Customer Reviews

The South Beach Diet Supercharged: Faster Weight Loss and Better Health for Life

5 star:		(143)
4 star:		(47)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

I highly recommend this book--in printed form, not Kindle. I bought it for my Kindle, and it's just not formatted well. Testimonials interrupt the flow of the main text in ways that are confusing; the formatting makes it look like a new section, then you return to the original flow of information without warning. I have to backtrack too often. Also, there are many references in the text to specific pages for further information, which can be useful if you are pursuing a particular topic. However, the page references are useless on the Kindle (unless there is a way to find a particular page number that would correspond to the printed copy location). So if I want to find these pages, I'm searching randomly or using the search field, which is not efficient, since the key words are repeated everywhere.

In addition, it's just not easy to page through the recipes or go directly to them when you need them. The Kindle doesn't work as a cook book for me.

An author friend of mine who writes self-help books stated Kindle is not a good format for that type of book, especially when they are not written linearly. I love my Kindle for its convenience and breadth, but I wasted my money on this title. I have to spend more to get the paper copy. Grrrr.

If you have never read The South Beach Diet, buy this book instead: It's much more helpful due to the exercise section and latest research on healthy eating and physical activity. If you already have a copy of The South Beach Diet, you need to buy this one as well so you can do the exercises.

I'm a big fan of The South Beach Diet. It helped me lose a lot of weight when nothing else worked. I felt comfortable losing the weight and looked great when I was done, rather than like a survivor of starvation. Whenever I gained a bit of weight since then, returning to Phase 1 quickly took it off.

But there was a problem: I clearly wasn't exercising enough. In the past, I've done a lot of walking and weight lifting . . . but I didn't get much benefit in terms of medical measures like reduced triglycerides. In fact, eating oatmeal and taking omega-3 supplements does more for my cholesterol level than exercise. I know that I need something different.

My eyes opened wide when I got to the section of this book that talked about how moderate amounts of walking (20 minutes every other day) with short intervals of fast movement spaced between moderate walking would do me more good for burning fat than doing all that walking that I used to do at one speed. Now, that sounded great!

Between walking days, you do some moderate body toning. Here is where I had some concerns about the book: The photographs show a lot of stress being put on the back. That's not a good idea for me: I have back problems. I'm not quite sure what to do, but I've ordered the DVD to see how these exercises are to be done and hope there will be detailed instructions there for people with bad backs.

In this book, Dr. Agatston does a good job of describing the various physical ills in joints and feet that baby boomers develop from the wrong kinds of activity and exercise. He even helped me understand how I create vast shoulder pain when I shovel snow the wrong way . . . and now I know what not to do.

If you are under 30, you can probably use this book just as is. If you are older, be careful with the body toning!

The remainder of the book is the same wonderful material on eating good carbs and good fats while avoiding bad carbs and bad fats . . . plus the latest validations of scientific research supporting the assumptions underlying the diet. There are lots of phase 1 and phase 2 recipes, and you can buy separate cookbooks if you want more.

But the best part of the book comes in reading the personal testimonies. They make the book come alive.

Great work!

Instead of repeating other reviewers, let's focus mostly on seldom-discussed details of this book.

The South Beach diet centers on natural foods. Agatson contends that portion size usually takes care of itself when natural foods are eaten. He opposes the taking of supplements with the exception of fish oils (p. 314), because he doesn't believe that supplements can adequately replace the nutritive content of natural foods. Fish oil is effective at reducing the inflammatory response that is part of the metabolic syndrome. (p. 81)

Agatson traces the obesity epidemic in the western world. He points to the overconsumption of refined carbohydrates and other foods with a high glycemic impact, and the increase in sedentary living. In fact, he shows that NEAT (nonexercise activity thermogenesis) has declined not only since the Industrial Revolution, but even at much more recent times, owing to such inventions as the e-mail. (p. 57) Even subtle declines in everyday activity levels add up, over time, to increased fat accumulation.

He points to the irony of the fact that American children are overfed but undernourished. This causes a host of problems beyond the most obvious ones. For example, the attention span of children in schools has declined in recent years. (p. 87) As an experienced educator, I fully agree.

Belly fat is the most dangerous, as it contributes to the inflammatory process that leads to cardiovascular disease, strokes, etc. Agatson shows how crude weight measurements and the BMI have been superseded by measurements of the waist-to-hip ratio. It should not exceed 0.8 in women and 0.95 in men. (p. 64)

Agatson prescribes many different kinds of exercise. He also stresses interval training, pointing out the fact that this facilitates fat-burning. Also, more intense exercise gives a longer afterburn, which is the time that fat burning is still occurring at above-resting rates after the exercise session has been finished.

There are numerous menu ideas presented in this book. There is also a helpful table of food substitutions (p. 242) for use in the Phase 1 of the South Beach diet. For instance, mashed potatoes can be replaced by mashed cauliflower or pureed navy beans, and potato chips can be replaced by baked zucchini chips.

This book concludes with a list of references, to articles in medical journals, which the research-oriented reader can use for further study.

Easier to follow and with more options than the first South Beach diet, this plan actually works!!! In less than two weeks, I was totally rid of my cravings for the ooey and the gooey. The weight has been coming off and staying off and I have a whole new way of eating (it's not really a diet any more) for the rest of my life!!. I look great, I feel wonderful and the added bonus is that my arthritis has nearly disappeared!!! Changing one's diet does more than just take off pounds!! I recommend this book and this lifestyle!

I started the SBD in September 2007. I've lost 55 lbs and kept it off. I pre ordered this book and couldn't wait to read it. Phase 1 is so much easier than Phase 1 in the original book. The new recipes are fabulous. I also started the 3 phase exercise program contained in this book about 3 weeks ago. Phase 1 of the exercise plan is pretty boring if you already work out. So far I am being challenged by Phase 2 and appreciate the shorter work outs! I swear by the SBD and have been lucky to have a husband that didn't need to lose weight but wanted our family to eat healthier. I was a sugar and bad carb addict but also liked to enjoy a glass or two of wine and didn't want to give the wine up. This is the perfect lifestyle to adopt and this book makes it so easy if you are willing to take the time to plan your meals ahead of time. As one last comment - on phase 1 of the diet I did not cheat AT ALL and did not weigh myself until the 2 weeks were over. I had lost 13.2 lbs and completely lost my sugar and bad carb cravings. Anyone that I know that has success with this diet truly READ the book and didn't cheat AT ALL in phase 1.

THIS WORKED! My husband did it and lost a lot of weight (about 25 pounds, I think). The thing that impressed me is that he was able to EAT while he was on the diet. My husband LOVES FOOD. Seriously. He loves to think about food, he loves to make food, he loves to look at food and he loves to EAT. If he can do this diet and STILL ENJOY FOOD (which he did), then anyone can.

Only problem: when he doesn't stick to it, he gains weight back very quickly. It needs to be a lifestyle choice and not something that you do for just one month.

Love this diet,lost 23 lbs in 5 weeks,looking forward to losing 27 more.feels great looks good.Buy the book and change your life.

This diet is amazing! So far I have lost 110 pounds. The new book should help with the remaining weight.

I had the original South Beach diet book years ago, which was pretty good. I much prefer this version, though. The food lists are expanded, the diet plan guidelines are easier to follow, and there is a complete exercise plan included that gradually moves from beginner to advance. The original book had no exercise plan to follow, so this is a huge improvement. If you're looking for a simple, healthy diet and exercise plan, this is the book for you.

I just glanced through the chapters. I am familiar with the original South Beach Diet. This book has expanded the foods list for phases 1 and 2. It includes a 10 week fitness program. This is a good book for those new to the South Beach Diet.