The South Beach Diet is low in carbohydrates and high in protein; it emphasizes a healthy lifestyle along with weight loss. The diet plan uses nutrient-dense, fiber-rich foods that are generally low on the glycemic index, which is a numerical ranking system that indicates how fast and how high a particular food raises your blood sugar. The South Beach Diet also trains you to avoid high sugary and fatty foods that may contribute to weight gain, diabetes and heart disease. By adding exercise into the plan, the South Beach diet may help you lose weight faster and keep it off for life.
Initial Weight Loss
The recommendation for typical weight loss is 1 to 2 lbs. per week, notes MayoClinic.com. In contrast, according to South Beach Diet Plan for Beginners, you should lose 8 to 13 lbs. during your first two weeks on the South Beach Diet. In the first week, most of the pounds you lose are water weight, rather than fat. Although this is a drastic change in weight, the purpose is to jump-start your metabolism and weight loss.
South Beach Diet Plan
The first 14 days of the South Beach diet, called phase 1, aim to eliminate your cravings for food. You lose pounds by cutting almost all carbohydrates and fat from your diet. You cannot eat any starch or sugar, including bread, pasta, rice, fruits, potatoes and all baked goods. You may eat normal portions of turkey, fish and shellfish, plenty of green, fiber-rich vegetables, eggs, low-fat cheese and nuts.
Getting to Your Weight Goal
After the initial weight loss, you continue the South Beach diet with phase 2, where you re-introduce healthy carbohydrates and fat into the diet slowly to consistently lose weight, at around 1 to 2 lbs. each week. You remain in this phase until you reach the desired weight. You enter phase 3 to maintain your weight, with the goal of a healthy eating plan for life.
Considerations
The most dramatic weight loss occurs in the first two weeks of the South Beach diet. According to MayoClinic.com, you can accomplish this safely if you follow the diet guidelines accordingly. You should bee aware of a condition called ketosis, which can causes dizziness, dehydration and weakness, when your body loses too much dietary fat too soon. It is best to consult with your doctor before starting the South Beach Diet, or any weight loss plan.
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