Rating: 
Summary: Great DIET, but the BOOK is bland.
Review: I pulled this diet off of the internet before I read the book. In essence, this diet requires a two-page print-out to adequately follow the diet, NOT A 320 PAGE BOOK!
First, let me say that I am totally satisfied with the diet. I have lost 15 pounds in a month, and that included the holiday season. So, the diet is great.The BOOK, however, falls short. The most important thing, it seems to me, is the glycemic index, and the book offers this information on a very limited number of foods. For example, peanuts are fine, but what about almonds? Like other reviewers, I found the recipies to be a total waste of ink. My advice is to find the diet online and then, if you MUST, check the book out from the library. But I promise it is a waste of your time.
Rating:
Summary: ATKINS KNOCK-OFF
Review: Yes, this eating plan does work. However, the ideas presented in this book are hardly original. The author slams Atkins for being high in saturated fat, but I see no real difference in his recommendations and those in Atkins' "New Diet Revolution." The author claims that when high amounts of saturated fat consumed without the presence of essential fatty acids there is a disfunction created in the blood vessels leading to the heart, which could cause a heart attact (bottom of page 21). However, he sites no references whatsoever to back-up this assertation.
Why not, I don't know. I think he just made this up! There are no references anywhere in this book!!!!
I do think the author read Dr. Atkins book and plagerized it. I'm sure he knows that Atkins also recommends the use of essential fatty acids (healthy fats) along with a host of other vitamins, minerals and nutrients. And he recommended using them long before anyone ever heard of the "South Beach Diet."
In closing, I believe the author of "The South Beach Diet" will forever be indebted to the memory of Dr. Robert Atkins!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Definitely recommend it!
Review: The book is AWESOME. Simple to follow, spells out everything up front, leaves nothing unanswered. And the system - not diet, but system - WORKS. Be prepared to make a permanent change to your lifestyle. Once you can accept that permanent change, it will be entirely worth your while. Good luck!
Rating: 
Summary: Better than Atkins but read Atkins too!
Review: I started out on the Atkins diet, not South Beach. I was happy with the results (I lost about 10 pounds in 2 weeks), although I seem to have hit a point where I can't lose anymore. But this might be because I only had a total of 20 pounds to lose and I'm convinced that those last 10 pounds are only going to come off with frequent trips to the gym. Anyway, after hearing about the South Beach Diet and its similarities, I decided to read the book and see what I thought compared to Atkins. I have to say, I think the SBD plan makes more sense than Atkins because of the separation of "good fat" from "bad fat". Later in the diet, it also allows you to have complex carbs from whole grain bread, fruit, and fiber-loaded cereal, which Atkins doesn't (and which I've been missing!). One of the problems I had with Atkins is that his book never really justified why it was ok to eat so much saturated fat and never suggested that mono- or poly-unsaturated fats should be your main fat source, which the SBD does. Although I like the ideas in the SBD better, the book is lacking in scientific background compared to Atkins New Diet Revolution. If you REALLY want to know the medical background on lipolysis, ketosis, hyperinsulinism, obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, READ THE ATKINS BOOK FIRST (but read "New Diet Revolution", not "Atkins for Life"). I found it very useful to already know a lot of the medical background on topics that Agatston only briefly goes over. So, overall I'd say that the SBD is a quicker, easier, but less-informative read (only about 100 pages if you don't include the recipes), and that the diet itself, although based on the same principles as Atkins, is probably safer in the long run than Atkins because of the "good fat"/"bad fat" separation. I would suggest that everyone read Atkins first, then read South Beach and DO the South Beach Diet.
Rating:
Summary: My cholesterol dropped over 100 pts with TSBD
Review: Before starting The South Beach Diet Program my cholesterol was a whopping 350. My doctor told me that was over twice the normal range and I had to do something really quick.Having tried all kinds of diets without success, I went on The South Beach Diet. Not only did I drop over 25 lbs in 10 weeks. But I also lost 6 inches around the waist and best of all, my cholesterol dropped by over 100 points during that time.My sister lost 12 lbs during that same time period.People sayig this program is not convenient are just not creative. I prepare my meals at home, take them to work and then heat them in a microwave. It's not rocket science guys. Or you can eat oe meal before work, another when you get home and bring some of the excellent food choices in this book or the South Beach Reference Guide, a great companion to this book to eat at work.South Beach Diet is a great diet plan. Thank you Dr. Agatston.
Rating: 
Summary: Another born every second
Review: Sigh, here is another one. A few bucks, a book you never read, and weight you will never lose. Try this crazy scheme: eat balanced meals and exercise. The only way.
Rating: 
Summary: Great concept, but not convenient
Review: The book has a great concept on food and what to eat, it was very interesting. The problem is, it's not friendly for people who work 12 hours a day. All the meals need an oven. I work 70 hours a week, there is no way that the meals would fit into my schedule, unless I eat at 11:00 at night! The recipes look delicious and I'll try them, but this diet is not for workaholics.
Rating:
Summary: A Clone of the Atkins Diet
Review: The author presents almost the same information as Atkins: The need for limiting simple carbs, the problem of fluctuating blood sugar, the value of low-glycemic carbohydrates, etc. However, Atkins is much more detailed. The author, Agatson, misrepresents the Atkins diet as a carbohydrate-free one. Nothing could be further from the truth. Atkins, just like this author, recommends a short period of low-carb intake, followed by a gradual increase of low-glycemic carbs, with priority given to nuts and certain vegetables. Both authors also value the good fats, such as those that come from nuts, deep-sea fish, etc. Agatson insists that too much saturated fat is harmful. But nowhere does Atkins recommend an overconsumption of saturated fat. Besides, as pointed out by Atkins, the studies which implicate saturated fats in cardiovascular disease have included a high-carb intake, confounding the results. When saturated fats are consumed in the context of a low or reduced-carb diet, there is no evidence that they are harmful in moderate amounts.
Rating:
Summary: good diet, but you will still yo-yo
Review: Look. This is a sound diet that will give you results...initially. Any diet, no matter how good, will eventually be abandoned, leaving you with the feeling of failure and self-pity. This diet does have a couple of advantages working in it's favor: First, their are different phases to this diet with varying degrees of restrictiveness and difficulty, and it does get easier after the first phase. Secondly, you will experience a decrease in your cravings for "bad" carbs. But, as with any diet, your desire and longing for "forbidden" foods will eventually overwhelm your will power to stick with the diet.
What's required for any diet to become a permanent part of your lifestyle is altering your eating habits (what we eat, when we eat, how much we eat...). If you learn how to change your habits the diet becomes automatic and you no longer have to work at sticking to it.
There are a number of great books dealing with altering our habits. Any will do, but habit change is the essential key to success missing from all diets and diet books.
Rating:
Summary: Low carb but not no carb
Review: Ok, if you are sick of eating dozens of eggs and the greasy feel of cream is getting to you? But definitely, low carb diets work for you (and me.) So what to do? The "South Beach" diet is a modification of a low-carb diet with the twist of "good fats" and "bad fats." Good fats in this case are oils like olive and NOT butter fat. And not all carbs are bad--high fiber wheat breads come back into the picture far sooner than on the Atkins diet. For those bored with no-carb diets, this is a real boon. Relatives of mine report significant weight loss; the jury is out with me. But to be able to eat some carbs in moderation would indeed be nice. Any diet that limits one food group to extreme is difficult to maintain for a long haul. So this may be the "happy medium" --and an happy medium would certainly be a size medium, right?
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