Carol’s Diet Blog

Introduction:

South Beach Diet

I started my weight loss journey by doing the Weight Watchers and Slim Fast diets. While I was able to lose one pound per week on these diets – I was always hungry. I noticed that when I chose low carb foods in my diet, I was not so hungry. So, I set out to find a healthy low carb solution, and discovered the South Beach diet. I decided to try it, and have continued my 1 pound per week (as long as I also count calories) weight loss on South Beach, without the constant hunger.

I have recently found a diet which I think pulls together all the things I have been doing the last few years, and then some! It’s called Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle. Their website is kind of tacky, but the e-book is right on target, in my opinion. The e-book talks alot about setting goals and making commitments. It also talks about counting calories and exercising. The food choices are very similar to South Beach: healthy carbs in limited quantities, lean proteins, some good fats, lots of veggies.

Also, be sure to read my recent article: The Big Picture !

Below is a table comparing the diets I have tried. This is based on my own experience with these diets. I was able to lose 1 pound per week. Below is a table comparing the diets I have tried. This is based on my own experience with these diets. I was able to lose 1 pound per week.

	Slim Fast	Weight Watchers	South Beach	Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle
How Easy is the plan to Follow?	Very Easy: Two Slim Fast Meal Replacement Shakes or Bars per day and a reasonable dinner.	Moderate: Have to count points and write down what you eat all day long.	Moderate: You must follow a menu plan, or revise it yourself according to rules. (See my phase 1 simple rules.)	Moderate: You must exercise and count calories and eat according to a diet “template”.
Hunger Experienced	High	Depends on what foods you choose	Low (though no diet is completely without hunger!)	Low (though no diet is completely without hunger!)
Cost	$1 per day. The slim fast products are $2 per day, but you are replacing food with them, so I cut that in half.	$2 per day based on weekly cost for meetings of $15.00	$15 for the book. Your grocery bill will probably go up due to eating lots of high quality meats/fish and salad/veggies!	$39.95 for the e-book. Like South Beach, your grocery bill will probably go up due to higher quality foods.
Weight Loss Acheived	1 pound per week	1 pound per week	6 pounds for the first 2 weeks, then 1 pound per week afterwards. I found that with the SB diet, I have to count calories and stay within 1200-1400 range to keep up with a 1 pound per week weight loss. Otherwise, it’s too easy to eat too many calories in nuts and cheese.	This diet got me off my recent plateau and I am now losing 1 pound per week again, plus it builds muscle.