South Beach Diet

South Beach Diet

The South Beach Diet is a relatively new weight loss diet. It was developed by Miami cardiologist Arthur Agatston, M.D., who is the director of the Mount Sinai Cardiac Prevention Center. The diet is meant to promote weight loss but not at the expense of heart health. Unlike other wildly popular low-carb plans, South Beach calls for keeping tabs on saturated fats and favors lean meats and proteins over bacon, cheeseburgers, and steaks. With this diet there is no calorie counting. In fact, there is no actual diet plan per se. Agatston uses sample menus to outline what you need to eat. Lists of "foods to enjoy" and "foods to avoid" round out the plan. Basically it adds up to three meals a day and three small snacks or six "eating occasions."

Like the Atkins diet, the South Beach diet plan is divided into phases.

Ð'* Phase 1- Lasts 14 days- The Strictest Phase of the Diet

In the first phase, you eat normal-sized helpings of lean meats, such as chicken, turkey, fish, and shellfish. Vegetables are also allowed, so are nuts, cheese, and eggs. The goal is to eat three balanced meals a day, and to eat enough so that you don't feel hungry all the time. A typical South Beach diet breakfast is two eggs and lean bacon. A mid-morning snack is Celery stuffed with 1 wedge Laughing Cow light cheese. Lunch might be salad greens with grilled chicken. For an afternoon snack, 10 cherry tomatoes with 1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese. Dinner may be lean meat again with fiber-rich vegetables.

Diet Foods to Enjoy: include, tenderloin, sirloin, or top round, skinless chicken or turkey breasts, all types of fish and shellfish, boiled ham, Canadian bacon, turkey bacon, whole eggs, fat-free cheeses, peanuts and pistachios, green vegetables, legumes, canola and olive oils.

Diet Foods to Avoid: include, beef rib steaks, honey-baked ham, breast of veal, all yogurt, ice cream, milk including whole, low-fat, soy, and full fat cheeses, beets, carrots, corn, yams, fruits and fruit juices, all alcohol, all starchy foods such as bread, cereal, oatmeal, matzo, rice, pasta, pastries, baked goods, crackers, etc.

Expected Weight Loss: 8-13 pounds.

Ð'* Phase 2- Lasts Until You Reach Your Weight Loss Goal- More Liberal Phase

The second phase is similar to the first phase, but you reintroduce some of the banned foods and eat from all the dietary food groups. You can start eating high-fiber carbohydrates, such as whole-grain breads, which raise your insulin levels in a much milder way that do simple, starchy carbs.

Additional Diet Foods to Enjoy: include, most fruits, fat-free or 1 percent milk, other low-fat dairy foods, whole grain starches, barley and pinto beans and red wine.

Diet foods to eat sparingly, include: refined wheat baked goods, potatoes, beets, carrots, bananas, pineapple, watermelon and honey.

Expected Weight Loss: 1-2 pounds per week.

Ð'* Phase 3- Weight Maintenance

This diet phase, which is an even more liberal version of the initial diet plan, lasts the rest of your life.