The South Beach Diet works in a three phase process. The overall principal of the South Beach Diet is to eliminate bad carbohydrates and replace them with good carbohydrates. The same holds true for fats. The results are different for everyone, but if you follow the plan the way it was intended, you stand the chance of losing weight and keeping it off.

Phase One of the South Beach Diet

The first phase lasts for a total of two weeks. This phase tends to be fairly easy to follow with the regard for eating three well-balanced meals during the day being your mainstay.

Unlike many other diets, you are not limited to how much you can eat for your meal, but rather you are instructed to eat until you are full and your hunger is satisfied. You will be able to eat normal meals that include foods such as:

• Chicken

• Eggs

• Nuts

• Cheese

• Vegetables

• Beef

• Fish

• Turkey

• Shellfish

• 100% Olive Oil Based Salad Dressings

The South Beach diet principle is to eat plenty to keep your body from starving or being deprived of food. When your body feels deprived it will hang on to every calorie that you eat and store it verses using it to burn as energy and fuel for your body. Your daily menu will consist of:

• Breakfast

• Snack

• Lunch

• Snack

• Dinner

• Dessert

Even if you do not feel like you need a snack, you need to eat them between your daily meals. In order for the South Beach Diet to work you need to follow the plan very closely. You are allowed to drink all of the tea, coffee and water that you want. It is important to drink as much water as you can since water is going to flush your system of toxins and help you regain energy for exercising.

This may seem like it is a lot of food. Well, it is a lot of food. The South Beach Diet does not believe in depriving your body of food. You are simply changing your eating habits to incorporate food that is better for you. Foods that you will be cutting during this first two weeks are:

• Bread

• Potatoes

• Ice Cream

• Cake

• Fruit

• Rice

• Baked Goods

• Cookies

• Pasta

• Sugar

You will not be missing these foods for long, however. They will be added back into your diet in Phase 2. You will also need to avoid the consumption of beer and any other alcoholic beverages such as wine. You will be able to add wine back in within reason, during Phase 2.

It is good to become prepared for Phase 1 and have an open mind about the steps you are taking. Sure you are going to be missing a few starchy and sugary foods that you may have eaten in the past. Try not to look at it as if you are being deprived of something, instead think of it as your first step to a healthy lifestyle. These foods are not being taken away from you permanently. In order to begin the South Beach Diet you will need to make these changes and it is not asking too much. You can make these small changes and succeed. Once your weight loss begins, you will be more than happy that you made these changes.

Phase Two of the South Beach Diet

Phase two works entirely different than phase one of the South Beach Diet. Phase two lasts until you have lost all of the weight you wish to lose. The time you spend in phase two is entirely up to each individual, how well they reach their weight loss goals, how well their physique reacts and how well they follow the guidelines of the South Beach Diet.

After you have completed Phase one you should notice that you have lost at least eight to thirteen pounds. The additional change to your outlook on food should be noticeable too. It may have been difficult to change some habits but you have come this far and have made healthy changes in your diet that were not as difficult as they seemed.

Essentially, what the South Beach Diet did was to correct the way your body processed food. The foods that were helping you gain weight were eliminated and replace with the foods that are healthier. Your body underwent the process of reducing fatty foods and learned how to incorporate healthy foods instead. You trained your body to react better to food that benefits your health. Bad eating habits and cravings have been eradicated and are a thing of the past.

The secret to success with the South Beach Diet is that you are eating fewer fatty foods that trigger cravings and are not easily burned off with exercise. The start of the second phase marks your continued success of losing weight until you have reached your goal. You will be able to introduce some of the foods that you removed from your diet but only on occasion and in smaller portions.

If you want a sweet dessert you can have it, just do not make a regular habit of eating it on a daily basis. The key is to introduce some of these fattening foods back into your diet with digression and less enthusiasm. Phase two should help you continue to lose weight, but the loss may not be nearly as dramatic as phase one. It should be a consistent weight loss and on average you should be able to lose one or two pounds a week. Keep in mind that one or two pounds a week is a healthy amount of weight to lose and you are more likely to keep it off.

Phase Three of the South Beach Diet

Once you have hit your target weight, phase three begins. This phase tends to be more liberal but helps you maintain your current weight loss. The last phase of the South Beach Diet is a permanent phase too. At this point you should have adopted all of the good habits this diet gives you. It also means that you shouldn’t have any trouble following this part of the diet and have reached a healthy weight and been able to maintain it too. You will have regained your life through changing your eating habits.

South Beach Diet Tips

It is important to remember to keep exercising. Eating right and exercising are the two habits that are going to keep you healthy. Make sure that you have notified your physician of any changes in your diet and exercise routine so you can be advised about the best course for you. If you are severely over weight, then start out slow and as you lose more weight, and with your doctor’s advice, continue to increase your exercise until you have reached a safe level that allows you to lose weight without compromising your health.

Do not give up and keep your focus on your goals. Although water may not be your drink of choice, you should drink more water during a day than any other liquid. Staying hydrated keeps you full of energy and helps flush your body of the toxins that could harm your health.

If by chance you start to regain your weight, simply modify your eating habits and refer back to phase one and two to recap that foods that are most healthy for you to eat. When you lose weight your blood chemistry changes which improves your cardiovascular system. This can add years to your lifespan. The South Beach Diet may have been a way for you to lose weight in the beginning, but by the end it has become a healthy way of living that has helped you gain quality habits that will keep you living a longer and happier life.