South Beach Diet Reviews
In this South Beach Diet reviews article, I take a closer look at the program and explain how it works and what the three main phases entail, providing an insight into what a dieter might expect from this program.
Many dieters who have tried a variety of diets to try and lose weight will be familiar with the pattern of eating a restrictive diet, losing some weight, getting bored with the food and cheating, then giving up and putting the weight back on again.
It makes you wonder why you bothered in the first place. But most people who have been down this road keep trying different kinds of diets and still end up back at square one, so is there a way to break this mold and lose weight on a more permanent basis?
There is, but like all similar methods it requires some measure of determination and committment from the person who takes it on. It's called the South Beach Diet and it is a long term system that is modeled around a set of three phases.
South Beach Diet Phase 1
The first phase is the most intensive and is based on the fat burning properties of eating foods low in carbohydrates to force the body into getting its supply of energy from its store of fat. Phase 1 lasts just two weeks but in that time you are quite restricted in what you can eat.
Out go all the main carb laden foods such as bread, pasta, rice, as well as many vegetables such as potatoes, carrots etc and all fruit as well as all the usual suspects in cakes, cookies, candy bars, pastries and of course all junk foods. You are left with mainly high protein foods such as lean meat and fish, some green vegetables and salad items as well as some dairy items and eggs.
It is pretty tough on people that are used to eating lots of bread with meals and comes as a surprise to many that fruit is cut out completely. The idea is that by restricting all foods that contain carbs, while still allowing some fats the body cannot get its supply of blood sugars from this source as it normally does.
It has no choice but to burn fats to get those sugars. By the end of two weeks, the body has become more used to getting its energy from fats and will continue to do this even as some carbs are re-introduced in the next stage.
South Beach Diet Phase 2
This phase is longer, around three months and slowly re-introduces some carbs back onto your diet such as those found in fruits and the vegetables that were omitted from Phase 1.
Naturally, you are still encouraged to eat plenty of high protein foods and junk foods are and will remain off the menu.
Added into thois phase is the introduction of some form of exercise that is encouraged as this is the best way to help boost a healthy metabolism so that more calories are burned throughout the day reducing the need to rely solely on the food you eat to restrict the daily quota of calories.
South Beach Diet Phase 3
This is the long term sector of the diet and is more relaxed with more foods being re-introduced into your diet although portion control is maintained with the exclusion of all junk foods continued.
The main idea of this phase is to keep you eating healthily but sensibly while maintaining an exercise routine to keep yoru body's metabolism in peak form.
Does the South Beach Diet Work?
If you're concerned about whether this program works of not, the evidence is pretty clear that it does for those dieters that have stayed with the plan from start to finish and not cheated along the way.
This system has been around for many years and has proven it's worth by the vast majority of its users enjoying long term weight loss. Like most things, you will get as much out of it as you put into it, so if you are totally committed to succeeding, then you will succeed totally.
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Posted on Wed, 09 Mar 2011 in Diet | 1 Comments
1 thoughts on "South Beach Diet Reviews"
Caroline says:
I have been interested in trying the South Beach Diet for myself but was a little wary because I thought it meant cutting out all carbs. But I see from your review that this is only for the first 2 weeks and after that some are re-introduced to your diet. This is more acceptable and I will look into the possibility of signing up. Thanks for the candid review.