[.ca] The South Beach Diet: The Delicious, Doctor-Designed, ... (ISBN 0060530308)

From Amazon.com:
The verdict is in: those simple carbs we've been living on are killing us. For good health, we've got to get our blood sugar under control and stop the incessant cravings. Or so says Dr. Arthur Agatston, author of The South Beach Diet. The first half of the book details the science behind the diet. Most of the explanations revolve around why things you thought were healthy—-orange juice, wheat toast, carrots—-are actually evil. To avoid blood sugar surges, Agatston created a modified carbohydrate plan, recommending plenty of high-fiber foods, lean proteins, and healthy fats, while cutting bread, rice, pastas, and fruits. Major differences from other diets include a lack of concern over portion size and a serious indifference to exercise. Feeling full while on a diet is a beautiful thing, but it seems odd that a cardiologist buries his exercise recommendations in a solitary sentence. The last half of the book covers his three-stage plan; daily diets are mixed with recipes, some of which are from South Beach restaurant chefs. The most restrictive period lasts just two weeks, enough time to stabilize your urges and lose a few pounds; stage two adds fruits and a handful of other carbs, while stage three is meant to last the remainder of your life, with occasional lapses for white bread or birthday cake. While the diet is sound, the book could be better organized. The first half mixes scientific study with anecdote in a seemingly random way, while the mix of meal plans and recipes can be confusing. Still, the recipes are varied and tasty, and you'll never feel deprived, unless you currently happen to live by bread alone. --ll Lightner

New Aleternative:
There must be something about The South Beach Diet that makes it so popular. However, I think that we in North America, while chasing the perfect body, forgot about what really matters - the perfect health. I am a creature that trusts everybody, but not without a dose of skepticism. Therefore I always make a point of trying new approaches on my own before expressing any opinion. After going trough The South Beach Diet I realized that Agatston is just updated version of old Atkins. Although these two low carb approaches certainly bring good results from the point of loosing weight, I am not really convinced that this is what one need to focus on. First of all, it is a hard diet to follow, and sooner or later one is bound to break some of the rules. Secondly, I find that in a healthy diet we need carbs the same way as we need fats and proteins. Out of all approaches to losing weight, the one that makes most sense to me is presented by Dr. Tombak in his book "Can We Live 150 Years?" Using simple language he talks abut all aspect of health and longevity. Following some simple food combination guidelines, and not letting your stomach direct your actions are the basic things that one needs to do. As Dr. Tombak advises: "Eat to live instead of living to eat!" The interesting thing is that once I started following Dr. Tombak's guidelines I lost about 10 pounds within six to seven weeks without ever focusing on losing weight. I was more concerned about proper nutrition and healthy life style more than anything else. Loosing weight was just a pleasant byproduct of my new lifestyle. But of course that is not all. It turns out that improper diet is only one of a few causes of obesity for many people. Mr. Tombak names other, less known causes of the problem and he also suggests the ways of dealing with them.

Get something original instead:
The South Beach Diet is just a refreshment of someone else's idea (Dr. Atkin's New Diet Revolution). If you look for something original get "12 Steps to Raw Foods" by Victoria Boutenko, or "Can We Live 150" by Tombak. 12 Steps to Raw Foods is highly motivational but might be difficult to follow for a longer time. On the other hand "Can We Live 150" is a must-have for anyone who cares about health, good looks, and longevity.

To lose weight, just head South...:
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. These kinds of diets will definitely help you lose weight in the short run, but in the long run, they fare just as well as any regular calorie restricted diet. An easy read, I give it 4 stars. Readers who have difficulty sticking with a diet long enough to see results might want to check out "The Sixty-Second Motivator." Happy reading!

s:
Myself and 4 friends didn't get any results from this book. I saw a review for another website and ended up using it to lose 23 pounds in 3 months - and i'm still losing. My friends have also found success with it after trying so many different fad diets. The website is www.lowfatmealplans.com Check it out, its great!

South Beach vs. regular low calorie diet.....and the winner is..........:
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 that yo-yo diet and can't seem to stick with a diet plan might want to check out "The Sixty-Second Motivator" to help with that. Good luck!