The Truth About the South Beach Diet

The South Beach Diet is a commercial program that originated from a cardiology practice in Miami, Florida. The South Beach Diet company claims its diet can help you lose weight, improve your heart health and eliminate carbohydrate cravings. The diet focuses on nutritious food choices and regular exercise for a healthy lifestyle. If you are considering the South Beach Diet for weight loss, make sure you examine the program before you start in order to get an accurate picture of the diet.

It's For Life

The South Beach Diet has two phases for weight loss and one for lifetime maintenance at your goal weight. Phase 1 lasts for two weeks, and you start here if you have cravings or need to lose a lot of weight. Phase 2 is the other weight loss phase, and you can start the South Beach Diet here if you have less than 10 lbs. to lose and you do not have food cravings. Once you reach your goal weight, you follow Phase 3 to prevent yourself from regaining the weight.

It Emphasizes Food Choices

The South Beach Diet claims that the foods on the program will satisfy your hunger and you can lose weight without counting calories or grams of fat or carbohydrates. The South Beach Diet includes lean proteins, unsaturated fats, low-fat dairy products and low-glycemic carbohydrates, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and nuts and seeds. However, if you eat too many calories, even from healthy foods on the South Beach Diet, your weight loss will stall.

It's Based Online

You do not need to attend meetings or go to a clinic in order to follow the South Beach Diet because everything you need is online. The website provides tools such as a meal planner, grocery shopping list generator, personal journal and weight tracker. You can also find informative guides for restaurant eating, as well as recipes for each phase of the diet. The online South Beach Fitness Club suggests your workout plan, and you can watch instructive videos for specific exercises.

It's a Commercial Diet

Dr. Arthur Agatston, a cardiologist, developed the South Beach Diet to help his patients lose weight and become healthier. The diet claims it can improve your blood glucose and cholesterol levels, so you might expect the South Beach Diet to be a diet that a medical facility would prescribe. However, the diet is a commercial diet from a private company that is trying to make a profit. You need to pay to use its resources such as meal planners and nutritional counseling features.

References

Article reviewed by MER Last updated on: Mar 8, 2011

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