Attaining and maintaining that ideal weight is everybody’s dream. Everyone likes to have a healthy, trim and sexy body. But frankly this comes always with a price. And the price is keeping attention to what we eat and leading an active lifestyle. When choosing a diet to achieve our weight goals, one must look for one that is effective and safe. And one such diet is the “South Beach” diet. Coined from a fascinating place in Miami, this diet has been patronized by many people around the globe. But with all it’s prestige and prominence the question we can ask is: Does the South Beach diet really work?
South Beach diet is about shifting the balance of your food intake in order to trigger weight loss and healthy lifestyle. The shift would make you lower your daily carbohydrate intake to transition the body to use fat instead of glucose for energy and fuel. It is milder than Atkins Diet and can be used even if only for health reasons and not necessarily to lose weight. The diet is composed of low carbohydrates and high in protein and healthy fats. Unlike other diet programs, it is easy to follow and to maintain. Also it has a wider choice of foods that you can eat with the least restrictions on those you can’t.
To better understand how the South Beach Diet works, you have to look into the body’s metabolic functions. The food that we eat is converted into energy for the body to use fuel for its processes and functions. This mechanism is called Metabolism. When the body’s metabolism is at its optimum, it would be easy for that person to maintain his or her ideal weight. But when glucose levels in the blood are high this will hamper and slows down the metabolic processes of the body. When metabolism is low, it is a bit harder to lose or maintain an ideal weight.
On the other hand, Insulin stabilizes the glucose levels in the body. When there is not enough insulin produced by the body, it can suffer distress such as diabetes. A kind of food that has a high glycemic index would mean that it is high in sugar or glucose. The South Beach Diet would like to work on this index.
There are three phases in the South Beach diet. The first phase focuses on eliminating carbohydrates from the diet to level the glucose in the blood and invigorate the body’s metabolism. The elimination process should be progressive unlike the Atkins Diet. Because, drastically removing one food group from a person’s usual diet may not be healthy in the long run. For example, quickly eliminating high sugary foods in the diet may indeed trigger a quick weight loss but is too drastic if done permanently or a long period of time. So instead, this can be done over a period of two weeks within which metabolism should improve.
The second phase of the South Beach Diet would now include foods from all the food groups. This is maintained until the desired weight is reached. It is important in this phase to distinguish the good from bad carbohydrates. If you want to succeed in this phase, you must learn the difference between good from bad fats. And in this phase, choose to eat foods that indicate a lower glycemic index. A choice may be made from these basic food groups such as fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, milk products, fats and food with calcium content. The choices are varied. The dieter may choose his or her liking from these food groups but must always pay careful attention to choose one with lower glycemic index. That is the key. This wide variety of food choices should give the dieter greater inspiration to start and finish the diet.
Lastly, phase three starts when the ideal weight is already achieved. This phase is primarily concerned with maintaining a healthy lifestyle in order to keep the ideal weight already achieved. The dieter is now given the freedom to eat anything he or she wants for as long as the rule on choosing food with lower glycemic index is followed. Keep in moderation all food intake and always keep a watch on your weight in case it slips back. In that case, return to the earlier phases to remedy any weight gain. The key here is to take responsibility and maintain your dedication to achieving and maintaining your ideal weight. Keeping yourself healthy and sexy is a lifestyle not a one time life event. And in any case, always choose nutritious food.
Finally, never forget the importance of proper exercise. South Beach diet must always come with an active lifestyle. Take a brisk walk, hit the gym, do house chores or any activity that helps kick your metabolism. After sometime of doing the diet you’d be surprised to discover that choosing healthy and nutritious food has become second nature to you. Exercise ceases to be a burden but becomes a healthy life choice. Because the more we understand what we are doing and what benefits it gives our body, the more we are motivated to do it and ultimately we are the one to reap its benefits. It’s this simple and easy.
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Have the most wonderful day ahead!
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