With so many people using the south beach diet and getting varied results, you've got to wonder whether it is the real deal.
How does the south beach diet work? And will it work for me? These questions are probably running through your head right now.
I'm sure you've read somewhere that it uses a 3 phase approach but perhaps you haven't heard directly from someone who's tried it already.
How it Works The south beach diet is a 3 stage dieting plan focusing on making you consume "good carbs" over "bad carbs" and "good fats" over bad fats".
According to the creators of the diet, these "good carbs" such as vegetables, beans and whole grains are better at regulating our body's blood sugar levels when compared to the regular carbs we eat on a daily basis.
It also advocates the complete elimination of trans-fats and saturated fats in exchange for unsaturated fats to help manage cholesterol levels.
These "good fats" can be found in foods such as fish (which are high in omega 3 and 6), nuts (such as almonds) and lean meats.
Will I Lose Weight? Undoubtedly, if you stick to the rigorous 3 phase plan you will manage to shed some weight.
However, this weight is likely to be from water.
The science behind this is quite complicated, but apparently because the body has been deprived of sugar during phase 1 (after cutting down on all the unhealthy foods in our diet), the body looks for alternative ways to gain sugar, these are found in our body's glycogen stores (which are a mixture of water and sugar).
Once the body has extracted the sugar it needs, it then proceeds to flushing out the water which is left.
This results in a temporary loss in weight, however you will find that as you move into phase 2 and phase 3 this weight is gained back gradually (especially if you've gone off the diet slightly).
So for all the effort you put in during phase 1, don't be too surprised if you gain it back a little down the line.
This is exactly what happened to me, and although I did lose 4 pounds initially in phase 1, I gained all my weight back overtime without ever reaching stage 3.
How does the south beach diet work? And will it work for me? These questions are probably running through your head right now.
I'm sure you've read somewhere that it uses a 3 phase approach but perhaps you haven't heard directly from someone who's tried it already.
How it Works The south beach diet is a 3 stage dieting plan focusing on making you consume "good carbs" over "bad carbs" and "good fats" over bad fats".
According to the creators of the diet, these "good carbs" such as vegetables, beans and whole grains are better at regulating our body's blood sugar levels when compared to the regular carbs we eat on a daily basis.
It also advocates the complete elimination of trans-fats and saturated fats in exchange for unsaturated fats to help manage cholesterol levels.
These "good fats" can be found in foods such as fish (which are high in omega 3 and 6), nuts (such as almonds) and lean meats.
Will I Lose Weight? Undoubtedly, if you stick to the rigorous 3 phase plan you will manage to shed some weight.
However, this weight is likely to be from water.
The science behind this is quite complicated, but apparently because the body has been deprived of sugar during phase 1 (after cutting down on all the unhealthy foods in our diet), the body looks for alternative ways to gain sugar, these are found in our body's glycogen stores (which are a mixture of water and sugar).
Once the body has extracted the sugar it needs, it then proceeds to flushing out the water which is left.
This results in a temporary loss in weight, however you will find that as you move into phase 2 and phase 3 this weight is gained back gradually (especially if you've gone off the diet slightly).
So for all the effort you put in during phase 1, don't be too surprised if you gain it back a little down the line.
This is exactly what happened to me, and although I did lose 4 pounds initially in phase 1, I gained all my weight back overtime without ever reaching stage 3.
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