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Summary: Expected Much More
Review: Not worth the price for the little bit of information you get from this book. I expected much more indepth information and guidance on nutrition, reading labels, etc., and I didn't feel as though I got it. I felt like I got more of a cookbook and a lot of historical commentary I felt was unnecessary. The philosophy of the diet seems good, but I would save my money and instead get the information from friends or online.
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Summary: Dr. Michael L. Johnson
Review: 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".
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Summary: How this diet REALLY causes weight loss!
Review: My husband and I have discovered why you do lose weight on the South Beach Diet...it is very time consuming, hard work shopping and preparing the food for the meal plans! The good news is that the menu suggestions are generally tasty, I have not felt deprived and the weight is beginning to come off(we are wrapping up Phase 1.)
The only problem I have had tolerating this diet is a chronic dull headache and an excruciating migraine one day. A registered dietician I work with told me that carbs help your body to hold fluids, so even if you are drinking a lot of water, you will likely be dehydrated on this diet(at least during Phase 1 when you consume no carbs), leading to headaches. That does make me wonder if the fairly dramatic weight loss in the first 2 weeks is mostly water weight.
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Summary: This book ruined my appetite
Review: Since reading this book, I have lost 25 pounds out of sheer nausea.
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Summary: My Review is as much for the diet as the book-both average
Review: 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.
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Summary: moronic
Review: anyone who says carrots are evil is a moron. you'd have to be crazy, or just extremely desperate to lost weight, to buy this book. from the description it seems like a very unhealthy diet, even if you do lose weight. weight loss does not equal healthiness. for a healthy diet see www.hacres.com
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Summary: And yet, another book to add to my collection...
Review: I just jumped on the bandwagon and bought this book only to realize that from it, I learned nothing new. This diet has been around for decades in principal, and puts into words, everything an experienced dieter already knows. Cut out white flour in all forms, cut fat, eat vegetables and lean meats, and walk for exercise. What's new about that? This diet is a sound plan, but the book falls seriously short in justifying things such as why tomatoes should be avoided, how much is too much, and whether in the cold months, canned tomatoes can be substituded. Everyone should know that walking is the safest and easiest way to burn fat when you're overweight so I did not miss an elaboration on exercise, although the author should have promoted its importance more. Half the book has recipes that are useless and in most cases not practical. As I said, it's another diet book for my collection, but it only served to reaffirm what I already knew. Wasted money.
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Summary: Looks like a good diet
Review: The South Beach Diet looks like it might be a good diet. It doesn't ask you to starve yourself nor are you denied certain foods (and the ones we enjoy the most) for the rest of your life. It doesn't require additional excercise (though it helps). It changes your blood chemistry and since it is a cardiologist that developed the diet, it is heart healthy. Also, it does allow some carbs and unlike Atkins requires that you eat until full, but still in moderation. There are a lists of good foods and foods to avoid as well as meal plans and recipes for all three stages of the diet (stage one lasts only a couple of weeks; stage two until you reach your ideal weight; stage three after you reach your ideal weight). It looks good, but since I've just read the book, it is still to early to tell.
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Summary: It's hard to argue with success
Review: I bought this book after researching lots of diets -- Atkins, Zone, Weight Watchers, etc. South Beach seemed (and is) much more sensible and easy to follow than those diets. The book is well written and compelling, and once you understand the basic theory behind the diet, you can make your own meal plans and don't have to follow theirs to the letter. Best of all, it doesn't feel like a "diet"--it's more of a long-term change in eating habits. I've been following the South Beach way of eating for about 5 months, and I've never gotten tired of it. Very few foods are "off-limits," and you lose all desire for those that are (like candy bars and potato chips). Best of all, it works. I achieved my goal of losing 33 pounds!
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Summary: Control your appetite, instead of it controlling you
Review: This diet is a sound one, and does work. The book is, I agree, kind of disorganized, and there are inconsistencies. But the concept is a simple one: eat lean protein, healthy fat, and good carbs, which means avoiding refined starch and sugar for the most part. But the trade-off is well worth it. For a more detailed and comprehensive explanation of the science behind this diet, I'd recomend Walter Willet's "Eat, Drink and be Healthy". This Harvard nutritional researcher uses clinical results to back up his claims, and they line up fairly closely with the South Beach Diet's plan.
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