Lose weight with meat, without pasta
What do you do if you have already tried many diets, but without success? Cardiologist Agatston eventually devised his own weight loss method: the South Beach Diet. It is based on good fat and good carbohydrates. In itself it is an easy diet. More foods are allowed than prohibited.
Basics of South Beach Diet
In short, the South Beach Diet is based on the distinction between good and bad carbohydrates. You mainly eat healthy. Pasta, bread, rice and grains, for example, are out of the question. Fish, meat and vegetables are good foods and should be eaten in plenty, according to Agatston. The diet is easy to follow and will eventually lower your cholesterol.
How does it work?
The South Beach Diet is based on the glycemic index of foods. This index indicates the rate at which glucose from carbohydrates enters the blood. Products with a high GI value first cause a rapid rise and then a rapid fall in blood glucose levels. Foods with a low GI value cause a slow rise in blood glucose levels. This makes you less hungry. If you teach yourself to choose foods that score low to medium on the glycemic index, you’re doing well. The South Beach Diet consists of phases in which you learn or unlearn something. In the first phase you learn to stop yourself and not to ‘overeat’ yourself. We often eat too much, while we do not compensate for that energy. Therefore, this part consists of healthy food. Sweet snacks are prohibited. Instead of grains and whole grain products, eat vegetables, meat and fish. This phase usually lasts two weeks.
In the next phase you will slowly start eating some carbohydrates again. It is important that you alternate and do not use everything at once. Do you want to eat pasta in the evening? Then don’t eat bread in the afternoon. This way you learn to balance your carbohydrate intake. This phase is probably the hardest and also the longest. You continue with this until you have gained weight. That can take a few weeks, but also a few months.
Phase three is a bit easier. You can eat some more ‘bad’ products again. Keep the variation in mind. If you maintain this phase, the yo-yo effect will probably not occur. You have then found the right balance for you. You can eat this way of eating for the rest of your life.This is what you mainly eat:
- regular portions of meat, chicken, turkey, fish and shellfish
- enough vegetables
- eggs, cheese and nuts
- salads with real olive oil
- healthy snacks
This is especially not what you eat:
- pasta and rice
- baguette
- chips
- mashed potatoes
- bread and cereals such as muesli
Pros and cons
The advantage of the South Beach diet is that you do not have to weigh the healthy products. You can safely eat some more of it. In addition, you simply eat three meals a day, until you are full. You will find many recipes in books on the South Beach Diet. They can help you a lot on your way.
What you are missing in the South Beach Diet is the fiber. This may make it more difficult for you to go to the toilet.
