South Beach Diet for Beginners

Get a Beach Body with the South Beach Diet

The South Beach Diet book has only been available since 2003 and already it has a huge following. We all want to look good on the beach, so what is it, how do you do it and does it work?

What is It?

The diet gets its name from the beach at Miami, South Florida, where it was invented by a cardiologist named Dr. Arthur Agatston. He has a practice nearby and created it especially for his overweight heart patients who needed a weight loss and eating program.

The South Beach Diet is centered around carbs and fats. For losing weight the doctor found that there are good carbs and good fats as well as bad carbs and bad fats. The diet works by gradually changing the bad carbs and replacing them with good ones. It does this in 3 special phases.

The 3 Phases of the South Beach Diet

Phase 1: The first phase is designed to stop further cravings for bad carbs and fats. You do this by cutting all carbs and fats for 2 weeks.

Phase 2: Now a selection of good carbs is introduced. To keep you losing weight there are still some food restrictions. You stay at this phase until you reach your target weight.

Phase 3: This is where you eat to maintain the weight you're at and is more of an eating guide. All good carbs and fats now become available to be eaten in moderation as they should be. Eventually you're left with a range of tasty foods you can eat all the time and you're at the weight you want.

To Summarize

Phase 1 is the hardest part, but only lasts 2 weeks. Phase 2 has a good range of foods and is easy to follow. Phase 3 has a very wide choice and even allows restaurant visits and wine (see the official site for further details).

At the official South Beach Diet website you'll find lots of help to succeed. There are food lists, recipes and you can get a personal profile to tailor the plan to your exact needs. It's well worth a look.

The South Beach Diet Overall

The South Beach Diet is very well thought out. Having three phases makes it easy to follow. Re-introducing good carbs and fats gradually is a great idea. Cutting the craving for carbs in the first phase means it's easier to resist them when you get back to your desired weight.

For general health this diet is excellent. The range of foods is very wide and good nutritionally. Overall this makes the South Beach Diet highly recommended.

About The Author:
By Simon Gould, taken from http://www.FitnessBegin.com, the wellbeing resource.