South Beach vs. Atkins

MsCyone

Ok, I did a topic on results with Atkins and now I'm curious if anyone has tried South Beach or both and liked one better than the other. My doctor has recommended me to start a lower carb lifestyle to avoid getting full blown Type 2 diabetes and I'm trying to gather as much information and personal experiences I can before making a commitment. Thanks in advance for all opinions.

mltdown

I have followed south beach for quite some time and have had great success I know people don't believe in following plans on here but I found it helpful to cleanse my body after I did all the phases three times I started incorporating carbs in small portions for lifetime success and a plan I could follow for life. I know alot of people who do atkins and I don't see it as a good idea because of the high fat content you can still use atkins ideas and shakes for the south beach plan but I would stay low fat low carb it works really well and cleans your body of sodium and will help keep your sugars lower. If you have any questions you can message me

lilmestydaze

I have not done either, but my manager has done the South Beach Diet. I think the south beach diet is a good one because you are basically retraining your body what you should and shouldn't eat. The first 2 weeks are the hardest because you are weening yourself from all the processed crap. I think you would have more success doing this than limiting your choices. You can have carbs on the south beach diet, but they need to be complex and unprocessed. If I were you, I would choose the South Beach Diet over the Atkins.

DancingDreamer

personally i dont trust a diet that tells me i cant eat HEALTHY carbs but i CAN eat a super fatty steak. and thats what atkins is. the guy who invented it died of a heart attack or something like that. its a bit of an imbalanced diet. that being said i know people who have SMARTLY gone on it and not eaten their cereal in the morning with heavy cream like mr.atkins suggested. i've looked at both and the south beach diet seems way more sensible to me and also more friendly to a nice variety of healthy delicious foods. i would personally go with the south beach. a friend of mine's parents GAINED weight on the atkins diet :noway: they were pissed.

imustdecrease

Made me feel horrible after the first week..sick to my stomach..If you really wanting to try something liken unto those diets, Suzanne Somers is healthier and more doable long term and the people that I know that have done hers are still maintaining after years of starting.

imustdecrease

Made me feel horrible after the first week..sick to my stomach..If you really wanting to try something liken unto those diets, Suzanne Somers is healthier and more doable long term and the people that I know that have done hers are still maintaining after years of starting.

also try stevia and xylitol for diabetes.

edorice

South Beach would be healthier. They focus on more leaner meats as opposed to Atkins, you can eat bacon and high fat red meat. Not good at all.

AdamATGATT

I did Atkins seven years ago when I was young and dumb. Lost 50 pounds in approximately three months. Kept it off a year or two, but it has all come back. My new doctor out here was one of the first to check my FBS, and it came up in the pre-diabetic range, so I'm in the same boat.

I'm all for eliminating the unhealthy things from my diet...simple carbs, very fatty foods, etc., but I cannot eliminate or severely scale back one whole chunk of my diet. I'm not doing that again. Unless I'm going to go on a "diet" for the rest of my life, I'm not going to try it. From now on, it's going to be sustainable eating...something that I'm going to do for the rest of my life, and not just to lose weight.

If you must do one...do South Beach. I cannot in good conscious recommend Atkins to anyone.

Also, don't forget to get enough fiber in your diet. It'll help with your insulin response.

LadyBarb

I done the south beach and had a great results and I never gain that 40 pounds back! I think one reason it work well for me is that I knew I had to let go of the carbs and bloating in my stomach went down and I felt better. I couldn't follow it for a long term, like life, but I was in a clinic study and love it. I need to do it again, to break my weight loss stall! I never try the Atkins, my daughter said it would not be good for me to do.

CarolynnW

I was in the same predicament as you, I did South Beach and loved it! Saw great results as well, I followed it to the tee! Good luck. My doctor was shocked when I went back in for bloodwork everything was normal! It's just as they say in the book, when you complete the phases you know what and how to eat! :flowerforyou:

Meganne1982

I think when it comes to diets, what's best is based on each individual body.
My mother has been on Atkins for about 15 years. She didn't have a lot of weight to lose when she started, but she was borderline diabetic, felt terrible, had no energy and was really unhealthy.
Now she's a size six, she's able to be very active, and her blood sugar, cholesterol, triglycerides, and everything else are at freakishly healthy levels.
She is so insulin resistant she just cannot eat carbs (except fiber, as it doesn't effect blood sugar).
She can be eating really low calories, but will put on weight if it's sugar.
She eats a lot of meat, vegetables, and healthy fat and is in amazing shape.

I tried Atkins, thinking with genetics I'd be just like my mom. But I'm not as insulin resistant as she is, so I can still eat more fruir and things than she can.
But knowing that diabetes is in my genes I definitely need watch my carbs and sugar more than anything else.

No one is the same, and to lose the weight I have to this point I tried a lot of different ways of eating so I could learn what's best for my body.