Weight loss is very important to many people, and in the past few years there have been numerous weight loss fads, diets, and schemes floating in the “dieting world”. And since almost everyone I know is trying to loose weight, wanting to be thin, this is a great market. The United States has been dubbed them most overweight country, so there is no surprise the amount of time and money Americans invest every year in weight loss plans, dietary supplements, and diet food products. In the past year, I myself have been on a crusade to loose those last few pounds left over after child birth.
I have tried numerous weight loss plans. I cannot say if one is better than the other because most of them made me feel weak and I eventually had to quit them. But with an intensely vigorous exercise program and maintaining healthy eating habits, I was able to shed unwanted pounds and keep them off. One of the many diets I tried was the South Beach diet. The reason I did this report on this diet is because through all the others, I found that this one was the one that worked for me or at least gave me a head start on my journey towards weight loss. The South Beach Diet by Arthur Agatson, M.
D. is said by the author to be “a fool proof plan for fast and healthy weight loss. ” The main component of the South Beach Diet is what you eat. The diet is not just based on low carbohydrates, low fat and less eating proportions. With the South Beach Diet, you can each as much as you want just so long as you consume the right types of foods. While on the diet, you can consume lots of lean, healthy meats, plenty of vegetables, and eggs and cheese. The South Beach diet encourages you to eat three balanced meals a day and eat to satisfy your hunger.
The diet WEIGHT LOSS 3 also lets you make lots of food choices and does not limit the types of foods you can eat. As long as you are eating the right kinds of foods, you can eat as many vegetables as you want. You should not allow yourself to become hungry on this diet. You should feel comfortable in eating until you are full and since the diet recommends you eat three times a day and incorporate healthy snacks in between meals, you should not find yourself lacking food. The South Beach Diet claims you will loose 8 to 13 pounds in the first few weeks.
The diet also boasts that you will loose this weight primarily from around your abdomen. There are three phases in the South Beach Diet. In each phase there are certain things that you are supposed to eat as well as omit from your diet. Phase one covers the first two weeks of he diet plan. Phase one is the most difficult phase because it is the strictest. This is the phase that you should loose the most weight. For me, it was very hard to stick to this phase because it calls for you to limit so many things from your diet that I was used to eating every day.
During this phase, you will not be in compliance with the RDA recommended daily intake because you totally eliminate two of the basic food groups. The food pyramid does not count at all in this phase. You will eliminate all of your bread sources, i. e. rice, cereals, pasta. You will also eliminate any type of fruits or sugar you may be used to in this phase. Since you will be eliminating so many things in phase one of the South Beach Diet, this will be when you should loose the most weight. During this phase I felt very unhealthy.
I was dizzy all the time and felt too weak to continue my exercise workouts. WEIGHT LOSS 4 This sudden weight loss can be water weight due to the sudden change in the way you eat and the things you eat. In my opinion and through reading many health articles in magazines, I learned that you need opinion and through reading many health articles in magazines, I learned that you need certain carbohydrates to produce energy. I needed some carbohydrates considering the amount of exercise I did. During these fourteen days I thought it was extremely difficult to maintain without eating pasta and breads.
But after the first seven days it became easier to maintain and learn to substitute these food items with something else like celery sticks and turkey cold cuts or small salads throughout the day. During Phase two, you are still on a diet plan only you can slowly incorporate some of the “forbidden” foods you previously eliminated. Some of the foods you enjoyed can be once again, like pasta, rice and potatoes. In this stage you will still loose weight but at a much slower, healthier rate. During stage two of the diet you should loose 1 to 2 pounds a week.
You can stay on this stage of the diet for as long as you want. This phase is supposed to significantly alter your blood chemistry as well as your body’s reaction to the foods you consume. You can always go from stage three back to stage one or two at anytime if you start to gain weight again. The final stage of the South Beach Diet is phase three. This phase is similar to phase two in that you have incorporated your favorites into your diet. Foods that were previously eliminated are now ok to eat. You can incorporate then in healthy levels and proportions.
You are now supposed to be eating more healthy and not so much relying on a diet plan. But at this stage, you know what foods are good for you and what foods WEIGHT LOSS 5 cause you to gain weight. And as said previously, you can always go back to any of the previous stages if you start to gain weight. This phase is the maintenance phase and should help you keep the pounds off because you know how the diet works and what foods to eliminate or incorporate. You should feel healthier and in charge of your eating habits and lifestyle.
The diet does not mention anything about taking any supplements. It does mention not taking supplements but “boost your body’s supply of antioxidants by exercising and eating fruits and vegetables. ” (Arthur Agatston). But from experience, during the stage where breads and pastas are eliminated, you can become constipated. Fiber should be added whenever possible. For example, if you eliminate white bread, then maybe you should eat an apple which could provide you the fiber you are lacking. Fiber is also good because it slows the absorption of sugars.
In the South Beach Diet book, there is only 1or 2 pages dedicated to the discussion of exercise. I think that exercise is the most important element to in weight loss and management. The South Beach Diet does recommend exercise but it is not the main focus nor does it recommend much exercise. “A brisk 20 minute walk” is the suggested schedule. It also says to allow yourself some bread or potatoes after the exercise program so you can regain the glycogen fuel lost during your workout. This diet does not have a very expensive financial cost.
There is noting special you have to buy to participate in the diet. You can make everything from things you have in your cabinets at home. The only time this diet will be hard on your pockets is when you try to buy all the food items on the market that claim to be “south beach recommended” or low carb WEIGTH LOSS 6 breads, drinks, candies and etc. It seems very hard to avoid since it seems the markets are full of these products. The diet claims to lower cholesterol as well as lower the chances of heart disease and diabetes.
I have not found any serious hazards related to this diet although many argue that the diet suggests eliminating carbs and replacing them with high amounts of animal fat from the increase of meat. The diet also causes extreme constipation in the first two stages, but wit added fiber such as Metamucil, you can enjoy the diet with out the added side effects. I would recommend this diet to people. I did it several times when I needed a jumpstart to start weight loss. But I would recommend you eventually add fruits and carbs back slowly and exercise as much as possible to maintain your health as well as proper weight loss.