Customer Rating 4.5
Description:The verdict is in: those simple we’ve been living on are killing us. For good health, we’ve got to get our blood sugar under control and stop the incessant cravings. Or so says , author of The South Beach Diet. The first half of the book details the science behind the diet. Most of the explanations revolve around why things you thought were healthy—-orange juice, wheat toast, carrots—-are actually evil.To avoid blood sugar surges, Agatston created a modified , recommending plenty of , , and , while cutting bread, rice, pastas, and fruits. Major differences from other include a lack of concern over portion size and a serious indifference to exercise. Feeling full while on a diet is a beautiful thing, but it seems odd that a cardiologist buries his exercise recommendations in a solitary sentence.

The last half of the book covers his; daily diets are mixed with recipes, some of which are from South Beach restaurant chefs. The most restrictive period lasts just two weeks, enough time to stabilize your urges and lose a few pounds; stage two adds fruits and a handful of other carbs, while stage three is meant to last the remainder of your life, with occasional lapses for white bread or birthday cake.

While the diet is sound, the book could be better organized. The first half mixes scientific study with anecdote in a seemingly random way, while the mix of meal plans and recipes can be confusing. Still, the recipes are varied and tasty, and you’ll never feel deprived, unless you currently happen to live by bread alone. –Jill Lightner

Customer Comments:I have had several years of experience with Atkins diet, and my physician recommended that I look into the South Beach Diet as a less restrictive alternative, so I purchased the book.While the general principles may prove helpful to many people, I feel compelled to point out the ridiculousness of at least one of Dr. Agatston’s generalizations. (There are others, but because I resold the book, I no longer have it in front of me to refer to.)The assertion that drove both me and my husband into a laughing fit was that carb-containing foods, such as potato, are better for you if they are served in as large pieces as possible, i.e., not chopped or mashed. Okay, when was the last time you swallowed a baked potato or an apple whole? Most of us have these built-in food processors called TEETH which render everything into a puree.

It became clear to me while reading this book that the author is an Atkins “copycat,” with no real background in nutrition, whose purpose was to design a more palatable version of the structured Atkins regimen for the average person. He is indeed a cardiologist, as Atkins was; however, he is not a reliable source of nutrition information.I have been on so many diets that worked only to a degree but were so limiting in food choices that I couldn’t wait to get off those programs.

Also tried Slim Fast, but stopped when I found out that it was just low calorie sugar and give me the results I wanted, although I did lose weight.South Beach is like a modified version of Atkins which I also used with success. Unlike Atkins The South Beach Diet is also ideal for those who can’t eat a high fat diet.I lost 8 lbs. my first week and noticed skin belemishes went away.

So far, am down 20 lbs. in three weeks and feel great! Another great book that my friend used with great effects and highly recommends is “Can we live long” (or something like that)

Icky, ick, ick. This weight loss book has absolutely no scientifically proven nutritional info to back it up. It is a fad diet through and through and was so successful because it got tons of publicity and the public is so clueless about nutrition and so overweight that they will listen to anything for help. However, this book is lacking in so many ways.

Agatston is probably as clueless about nutrition as you are if you are looking into purchasing this book. Take a look at healthy 100 by John Robbins or Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrman, M.D. If you do read either of those books, you will understand why I am proclaiming this. I am also a nutritionist who has a broad background on nutrition. If you buy this book you will not be following the best diet for your body and may suffer some health consequences.

Joel Fuhrman, M.D. is a medical doctor who specializes in nutrition. He has helped people to not only lose weight but helped people to get rid of health problems like diabetes, high blood pressure, lupus, migraines, and myraid other health aliments, even cancer. I had a medical appointment with Dr. Fuhrman once and I could not respect the guy more. He is a nice person who truly cares about your well being and health. I have not met John Robbins, but in his book he also comes off as genuine and caring. I cannot say that about Agatston.

South Beach Diet