What thesis is the Southbeach diet based on and does this diet work?

Answer 1

It turns out that everyone who is overweight has a tendency toward hypoglycemia. That's often called "pre-Diabetes" or "low blood sugar". In reality both are right. In hypoglycemia, we eat sugars or starches and the body creates insulin so that the cells can make use of the sugar. If our blood sugar goes too high, we end up producing too much insulin and some of the sugar is burned while the rest is converted to fat, then, an hour or two after eating, we're hungry again because the excess insulin has caused our blood sugar to dip. That's the real reason that we get fat, we get caught on that cycle of too much insulin, resulting in low blood sugar, resulting in overeating of the WRONG stuff, resulting in too much insulin... Atkins and the South Beach Diet both work toward moderating the insulin reaction. Both diets cause you to eat fewer of the carbohydrates that end up raising your insulin level to the point where you'll be craving food. The result of both diets is that you don't have the cravings and don't overeat. When on either diet it is not uncommon to hear that someone was involved in a project and forgot to eat. Both diets help you eat lower calorie meals and not feel deprived. To make either one work, you do need to lower your calorie intake, but the modification of carbohydrate intake makes it easy. Yes, the diet works.

Answer 2

The South Beach Diet claims you can lose 8-13 lbs in the first two weeks. Once you enter phase two, you can expect to lose a more reasonable loss of 1-2 lbs a week. But the important word here is "claims." Most of what you hear on TV or read in magazines is based on publicity and advertising. The job of the spokespeople for the South Beach Diet is to convince you to buy it. So, a good rule is to be skeptical. There is NO miracle diet. It is doubtful that you can magically lose that much weight and keep it off just by using any one particular diet. Also, reactions about this diet are actually mixed: some people say the South Beach Diet is very difficult to stick with, others say it helped them. There are no guarantees with any diet.

In reality, the key to a successful diet, whether it's South Beach or anything else, is making important lifestyle changes too. For example, learn to eat smaller portions; avoid junk food or food that is high in calories; eat plenty of fruits and vegetables; and make sure you can get some exercise on a regular basis. It also helps to get some support, from others who are dieting, or from a weight loss program, or from a professional trainer. Otherwise, no matter what diet you are on, you will just gain back the weight you lost.