South Beach Diet Overview
The South Beach diet that was created by Dr. Arthur Agatston is a new kind of diet that is becoming popular slowly. This diet as claimed by the creator is only a slight modification of the Atkins diet. He claims that he became disillusioned with some belief of the Atkins diet. So he decided to slightly modify the Atkins diet and he came upon his own. He got the name South Beach Diet because he works at Miami.
The South Beach Diet just like the other diets has got to have some claims of its effectiveness before people start to jump on its band wagon. Here are some of the claims that the South Beach Diet can make.
• In 14 days or the first phase of the diet, the person can lose weight rapidly, about 8 to 13 pounds.
• After the first phase is over you will then lose weight slower. You will lose 1 to 2 pounds per week because you have now reintroduced the carbs back. There are some claims however that carbs are not really the reason a person gains weigh. Some experts say it is calories that make you gain weight. The lessening of the carbs just only makes you curb your appetite.
• It helps to stabilize your blood sugar and give you better eating habits.
• Reduces the triglycerides and improves the ratio of the good to bad cholesterol.
Just like any other diet there are also drawbacks involved, here are the drawbacks of the South Beach Diet.
• It might give unrealistic expectations because it is subtitled “A Foolproof Plan for Fast and Healthy Weight Loss That Is Designed by the Doctor to be Delicious”. Talk about the doctor being a marketing genius too. These kinds of words are sure too make him get suckers. The truth is, there is nothing new about a diet that makes you cut back on processed foods that are unhealthy together with lots of sugar, and recommends less saturated fat.
• The 8- 13 pounds lost are more water weight loss that is caused by restricting carbs. After that period when you reintroduce the carbs, the pounds will be harder to shed through diet alone.
• Many of the foods in the diet are dairy based so it will be a problem for people who have problems with milk based products. It becomes more confusing because it bans soy for the first two weeks but has a diet consisting mostly of dairy products.
• The creator of the diet only makes people fear carbs more. As stated above it is not carbs but calories we should be more wary off.
• The diet may cause the person ketosis and might cause electrolyte imbalance because of the shedding of water. Ask a dietician if this diet is best for you or how to properly do it.
The south beach diet may have its flaws. But it is a much do-able diet and can be able to encourage the dieter to diet in the long run because of the variety of foods it offers.