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Summary: The South Beach Diet
Review: Well if you're like me and see yourself as just a little on the big side and every one else has the eating problem you're not alone. Each and every one of us have the same way of thinking and seeing ourselves, or maybe it's not seeing ourselves that's the problem. Like the drunk that says he hasn't got a problem and can stop drinking at any time, it's really harder than you think to change what you are. You need help and this book can help if you only read it from one side of the cover to the another. You will learn that Carbs are your enemy and like the little voice inside your mind telling you that carbs are very good to eat the book will tell you why your mind is lying to you. Dr. Arthur Agatston has named his book "The South Beach Diet" this is the only thing I can find wrong with the book, its not just a South Beach Diet, it's a diet for every person on this earth that finds themselves like me, FAT lets just face the facts and do something about the problem. Thank you Dr. Agatston for putting a stop to the craving. Larry Hobson- Author of "The Day Of The Rose"
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Summary: People who say "eat less & exercise more" don't get it
Review: I'm about to buy this book. Virtually all of the negative reviews I've read say one of two things:
1. Ripoff of Atkins
2. Just get off your duffs and eat less, you lazy bums
With regard to (1), Atkins bans carbs; he doesn't mention glycemic index or glycemic load. Anyone who knows anything about diabetes and carbohydrate metabolism knows that all carbs are not created equal, and so there is a profound difference between Atkins and South Beach.
With regard to (2), some people metabolize carbs in ways that lead to insulin spikes, which lead to cravings. I've experienced this for 40 years before the biochemical underpinnings were identified, so it's quite real. Interestingly, when I was a teenager I invented a diet that consisted of eating pure protein, no fat, no carbs; it worked like a charm. Difficult to stay on, yes, but effective.
South Beach is less restrictive, from start to finish, than Atkins. That makes it easier to stay on. High-protein, low-carb diets *do* work.
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Summary: Easy to follow and understandable
Review: I'm nearing the end of Phase I. The reason I even started this diet is because it made sense. After reading the plan behind the diet, I understood what I needed to cut out, what I should go easy on, and what I didn't have to watch at all. It isn't just a list of foods (one way or the other), it's an understanding such that you can make your own healthy list. I've had no problem making 3 meals and 2 snacks a day and I am never hungry between meals. AND I've been able to pass up all those snacks at work, because the cravings are gone. I was even the guest of honor at 2 birthday dinners and didn't have to starve myself or cheat! I've lost ten pounds so far and my doctor was on board with the diet when I explained it.
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Summary: All these crasy diets! -- I told you to read Tombak instead
Review: Today a 16 years old girl died. Her death resulted from following Dr. Atkins diet. People, wake up! "Stop the insanity!" Be it Dr. Atkins' diet, or the newest copy of it called the South Beach Diet (why haven't they been sued by Atkins' heirs yet?), they simply do not make any sense... Where does all that craze come from? On the occasion of the girl's death, Ms. Gloria Borger interviewed Dr. Neal Barnard, the President of Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, at CNBC tonight. Dr. Barnard cautioned all viewers from following any of these high protein diets. More info can be found at www.atkinsdietalert.org . I really feel like saying: "I told you to read 'Can We Live 150 Years?' instead".
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Summary: My son had great success with this diet
Review: My eighteen year old son who was 30 pounds overweight could not stick to a diet before this one. He has lost 27 pounds and says it was easy.
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Summary: The key to weight loss is lifestyle changes !!
Review: The real key to permanent weight loss is to change your lifestyle. This book will show you how to change your
lifestyle with respect to the foods that you eat. ( modified Atkins approach) To be totally effective you must also
change other aspects of your lifestyle ( diet, excercise habits,etc) there is an excellent new book called 'The Power
of Positive Habits'...which shows you how to do this automatically via the acquistion of new lifestyle habits.
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Summary: It Delivers--Pounds Off, Blood Work Good, Energy Up!
Review: 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.
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Summary: Tastes Great - and filling too - and it works!
Review: Diet in the strict sense of the word - food you eat on a regular basis. This approach isn't just a way to lose weight, it is a way to eat better. I appreciated the scientific and unique approach to "why". It's not just cutting carbs - like so many would have you believe - that's Atkins. Here you eat the right carbs with the right foods to balance and blend. The idea of absorption and conversion to fat stunted by proper roughage and mono-saturated fats. The idea of sugar in all forms. OK, the bottom line, I did lose 10 pounds in two weeks - and I only went from 165 to 155. It was tougher for my wife who weighs considerably less then me and therefore % wise it is a lot to lose. Also, we didn't really step up exercise - if we had, it would have been easier. The coolest thing I haven't mentioned yet is that the food is great - what you would get at South Beach restaurants. And therefore you can stay on diet at almost any restaurant without asking them to change the menu. Finally, even now, in the later stages of the diet I can tell my body has changed the way it processes food. The weight is staying off.
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Summary: A rip off of the Zone Diet
Review: Get the 'original' balanced nutrition diet, instead of a copy-cat.
I would hope that all the professional book reviewers would know enough about the subject to at least comment on the similarities between this diet and an 8 year old successful diet program.
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Summary: Improvement but not perfect
Review: The South Beach diet is analogous to the Atkins and Sears diets with its carb-restriction, though it supposedly allows more "flavour" into the routine, and reintroduces carb-containing foods to a greater degree than the others. The diet requires a sequential weaning program to get into the habit of the author's recommendations without shaking up the system too much, and its greatest asset is that it really is easy to follow and appears to yield at least some results. There is no odd "metabolic switch" or such, no fasting, no extreme dietary restrictions that force one off other diets after a mere month. In short, it is doable. My main criticism is the author's deemphasis on exercise. Perhaps it is not absolutely central to this particular weight-loss plan, however long-term health requires it no matter what the diet. Even if one loses some weight on this plan, there is a higher risk of heart disease and general lethargy without at least recommending certain exercises in here. Including this may have complicated the diet admittedly and required some consultation with a physical therapist, but it would have enhanced the recommendations. However, so long as one separately remembers to maintain an exercise plan, South Beach is perhaps the most useful diet plan on the market thus far.
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