The South Beach Diet has become a worldwide
diet phenomenon. Since its publication in 2003, the
South Beach Diet has been on the New York Times best
seller list for a remarkable 69 weeks. More than
22 million copies of the South Beach Diet and
its companion books have been printed worldwide.
Since the diet continues to increase in
popularity worldwide as a result of its proven
effectiveness for weight loss and better health,
the South Beach Diet has been made more
accessible online for more people to learn and
use.
The South Beach Diet and its online weight loss
diet program was developed by Dr. Arthur Agatston, director of
the Mount Sinai Cardiac Prevention Center in
Miami, Florida. With a diet that bears the name
of a famous and glamorous beach in Miami, is the South
Beach Diet just another highly publicized fad
diet or is it a diet program worth seriously
considering to achieve your weight loss goals
and long-term overall good health?
>
Underlying Principle of
South Beach Diet Program
Dr. Agatston's initial goal was to develop an
eating plan that would improve the cholesterol
and insulin levels of his heart patients. As it
turned out, the plan was not only effective in
improving cholesterol and insulin levels but
also proved to be very effective in inducing
weight loss among those who went through the
program.
In a nutshell, the South Beach Diet is not about
just having low fat or low carb meals. The South
Beach Diet
is more about eating the right carbs and the
right fats to help induce weight loss. Combine
this principle with great tasting, well-balanced
meals that Dr. Agatston promotes and an active
lifestyle, you have a super formula for weight
loss.
The South Beach Diet program is composed of
three phases:
>
Phase 1: This phase is about banishing your
cravings. For the first 14-days, you'll eat
normal-size helpings of meat, chicken, turkey,
fish, and shellfish. You'll have plenty of
vegetables, eggs, cheese, and nuts. You'll have
salads with real olive oil in the dressing.
During this phase, you can't have any bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, or baked goods
... not even fruits. No candy, cake, cookies, ice cream, or sugar.
No beer or alcohol of any kind.
Grilled Chicken Salad
Spicy Seared Tuna
Sample South Beach Diet meals
>
Phase 2: This phase is about reintroducing carbs.
As you continue to lose weight from the Phase 1
process, Phase 2 allows you to bring back some
of the food that you but in a more controlled
manner.
You will have to pick and choose some indulgences. You'll learn to enjoy them a little differently than before
because of ongoing changes in your eating habits.
You remain in Phase 2 and continue losing weight until you reach your goal. Once you hit your
weight goal, you will then switch to an even more liberal version of the program, which will help you to maintain your ideal weight.
>
Phase 3: This stage of the South Beach
Diet is about maintenance. How
long does this last? This stage is for the rest
of your life.
By then, this is more of a way of life rather
than just a diet. By this point, all you have to
do is to stick to the basic rules of the South
Beach Diet and enjoy your new way of life.
Another major difference between
the South Beach Diet and other weight loss
programs in the market is that with the South
Beach Diet, dieters choose food with low glycemic index numbers and
are allowed to eat generous portions. For those
who are not familiar with what a glycemic index
is, this is an index that rates food which contains carbohydrates on how quickly they are digested and how they affect our blood sugar levels.
>
Top Reasons to Go On the
South Beach Diet Program
Below are some of the reasons why the South
Beach Diet has become a very popular program among
people who are trying to lose weight.
Clinically proven to be effective.
The South Beach Diet is a clinically
proven program that will help you lose
weight and achieve a better overall
state of health. Backed by sound
research, the South Beach Diet
encourages the whole grains, vegetables,
and fish, which contains adequate
amounts of mono- and polyunsaturated
fats and omega-3 fatty acids. The South
Beach Diet discourages refined processed
foods such as refined flours and sugars,
meats and processed meat that are high
in fat, and saturated fats in general.
Three recent studies support the
effectiveness and soundness of the South
Beach Diet:
> In 2007,
a study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that 12 weeks on the South Beach Diet resulted in improvements in weight and health for 20 participants who were overweight and who exhibited all the criteria for metabolic syndrome (a condition marked by a cluster of symptoms, including high blood pressure, abdominal obesity, and poor blood chemistry) when the study began. (see
study here).
> In 2005, a third party study reported that participants who followed the principles of
the South Beach Diet lost twice as much weight as those following a portion-controlled, low-fat plan, and also showed greater losses in body fat. In addition, they experienced significant reductions in triglycerides and their ratio of total/HDL cholesterol
(see study here).
> In 2004, Dr. Agatston and his
colleagues published a paper in the
Archives of Internal Medicine and
reported that subjects on the South
Beach Diet lost twice as much weight as
those following the National Cholesterol
Education Program low-fat diet (see
study here).
Veggie Quiche
Snacks
Sample South Beach Diet meals
Variety of meals and food options to
choose from.
Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet is when
you undoubtedly feel that you are on a
weight loss diet program. Once you get
over this 14-day period, you will have a
sense of normalcy in your meals and less
craving for food that made you
overweight. The various South Beach Diet
recipes available gives you a lot of
options to choose from for preparing
your hearty meals. A lot of people who
have used this program to lose weight
swear by the variety of meals and food
available for the diet.
With the South Beach Diet, you'll be
having dishes such as grilled chicken
salad, spicy seared tuna, grilled steak,
roasted chicken, vegetables, and fresh,
Miami-style salads. You will also be
having dessert, snacks (twice a day),
and some fast food options. You will
never have a feeling of deprivation once
you know what to eat and store in your
refrigerator and pantry.
Sample South Beach Diet testimonials
Actual testimonials of people who
have lost weight. You will find
countless numbers of
testimonials of
people who found weight loss success
with the South Beach Diet. South Beach
Diet provides testimonials of men
and women who highly recommend this
diet.
We did additional research on the
Internet and found a lot of
people providing feedback
and testimonials about their South Beach
Diet success experience, including
actual before and after pictures. Actual
testimonials are not tough to find about
how the South Beach Diet has changed the
lives of many people around the world.
Easy to follow diet program. Overall,
the South Beach Diet program provides a
sound and effective weight loss plan. Phase
1 of the South Beach Diet program may be a "shock"
to your system due to the stringent
limits on what you are allowed to eat. This
phase is just for 14 days
and is meant to purge your cravings of
food that made you overweight in the
first place.
Still, we find the South Beach Diet
easy, practical, and very easy to
follow.
The South Beach Diet program does
not require you to count calories nor
limit your portions. Instead, the South
Beach Diet suggests that you eat until
you are satisfied. On a daily basis, you
have six meals consisting of breakfast,
lunch, dinner, and snack in between
meals so you never become hungry and
keep your body working like a calorie
burning furnace.
South Beach Diet profiler
Complete and personalized diet
planning. South Beach Diet Online will customize your
plan and guide you through each of the
three phases of the program. It all
starts with you getting your diet
profile, setting your goals, and food
preferences and this tool will
personalize your diet plan for you. We found this
South Beach Diet profile
very interesting and fun to use. With
the South Beach Diet profiler, you will realize
certain aspects of your eating habits
that you had never really thought about.
The South Beach Diet
profiler is a great tool for goal
setting. This easy to use tool will guide you through
the South Beach Diet program every step of the way.
Access to 1,000+ recipes and food guide for each
phase.
The South Beach Diet Online meal planner
provides you daily meal plans which are
customized based on your preferences.
Furthermore, this tool gives you access
to over 1,000 delicious and latest South Beach
Diet recipes many of which are not found
in the book as well as access to recipes
from other South Beach dieters. Of
course, these are all easily
printable too.
Online tools to guide you and keep
you on track.
A recent study published in the American
Journal of Preventive Medicine found that
tracking your progress
can help you lose more weight. South Beach Diet allows
you to chart your weight loss progress,
keep a journal of the things you eat or
your thoughts about your progress, read
other people's journals to inspire or
motivate you, and join the message
boards to gain more support and get
assistance for your questions. With South Beach
Diet, you have 24-hour access to
specially developed interactive tools to
help you succeed with your weight loss
goals.
Supportive online community of
750,000+ ... you
will never feel alone dieting.
On South Beach Diet Online, you will
find a vibrant community of more than
750,000 South
Beach dieters (thousands of
them) who are always more than willing
to provide you support and motivation to
reach your goals. You will never feel
alone in your quest for weight loss and
better health. You will also get to
meet expert dietitians who answer
questions everyday about any questions
you have about South Beach Diet.
South Beach Diet Online voted Best of
the Web by Forbes.com
Very affordable. Forbes.com awarded South Beach
Diet Online the distinction of Best of
the Web because of the site's ease of
use and most of all, affordability. Considering the
alternative diet programs that require
you to buy their prepackaged food or
meal replacements and can cost you at
least $100 a week, South Beach Diet
Online is very inexpensive.
We think that
this is a wise investment especially
since you get the latest information on
South Beach Diet, you get access to some
of the best weight loss tools and guides
we have seen so far in the market, and
most importantly —
access to Dr. Agatston and his team of
nutritionists and dietitians.
Note that this subscription is only for
access to all the tools and information
on South Beach Diet Online.
You may cancel your subscription
anytime or when you feel that you can
manage on your own. Most South Beach
Diet users highly recommend the use of
the tools on the site as a way to
motivate yourself, have the latest
recipes and meal preparations, and
connect with other South Beach dieters.
Find a partner with the Beach Buddies program. With South
Beach Diet Online's Beach Buddies
program, you can pair up with other
members of the community to motivate
each other to achieve your goals. Based
on feedback from people who used the
Beach Buddies program, this was a great
motivator especially during times when
you are hitting some bumps in your
progress. Having a partner to work out
some issues that you are having or
having someone there to give you the
mental and psychological support you
need can make a huge difference.
Daily email newsletter.
As a member of South Beach Diet
community, you will exclusive
subscription to the daily email
newsletter. The South Beach Diet newsletter provides
information on dieting secrets, new
South Beach Diet recipes, updates to the
diet, other health news, and the latest
news directly from Dr. Agatston and his
team of nutritionists.
Access from anywhere. Regardless of
where you live — in
the US, in Europe, Asia, Australia,
MIddle East, or Africa — you can access
South Beach Diet Online 24 hours a day,
seven days a week. This is the beauty of
the South Beach Diet — there
are no restrictions as to who may avail
of this program. Whereas other weight
loss diet programs have geographic
limitations due to prepackaged food or
meal replacement food delivery
restrictions, since you prepare your own
food with South Beach Diet, you can do
this wherever you live.
>
Potential Issues
With the South Beach Diet Program
Below are what we see may be potential issues
about this diet:
Phase 1 requires a lot of will power
and discipline.
South Beach Diet's 14-day Phase 1 might
be of a system shock to some people.
This phase of the South Beach Diet
program is the most restrictive because a lot of the food
cravings that you normally have should
be totally avoided during this phase.
During this phase, carb and sugar-lovers
will require more will power to avoid
the temptation to cheat and consume
their habitual carb and sweet cravings.
As one of our practicing South Beach
Diet friends suggested, you just have to
think of going through this phase one
day at a time. Before you know it, the
14 days are over. After the first 14
days, everything becomes a lot easier.
Besides, it's s well worth it since you
end up losing weight during this phase,
which is really very rewarding.
Prepare your own delicious meals
Need to prepare your own food. If
you are the type who prefers the
convenience of having pre-packaged,
pre-cooked diet meals or the convenience
of having meal replacements, then this
diet might not be for you. Although most
South Beach Diet recipes are very easy
and simple to prepare, there are those
who do not like preparing food at all
and find even simple recipes
"complicated".
Some people also think of preparing food a chore. Keep in mind that by preparing your own meals and doing the related grocery or supermarket shopping, you are also burning calories and doing some physical activity. This is therefore another opportunity for you to have some exercise, which is actually good for you.
Must include regular exercise.
Just like most effective weight loss
programs, exercise
is part of the success of the South
Beach Diet program. In fact, having an
active lifestyle is highly encouraged
not only for losing weight but more so
for overall health and physical
well-being.
For those people who are not fond of
exercising, you might need to rewire
your brains and get yourself into more
physical activities or into a regular
exercise regimen. Since this is for your overall
physical well-being and health, you need
to motivate yourself to get into the
habit of planning and doing some
physical activities that will give you a
good sweat.
Don't like paying subscription? There are some people who
don't like paying subscription to a
service, despite having access to all the
tools and expertise to help them lose
weight and achieve better health. If you
do not like subscriptions,
an alternative weight loss diet program
that you might like to consider is
Fat Loss 4 Idiots (Editor's Choice). This weight loss
diet program has become an online
diet phenomenon and charges only a one-time,
very affordable fee. You might like to
read our review of Fat Loss 4 Idiots to
see if this is for you by
clicking on this link:
Fat Loss 4 Idiots.
No face-to-face support group.
Some people like to have face-to-face
meetings with a support group or a
weight loss counselor to keep themselves
motivated. Although South Beach Diet does not
offer this like the regular weight loss
programs of Jenny Craig or Weight
Watchers, you have a couple of options
still.
If you are the type of person
who needs a support group or a
counselor, and you would like to go with
this program, you could find out through
the South Beach Diet dieters
community if there are people who live within the vicinity of your home.
Chances are that there is someone among
the thousands of South Beach Diet
users who might live near you and would
also like to have a face-to-face support
group. Another
option is for you to go through the
South Beach Diet program with your
friends or family so that you can have
your personal support group.
Meetup is another independent online tool
that you can use to find South Beach
Diet groups within your vicinity
>
Our Bottom-line
Recommendation for the South Beach Diet Program
One of the major strengths of the
South Beach Diet is that it emphasizes a
permanent change in your eating habits. It is
not one of those fad diets that you will find in
the market that will advocate short periods of
dieting to achieve drastic changes. South Beach
Diet is
about lifestyle and eating habit changes plus
you get exposed to a wide variety of foods and
have the flexibility to choose to eat the
right types food that are good for you. There is
no doubt that the South Beach Diet does a good
job of educating dieters about the importance of
eating the right food to reduce heart disease
and improve your overall health.
Proven to be effective by clinical studies and
most of all, by the millions of people worldwide who have
lost weight and built a healthier life with this diet, there is no doubt that South
Beach Diet is THE diet that you should seriously
consider in achieving your weight loss and
health goals.
Our
top choice for self-prepared weight loss
meals and overall weight loss
management.
We also found South Beach Diet Online to be one
of the most comprehensive online diet programs
because of the full range of support and
services that the site offers.
South Beach Diet Online is a great site that beginners and even advanced South
Beach dieters should keep in their arsenal to
achieve their weight loss goals.
South Beach Diet Online provides you with all
the necessary tools and support you need to keep
yourself motivated to achieve your weight loss
goals. No wonder South Beach Diet Online was
named as one of Forbes' Best of the Web sites.
Whether you are into home-cooking, eating at
trendy restaurants, or a fast-food lover, we
highly recommend South Beach Diet. The South
Beach Diet is Did We Lose Weight's Editor's
Choice for its effectiveness in weight loss
management and practical guidelines for a
lifelong, healthy
lifestyle.
We have presented you with the pros and cons of
the South Beach Diet. The choice is up to you.
It's a fact:
People who diet with the help of an online
program lose more weight than those who diet
without one. With customized weight-loss tools
and steady, 24/7 support from South Beach Diet
Online, it's now easier than ever to lose
weight, boost your health, monitor your
progress, and reach your goals.
►
Meal Planner
Get daily meal suggestions for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and dessert!
Customize a daily menu to satisfy your personal tastes
Choose from 100s of meal options, including a vegetarian plan
"I started the South Beach Diet as a New Year resolution in January of 2004 and followed it exactly.
The weight started to melt off me (lost
80 pounds, from 230 to 160) ... "
"I have officially lost 40 pounds!!!
I can't tell you how proud I am of the changes I have made in my life.
I am eating so much better. I walk 5 days a week. What a difference. A life changing difference. If lazy and sweetaholic me can do this anyone can!
"
"This morning I weighed in at a mere 1/2 pound away from my goal. This means I've lost another 1.5 pounds this week--total of 14.5 pounds in 19 weeks (minus one day). "
"... I've truly experienced that this diet can really change your life. I'll always be grateful that I discovered this way of eating and I know I'll never go back to my old eating habits again."
"I found south beach pretty easy to stick to... I lost 16 lbs in the 2 first weeks I did it.. but it ALLLLLLLL came back! too hard to stick to long term for me. I would probably use some of the tips to jumpstart some loss... but it didn't work as a long term thing for me."
"I am now committed to SB as a way
of life ... It has been extremely effective for me, and I’m proud of my progress. I’ve lost more than 65 pounds and dropped SIX pants sizes and SEVEN dress sizes since starting SB
..."
"For those interested in the ups and downs of my South Beach Diet journey back in 2006 ... My Honey and I each lost 20 pounds in just over a month and managed to keep it off for 2 years."
"The most important thing I can say is, thank God for Dr. Agatston and his diet! I had not been on a diet for 20 years
... My experience with South Beach Diet is nothing but amazing
... After 10 weeks using the South Beach Diet I have lost 44 lbs. ..."
"I have been eating the South Beach way for 9 months and have lost 30-35 pounds overall and am very near my final goals. (I am 5'11" and male and now weigh under 190 lbs.)
I find it a fairly flexible eating program and a very healthy eating program that doesn't really focus so much on "low-carbs" as eating a balanced diet
... "
"I started the south beach diet sometime
in late August. As of today, December
29, I have lost approximately 29 lbs.
Here's the great thing -- I've
technically been off the diet since
October..."
"I lost 75lbs on SBD and maintained for about 6 months, then I got pregnant (so I guess it doesn't really count as not maintaining) ... back on the SB way of eating to lose the extra lbs from the pregnancy.
"
"I just got my results and compared to a year earlier
... they were very good and improved.
Total Cholesterol: Old 179...New 150
HDL: Old 50...New 58
LDL: Old 109...New 84 Triglycerides: Old 101...New 40 Glucose: Old 98...New 90
.... Anyway..for those looking to improve their bloodwork ... KEEP GOING!!!!"
"I myself am disappointed in my weight loss in the first 14 days,P1.
I've lost 2 lbs WK1, 1.5lbs WK2. I've been very strick on P1. What's going on????
... "
"I had my lightbulb moment in January 2004. I was 280 pounds. I wore a size 2 or 3X (about a 24). I looked awful. I felt awful
... By my birthday in Sept of that year (9 months into my lifestyle change) I was down to 180 pounds and a size 14. 100 pounds gone. My resting heart rate used to be a scary 120. Now it's 65. My b/p went from 135/90 to 100/60. My cholesterol went from 250 to 170. I feel younger than when I was 25...
"
"I've had staggering results with blood work - my Dr. actually ordered me to go back and retest because he didn't believe it. 3 months on SB, lost 30 lbs.
LDL: 205 -> 104
HDL: 35 -> 47
Triglycerides: 229 -> 104
My weight is actually where I want it ..."
"I lost 32 pounds on the South Beach Diet, and my daughter lost 30. The last three pairs of pants I bought were size 4. Last summer, my size 12 jeans were getting too tight! I haven't been this slim since my freshman year of college.
..."
»
Susie, southbeachdiet.com success
stories
"Well I just completed my first month and hit the scale today and I lost 20lbs. Dumping the white breads, pasta, desserts, fried stuff. Cool thing is I don't miss or crave any of that ..."
"Chris started the South Beach Diet in 08/03, and Maggie joined him in 10/03. We have each dropped several sizes, dramatically improved our health, and reshaped our bodies. South Beach
Diet isn't just a diet now, it is our way of life. We continue to live and eat the South Beach way. We expect to live a long, active and healthy life together!
..."
"It took a little adjusting to realize that you take the time to prep food when you buy it and then it is ready to go when you are ready to snack on or cook the food
...
I have lost 5lbs in the first week and my husband has lost 7lbs. We love the food and this easy lifestyle change."
"3rd year anniversary... Am I perfect & skinny.... no
Am I successful with SB ,yes!!
My vital medical numbers are all normal... with NO medications!!!
I have kept off 25+ pounds ...
"
"Unfortunately, I find this diet to be impractical. First, and foremost, this diet is EXPENSIVE! Second, you need to be willing to invest a lot of time in food preparation
..."
»
Robin, jodisavingadvice.com
"Hey, i started out as 179 in last August 2007 and i had gotten down to 150. Since i started the south beach diet about 2 weeks ago i have lost 7 pounds. I am now down to 143 and it is great
..."
»
carolinamoon7, calorie-count.com
South Beach Diet forum
"... I tried Atkins in the past and I felt sick after day 1, with headaches and general nausea. I never felt sick at all on South Beach
Diet , and it helped me lose 25 pounds last year. I couldn't recomment it more."
"I'm shooting for a total loss of about 103lbs..and I have lost almost 57lbs so far since Jan. I will tell you this I will loose the rest cause I am determined to make it happen!
..."
"I love South Beach! ... I am 5'7" and was 143 for the longest time and did South Beach to kick start my diet and was as low as 126 but shot back up to 134 in the past couple months. I'm down to 130 and have dreams to see 120-124 as my steady weight
..."
"My husband's whole family did it last summer with very fast results. My husband actully lost the whole thirteen in the first two weeks and I lost about 10 in those weeks. It was easy to follow because their is no worry about amounts of consumpution
..."
"Success! I put my husband on SB twelve weeks ago
So far, my husband has lost around 25 lbs. and I have lost 16 lbs. I am maintaining and my husband continues to lose. At 5'9" he is just under 160 lbs, but nature does not seem to be done with him yet...still losing ... "
"Well, Saturday the 30th marked two years for me and my healthy life
... My weight loss over the past year has been in the 6-9 lb range, but I easily maintained the first 80 lb loss
..."
"I have continued to lose weight and am now less than 10 pounds from my final goal. I feel better than I have in years! Every day I am amazed at the energy I have and how much I'm enjoying life
..."
» Joy, southbeachdiet.com success
stories
"This week I was to reach my first real goal of 20 pounds lost. I had been losing 1 pound per week. I started walking three weeks ago. 1 1/2 miles 5 days a week on my lunch hour.
I guess it caught up with me because this week I lost 3 pounds blowing me past my first goal of 20 to 22 pounds."
Actual
