How To Lose Weight Fast With The South Beach Diet

Developed by Dr. Arthur Agaston, the South Beach Diet has become one of the most popular diets of the decade.The South Beach diet is designed to help you lose weight fast, and to keep it off.

The South Beach Diet is based on the Glycemic Index (GI). The GI is a basic system that rates foods by how they affect the body’s blood sugar levels. This started out as a dieting plan for diabetics, but has  helped many people who do not suffer from diabetes as well. In today’s society diabetes is becoming more common due to the amounts of sugar we consume. This is why this diet is not only effective at helping you to lose weight, but also makes you healthier at the same time.

In the first two weeks of the program you are strictly limited to what foods you can consume. This is to kick start the body, and to help cleanse your taste buds. The diet claims that in this first two week period you can lose up to 13 pounds.

While you are on this plan you will concentrate on eating proteins and healthy fats. Meat and diary will be allowed in small amounts only. You are encouraged to consume nuts and olive oils as a source for your healthy fats.

During Phase 1 you can consume:

Eggs
Lean white meats
Fish and other seafood (not fried or packaged in oils)
Avocados
Nuts (1 oz or less)
Olive Oil
Tofu
Low fat dairy products
Non-starchy vegetables

Things to avoid during Phase 1:

Pasta
Bread
Rice
Potatoes
Corn
Alcohol
Sugar

Its important to note that during the first two weeks you will not consume the recommended daily amounts of some vitamins and minerals. So it is important that you only stick to this phase for the two weeks as instructed.

You are instructed to eat 3 meals a day, with a snack in between meals. During Phase 1 you can eat a dessert, but you have to eat it after dinner as a “third snack”. The dessert is normally some type of Ricotta Cheese.

When you enter Phase 2 of the South Beach Diet, you are less restricted to what you can consume. You will start to integrate “good” carbohydrates into your meals. At this point you can slowly start eating fruits and whole grains again. Phase 2 helps you learn what is good to eat in order to be successful in keeping your weight off.

As with any diet program, you should first consult your physician to ensure that you are healthy enough to begin a diet program. If you follow the program you may be able to lose weight fast with the South Beach Diet.