The verdict is in: those simple carbs we've been living on are killing us. For good health, we've got to get our blood sugar under control and stop the incessant cravings. Or so says Dr. Arthur Agatston, author of The South Beach Diet. The first half of the book details the science behind the diet. Most of the explanations revolve around why things you thought were healthy—-orange juice, wheat toast, carrots—-are actually evil. To avoid blood sugar surges, Agatston created a modified carbohydrate plan, recommending plenty of high-fiber foods, lean proteins, and healthy fats, while cutting bread, rice, pastas, and fruits. Major differences from other diets include a lack of concern over portion size and a serious indifference to exercise. Feeling full while on a diet is a beautiful thing, but it seems odd that a cardiologist buries his exercise recommendations in a solitary sentence.

Great diet, despite "rich" recipes

I gave this four stars because the recipes that are in the book aren't exactly in my budget, but I get good ideas from them and the food lists.

Anyway, I've been on this plan for almost 2 weeks. My doctor recommended it for me and it's been somewhat successful so far. The scale is always hard to read because I'm exercising and weight training now as well, but my clothes seem to fit a bit better.

At first, it seemed like all I wanted was what I couldn't have. The first 3 days, I would come home at night and feel myself craving popcorn, which is my comfort food. Instead, I'd snack on something I could have. Eventually, I found ways to distract myself from thinking about food and the cravings eventually backed off. I don't say they've gone away, but I can handle them better.

I'm approaching the next phase and I can't understand why everyone is so negative about this diet. Yes, it's a fad, yes, I'm sure that the fact Dr. Agaston isn't minding the money he's made, but this plan really does work. If you watch how you eat and when you start to add the carbs back in (ie, you don't have a sandwich everyday, etc.), then the weight loss will continue.

The book itself is easy for me to follow. Everything is fairly straightforward and concise. There is a definte sense of humanity behind the writing and you feel you can relate to the author and to the testimonies in the book.

Honestly, it's a great plan, but not for everybody. I always felt I would die if I had to give up popcorn, and I'll be glad to add it back again with phase 2, but I'm proud of myself and I thank Dr. Agaston for his work and I hope that I continue to improve my health and one day look and feel like I've always wanted.

To lose weight, just head South.

This is a diet book whose plan is to get you to lose weight by limiting your carbohydrates- essentially another low-carbohydrate diet. It has 3 phases where your carbohydrates are severely restricted at first, and then re-introduced. These kinds of diets will definitely help you lose weight in the short run, but in the long run, they fare just as well as any regular calorie restricted diet. An easy read, I give it 4 stars. Readers interested in other weight loss books might also want to check out "The No-Beach, No-Zone, No-Nonsense Weight Loss Plan" to see what the published research has to say about losing weight. Happy reading!

New Aleternative

There must be something about The South Beach Diet that makes it so popular. However, I think that we in North America, while chasing the perfect body, forgot about what really matters - the perfect health.

I am a creature that trusts everybody, but not without a dose of skepticism. Therefore I always make a point of trying new approaches on my own before expressing any opinion. After going trough The South Beach Diet I realized that Agatston is just updated version of old Atkins. Although these two low carb approaches certainly bring good results from the point of loosing weight, I am not really convinced that this is what one need to focus on. First of all, it is a hard diet to follow, and sooner or later one is bound to break some of the rules. Secondly, I find that in a healthy diet we need carbs the same way as we need fats and proteins.

Out of all approaches to losing weight, the one that makes most sense to me is presented by Dr. Tombak in his book "Can We Live 150 Years?" Using simple language he talks abut all aspect of health and longevity. Following some simple food combination guidelines, and not letting your stomach direct your actions are the basic things that one needs to do. As Dr. Tombak advises: "Eat to live instead of living to eat!"

The interesting thing is that once I started following Dr. Tombak's guidelines I lost about 10 pounds within six to seven weeks without ever focusing on losing weight. I was more concerned about proper nutrition and healthy life style more than anything else. Loosing weight was just a pleasant byproduct of my new lifestyle.

But of course that is not all. It turns out that improper diet is only one of a few causes of obesity for many people. Mr. Tombak names other, less known causes of the problem and he also suggests the ways of dealing with them.