South Beach Diet Critique

This was my comment to an article about South Beach Diet published in the newspaper:


Any diet book has no more than 1 or 2 new suggestions. The rest is window dressing because the publisher needs filler to make a book. Seriously! What do you think all those recipes are about?
When a cardiologist like Dr. Agaston writes a book people want to believe and it became a fad. But when someone with his credentials sells out to Kraft or some other company any good he has done will be diluted.
Check out those SB cereal bars. They are 100 cal cookies by another name! 6g or more of sugar! Need fiber? You can do a lot better eating some veggies.

Dr. A, you probably have samples of those foods at home - no wonder you are having problems with weight gain yourself! Take my advice - toss 'em! LOL!

SB diet cereals have 6g or more of sugar too. You can find 0-3g sugar in old fashioned, untrendy cereals like Cheerios or corn flakes or oatmeal. (Fatties really need to compare labels!) So if you want fruit and nuts - add natural, unprocessed ones separately. Why pay for added vitamins! Take a multivitamin if you think you must.

This is my Any-Idiot-Can-Do-It Diet! If I did it - and have kept it off, any one else can. It is so damn simple I can't fill a book (no matter how much I would like to get the royalties!).

I found out what works and what doesn't after years of trying (well at least I can expand the details in this blog ;-) and keep encouraging people who need help )

But this is the unvarnished bottom line :

#1 Cut down on SUGAR as much as you can. It is in most processed foods and even some natural ones. I figured out it was the culprit that made me ravenous before the next meal. You can't succeed if you always feel hungry.
#2 Cut your portions in half from what you are used to eating. Become aware of feeling satisfied without feeling stuffed. Stop eating the moment it happens!
#3 Have am UNPROCESSED 100 cal snack to eat if you get ravenous before meals. (just 1!)
#4 I disagree completely with the folks who say you can cheat on sweets once in a while. If you are carb sensitive like I am, you will go on a binge after one bite. Better NONE than ONE. Until you get your appetite under control stay away. That means no sweet desserts! Any special occasions have to be really REALLY rare or you WILL relapse. I remember the day vividly when I passed up the pastry counter in the hospital cafeteria (don't laugh! Look at the crap hospitals are pushing!) one day when I was really depressed over a family member's illness. Looked at those enticing yummies long and hard ("I deserve to console myself!") but got a cup o Joe with a couple splenda instead and walked away. That day I knew I had mind over matter.
#5 Move. Anything. Don't feel you have to make a huge effort - just make a little MORE effort. As you get older or have excess weight or illness exercise may be difficult. Work up to a half hour walk if you can. If you can't walk then you have to cut back more food.