Customer Reviews

The South Beach Diet

5 star:		(241)
4 star:		(86)
3 star:		(65)
2 star:		(54)
1 star:		(53)

 

 

This is a diet book whose plan is to get you to lose weight by limiting your carbohydrates- essentially another low-carbohydrate diet. It has 3 phases where your carbohydrates are severely restricted at first, and then re-introduced.

I have personally read three controlled trials comparing low carb diets to your regular calorie restricted diets that were published in scientific journals. The results? Low carb diets produce more weight loss during the first 6 months, but at one year follow-up, both groups had lost THE SAME amount of weight.

Therefore, it really doesn't matter which diet plan you choose, the South Beach diet or your standard low calorie diet, because if you can stay on either of them for a year, you'll lose the same amount of weight. To that end, then, the South Beach diet is a fairly healthy diet plan and a good one to choose from- but the bottom line if you want to lose weight is to cut your calories with ANY diet plan and absolutely stick with it and make it a part of your lifestyle.

Readers who can't seem to stick with a diet plan long enough to see results might also want to check out The Sixty-Second Motivator. Good luck!

This is a very good book. Much of the book is composed of recipes and the recipes are very good. Will you lose weight??? Definitely!! I have had numerous patients who have lost anywhere form 25 to 80 pounds by following a low-carb diet.

As a practicing chronic pain specialist for the past 21 years, I have found that chronic pain patients who have followed a low-carb diet are better able to manage their pain. Please be aware that this is my personal observation as a clinician and there is no scientific evidence to support my observation that I am currently aware of. My theory is that the nerve cells or neurons and the neurotransmitters or chemicals that allow nerves to communicate are composed of proteins. When a chronic pain patient consumes a lower carb/higher protein diet, they are increasing the impulses or frequency of firing of the neurons or nerve cells. Increased impulses equals less pain!

Dr. Michael L. Johnson author of "What Do You Do When the Medications Don't Work--A Non-Drug Treatment of Dizziness, Migraine Headaches, Fibromyalgia, and Other Chronic Conditions".

Like many people, I have tried many different diet programs and nothing seems to work. I have heard about this book from the newspaper and decided to read more about the diet before jumping into it. Seeing the positive results of so many people and that the book seems to make sense, I decided to give it a try. In fact, I had a pre South Beach Diet phase (Phase 0.5?). I cut down on carbohydrates gradually and once I am sure what type of meals I can prepare, I started my Phase 1. I think it works for me this way as it would be extremely difficult for someone who eats tons of carbs daily to none at all.

In Phase 1, I eliminated all carbs from my daily meals. However, I cheated a little with fruits because I have hemorrhoids and constipation problems. I think it is crucial to tailor the diet to your own needs and not follow everything strictly. Not to mention, I didn't feel like having Metamucil daily. I also had occasional coffee. Regardless of that, I loss about 9 pounds during Phase 1. Now I am on Phase 2 and I still plan to eliminate most carbs from my diet but less strictly compared to Phase 1.

I think it is crucial to get the book even though there are many websites out there with advice, suggestions and other things.
It's important to get the entire picture before starting out the diet. In addition, the book comes with plenty of recipes and meal plans which would be helpful. The hardest part for me is deciding what to eat daily (besides salads) and the book is a great resource for me. The first few days are the most challenging as the tendency to give up is high but after surviving that, it will be much easier. This is not an easy diet plan but to me, it is one of the easiest compared to others.

I saw this guy interviewed on FoxNews and it sounded oh, too good. Don't count calories, worry greatly about portions, just avoid this list, eat this list.

I was hooked! Three phases with first of two weeks for 8-13 pounds! Are you kidding? Couldn't believe it until two weeks later, there I was, eleven pounds lighter and feeling so much better! No more afternoon drags and energy up! No cravings. The water consumption is vital, and at least 2 liters daily!

Phase Two is demanding as it requires careful attention to diet consumption correlated with scale monitoring so that the slow, steady decline down to the desired weight might be achieved.

My blood chemistry has also done the big turnaround, which to most of us is the true blessing of this diet.

To supplement this, I would recommend a good low-carb cookbook, such as the one I really like: Good Carb Cookbook by Sandra Woodruff.

... but isn't that how life is with everything?

I have never been on a diet in my life. Frustratingly within the last 5-10 years I've watched my weight (& clothes size) creep up in spite of dietary changes & intermittantly added exercise. This time I refused to buy another sizer larger. This was one of 3 "diets" that my doctor recommended. (The other two were Scarsdale Medical Diet & Weight Watchers -- I'm not learning a new counting system.)

Honestly I found information on South Beach Diet (SBD) easier than I could for Scarsdale. SBD made sense to me. It is logical & well-researched. Is it easy? No. But then I'm a child of immediate gratification & convenience foods. This requires planning ahead for meals & snacks. I have never eaten so much food daily in my life. At times it's hard to fit it all in. I've also spent more time in the kitchen than every before! :/

I've stuck it out. Have I been perfect? No. But then this is a lifestyle choice for me and not about regimented dieting (as my hubby keeps reminding me). It's about healthier eating AND living.

My only critcism is that SBD advocates various sugar substitutes in place of sugar and doesn't address natural sweeteners. I can't reconcile putting artificial and/or chemical sweeteners into recipes for consumption. I am doing it for Phase 1 (detox) & Phase 2 (weight loss), but for Phase 3 (lifestyle maintenance) I will be researching the addition of natural sweeteners. I don't use them that much anyway.

I've lost more in noticeable inches than I have in pounds, but it encourages me. Have I lost as fast or as much as others? No. But it depends on where you start & where you're going.

Would I recommend this book? Wholeheartedly. I would also recommend prevention.com's forum, yahoogroup.com's support e-mail lists and the SBD web site (costs money). If it wasn't for everyday people supporting me and answering my questions, I don't think I would have stuck with this.

Many reviewers have stated that this diet is similar to the Adkins diet. It does share several common characteristics, particularly in the first two weeks, but the differences are nonetheless very important. I won't try to itemize all the differences here, but extensive personal research convinces me that The South Beach Diet is far more nutritionally and medically sound than Adkins and other currently popular diets. Dr Agatson did not conceive a diet in which goal is simply to lose weight, but rather he approached diet from a cardiologist viewpoint with the emphasis on good nutrition and improvement in lab results. While many popular low carb diets do get the weight off quickly, they are very poor choices long term. Additionally, recent studies indicate that a large percentage of low carb dieters regain the lost weight and gain even more within a year because restricted carbohydrate diets are simply unsustainable for most of us. Dr Agatsons diet is nutritionally sound and phase 3 can be followed for life. My wife had been unable to stay with any of the fad diets including Adkins, but has enjoyed tremendous success with Dr Agatson's diet. We also purchased "The Good Carb Cookbook" for additional delicious recipes after moving into the maintenance phase and highly recommend it as well. My wife and I have lost a combined 68 pounds and have also experienced improved blood test results, increased energy, enhanced mental acuity (subjective), and simply feel better physically and emotionally (subjective again). This is not just another weight loss diet, it is a nutrition improvement plan for life and it accomplishes the goal. There will always be another fad diet every few months, but Dr Agatson has provided a true nutrition plan that I can live with indefinitely and enjoy the benefits of excellent health.

I certainly didn't pick this book up for a good read, I picked it up for the diet advice...and it delivers. I basically skimmed through the paragraphs and found the charts, tables, menus, and recipes very helpful.

I needed to limit the amount of carbs I was consuming, but didn't want all of the high-fat meats (I'm a vegetarian) replacing them. This book offers great fish recipes inside.

I don't understand the people complaining because the recipes are too difficult...that only those in South Beach with a chef can prepare them!? If you've lived your life getting meals from a drive-thru window, you might find the meal preparation difficult, otherwise the recipes are simple and easy to follow.

I live in a metropolitan area so the ingredients are easy to find (any higher-end grocery store will carry all of them). I have, however, lived temporarily in other parts of the country, and I found that shopping for certain foods was more difficult. I'm sure you can easily substitute some of the herbs or fish that the recipes call for.

Basically, I love carbs and this diet has helped me limit them. I was looking to get rid of a few extra pounds that I gained this summer, and this diet was a miracle!

Just got this book and gave it a quick read. Most of the info is jammed into a few chapters. The rest of the book is recipes and the meal plans for stages one to three. I was disappointed that there was not more emphasis on phase one. Although I did start the diet today! It looks to be quite similar to the Lindora weight loss plan or the Suzanne Sommers Somercize plan where you include vegetables in the low fat, heavy protein plan. The good news is that Dr. Agatston's credentials are very impressive. The info about when and how to eat various types of carbs and fats is a nice addition to any dieter's repetoire. Although he warns against staying on stage 1 for more than 14 days some of his endorsers (included in the book) say they did stay on stage one for months. Several of the recipes look like they are keepers such as the spinach cups and the ricotta desserts. Might be worth the price just for those and of course for motivation for the next round in the fight on fat.

Upon seeing "The South Beach Diet" lying on my mother in law's coffee table, I thought to myself, "great, another pablum filled pipe dream tauting impossible gospels to sell books." How wrong I was.

I'm not overweight, and am a proverbial sponge when it comes to nutrition and fitness information, so I was quite curious after reading a few pages. I finished the short text (100 pages, the rest is a cookbook) and am thankful I took the time. Doctor Agatston summarizes the essential facts and reveals the truths about the human digestive system and how it fuels us. Understanding his teaching is the key to good health and EVERY person should have this knowledge!

I planned to quit my Atkins diet after getting down to my goal weight and go on South Beach. When I was ready for S.B., I got this book and decided to skip it. The problem with this book is that it's far too lenient and is ambiguous about what we can and cannot eat. He says Atkins is too strict and yet he gives us way too many carbs without strict guideance except in the early 2 weeks. A magazine on low carbs mocked South Beach (again, this was a pro-low carb magazine) saying people went on S.B. thinking it was the healthy Atkins when in reality it's the same diet only fewer rules. It's the fewer rules that makes S.B. a diet that you do not - and cannot - know for sure if you're ever following this book's advice except in the VERY first 2 weeks. If you've been on Atkins, stay on it or you'll only be confused here.