenance. If I felt I was cheating too much after awhile I'd go back to Phase 1 for a week and so on and so forth. I introduced exercise immediately as that's the sensible thing to do, but you should alwasy consult with your physician before dieting and exercising. I still have my skinny pants and fat pants which thank God I haven't gotten back into the fat ones. lol
Meghan: I read the book and wet on the diet... for a day. I did everything that I was supposed to, but I constantly felt hungry. When I woke up the next morning I had absolutely NO STREGNTH; I could barely even lift my head. I think this diet was too much of a shock for my body. I run on carbs so I switched to a high fiber diet insted.
Diya: This is my 5th day on this diet.. and i ve been cheating a bit.. cudnt let go of the fruits... i m still a lot lighter.. (5 lb in 5 days) not at all bad for starters.. and i m almost never hungry.. thats the best part..
Dev: I love South Beach! It really is just a healthier way of eating. I have to agree with the posters before me that if you didn't succeed at this diet, you didn't give it a chance. It's so easy to follow. As for the pre-packaged foods, I avoid them like the plague. They go against the very fundamentals thatSouth Beach was based on.
Kimberley: On Jan 2006 I went on the South Beach Diet. THe first two weeks I lost 12 pounds. Over the next 6 months I lost another 25 pounds. For almost 2 years I maintained my weight . Sept 2007 I quit smoking Yeppers I have gained all my weight back .....Replacing food for a smoke . YIKES I! So it looks like I am headed Back to the Beach.
marie: Hello there, does anyone know if you use some real sugar in the dishes such as the dessert will you not lose the weight; I ask this because my son who is 13 is going on the diet and I know he wont do some of the first phase. Like he hated tomato juice and will want sugar in his dessert. Any advice how you can substitute in the first phase?
Anonymous: Phase I nearly did me in. I was weak and starved most of the time and left work early a few times because I was feeling so bad. Plus it was EXPENSIVE to purchase all the fresh veggies. I started it in the winter, however, when fresh produce is more expensive. I did lose weight - 8 pounds in the two weeks of Phase 1. Phase 2, where I could gradually re-introduce fruits and grains, was too hard to maintain. Plus I hated cooking for myself as I live alone. Most of the recipes in the book serve 4. I would recommend it but please read the book carefully. Realize that Phase 1 will be hard and you may be constantly weak.
