South Beach Diet Plan - How Does the South Beach Diet Plan Measure Up?

(Before I forget, you can click on any of the links in this story to go right to the page or site I'm talking about!)

First, unlike so many of those other fad diets you hear about that can cause permanent liver damage or other health issues, South Beach was designed by Dr. Arthur Agatston, a respected cardiologist and researcher with the Mount Sinai Medical Center in Florida, to help his cardiac patients lose weight safely and be able to keep it off for better heart health

So if not worrying that your diet is going to kill you is a plus, this is a step in the right direction for the South Beach approach.

Basically, as I understood it at the time, South Beach teaches you how to balance the foods you eat with your body's chemistry. (Click on the link to learn more.)

Sounds simple, right?

And it is, for the most part.

The only real downside to the plan is the first two weeks or so. This is the infamous Phase 1 when you break your addiction to sugar and "bad carbs."

It was hard for me to give up my morning cereal, I'll admit. And since it was the height of summer, when all the best fruit was in season, I wasn't all too thrilled about having to abstain from that, let me tell you.

But here's the kicker.

I did it, and I followed the plan just as it was laid out, and guess what?

I was rewarded for my efforts - I lost 13 lbs. just during phase 1!

And the cool thing about it was, I wasn't starving! Yes, it did hurt to give up a few of the foods that I loved.

But that only lasted for two weeks.

After that , you go back to eating real food -- even chocolate (my favorite)!

South Beach doesn't tell you to never eat the foods you love again.

What it does do is to teach you what fats and carbs are good (click on the link to see why) for me, and which ones I should stay away from in large amounts so that you not only lose those extra pounds, but you keep them off.

Now, what's the catch? After all, it can't be that easy, right?

You're half right.

Like I said, Phase 1 is hard. At least it was hard for me. If you aren't a real carboholic like I was, it might be easier for you. In fact, I can almost guarantee it will be.

But honestly, once you get past that, it's pretty much smooth sailing. In all honesty, I'm amazed at how much I eat on this program and how fast I'm watching the scale go down.

And, guess what? Once your body adjusts to fewer bad fats and carbs, all those cravings for the other stuff just stop. I mean seriously, they just STOP. It's kind of cool.

After those first two "strict" weeks, you'll start reintroducing some of those no-no foods in a more reasonable way. And, if you're like me, you'll still lose weight.

I don't pretend to know the science behind it. But it has something to do with the fact that your body basically readjusts to how it processes those carbs.

Once you're no longer "addicted" to them, they're not as harmful. (Or something like that. I just know it works, even if I'm not sure how.)

Eventually, after you reach your "goal weight," you move onto Phase 3, the maintenance phase, where you basically just maintain your current weight.

I hit phase 3 a few months ago. I've had a few hiccups since then (hey, my husband is a pastry chef, what do you want?), but if that happens you can always move back a little bit to phase 2 (or even phase 1 if you're in a hurry), and get back to where you need to be.

So that's basically my story. Hope it helps you decide!

One final note -- I believe they're still running a special over at the South Beach Diet Online where you can try everything out for one week for free. Click on the link to check it out now!