south beach diet

Belle_Fille

so we were in the grocery store today. my step mother has known for a few weeks that im trying to get healthier and lose weight but i dont think she took me seriously until she seen me reading labels. grabbing organic things, more veggies, etc. she mentioned a bunch of south beach diet cook books she has that she wants to give m because they are "going to waste" at her house. im just wondering what kind of things are in the south beach diet books? is it something that someone would want to continue long after they have reached their weight goal? is it just a "DIET"? (we all know those are bad)
im just wondering if its worth accepting the books. i dont want more junk cluttering my kitchen!

Naomi91

south beach diet actually has some delicious recipes i wouldnt suggest going on the diet at all, low carb is just not good IMO, but the cookbooks are amazing!!

lkm111

I've read the book a few times and just finished re-reading again. It is a lifestyle change and that is clearly stated by the author. It is also designed for heart patients, it just so happened that their weight loss was so dramatic that it spread.

The plan follows three phases. Phase I - lean proteins, good fats, no carbs at all. Lasts 2 weeks. Phase II - same as Phase I, but add a few carbs back as long as they contain fiber. Lasts as long as you want to lose weight. Phase III is maintenance. Same as Phase II except you can have more carbs.

I have considered following it but I'm not really sure about Phase I. It is designed to cut the carb/sugar cravings most people have. The part I like is eating lean protein, good fats and complex carbs.

I would say if you are a good cook, like to cook, or want to make really healthy meals, the cookbooks will be useful. There shouldn't be anything in them that would be bad for you.

llkilgore

Phase I - lean proteins, good fats, no carbs at all.

Phase 1 doesn't limit carbs, it just restricts you to what the author of the book considers the right carbs - non-starchy vegetables and legumes, mostly. If you're considering the diet then you'd better like veggies, 'cause you'll be expected to eat 4.5 cups of them every day. And that's a minimum, not a maximum.

See the guidelines and food lists at http://www.southbeach-diet-plan.com/shoppinglist_p1.htm

chwhalon

my brother and sister in law eat that way, they both lost a lot of weight and are now on maintenance phase, phase 1 is kinda hard but it is only 2 wks long.
It is always good to limit carbs because a body wil burn them for fuel but if there is less carbs in a body it will burn stored fat as fuel, which is key to losing weight. Just do your research and see what is right for you.