The South Beach Diet

The South Beach Diet has sold millions of copies and was founded by Dr. Agatston while working on a diet for his heart patients in the mid 1990s.

The diet is based around eating the right type of carbohydrates and good fats rather than bad fats. However, the diet advices you cut out all carbs and alcohol during the first two weeks (phase 1) of the diet. During phase 2 you can reintroduced the right type of carbs and fruits in moderation according to the diet guidelines.

The diet also advices eating low glycemic index foods . For example, low glycemic index fruits you can eat on the diet are apples and pears. High glycemic fruits you should avoid are bananas, watermelon and pineapples.

This diet is similar to the Atkins diet but unlike the Atkins diet, Dr. Agatston warns that you should not consumed saturated fats such as butter, ground beef and bacon. Instead you are allowed to eat monosaturated fats such as olive oil and salmon fish.

The South Beach Diet is divided into three phases:

• Phase 1: lasts 14 days and is the strictest phase of the diet. You are not allowed to eat any carbohydrates or drink alcohol during this phase. Many dieters find this phase quite restrictive.
• Phase 2: You stay on this phase until you reach your weightloss goal. During this phase you can reintroduced some carbs in moderation. You are given a list of carbs and foods you can include in The South Beach Diet Plan Book.
• Phase 3: This is the maintenance phase of the diet and you can add extra foods during this time. This is the phase you will remain on for the long term and is much more flexible. If your weight begins to increase you are advised to return to phase 1 of the diet.

Where can you buy it? Amazon.com