If you are currently on the diet bandwagon or about to embark on a new diet, you may be overwhelmed by the multitude of diets available to today's weight-conscious consumer. We have all heard of diet programs that have been in existence for decades such as Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers. But what about the all of other dieting concepts that so many celebrities are participating in such as the Zone, South Beach, and Atkins? I am going to cut through the thick of it and give you the skinny on these three popular dieting trends to help you determine which diet is appropriate for you.
The South Beach Diet
Former United States president and first lady Bill and Hilary Clinton both
found success with the South Beach Diet. So what does it entail?
The Phases of South Beach
To gain an understanding of how this diet program works, we must first
address the phases.
Kick-Starting Your Weight Loss
During phase one (a period of 14 days) you are permitted meat (i.e. chicken,
turkey, fish, and fish), eggs, cheese, nuts, salads (with olive oil dressing
only) and vegetables. You are encouraged to eat three meals a day and to indulge
in snacking mid-morning and mid-afternoon.
Sounds good to me! But wait, we have yet to tackle the list of foods that are
taboo to partake in. This list of forbidden items includes fruit (interesting, I
thought fruit was healthy but apparently it contains carbohydrates), bread,
rice, potatoes, and foods that are obviously unhealthy such as candy, cakes,
cookies, and ice cream. Absolutely no sugar is permissible, nor is any type of
alcohol (puts a damper on the weekend party). Fortunately, all of this
eradication is not indefinite because then along comes phase two.
Reintroducing the Right Carbs
The basic objective of phase one was to rid you of the cravings for sweets
and carbohydrates. In phase two you should still shed pounds even though you are
now permitted to eat some carbohydrates. You are still on the diet, but if you
have an occasional craving for a particular food such as chocolate or a dinner
roll, you are now allowed to have it—in moderation of course. For example, you
cannot eat a piece of chocolate and a roll in one setting. Baby steps, my
friends, baby steps.
A Diet for Life
This is the infinite phase of the diet. At this point, the South Beach claim
is that if you diligently followed the diet, you have eliminated the desire to
eat unhealthy foods, whereby making South Beach no longer a diet but more of a
lifestyle change.