The South Beach Diet was created by cardiologist Dr. Arthur Agatston for his heart patients. He saw that a common side effect of his patients was weight loss, so he released the diet to the public commercially in 2003. The Flat Belly Diet is another commercial weight loss diet that is detailed in the "Flat Belly Diet" book, by Liz Vaccariello and Cynthia Sass. While both are weight-loss diet, their nutrition programs are different. Talk with your doctor before drastically changing your diet.
Significance
The South Beach Diet aims to eliminate excess production of insulin in your system by restricting your carbohydrate and sugar consumption. The diet claims that high insulin levels can lead to increased fat storage. The theory behind this diet suggests that your body will transition from relying on carbohydrates for energy to burning fat and protein as energy.
The Flat Belly Diet focuses on small, frequent meals with a focus on caloric deficiency. Flat Belly claims that it is made to melt fat around your midsection by controlling your production of cortisol, which may lead your body to store fat around your internal organs. The diet promotes MUFAs, or monounsaturated fats, to help manage hunger. MUFAs are in foods such as avocados, nuts and olives. The book suggests that adherence to this diet can help you lose 15 lbs. in a little over a month.
General South Beach Diet Guidelines
The South Beach Diet promotes normal portion sizes without counting calories. It is a three-phase diet. Initially, you minimize your carbohydrate consumption to just 10 percent of your total daily calories for two weeks. You avoid pasta, alcohol, bread, rice, fruit, potatoes and refined sugar entirely. When you reach the second phase, you slowly reintroduce carbohydrates. This diet is designed to last a lifetime and the third phase allows you to consume controlled portions of "normal" foods when you achieve your target weight. If you gain weight back, the diet advises that you start over with the first phase.
General Flat Belly Diet Guidelines
The Flat Belly Diet consists of an "anti-bloat" phase that last for four days. You take in a maximum of 1,200 to 1,400 calories during this phase. This helps you ease into the new diet and may reduce bloating. For the next 28 days, you limit each meal to 400 calories. The meals are spaced four hours apart and include MUFAs and unprocessed foods.
Warning
A mild problem with the South Beach Diet regimen is that it is difficult for vegetarians to follow, as it calls for heavy consumption of proteins, such as lean meat. More significantly, the South Beach Diet can lead to ketosis, which is caused when your body is unable to to break down fat because of insufficient glucose. It may cause bad breath, nausea, irritability, dehydration and headaches. Additionally, there may not be sufficient evidence that the Flat Belly Diet can specifically target visceral belly fat. You should talk with your doctor before vastly changing your diet.
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