by
Neil Stelling B.Sc, MBA
© DigiLectual Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The
South Beach Diet works, for most people. Its
low fat, low carb approach helps you lose
weight quickly and easily. Health benefits
are great too.
But
there's some easy mistakes you must avoid.
Gain
Weight in Phase 2
Most
people do well being strict in Phase 1. But
what happens when you switch into Phase 2
? Often, you put some weight back on again.
Why ? Because your body's starved of carbs
for 2 or 3 weeks. At the start of Phase 2
it grabs at every carb you give it, and turns
them into fat. I learned this lesson the hard
way, gaining 2 lbs in my first Phase 2 week.
So reintroduce carbs slowly when you go into
Phase 2, and make sure they're good carbs.
Feel
Hungry
Yes,
if South Beach makes you hungry, you're doing
it wrong. You don't need to feel hungry. Eat
3 meals a day, with snacks in between, choosing
from the foods allowed in your current phase.
Stay
in Phase 1 for too Long
Isn't
Phase 1 great ? You can lose from 8 to 13
lbs in just 2 weeks, without being hungry.
So why leave Phase 1 ? Why not keep up your
rapid weight loss ? Because you must start
adding some carbs back in. A healthy diet
includes some good carbs like wholemeal bread,
porridge and fruit. A permanent Phase 1 also
gets a little boring, and you'll start to
cheat. Yes you will. A few biscuits here,
a few biscuits there, and soon you're cheating
rather than dieting. It's better to switch
into Phase 2 after 2-3 weeks, and accept a
slower healthier weight loss.
Fall
Victim to Bread Craving
How
many people list 'bread' as an addiction ?
Seriously, there's a lot. Unfortunately, white
bread is right near the top of the Glycemic
index, and about the worst food you can eat
on your diet. When you get into Phase 2 you're
allowed to eat bread, but only slices of wholemeal.
Same with rice and pasta. Small amounts, and
ideally whole grain versions. Bad carbs add
weight.
Ignore
the Health Benefits
Most
people start a diet to lose weight. I guess
that's what a diet is for. But some diets,
particularly South Beach, have major health
benefits. In fact, it's worth going on the
South Beach Diet just for the health benefits,
even if you don't lose weight (but you do).
My blood pressure was high when I started.
After
3 weeks it was back to normal. People with
pre-diabetes, or potential heart problems,
can much reduce their risk by following this
diet. So there's lots of beneficial internal
changes in your blood chemistry happening
while you're losing weight.
So
if you follow the South Beach Diet properly,
you'll get great results. You'll lose weight
quickly, keep it off, and get some major health
benefits.
Discover
easy to follow weight loss secrets with a
free mini-series of South Beach Diet Tips.
And learn how to get your own 'virtual personal
trainer' video. Click http://www.south-beach-diet-video.com/ata
