Many people love this diet and are perfectly willing to swear by the good name of M.D. Arthur Agatston, while others find it hard to stick to the obligatory induction phase. The South Beach Diet belongs to the low-carbohydrates group of diets and has been derided as a fad diet, although its fans claim that it is not a fad diet and that it is, in any case, much more responsible and healthy than the Atkins Diet. Then again, not many diets manage to be less healthy than Atkins.
The South Beach Diet is divided into three different Phases, the first two for a specific timeframe and the third phase for life. For each phase, there are no limits on portion sizes, you simply eat enough to satisfy your appetite.

Phase 1 lasts for two weeks and is the strictest part of The South Beach Diet. Dieters who choose this Diet can expect to see their food intake restricted to seafood, lean meat (such as chicken, turkey, fish, and shellfish), eggs, low fat dairy products, nuts, vegetables (most of them, anyway), artificial sweeteners and a couple of carbohydrates of the low glycemic variety. During the first phase of this diet, the shock phase, most fruit and vegetables are still on the banned list, just like the rest of carbohydrates. Unfortunately, some people find it hard to cope with the low energy level, the fatigue and sometimes nausea that accompany this phase. However, it should be noted that not all dieters experience these symptoms. It’s all in our genetic make-up.

The best part of this diet is the focus on removing simple carbohydrates (sweets, pasta, bread) from the diet and replacing them with the healthier complex carbohydrates from wholegrains and vegetables. The worst part is the marketing jargon that makes it sound like a fad diet and the tough first phase of the diet, which sacrifices the long-term healthy eating approach for an instant gratification technique based on the catch-all slogan “lose weight fast”. Any such approach will have the dieter lose a lot of water and not that much fat.

On the other hand, the second phase of the diet is a bunch of quite sensible eating advice and the recipes provided by the author are very good. There are also pre-packaged South Beach foods for those who lack the time or the inclination to cook for themselves. And now you can start adding foods from the Phase 1 Foods to Avoid list. Whole grain foods and fruits are gradually returned to the diet, although in smaller amounts than were likely eaten before beginning the diet. The idea is to stay with this phase until you’ve reached your target weight.

Phase 3 is the final and least restrictive Phase of The South Beach Diet. Agatston describes this phase as a “way of life”. As long as you continue to follow some basic guidelines, the diet has become your way of life and you’ll continue to maintain your weight. All things considered, the South Beach Diet is not a bad idea if one could clear away the hype and marketing lingo and focus on the healthy eating part and the good food choices. This information is something that should stay with you through the years if you’re looking to keep that weight from returning.

Weight Watchers Meetings

Weight Watchers is not so much a diet as a combination of low fat nutrition, exercising and group counseling for those who lack the motivation to lose weight on their own. The main feature of this veteran dieting program is, of course, the weekly meetings because people who are going through the same thing are going to be there to help you. Members attend meetings once a week to discuss their dieting experience and to learn how to make wise choices, eat healthy, or something like it. You also benefit from the exchange of weight loss tips, recipes and others’ practical experiences.

Weight Watchers Points

The Weight Watchers eating plan is based on points. Food items are assigned a specific number of points on the Weight Watchers system and various types of exercise are assigned negative numbers of points. Each dieter is told to restrict his food to a certain amount of points every day based on the individual’s current weight and weight goals. This means that you can choose any food as long as you control how much you eat and stay under your total point value for the week. Dieters are allowed to eat foods that are not usually recommended, but only very small portions of those. Healthy foods get the lowest amount of points and so can be had in greater quantities. The eating plan also comes with good advice on healthy eating and changes in the long-term lifestyle designed to keep the extra pounds away.

While the Weight Watchers program is and has been a good one, it seems that the tough competition from the weight loss market is beginning to take its toll on it. The latest version of the points system is the same as the one before, but with a lot more marketing and slogans attached. The company is also more aggressive in its tactics and is trying to attract overweight people with the promise of losing weight while still eating the foods they like. This is not the best approach for people who have to change their eating habits in order to lose any kind of weight.

One good point is that Weight Watchers do not try to sell you any kind of special food or secret formulas that cost an arm and a leg and which turn out to be of little use to many people. On the negative side, dieters may run into troubles when trying to determine the number of points for foods which are not listed on the Weight Watchers eating plan. Also, the program costs some $45-60 per month but there’s no contract, so you pay as you go and it is still one of the most reasonably priced weight-loss plan. Of course it may be a little too high for the cost conscious crowd and for those who can’t really afford this kind of monthly expenses.

Weight Watchers is ideal for people who can’t stick to a diet on their own and find this kind of peer support reassuring. It’s always better to know that others are going through the same thing and to talk to people who understand you. If having company during difficult times helps your willpower, then you are probably going to lose all that extra weight. If, on the other hand, you don’t like the idea of being constantly under peer pressure or dislike the record-keeping that the plan imposes then this diet is not for you.