Personal Trainers Forum

[Jasmin]

The Basics Of The South Beach Diet

One of the forerunners of the sudden boom in the diet industry
is the South Beach Diet. Since its birth as diet program for the
people with heart problems in a small clinic in South Beach (you
guessed it!), the diet has gained a lot of following across the
country.

Where it all started

The South beach diet program was created by Dr. Arthut
Agatston, a cardiologist, for his patients. Despite the
perception, South Beach diet is not a low carbohydrate diet.
Instead, it is based on the Glycemic Index, a scale where in
people can find the effects of various carbohydrate-rich food on
their blood sugar level. South Beach diet focuses on finding a
balance on the foods that bring in the good carbohydrate and
fats and the foods that don't.

Phases to go through

South Beach diet involves different phases that dieters must
take in order to complete the program. The first phase is the
most crucial and the strictest part as it involves a major
change in the eating lifestyle of the person. In this phase, the
person on a diet is forbidden to eat anything but fish,
shellfish, meat, chicken, turkey, vegetables, nuts, eggs and
cheese. They are not allowed to take in carbohydrate-rich food
such as bread, rice, pasta and cereals. Ditto with sugar-rich
food such as candies, ice cream, cakes, and even fruits. This
phase will last for a period of two weeks.

What is different from other diets is the fact that people
under the program are allowed to each as much as they want.
There is no restriction when it comes to the quantity. In fact,
they are even allowed to take three meals a day plus an added
boon, the additional morning and afternoon snacks and the
dessert. Of course, they are advised to drink lots of water,
coffee and tea.

The second phase in the program involves an unspecific period
of time as it depends solely on the progress of the diet. It
will run until the person reaches his or her ideal weight. In
this phase, the dieter will have to incorporate the
carbohydrates back into the daily diet but only in moderation.
This takes patience as dieters can only lose about two pounds a
week, which can be really frustrating as they have lost as much
as 13 pounds in the previous phase.

After reaching the ideal body weight, dieters will go through
the third phase, which is actually the maintenance of the new
eating lifestyle. Creators of the South Beach diet hopes that
through the program, the body has changed the way it craves for
food.

For instance, because the body has not taken in much
carbohydrates; it will cease to crave foods that are rich in
carbo. The aim of the third phase is actually quite simple.
Dieters need only to maintain the ideal weight that they have
achieved in the second phase.