The South Beach Diet

History

Initially developed for overweight cardio patients, The South Beach Diet exploded onto the plates of the health-conscious masses when released as a book in 2003.

The South Beach Diet is the brainchild of Arthur Agatston, M.D., a working cardiologist inspired by the apparent failure of low-fat diets for successful, long-term weight loss.

Doctrine

You lose 8 to 13 pounds in the first two weeks on this diet—and mostly from your midsection. You continue to drop one to two pounds per week thereafter. Once you reach your ideal weight, you retain it by adhering to the principles behind the diet for life.

According to Dr. Agatston, following The South Beach Diet also improves health by altering blood chemistry, ultimately resulting in lowered triglycerides and cholesterol. The benefits are a drastically improved cardiovascular system and a reduced risk for adult onset diabetes. By the time you've adopted the diet for the long haul, it does nothing short of save your life, the author insists.

Healthy old age and vitality aside, it's probably The South Beach Diet's laissez-faire attitude towards food and eating that best explains its attraction. "You'll have three balanced meals a day, and it will be your job to eat so that your hunger is satisfied," Dr. Agatston writes on page one. "You'll be urged to have snacks... You'll have dessert after dinner."

Theory

As do the proponents of low-carb diets, The South Beach Diet blames the hormone insulin for weight gain, rather than high-calorie foods.

The idea is to replace processed carbohydrates (e.g. baked goods) with fewer, healthier carbohydrates (vegetables and whole grains, etc.) that enter your bloodstream slowly. By avoiding foods that spark a sharp increase in blood sugar, Dr. Agatston argues, "your pancreas won't produce as much insulin, and you won't get the exaggerated craving for more carbs,"

Instead, blood sugar levels stay stable, curbing the urge to overeat that causes weight gain.

The Diet

The South Beach Diet is a three-phase diet plan.

You go strictly low-carb for the first 14 days. No pasta, rice, potatoes, bread, dairy, fruit, sugar, or alcohol. Period. Instead, you eat vegetables and all types of meat, but the meat must be lean—saturated fats, too, are disallowed. You can eat an unlimited number of eggs, some sugar-free desserts, some varieties of nuts, and most types of cheese. Tea and coffee are acceptable.

In phase two, carbohydrates are reintroduced. But they might not be the ones you're used to, and portion sizes are small. Some indulgences, such as chocolate, are allowed in moderation. Chicken, turkey and oily fish are encouraged, as is the consumption of more nuts, cheeses and yogurt. There's also an emphasis on mono- and polyunsaturated fats, the so-called "good" fats (olive, canola and peanut oils particularly), which are known to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.

When you hit your ideal weight you slip into phase three—maintenance. Now that you've learned how to eat "normal foods, in normal size portions," says Dr. Agatston, maintaining your new, healthy weight is no longer a "diet," it's a way of life.