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South Beach Diet Book Review
The South Beach Diet: The Delicious, Doctor-Designed, Foolproof Plan for Fast and Healthy Weight Loss
The
verdict is in: those simple carbs we've been living on are killing us. For
good health, we've got to get our blood sugar under control and stop the incessant
cravings. Or so says Dr. Arthur Agatston, author of The South Beach Diet. The
first half of the book details the science behind the diet. Most of the explanations
revolve around why things you thought were healthy—-orange juice, wheat
toast, carrots—-are actually evil. To avoid blood sugar surges, Agatston
created a modified carbohydrate plan, recommending plenty of high-fiber foods,
lean proteins, and healthy fats, while cutting bread, rice, pastas, and fruits.
Major differences from other diets include a lack of concern over portion size
and a serious indifference to exercise. Feeling full while on a diet is a beautiful
thing, but it seems odd that a cardiologist buries his exercise recommendations
in a solitary sentence.
The last half of the book covers his three-stage plan; daily diets are mixed with recipes, some of which are from South Beach restaurant chefs. The most restrictive period lasts just two weeks, enough time to stabilize your urges and lose a few pounds; stage two adds fruits and a handful of other carbs, while stage three is meant to last the remainder of your life, with occasional lapses for white bread or birthday cake. While the diet is sound, the book could be better organized. The first half mixes scientific study with anecdote in a seemingly random way, while the mix of meal plans and recipes can be confusing. Still, the recipes are varied and tasty, and you'll never feel deprived, unless you currently happen to live by bread alone. --Jill Lightner (from Amazon.com)
South Beach Diet Book Description
For years, cardiologist Arthur Agatston, M.D., urged his patients to lose weight for the sake of their hearts, but every diet was too hard to follow or its restrictions were too harsh. Some were downright dangerous. Nobody seemed to be able to stick with low-fat regiments for any length of time. And a diet is useless if you can't stick with it.
So Dr. Agatston developed his own. The South Beach Diet isn't complicated and doesn't require that you go hungry. You'll enjoy normal size helpings of meat, poultry, and fish. You'll also eat eggs, cheese, nuts, and vegetables. Snacks are required. You'll learn to avoid the bad carbs, like white flour, white sugar, and baked potatoes. Best of all, as you lose weight, you'll loose that stubborn belly fat first!
Dr. Agatston's diet has produced consistently dramatic results (8 to 13 pounds lost in the first 2 weeks!) and has become a media sensation in South Florida. Now you, too, can join the ranks of the fit and fabulous with The South Beach Diet.
The South Beach Diet reviews below are taken from Amazon.com. For more information on the South Beach Diet, read our South Beach Diet article
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This is not another fad diet or a ripoff of Atkins. It does compare to Atkins in that it provides more than just the minimal amounts of protein prevalent in so many other diet regimens and results comparable to Atkins with the added bonus of being lower in fat. The addition of oils gives the skin a luxurous glow and prevents hunger. Oils are also typically devoid in most diet regimens. My favorite recipes are the Balsamic Chicken, Savory Chicken Saute, Grilled Steak with Tomato Relish and favorite dessert is Mocha Ricotta Creme. I have always loved mayonnaise and glad to see that this plan allows Mayo to be used liberally. The Phase 1 Plan was so easy to stay on. I was never hungry and my energy soared! On Phase 2 I am enjoying such delights like Mediterranean Chicken Salad and Portobello Pizza, Oatmeal Pancakes for breakfast, Poached Salmon Spinach Salad for Lunch and Stir Fry Chicken and Vegetables, Easy Chicken in Wine Sauce and Salsa Chicken for Supper along with other delights such as Grilled Yellowfin Tuna with a White Bean and Oregano Salad, Broiled Sole in Light Cream Sauce and Italian Style Spaghetti Squash. And the best part is that this is a lifestyle program. The Phase 3 plan allows menues that are delicious and healthy like Moroccan Grilled Chicken and Savory Shrimp over Wild Rice and desserts like Chocolate Sponge Cake or Chocolate Stuffed Steamed Pears. This diet plan alloes liberal amounts of eggs, beef, poultry, seafood, pork, veal, lunchmeat, cheese, nuts, tofu, fats (oils from canola and olive oil), spices and seasonings and sweet treats. You'll also find out which foods to avoid including certain types of beef, poultry, pork, veal, cheese, vegetables, fruit, starched and carbs and certain types of dairy products. I was delighted to see that someone with credibility finally came forward and exposed that eat only the egg whites and throw the yolk away. Dr. Agatston explains that the whole egg contains nutrients and the yolk contains good cholesterol that can neutrilize the bad cholestorol. The yolk also contains lecithin, a noted fat burner. All in all, I am very pleased with the South Beach Diet. I look better, feel better and am healthier than I have been in years (I am 55 years young--prior to This program, Iwas 55 years old and felt like I was in my 70's) If you want a program that delivers, give the South Beach Diet a try. You'llbe glad you did. I know I am. Was this review helpful to you? |
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For the most part, the recipes are good, and relatively simple to prepare. I'm participating in this plan along with my vegetarian partner, and the meals are very easy to adapt to that diet. Some of the items are even better with veggie-friendly substitutes - beans instead of tuna in composed salads, soy analogues in lieu of the evening's chicken or fish, etc. I really like that the meal plans are so reliant on vegetables - I don't worry any longer about getting the requisite '5 a day.' I wasn't a consumer of artificial sweeteners, canned or frozen vegetables, red meat, or egg substitutes prior to this diet, so I've chosen not to include them now. I've found that it's pretty simple to continue eating whole, fresh foods while adhering to the plan's essential tenets (most of the Diet's recipes already employ whole foods - this was a minor change). I wasn't too sure about beginning with Phase 1 - it seemed to restrictive for my goals - but I found that completely cutting out high glycemic index carbs for the two week period really helped me sort through what I liked about chocolate, potatoes, breads, sugar, alcohol, certain fruits, etc. So many of those cravings are simply force of habit, and nudging my body's chemistry around in order to lose those habits turned out to be a very good thing. It is not that hard - there are many other good things offered as replacements here, and you will certainly not go hungry. Phase 1 doesn't emphasize portion control, but I found that a typical day's meal plan was simply too much for me to consume. However, I found it important to have all the 'right' foods on hand, in order to prevent a slip on the day that 3pm hunger does strike! For me, the South Beach Diet has proven to be an excellent way to approach my diet more thoughtfully and rationally. Many of the other reviews here testify to its weight loss potential, as well. |
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Thank you, thank you, thank you, Dr. Agatston. |
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The South Beach Diet is considerably more moderate and healthy than Atkins. I don't know of any controlled studies, but if it was found to work as well as Atkins, then it would show that the success of Atkins is not due to lack of carbs but rather the fact that strictly limiting carbs inevitably also removes the foods with a high glycemic index. It would be good news, because there are many low-glycemic-index carbs that can then be eaten. It is a shame that the nutrition research community gets large amounts of public funding but has devoted almost no money to testing popular diets such as these (nutritionists, please pay attention)! I have been on the South Beach diet for 2 months and lost 11 pounds and 2 inches from my waist. This may not seem fast compared to some of the claims, but speed is not really important. With any of these diets, you have to plan on sticking with them for life, so its much more important to find meals and recipes that you really like. I eat mostly what I did before, but just don't take the white starches with my meals and avoid sweet drinks, including fruit juices. I eat unlimited quantities of peanuts, cashews, cheese, and other snacks while still losing weight, and have never stopped having coffee or wine. I would suggest reading both this book and Atkins. No doubt the Atkins can drop weight faster, but this book seems to provide a healthier and easier diet for the long term. If this diet stalls or doesn't work for you, then you can move to the stricter Atkins diet. |
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All had one big problem, they were very hard to stick to, I felt like I was starving myself and the results weren't satisfying. Atkins was torture. Its my opinion that we all have different body types and different metabolisms so we all react differently to different diets. On the South Beach, I've lost 33 pounds in almost four months. Cutting Carbs, Sugar and reducing Fat, have worked for me following the South Beach plan. I don't find myself hungry between meals, find that I don't miss the carbs, in fact when I eat carbs I get tired, they sap the strength right out of me. I don't have cravings, I'm eating normal size, healthy meals, and I enjoy whats happened to my body since I started. I also find that when I eat out with family, friends and co-workers that I can always find something on the menu to have, I'm not limited. My goal weight loss was 50 pounds and I'm well on my way. This diet may not be for everyone, but for me, its been fantastic. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition |
Thank You Dr. Agatston, September 29, 2003 
Montignac revisited, October 28, 2003 
a
thoughtful approach to diet & nutrition, October 27, 2003 
Get something original instead!, October 11, 2003 
This book sucks., September 29, 2003
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