The South Beach Diet

By Diets - 2006-12-29 - Viewed 2431 times. Find more articles like this in our Diets and Weightloss category.

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The South Beach Diet is one of the odd fishes swimming in the treacherous waters of the international weight loss industry.

Many people love it and are perfectly willing to swear by the good name of M.D. Arthur Agatston, while others find it hard to stick to the obligatory induction phase.

The South Beach Diet belongs to the low-carbohydrates group of diets and has been derided as a fad diet, although its fans claim that it is not a fad diet and that it is, in any case, much more responsible and healthy than Atkins. Then again, not many diets manage to be less healthy than Atkins.

Dieters who choose the South Beach Diet can expect to see their food intake restricted to lean meat, seafood, eggs, low fat dairy products, nuts, vegetables (most of them, anyway), artificial sweeteners and a couple of carbohydrates of the low glycemic variety. During the first phase of this diet, the shock phase, most fruit and vegetables are still on the banned list, just like the rest of carbohydrates. Unfortunately, some people find it hard to cope with the low energy level, the fatigue and sometimes nausea that accompany this phase. However, it should be noted that not all dieters experience these symptoms. It’s all in our genetic make-up.

The bets part of this diet is the focus on removing simple carbohydrates (sweets, pasta, bread) from the diet and replacing them with the healthier complex carbohydrates from wholegrains and vegetables. The worst part is the marketing jargon that makes it sound like a fad diet and the tough first phase of the diet, which sacrifices the long-term healthy eating approach for an instant gratification technique based on the catch-all slogan “lose weight fast”. Any such approach will have the dieter lose a lot of water and not that much fat.

On the other hand, the second phase of the diet is a bunch of quite sensible eating advice and the recipes provided by the author are very good.

There are also pre-packaged South Beach foods for those who lack the time or the inclination to cook for themselves.

All things considered, the South Beach Diet is not a bad idea if one could clear away the hype and marketing lingo and focus on the healthy eating part and the good food choices.

This information is something that should stay with you through the years if you’re looking to keep that weight from returning.

Read our reviews on some other common diets.

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The No Carbs after 5PM Diet

Cleansing Vegetarian Diet

Is the Lemonade Diet Drink Dangerous?

The Zone Diet

Losing Belly Fat for Men

The Traffic Light Diet

The X-Factor Diet

The Sugar Addicts Diet

The Slim Fast Diet

The GI Plan Diet

The Grapefruit Diet

The Mayo Clinic Diet

The Coconut Diet

Cabbage Soup Diet

The Body Clock Diet

The Beverly Hills Diet

The Abs Diet

The Atkins Diet

Simple Detox Diet

Pizza French Fries Beer and Other Diet Foods

The Essential High Fiber Diet

What is The Curves Diet Plan?

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