If you’re trying to lose weight and feel better after eating, you might want to try the South Beach diet plan. This plan eliminates inflammatory food types and those with a high glycemic index to keep your body composition stable. Many people who start the South Beach diet never stop eating in the prescribed way, even after losing all of the excess weight. One of the reasons people stay on this diet is that it’s so easy to follow. Unlike other low-carb diets, like keto and paleo, you won’t have to incessantly count carbs or worry about occasionally eating something off plan. Here’s what you need to know.
Intake Controls
While on the South Beach diet, you will not strictly count calories or carbohydrates, which makes it easy to stick with. You’ll actually measure and control your portion size to keep a close eye on your intake.
The average portion size for meat nears two ounces, depending on the cut. You can consume up to two cups of dairy a day, though cheese portions should stay near one ounce per serving. You can eat as many vegetables and eggs as you need. You won’t be able to eat grains or fruit during the first stage, so find vegetables you can consume in bulk. You can use the sample meal plans to learn how to eat on this diet for the best chance at success.
Three Stages
The first stage usually lasts just a few weeks as your body stabilizes on the plan. Cutting out all of the carbohydrates from fruit and grains allows you to quickly lose water weight.
You continue the second phase until you reach your goal weight. You’ll be allowed to work a couple servings of fruit and grains into your meal plans at this time. However, do not add in overly sugary grains and loads of fruit or you may gain back the initial water weight pounds. Since everyone is different, you’ll need to watch how different food groups affect your waistline and cut them out as needed.
The third, and final, phase focuses on maintaining your weight loss. Use the information you gathered about how foods affect your body composition and weight loss to make good meal choices.
One of the main focuses on the South Beach diet is switching from harmful fats to healthy ones. Fats you must avoid include trans, saturated and overly processed fats. You should embrace monounsaturated fats, like avocado and olive oils, during your time on this eating plan. You can also use lard and tallow to cook with, since they are mainly monounsaturated.
Success Rates
Most people who follow this diet end up losing more than ten pounds during the first few weeks. From there, you can expect steady weight loss on a weekly basis. It’s healthy and normal to lose at least one to two pounds per week. Any more than that and you’re in danger of backsliding later.
