The South Beach Diet by Arthur S. Agatston M.D. (2003)

I wish I had not waited so long to buy this book after learning about this diet. It is a marvelous lifestyle plan. I have lost 40 pounds since mid December of 2004 (yes, that's right I started this diet just before Christmas) This diet is by far one of the healthiest I have ever encountered. It is the emphasis on good vs. bad carbs, good vs. bad fats and use of lean protien that is the key to both instant results, and LONG TERM success. I was on Atkins twice with good results but I never could quite lose the nagging thoughts about all that fat and cholesterol laden meat, eggs and cheese so I could not strictly follow it and the weight came back. With South Beach the weight has come off, stayed off and I am continuing towards my goal on a pace that is neither too fast nor to slow. My doctor is quite pleased with my weight and my vastly improved cholesterol numbers. My ultimate goal is to get off the low doses of medication I use now to keep my blood pressure under control.

South Beach takes Atkins one step further and is much more healthful than Atkins will ever be. It really is just common sense once you know the not so secret secrets. It only took 6-8 weeks before I was able to eat almost anything I wanted as long as I avoided white flour, white sugar, corn, carrots, and potatoes. That still leaves plenty of vegetables to chose from. It's almost as if once I got to a certain point that my body reset some switches and I eat less, crave less and feel excellent.
If one can get over the sugar cravings of the first two weeks there is no reason that anyone should not succeed on South Beach.

I see one major pitfall being people's past eating habits being a stumbling block to success on this diet more than any flaw with the diet itself. If one has spent a lifetime consuming little else besides bread, potatoes, pasta, sodas, baked goods etc., etc. with only an occasional salad and vegetable thrown in they will have problems. If that same diet has been filled with white flour, refined white sugar, white potatoes in every form imaginable the first two weeks will be a struggle. It does require developing a taste for more natural and non-processed foods. If you have been eating heat and eat dinner from a box for most of your life be warned that it will take a major change on your part to make this work.

Still, even small changes inspired by the book will be helpful so anyone who has been on the fence about South Beach should not hesitate to pick up a copy of the book, or recipe book or both on Ebay.

I won't be selling mine. This diet is a diet for life and I'm keeping them right here with me.

i this book because i had tried the south beach diet before and i lost 50 lbs and i've managed to keep it off. I lost my book by lending it out to a friend who lost it which really angered me. I love it for the recipe's in it and i need to go back to phase one because i'm starting to gain weight back and i don't like it. so if your wondering YES THIS WORKS REALLY WELL JUST KEEP WITH IT!!!! i love this book this diet this south beach attitude!

I was expecting a lot more from this book. I wanted more about the program and how it works, instead there were many complicated recipes and information that wasn't very helpful. The recipes on the website are much better and easier to make.

I purchased The South Beach Diet Book about 3 weeks ago. The book is more informative than i thought. would recommend to others.

Very detailed and helpful book on losing weight. This is basically I think a low carbohydrate diet but with some helpful hints on foods that you should avoid even on a low carb diet.

We have lost weight, enjoyed new foods and had a blast cooking together. The book it loaded with great information. Well worth the time to shop and plan and enjoy.

The book was like brand new. A fantastic purchase. I bought this for my wife. she had been looking for the book. I told her, lets look on ebay. There were several choices and we lucked out and chose this one. Thanks

A family member recently has had some severe physical problems with diabetic shock and elevated blood pressure and was put on a restricted diet for losing weight. I began getting questions about food groups (carbs, proteins, fats, etc.), and I knew that this book had the answers and a lot of good information
that would supplement what had been received from the doctor. I wanted the family to have this book as a gift, and promptly, and had the Seller send it directly to them. From all I'm hearing, it has been as helpful as I had hoped.

I have really enjoyed this book. I have not been diagnosed with Diabetes, but my family has a history of it. This book helped me find ways of eating so that hopefully in the future I will prevent Diabetes from happening to me. I'm very glad I bought this book and read it.

When first reading this book it started out a bit slow, but the further you get the more you gain an understanding of portion control, and ways to contribute to your overall health and longevity. It emphasizes better choices, and yes, the old favorite...calorie control. It puts a new spin on ways to cut calories, increase your exercise and to control those portions.

I bought this book for a friend who couldn't afford it at regular retail. The book was in excellent shape. Thank you

Tried many diets before did not work. So I bought this book to read about it
And like it You can eat meats and low glycemic carb. No refined flours or sugars. I can be on this diet for a long time

My girl friend concerned with my weight and health gave me a copy "The South Beach Heart Program to read so I decided to follow it up with "The South Beach Diet" Well worth reading and following if you want to live to a ripe old age.
So I have a Lady to thank.

Easy to read and understand for a dolt like myself. The diet really works and
I shed 13 lbs so far, without feeling deprived. The book is far better than any
we have tried before.
The recipes are easy to follow and, except for just one dish, delicious.

I really enjoyed this book. It was very insightful and really gave good ideas on how to get healthy and stay healthy. It included recipes and even gave lists of meal plans by the week. I would highly recommend this book to those who are trying to get healthy.

The book is interesting and an easy to read. The diet itself would be easy for me to follow except there's a lot of preparation for the foods that are involved with the diet and I work full time and HATE to cook. If you enjoy cooking and have the time then I think this diet would really work for you!

Just curious to read about another diet plan.

I thought it was very good considering diets do not work.

This was a different approach to dieting or what I call watching what you eat,

This one might have a chance if you can get past the two weeks of no sugar, bread,etc,it was something VERY HARD FOR ME..........I MADE IT TO ONE WEEK..................

This was a very simple transaction. I won the item and the seller sent it to me. I did like the fact that the seller went the full circle by keeping me informed of when item shipped and when funds were received.

Excellent book well written, easy to follow and it really works. Just hang in there and you'll see results. Cooking is a little challenging but if you follow the book you will really see the results.

very clear, very easy to follow directions to a very easy to do life change. This (diet) eating plan has the best of all the things that i like. I love the atkins diet but that one is too easy to go off and cheat with desserts, fruit, pasta and bread. this one adds those things in in good amounts after the first phase. very easy to follow and commit to. The book is very clear and answered all my questions.

Thank you for the fast shipping. Will puchase from again A+ The seller does what is said in the auction. Have no compaints.

very fast! thanks for that! i bought it as a present for someone and they loved it. i would definitely buy from this buyer in the future.

I bought the South Beach Diet book because I have been on medication for many years for high cholesterol and high blood pressure. I also had gained a lot of weight and am afraid of getting diabetes which runs in my family. I started the SB diet on Jan. 3 and lost ten pounds so far. The only thing that I dislike about the book is that Dr. A. has pre-set menu plans and he does not offer any substutions or options. For example I do not eat fish at all and he did not offer advice on the what to eat in its place. The other thing I did not care for was that most of the three meals a day required preparation (recipes for them are in the book). I tried to follow the ones I liked more often and just tried to improvise using the basic principals trying to choose low glycemic index foods. Using the low GI, good carb/bad carb principals in diet can help you loose weight, it can help stabilize blood sugars, and also help prevent heart disease. My husband who had a heart attack and quad bypass surgery in March 07 was just told by his cardiologist to go on the South Beach Diet too.
There is also another good book written prior to SB diet by Dr. Richard Podell called something like the Glycemic Index Factor (I got it from the library and not sure of the title now)It has more info and better menu choices so it is easier to follow in my opinion.

It's nice to have a book on hand with daily menus and corresponding recipes. While I'm not a person to follow a diet strictly, I believe this book has some sound healthy principles, compliments Atkins' concept, altho' different too. Many of the recipes are easy and delicious. I know several people who have been faithful menu & recipe followers and they have successfully and painfully lost what I'd consider a lot of weight in a short time. Try the cilantro mayonaise recipe - I didn't think I'd care for it but it was oh so good. Also the quiche recipes, altho' I don't recommend freezing them. There is also a handy paperback called Good Fats, Good Carbs Guide - it's an easy lookup tool for questions that arise.

I had success on the Atkins diet in the past having lost 40 pounds but through my own fault from vacations,business trips got back into poor eating habits then attempting to follow typical "Heart Safe" American balanced diet plan and more of the weight quickly came back on. Frustrated, through my doctors advice I decided to investigate the South Beach information. Only on my second week but have lost 7 pounds following this and also moderately exercising. I feel the South Beach approach, while quite similar to Atkins to me, has taken it to the next level. Easy to understand and basically has you shy away from saturated fats also along with common high carb items like potatoes, white rice, bread, pasta, sugar items and etc., more toward the leaner cuts of meat, fish and chicken, fresh fruit and mostly green vegetables. I highly recommend this and research has improved explanation how our body works over Atkins initial breakthrough findings of the 70's. Also answers why this is quite healthy opposed to the high carb starvation American diets which only leave you hungry and that are poorly supported. I do not understand why all the confusion what is good and bad for us but seems like the research in this book is well founded, easy to follow and is working well for me. Good luck to you on your own health quest!