The South Beach Diet Inside Skinny

The South Beach Diet as you know, has become incredibly successful after the diet book by almost the same name was published, released and snowballed with rapid speed in neighborhood niches as dieting success results were whispered about and fanatically talked about. The book, in question, The South Beach Diet: The Delicious, Doctor-Designed, Foolproof Plan for Fast and Healthy Weight Loss. I'd however suggest buying the South Beach Diet book used since, because of the diet book's popularity (2nd best selling diet book in the U.S. in the last 10 years - as of the year 2006) there have been over zealous printings, which has resulted in new and used copies for literally, less than one dollar, including hardcover versions.

The doctor now famous and behind the book is a cardiologist from not so ironically, Florida, (as in 'South Beach') named Arthur Agatston. He pioneered the diet plan after creating a dietary routine and meal plan for his patients out of necessity, not being able to find something that lived up to his demanding expectations and emphasized "good carbs" and "good fats". Often confused with the Atkins Diet, a completely different monster that pushes the philosophy of a low carbohydrate (low carb) diet, The South Beach Diet instead encourages eliminating the bad carbs and bad fats, while substituting each with good carbs and good fats.

Good carbs are defined as (according to Doctor Arthur Agatston) being high in fiber or good fats, and have a low G.I. - also known as the glycemic index, which basically means such foods are digested and absorbed at a much slower rate in your body. Also recommended is adding more fiber or good fat whenever good carbs are eaten in order to slow down the digestion of the carbohydrates. Good fats are defined as poly-unsaturated or monounsaturated fats, versus the bad fats being saturated fats or trans fat.

The South Beach Diet is not meant to be a fad. It is not a one week or one month quick fix answer to melt away pounds to fit comfortably into a new summer swimsuit. It was made for long term success.