A diet that promises weight loss of 8 to 13 pounds in the first two weeks and a further weight loss of about 1 to 2 pounds each week after that sounds too good to be true. But that’s the weight loss the South Beach Diet promises.
Better still, the South Beach Diet promises quick weight loss while eating enjoyable meals and without having to cut back on portions or give up carbs.
Unbelievable? Well the South Beach Diet worked for me when I wanted to lose the few pounds I’d gained over Christmas. Even though I was skeptical at first, I stuck to the South Beach Diet guidelines and lost 20 pounds in eight weeks.
How does the South Beach Diet work?
Dr Agatson, the designer of the South Beach Diet, split the diet into three phases. Phase one and phase two are the weight loss periods, while phase three is the time when you are no longer dieting, just using the knowledge you’ve gained from the South Beach Diet to maintain your ideal weight.
The toughest and strictest period of the South Beach Diet is phase one, when you give up most carbs. However, considering I lost about 12 pounds in these two weeks I didn’t really mind giving up a few things and I was pleasantly surprised that the hunger pangs and cravings I had expected didn’t materialize.
During phase one of the South Beach Diet you will encourage weight loss by eating three meals a day with snacks in between to stave off hunger. All the ingredients needed for the suggested recipes in the South Beach Diet are easy to find and the recipes themselves are simple to prepare.
The aspect that I most liked about the South Beach Diet is that you don’t need to religiously follow the daily menus, as a list of suitable and inappropriate foods for each phase is included in the book. This means you can experiment with the ingredients that aren’t taboo and create some really fun meals, and it is often you can say that about a diet.
After two weeks on phase-one, it is time to slow down the rate of weight loss and move onto phase two of the South Beach Diet. This phase will last until you reach your target weight and you can expect to lose between one to two pounds a week on it.