Whatcha think about the South Beach woe?

[BunnyD]

I don't want to get in a big debate of one over the other, but I was just curious if you all had looked into the South Beach woe, and if there was anything in particular that made you stick with Atkin's? Just wondering....

[cleochatra]

Don't even get me started.

[stephbob]

I haven't REALLY looking into the South Beach Diet, but the main reason I put it off was because I thought there was a lot of fish involved. And I hate fish!

[ladyinred]

Mmmmmmm fish. Atkins works (well, when I work the Atkins it works for me). Why go looking around when you've found the right one for you? So I can't comment on SB, but I must give an opinion wherever possible. This is my mission in life.

By the way Steph, you look fabulous. Very flat in the tummy area, aren't you?

[stephbob]

haha, thank you ladyinred! Yes, my tummy is really flat now! That dress is baggy on my tummy now, but the hips-thighs-butt still fit hehe

[cleochatra]

Oh, I'd better elaborate: South Beach is nothing more than Atkins minus the strict rules. The problem is, it is easier to backslide on SB because the blood sugars are never fully stabilized and I'd argue one never fully reaches a state of ketosis. I have the book and have compared both ways of eating, and while Dr Agatston makes some extremely cogent points, his way of eating invites a lot of falling off the wagon, and doesn't promote a stable blood sugar so much as a "if you want it, eat it and start over tomorrow" mentality. I think Atkins is so successful because it actually makes for positive changes to the blood sugar and to overall well-being. Atkins makes no apologies for the stringency of this way of eating, and it almost seems that SB is the apologist's version of Atkins, but minus the benefits we enjoy because of Atkins.

Granted, Atkins isn't for everyone, and South Beach is really successful for people will smaller blood sugar issues than we face. So, for the person with less to lose who doesn't face problems due to wonky blood sugar, South Beach is an alternative some might wish to entertain. I would definitely promote SB over WW, because SB does allow for some oils and fats which do hold satiety value over low-cal, high carb plans.

[ttdriver]

IMNSHO ... Dr. Agatston (or whatever his name is) stole Dr. Atkins thunder.

Betty

[k5commando]

I havn't known anyone it's worked for for a long period of time. I need strict rules and very low sugar. I wouldn't have made it on SB.


Oh, and Stephbob.........WOW.

[Bugaboo]

I've never read the South Beach book but from what I gathered from it there's a lot of low fat stuff which to me is tastes yicky most of the time. Count your carbs seemed so much easier to me. The easier something is for me the more likely I am to stick with it. In Febuary it will be 2 years so I guess I was right. It happens.

[not2late]

South Beach came out after I had been on Atkins for a few months and had successfully lost weight. I did read it just to see what it was about.

Basically, it's a low fat, 'lower' carb diet. I wouldn't be able to last on something like that because that was similar to the way I ate before Atkins: low fat, lean proteins and "healthy" carbs like veggies, fruits and whole grains. The problem with me was that I used to get very hungry, therefore, I would overeat the "healthy" carbs like the veggies, fruits and whole grains. IIRC, Agatson gets around this by having his dieters eat several small meals daily (to prevent hunger between meals and to keep that blood sugar steady). On Atkins, I eat 3 meals a day---even when I was on Induction, I ate 3 meals daily. I'm not hungry between meals, so I don't overeat when I finally do eat a meal. And since I'm not very hungry at all, I don't overeat during meals (big problem with me).

I've been successful on Atkins. It fits into my lifestyle very well. While I haven't reached my weight loss goal yet, I have acheived some MAJOR health goals (which I value a whole lot more than wearing a size 8 dress!) That's why I stick with it: it works for me.