If you want to count calories, the South Beach Diet is not the weight-loss program for you. The plan is designed to help people lose weight without having to keep track of how many calories, carbs or grams of fat they consume. The South Beach Diet customer service department reports that the number of calories consumed will vary between people based on their food choices.
History
The South Beach Diet was developed by Florida cardiologist Arthur Agatston, who outlined the plan in the 2003 best-selling book, "The South Beach Diet: The Delicious, Doctor-Designed, Foolproof Plan for Fast and Healthy Weight Loss." It's named after the glamorous and trendy Miami area known as South Beach. The South Beach Diet is considered a modified low-carbohydrate diet. In other words, it calls for fewer carbs and more proteins and healthy fats than the typical diet, but it's not as strict as other low-carb diets.
How It Works
The South Beach Diet is composed of three stages. The first stage lasts two weeks and is designed to jump-start weight loss by eliminating cravings for sugar and refined starches. During this phase, dieters don't have to count calories, but they do need to cut nearly all carbohydrates from their diets. That includes higher-calorie items such as pasta and bread, as well as low-calorie fruits. During phase two, healthier carbs, such as fruits, brown rice and whole-grain breads, are gradually added. Dieters stay at this phase until they've reached their goal weight. Phase three is the maintenance phase that allows the addition of even more foods.
Foods
Though you may not be counting calories on the South Beach Diet, the suggested foods and recipes tend to feature lower-calorie items. The diet plan offers recipes for entrees such as grilled sesame salmon, beef with asparagus and mushrooms, penne with eggplant and ricotta and grilled tuna with teriyaki glaze. The calorie counts range from about 200 to 400 calories per serving. Dessert recipes can range from 19-calorie chocolate meringue kisses to a 190-calorie serving of lemon olive oil cake.
Safety
If you're looking for an alternative to calorie-counting, MayoClinic.com reports that the South Beach Diet is generally considered safe, if you carefully follow the plan as it is outlined in official South Beach Diet books and websites. Diets that are lower in carbohydrates that feature healthy fats can improve blood cholesterol levels, though there have been no long-term, independent studies specifically on the health outcomes of the South Beach Diet.
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