Rating: 
Summary: South Beach Diet: Great book, Super Diet Plan
Review: I've tried a lot of different diets and found that South Beach and The Atkins Diet were the only programs that worked for me.South Beach offers results comparab to Atkins with the added advanage of a more liberal eating plan that includes moderate carbs and even desserts.On both programs I lost excess water and fat whereas on other programs I lost lean tissue and water and generally looked like a smaller fat person. I was generally always hungry as well. Not with The South Beach Diet! I felt full and had lot's of energy.If you are considering either the Atkins Diet or The South Beach Diet, why not do what I do, try both and switch back and forth.
Rating: 
Summary: Inconsistent, and lacks information....
Review: Check this book out of the library before you decide whether you're going to buy it. While the plan seemed somewhat sensible, it really bothered me that this book never says anything about restrictions. For example, pregnant or nursing mothers are given no guidelines one way or the other. In the glycemic index chart, I'm supposed to believe that brown rice (whole grain) has a higher glycemic index than instant rice? Or that a PB sandwich is not healthy under any circumstances. The testimonials throughout the book were also a bit obsessive. Most of them were too scared of food to go off the phase 1 diet. I know the basic idea works (tried it under a few different names), but I don't think this book is the best version. Too many foods are labelled "bad" to enable the reader to make rational decisions.
Rating:
Summary: This book can help - My Story
Review: I bought the South Beach Diet book because I wanted to lose weight. My wife, a registered clinical dietician and a Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE), had me on a low fat diet "American Heart Association" diet for years. I kept gaining weight. We read the different low carb books and I decided, with her help, to try the South Beach Diet because it includes moderate fruits. She agreed I should try it, perhaps she had grown embarrassed because I was so heavy given her profession.Week 4.
In the first phase, which I had been on for 3 weeks, I have dropped 6% of my total body weight. I seem to have leveled off for the last week as I have begun to add more things back. This is what the book predicts. I had a BMI of 32.5 and now have a BMI of 30.6. I will go back into the strict phase soon to push that even lower. I am targeting less than 25. I include 30 min of exercise per day. The best news is that at no time have I felt deprived. Week 10.
I now have been in the maintenance mode for some time with a few meals where I had fries or bread that are not included in the diet. My BMI is now 29.7 which is .9 less than the 4 week reading. I am still exercising and feel great. I still do not feel deprived. A significant item in the book is the suggestion to add a sugar-free fiber supplement. I highly recommend this as well. It has made this diet very tolerable, plus adds to my satiety. My wife is now a quiet, but enthusiastic believer in this type of approach. Thumbs up Dr. Agatston, this plan works.
Rating:
Summary: Why it worked for me
Review: I have been a compulsive eater for as long as I can remember. When bored or stressed, I head for the refrigerator and often don't even know what I'm eating. But, things have changed for me because I have worked on the problem from two levels -- emotional and nutritional. This diet is the easiest diet I have come across. I like it. So the nutritional part has been easy. I am working on my emotional problems with Optimal Thinking and I feel more powerful than I ever thought possible. So I recommend Optimal Thinking: How To Be Your Best Self together with this book to deal with the emotions that stand in the way of making the most of the moment, making the most of ourselves and life.
Rating:
Summary: I lost 14lbs in 10 days and wasn't hungry!
Review: In the past, I have tried everything from Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig to Slim Fast and the Fat Burners. I would lose some weight, usually was hungry, but as soon as I went back to my old eating habits, kaboom, the weight came back on again. Not with the South Beach diet! I lost weight quickly, felt great and was never hungry. Best of all, I got to eat foods I really liked. What a change! Have fun and lose weight at the same time. What a deal! Sure beats the boring tasteless foods that other diets recommend. The South Beach Diet is the diet for the new millenium. Try it, you won't like it, you'll love it. I know I do.
Rating:
Summary: I lost 25 lbs in the first month and feel great
Review: I love the South beach Diet. It offers so much variety and the menues are so enjoyable too. When I had my last visit with my doctor, he noted that my cholesterol, blood pressure and pulse rate along with my weight were all way down. He said I looked great and asked me what I was doing. When I told him "The South beach Diet" he asked me a few questions about the program. Said he had heard about it but thought it was "just another fad diet." But now, saw absolutely nothing wrong with it and in fact, went out later that night to buy a copy for himself. He is now recommend this deit plan to other patients. People who compare this to Atkins obvioously haven't read either book. People who callit "another fad diet" clearly don't know what they are talking about or like my doctor just dismissed it as such without investigating the program. The South Beach Diet is an outstanding program...so is the book. So easy to read. So complete. So many menues and variety. If you are struggling with the yo-yo diet syndrome, need tolose some weight, then I highly recommend the South Beach Diet. Read the book then don't try, but do the diet--it works!
Rating: 
Summary: Sugar=poison
Review: Okay so it's poorly written and the recipes aren't great (101 things you can do with Ricotta cheese) but the diet really does force you to think about your food choices and what you're putting in your body. Pick up a loaf of bread, a granola bar, a box of instant oatmeal and look at the ingredients. They're full of high fructose corn syrup. Why is there corn syrup in bread?? Because it's cheap that's why. And because food manufacturers know that we're all addicted to sugar (carbohydrates), whether we think we have a sweet tooth or not. I've been thinking about this for a while, but this book really gave me the extra push I needed to change the way I eat. There are no easy answers. We just have to start buying whole foods and cooking for ourselves. It's more work but in return you get to live longer.
Rating:
Summary: Great book Easy diet
Review: I love this diet. I have never really been on a structured diet like this before. But at 29 and about 30lbs overweight I felt I needed to try something. I have found the book easy to read and the design very user friendly. All the recipies are great. I would suggest anyone even thinking about it. Give it a try.
Rating: 
Summary: DELICIOUS FRUSTRATION
Review: I found this book, like so many other diet cook books to be full of sound medical/nutritional information. However, many of the menus and recipes assume you have access to elite food shopping. I, for one do not. In order to follow this plan, one must have a pretty good foundation in nutrition, love to cook, and be creative in making the right substitutions for impossible to get ingredients. I lost weight on the Atkins diet, but got sidetracked. I'll have a go at this one, too. I found the book to be very badly indexed. Also, the author contradicts himself a number of times. Go ahead, do the diet. It's a reasonable one. If you are really honest about it, you'll loose weight.
Rating:
Summary: FOOLPROOF!
Review: The truth is, that before the south beach diet I was mortally obeese. I could have died. I had no friends and was afraid to leave the house because of the stares I would get. I tried to stop eating bad food, and I tried to do what I could to exercize, but I was not strong enough. The south beach diet has changed the world that I live in. I no longer am afraid that the children will call me a "whale, mommy, a real whale!". I no longer have to wear sweatpants, and finally found a job other than telemarketing. I am still 180 pounds at 5'4, but I have never felt more alive. My boyfriend and I exercize everyday and follow strictly the helpful advice that Arthur has to say. I have been fooled by other plans, but this one is the real deal. Thankyou Arthur!
| 
