The South Beach Diet – Supercharged – Does it work?
It is supercharged: speed up your metabolism
The South Beach Diet has had a makeover, or rather a transformation. Cardiologist Dr. Arthur Agaston, creator of the South Beach Diet, revised his program by adding a “supercharged fitness program” created by University of Miami physiologist Dr. Joseph Signorile. This fitness program is divided into three phases similar to the original diet phases to help you increase your fitness level.
The Revised Diet
Despite its stricter Phase 1, the South Beach Diet encourages a healthy, balanced diet. It provides step-by-step recipes and meal plans, and now includes increased activity through interval training. The new book also includes more vegetarian recipes and 40 new recipes in addition to the original book.
The diet itself has not changed much. The new book offers more food selections to choose from in Phases 1 and 2 and also includes a new 2-week meal plan for both Phases. Readers are encouraged to eat three meals a day with small snacks with an emphasis on lean protein, low-starch vegetables, and low-fat dairy products.
All three phases have also remained unchanged with the stricter 2-week Phase 1 limiting intake of low-glycemic foods, including low-starch vegetables, lean protein, and low-fat dairy. Phase 2 adds some whole grains, fruit, and portion-controlled sweets and alcohol. Phase 3 increases portions and teaches weight maintenance.
supercharged promises
South Beach continues with its infamous promises. The first book promised the reader a weight loss of up to 13 pounds in the first 2 weeks and further promised that the weight loss would be focused on the abdomen region. Experts agree that we can’t target weight loss to a particular part of the body, so adding the promise of faster weight loss due to twenty minutes of interval training continues the list of unsubstantiated claims.
How does it work!
Forget all the claims of super-fast, tummy-specific weight loss and focus on the diet itself. Experts agree and advocate that low glycemic index diets are very good, however, they do not recommend eliminating certain foods, such as carbohydrates, from the diet. But South Beach Phase 2 is something to take a closer look at. Focusing on cutting out processed carbs and cutting back on sugar is a winning weight loss tip. Most unhealthy eaters eat mostly processed foods, with very few fruits and vegetables. Eliminating processed carbs in Phase 1 of this program can leave many people shaking their heads saying “so what can I eat!” Following the program through its phases can help many readers work towards a healthy, balanced diet while improving their fitness.
