South Beach Diet FREE Trial Offer

Anyone who doesn’t have the time and energy prefer diet over exercise. With the demands of their hectic lifestyles, following a diet is more convenient.

There are many diets out there today. Each one has their own way of inducing weight loss. Tailor-made recipes are created to induce weight loss. Unfortunately, you wouldn’t know for sure if they actually work until you try it.

Anyone who doesn’t live under a rock knows the south beach diet. A diet which was originally made for patients with heart disease or diabetes can now be used for weight loss.


It was created by Arthur Agatson, a cardiologist in Miami, Florida. South beach focuses on the difference between “good” and “bad” carbohydrates and fats. He stresses that bad carbohydrates inhibit insulin from properly processing fat or sugar. Bad fats on the other hand, like saturated and trans fat contributes to increase of susceptibility to heart disease. 

The aim of south beach diet is to increase consumption of good fats and carbohydrates. It encourages minimizing consumption of fats and carbohydrates. This is essential to prevent unhealthy weight gain and cardiovascular disease.   

South Beach Diet Plan Overview

Phase I

Phase one is the strictest part of the diet which lasts 14 days.  It removes the resistance of insulin which will make the body use excess body fat. The phase avoids the consumption of high-glycemic carbohydrates.

The dieter can eat lean meats, seafood and vegetables. Nuts, cheese and eggs are also allowed. High-glycemic carbohydrates such as pastries, bread, potatoes, rice, pasta, fruit, sugar, ice cream, candy and alcohol are restricted. 

Phase II

Phase two is the same with phase one, but some foods that were restricted before can now be introduced into the diet. This phase lasts until you reach your target weight. The goal is to loose 1 or 2 pounds per week. 

Whole grain foods, most fruits, and dairy products are gradually included in the diet. Sweet potato, brown rice and pasta are now allowed. The dieter can eat high-fiber carbohydrates such as whole grain breads. Beets, carrots, watermelon, banana, pineapple, chocolate and wine can be eaten in moderation.
Phase III

This phase begins when you have reached your target weight. Phase 3 is about weight maintenance and lasts for the rest of your life. The south beach diet should now be a way of living rather than an exercise on restraint.

The verdict on South Beach Diet

The long term effects can be positive. If followed religiously, South beach becomes more of a healthy lifestyle rather than a restrictive diet.

Weight loss occurs after 14 days. Although this is basically water rather than fat, dieters would be encouraged to continue. You can eat normal sized helpings which prevent you from breaking down into a food binge.

As long as you adhere to both phase two and three after you pass phase one, you will maintain your weight.

It lowers blood cholesterol levels and prevents you from eating carbohydrates that takes longer to break down. It also helps prevent cardiovascular disease by avoiding consumption of saturated and trans fat. Compared to other diets South beach is less restrictive than Atkins Nutritional approach.

The south beach diet does provide results. But remember, the healthiest way to loose weight is having a balanced diet and regular exercise.  

 South Beach Diet FREE Trial Offer

This entry was posted on Friday, July 20th, 2007 at 5:08 pm and is filed under Diet Plans at a Glance, Weight Loss. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.