Like the Atkins diet, it is a low-carb approach to losing weight. But there is a lot more to it. It can help heart patients and diabetics become more healthy and manage their conditions to increase the likelihood of living longer, healthier lives.

Primary Goal Was Health Related

To make this point even more clear, the South Beach Diet was developed by a cardiologist, Dr. Arthur Agatson, who wanted to devise a diet so his patients could lose weight in a healthy, sustainable way. His primary motive in developing the South Beach Diet was to improve his patients' health, not to sell weight-loss books. Of course, many diabetics and heart patients are overweight, which contributes to their conditions. So changing their eating habits  and getting into a pattern of aerobic exercise is the method he recommends to improve his patients' health, and the weight loss is one of the results of the diet.

I Can Vouch For The South Beach Diet

I personally have gone on the South Beach Diet, as I have Type-2 diabetes and have had high blood pressure for years. It was my cardiologist who told me that if I got my health under control, it would add ten to fifteen years to my life. Since I'm a Baby Boomer, ten or fifteen years was a major portion of my remaining life expectancy. Both my hypertension and blood sugar levels are normal now. I still take medication for each, but a much-reduced dosage. The doctor says if I lost 25 more pounds, I might be able to cut out the medication entirely.

Carbohydrates Convert Into Sugar

The basic approach of the South Beach Diet is get into a regimen of consistent aerobic exercise and to restrict one's sugar and carbohydrate consumption. Sugar has a lot of calories and increases blood sugar levels. Carbohydrates, or starches,  convert into sugar during digestion. Diabetics might not realize it, but it's the carbs that are really keeping their blood sugar levels high. I never realized this until I switched to a new cardiologist. I drank diet soda and used artificial sweeteners, but my borderline Type-2 diabetes became worse. Of course, I wasn't physically active and my weight was at an all-time high. So my cardiologist said a change in my lifestyle and diet was mandatory. No more procrastination. The situation was simple. If I continued the way I was, I might live only another ten years. If I adopted this new direction, I could expect to live twenty-five to thirty more years. It hit me in the face like a ton of bricks. Time for a change! My cardiologist recommended the South Beach Diet. So here I am ready to tell you about it. Which I will do in an upcoming series of posts.

Healthy Weight Loss Tips: Get member support, nutritionists' advice, the doctor's tips, results!

Technorati Tags: Diabetes, Diet, Exercise, Health, High Blood Pressure, south beach diet

is especially true for diabetics, as persons who have Type 2 diabetes and must lose weight to control it and need to avoid "bad" carbohydrates. These bad carbohydrates convert into sugar during digestion, which, as you know, is the main problem for diabetics. There are several recommended low carb diet programs--the South Beach Diet, the Atkins diet,and the Zone Diet are the most popular.

The South Beach Diet is very popular with people who want to lose weight, but not have to count carbohydrates, fat grams, and every thing else! This diet is a great alternative to these sometimes unhealthy means of losing weight. The South Beach Diet allows you to eat in a healthy way and not completely cut out all your favorite food items, which in the long run makes it almost impossible to stick to, again leaving you frustrated with your attempt to lose weight. The South Beach Diet works by changing the way you eat to include more healthy choices that will make you feel good and increase your energy levels. This diet focuses on good carbohydrates and fats, so you don t crave all those bad carbohydrates and fats, which work against you in attaining your diet goals and leave you hungry all the time.

The South Beach Diet is divided into three phases. The first is designed to help you change your diet to one that is filled with eating healthy lean types of meat, such as beef, lamb, pork, veal, chicken, fish, and seafood. All meat should be broiled or baked, not fried, and should not be coated with breading or crumbs; this adds extra carbohydrates and calories that you are trying to avoid. Plenty of vegetables, nuts, eggs, and low-fat or fat-free cheeses are also allowed so long as they are not coated with anything adding extra calories. Vegetables should be steamed and plain, no sauces or butter yet. phase one of the South Beach Diet is the most limited, and does not allow you to have breads or baked goods of any kind, rice, pastas, potatoes, fruit, candy, ice cream, sugar, or alcohol. You can have sugar-free treats, but they should be limited to seventy-five calories per day. I know what you re thinking, don t get discouraged. This part of the diet only lasts the first two weeks, and is designed to get your body used to only having good carbohydrates to jump start your weight loss and eradicate your cravings.

In phase two, you will slowly add back in sweet potatoes, wild or brown rice, whole grain breads and cereals, fresh fruits, and red or white wines. You should avoid such vegetables as carrots, beets, white potatoes, and corn because of their high sugar content, and also fruits like bananas, pineapples, raisins, and watermelon. Some other foods that will slow down your weight loss efforts include cookies, cakes, sweet rolls, and ice cream. These should be kept to a bare minimum if you have them at all. You need to stick to phase two until you reach your goal weight, then you will begin phase three or the maintenance phase. This is where you continue to practice the good eating habits you have learned and maintain your weight. The South Beach Diet is heart healthy and is designed to teach dieters how to lose weight effectively and keep it off for their lifetime. No more yo-yo dieting!

Published by Natural Health Trip

Technorati Tags: atkins diet, bad carbohydrates, Diabetes, Diet, good carbohydrates, lose weight, low carb diet, south beach diet, weight loss, zone diet

Low carb diet plans are a raging diet trend today.  While forms of low carb diet plans have been around for hundreds of years, they recently exploded in popularity all over the industrialized world, especially the United States of America.

In the last five years especially, it seems like the United States has suddenly realized how overweight it has been getting, and the next natural response to this awakening is of course diets!

Most Low Carb Diets Follow Same Basic Principles

Low carb diet plans vary considerably in what they suggest and offer, but they all basically follow the same general principle.  You can live without carbs, but you can’t live without protein and fats. You may not want to give up carbs entirely, so fortunately there are "good" and "bad" carbs and the good carbs will satisfy your urge for them.  While somewhat counterintuitive, since it is fatty protein based foods, like meats, that are often higher in calories, carbohydrates serve no nutritional function whatsoever and can completely eliminated from your diet with few adverse health effects.  A reasonable diet of meats and vegetables will therefore give you all the nutrition you need without any ‘unnecessary’ calories.

If you are looking for some good diets to try, you may want to consider a low carb diet plan.  If adhered to, any low carb diet plan will probably produce some amount of measurable results in weight loss.  Don’t ever starve yourself, however.  Whatever diet you try, make sure you are eating often, but just smaller portions and healthier foods.  Really, the low carb diet plan concept is something of common sense.  If you stop eating so much refine sugar, pastries, and breads, you’re likely going to be cutting a lot of calories out of your diet.

Atkins and South Beach Diets Most Popular

Which low carb diet plan works best is anyone’s guess. Two of the better known ones are the Atkins diet and the South Beach Diet. We'll have some follow up posts on each. Whatever  works for some people may be less effective for others, and it seems like there’s a new type of low carb diet plan coming out every week.  Tried and tested, I prefer the South Beach Diet, but as with all diet plans, finding one that works for you is usually a process of guessing and checking.  Try something that you think you can do, and see what happens.  Make sure you don’t just rely on diet alone to lose weight, as weight loss is more than just what you’re eating.  Weight loss is really about your metabolism, and so you need to stay active as well.

Low carb diet plans aren’t going to make all your health problems go away in a flash like they sometimes advertise, but combined with other measures like frequent exercise, they may help make for a good overall weight loss plan. They are particularly good for persons with diabetes, as they keep bllod sugare down. More on that later!
Healthy Weight Loss Tips: Get member support, nutritionists' advice, the doctor's tips, results!

Technorati Tags: atkins diet, Diabetes, Health, low card diets, south beach diet, weight loss