South Beach Diet Plan for Weight Loss (PDF, PRINTABLE)

South Beach Diet Plan (PDF and PRINTABLE)

The South Beach diet plan is named after an area in Miami. It is a low-carb diet plan popular for its success in weight loss.

Cardiologist Arthur Agatston proposed it, and since its inception, it has enjoyed a wide range of acceptance dates.

The diet facilitates weight loss alongside good cardiac conditions. In this article, we shall discuss its successes and failures extensively.

What is the South Beach Diet Plan?

South Beach Diet Plan – What is the South Beach diet

During his cardiac-related studies, the cardiologist Dr. Agatston observed his patients following the Atkins diet plan and compared them with others taking high-carb food. He observed that those on the Atkins diet lost weight better while their counterparts struggled.

However, he wasn’t pleased with the high fat intake allowed by the Atkins diet, which was dangerous for people with heart disease.

This spurred him to set up a more balanced diet plan to cover his observed imbalance.

The South Beach diet plan was initially intended to accommodate patients with heart disease and non-patients who have weight issues equally without tendencies to make anybody worse.

He formed the South Beach diet, characterized by rich low glycemic index carbs, unsaturated fats, and lean proteins.

His work was considered credible because he first used it and it worked tremendously for him before he began recommending it to his patients with the same experience.

How Does South Beach Diet Work?

South Beach Diet Plan – Foods to Avoid

The South Beach diet runs in phases. The first two phases are geared toward weight loss, while the latter focuses on weight maintenance. Let’s take a rundown on these phases.

Phase 1 (Lasts for 14 days)

Here is a detailed description of the South Beach Diet meal plan Phase 1

If you strictly comply, this phase can lose 3-6kg of weight. It mandates avoiding grains, fruits, and other high-carb-containing food items.

This strict restriction aims to stabilize your appetite and blood sugar level. What, then, would your meals contain?

Your meals would remain three times daily, containing a rich blend of lean proteins, healthy legumes and fat, and non-starchy vegetables.

This phase requires you to take snacks (twice a day), which must be rich in vegetables and lean proteins.

Food to Include in Your Phase 1

Having read Dr. Agatston’s book thoroughly, I recommend the list of food items for the phase.

For Your Lean Proteins

• Lean pork, beef, veal, lamb, and other games
• Fish, shellfish, skinless chicken, turkey breast
• Pepperoni, eggs, egg whites, turkey bacon, etc.
• Soy-based meat substitutes
• Low-fat hard cheese, ricotta cheese, and cottage cheese
• Low-fat milk, buttermilk, soy milk, etc. (limited to 2 cups 473 ml daily)

Although there are no limits to the number of proteins consumed, it is essential to note that they are to be consumed in small proportions.

Non-Starchy Vegetables

The following vegetables are prohibited in your phase 1 diet: carrots, beets, turnips, corn, peas, yams, white potatoes, and winter squash.

All other vegetables are allowed in a proportion of 4 ½ cups per day.

Nuts and Seeds (28grams per day)

• Cashews, almonds, pecans, pistachios, walnuts, and other nuts
• Nut butter is limited to 2 tbsp
• Chia seeds, flaxseeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, and other seeds

Legumes (1/3-1/2 cups per day)

• Kidney beans, black beans, navy beans, pinto beans, garbanzo beans, and other bean varieties
• Lentils, split peas, black-eyed peas, etc
• Edamame and soybeans
• Hummus limited to 1/4 cup

Oil and Fats (2tbsp per day)

• Monounsaturated oils like olive, canola, macadamia, and avocado oils
• Vegetable and seed oils include corn, flaxseed, grape seed, peanut, safflower, sesame, and soybean oil.

Beverages (Moderate caffeine intake)

• Coffee, regular or decaffeinated
• Tea, regular, decaffeinated, or herbal
• Sugar-free sodas
• Sugar-free drink mixes
• Tomato juice or vegetable juice

Condiments

• Broth, herbs, spices, horseradish, mustard, lemon juice, or salsa
• All vinegar, with balsamic (limited to 1 tbsp)
• Light coconut milk, limited 1/4 cup (59 ml)
• Soy sauce, steak sauce, or miso (limited to 1 1/2 tsp (7 ml)
• Cream, whole milk, or half and a half (limited to 1 tbsp)
• Light sour cream or cream cheese (limited to 2 tbsp)
• Light whipped topping (limited to 2 tbsp)

Foods to avoid (Phase 1)

• Fatty poultry and meat
• Whole milk, butter, and coconut oil
• Honey, Foods made with refined sugar, maple syrup, and agave nectar
• Grains
• Alcohol, all fruits, and fruit juice
• Carrots, beets, corn, turnips, yams, peas, white potatoes, and winter squash

Here is a shopping list for the South Beach diet plan Phase 1

South Beach Diet Plan Phase 2 and Phase 3

Here is the detailed description of the South Beach Diet meal plan phase 2

Phase 2: This phase is estimated to eliminate at least 1kg of fat from your body. It permits all exempted food items in Phase 1 but in limited proportions.

It starts with day 15 and elapses until you have attained your weight goal.

Phase 3: This phase runs on Phase 2 instructions but is a little more flexible because it is aimed at weight maintenance. You are expected to keep a check on your weight goal constantly.

If you add weight because of the flexibility of this stage, Dr. Agatston recommends you go back to phase 1.

The exciting thing about this phase is that there are no limits or restrictions to what you can eat.

Foods for Phase 2 & 3

Phase 2 is characterized by flexible adjustments to phase 1 food, signified by gradually adding high-carb food (in bits), one serving per day of whole grains, fruits, light beer, wine, and starchy vegetables for the first week.

After two weeks of following phase 2, you can increase your servings of the aforementioned food.

Phase 3 is a phase you can advance to after meeting your goal weight. In this phase, there are no limits to what you can eat. A little run down on the list of foods to add as you adjust in phases 2 and 3.

Whole Grains and Starchy Vegetables (1-4 servings per day)

• Rutabaga, peas, yams, sweet potatoes
• Turnips, limited ¾ winter squash
• Whole-grain hot cereal, cold cereal (limited to 1 cup)
• Whole-grain bread, pasta, couscous, quinoa
• Brown or wild rice
• Limited 1/3 cup taro
• limited 3 cups popcorn

Alcohol (1 serving per day)

• Limited light beer 12 oz (355 ml)
• Limited wine, dry red or white, say 4 oz (118 ml)

Fruits are limited to 1-3 servings per day, except fruits like watermelon, raisins, pineapple, and figs. A serving is about 115 grams.

Foods to Avoid in Phases 2 & 3

• Fatty poultry and meat.
• Whole milk, butter, and coconut oil
• Honey, foods made with refined flour or sugar, maple syrup, agave nectar
• Fruit juice, alcohol other than light beer and dry wine
• Corn, beets, and white potatoes
• Figs, dates, raisins, pineapple, and watermelon

A Typical Sample of a Day’s South Beach Diet

An idea of what you can work with for phases 1 & 2 for your day.

Phase 1 Day Sample

• Breakfast: 3 eggs and 1 cup kale cooked with 1 tsp olive oil (See full breakfast recipe for South Beach Diet Plan)
• Snack: 1 oz (28 grams) string cheese with bell pepper slices (See complete snack list for South Beach Diet Plan)
• Lunch: Roasted salmon and asparagus salad with mustard vinaigrette
• Snack: Celery sticks with 2 tsp peanut butter
• Dinner: Lean steak with broccoli

Phase 2 Day Sample

• Breakfast: Peanut butter oatmeal
• Snack: 1 cup of cucumber slices with 1/4 cup of hummus
• Lunch: Apple-walnut chicken salad
• Snack: Cottage cheese with cherry tomatoes
• Dinner: Pork fajitas with 1/3 cup guacamole

Pros and Cons of the South Beach Diet

The benefits of following this diet plan include the following:

• It achieves weight loss without hunger
• Effective hormone regulation through quality protein intake
• Suitable for everyone: diabetic, non-diabetic, etc

Cons

• It permits some toxic fats like soybean oil, safflower oil, etc.
• It is too restrictive on oils; it should include more quality oils in its diet.

Conclusively, the South Beach Diet is undoubtedly excellent and reasonable. It only lags in its consideration of fats and oil.

It should be more objective with fats and choose the best starch quality in its diet.

Types of South Beach Diet Plan

Printable South Beach Diet Plan (PDF)

See Also

1200 Calorie Diet Plan

Raw Food Diet Plan

21 Day Anti Inflammatory Diet

Mediterranean Diet Lunch Ideas

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7 Day Intermittent Fasting Diet Meal Plan