Rating: 
Summary: Works for me
Review: I lost many a pound with this little jewel of a book as my beacon of hope. Thatks to Mr. Angston I can now rubber duck my way to the top of the bunny fever dance charts.
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Summary: Atkins with portion control
Review: This book is similiar to the atkins diet in that it cuts out the carbs and increases the protein, minus the excessive portions and fat. Which is Ideal. Also, I like the book, The Little Guide To Happiness. Just because.
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Summary: Sound Diet--Fabulous Recipes--Poorly Written
Review: Just recieved the book and I'm really happy with the recipes--The book contains a great variety of dishes--enough that if you don't eat beef or pork like me, you'll still be satisfied. The book also contains what I see as really sound diet advise. Its main focus is on cardiovascular health and avoiding diabetes with weight loss as a secondary goal. This book is really about lifestyle and is pretty realistic. Dr. Agaston discusses why people fail and also advocates that people reintroduce some of the things that they really enjoy in moderation. Apart from phase 1--this is a book about changing your lifestyle. On the flipside--this book is poorly written. There are glaring errors of organization, grammar, and development of ideas. I am afraid that all of the interesting and valuable evidence may be somewhat overshadowed by this. The diet seems like a sensible and interesting way of eating backed by pretty sound evidence, but it is presented in an antecdotal style. I would like to see a section devoted to "hard evidence" from real or even semi-informal studies. Also-a section advocating the benefits of exercise as part of healthy weight maintainence would be nice. Obviously--Dr. Agaston has encountered patients who are adversive to exercise, so he knows that touting it too much may keep people from doing it, but he should include a section regardless. Also--some inconsistencies between what he says during the first half of the book and the meal plan/recipe section should be resolved in a future edition.
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Summary: Good diet (I think)/ Bad Book
Review: After only 4 days on the diet, I cannot comment on the diet itself but I am horrified by the outright mistakes and inconsistencies in the book. This just shouldn't happen in a bestseller like this. For example, Dr.Agatston recommends in Phase 2 to add fruit to your diet but advises not to have it with breakfast (p.42). Yet in the meal plan for Phase 2, nearly every breakfast includes fruit. A meal plan breakfast item in Phase 1 is said to have a recipe on p. 131 but it is the wrong recipe. Additionally, it is suggested in the text to eat nuts as a snack in Phase 1 but they are never shown in the meal plan as an option. The doctor writes in the text to eat only low-fat cheese in Phase 1 but in the meal planner for 2 days in a row he lists fresh mozzarella cheese balls as a snack.
I could go on...but did anyone proofread this book ????
Rating:
Summary: Something to chew on...
Review: I am a physician and know a little about diets, just talking with dietians and trying to guide my patients. Basically, Dr. Agaston puts medical physiology in terms that everyone can understand and makes good points about the way Americans are programmed to eat. His instructions are easy, but does require some conscience to your eating habits. In my first week I've lost 5 pounds and my husband has lost more. It is not as strict as a diet as what I've seen/heard about the Atkins and it is heart healthy for you too.
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Summary: Skip This And Buy "Flip The Switch" Instead
Review: I just finished reading the South Beach Diet and trying the diet. I bought it because I believed that I could lose 8-13 pounds in 2 weeks.Well, my two weeks are up and I am down only 2 pounds. This clearly does not work. I told my sister that I was disappointed in my results. She told me that I was crazy and the I should read the book "Flip The Switch" by Jim Karas. She gave me her copy and I cannot put it down. I am starting his plan today and am selling my copy of South Beach. If anyone is reading, you HAVE to read "Flip The Switch." I believe it has all the answers I have been looking for.
Rating:
Summary: My first
Review: I have never dieted before simply because I didn't believe in it. That said, after reading several articles about this diet (and hearing about it from everyone) I decided to try it. It sounds so cliche to say "It changed my life" but that's exactly what it did. Take it from someone who LOVES food and LOVES to eat: This is the one and only diet that will work for you. Other recommended reading: YOU CAN HEAL YOUR LIFE by Hay, for fiction, McCrae's BARK OF THE DOGWOOD, and for inspiration: THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN.
Rating: 
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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