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205 of 215 people found the following review helpful:
Good Carbs, Good Fats, Food Lists, Recipes, Moderate Interval Walking, and Body Toning Directions
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...
Published on May 15, 2008 by Professor Donald Mitchell
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
Over All Good Book
Pros: The book has an added exercise section which is very good. The "Supercharged" version also does an excellent job discussing the paradigm shift necessary in our eating habits. Lower carb intake is not a fad, it is a necessity. Cons: The recipes are fairly complex. It also takes some time to learn where the different recommended foods can be
Published 18 months ago by Erich Schultz: www.DiabetesWel...
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205 of 215 people found the following review helpful:
Good Carbs, Good Fats, Food Lists, Recipes, Moderate Interval Walking, and Body Toning Directions, May 15, 2008
This review is from: The South Beach Diet Supercharged: Faster Weight Loss and Better Health for Life (Hardcover)
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!
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71 of 72 people found the following review helpful:
Best weight loss option out there!!!!, May 28, 2008
This review is from: The South Beach Diet Supercharged: Faster Weight Loss and Better Health for Life (Hardcover)
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.
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98 of 102 people found the following review helpful:
A Comprehensive Plan for Diet, Exercise, and Healthful Living, June 15, 2008
This review is from: The South Beach Diet Supercharged: Faster Weight Loss and Better Health for Life (Hardcover)
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.
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74 of 79 people found the following review helpful:
Supercharge Me!, May 2, 2008
This review is from: The South Beach Diet Supercharged: Faster Weight Loss and Better Health for Life (Hardcover)
I have been a fan of the South Beach diet ever since the first book came out five years ago and have lost 40 pounds and kept it off (I do have a ways to go). Needless to say, I have been anxiously waiting for Dr. Agatston to update his original book and I love this new version. I am so glad to have the expanded lists of Foods to Enjoy for Phases 1 and 2 and all the suggestions for easy one-dish meals as well as the great ideas for soups, rolls and wraps, new desserts, and healthy salad dressings. These new features alone are worth the price of the book! Oh, and another good thing. I've never worked out before because I really don't have an hour to spend, but I am looking forward trying Dr. Agatston's new 20-minute a day exercise program (I do have 20 minutes!) Thanks Dr. Agatston for truly supercharging your great diet.
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43 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
South Beach Supercharged, May 8, 2008
This review is from: The South Beach Diet Supercharged: Faster Weight Loss and Better Health for Life (Hardcover)
If you were ever looking for "the answer" to your weight and health issues, the South Beach Diet Supercharged is it. I was lucky enough to receive an advance look at the latest update to the South Beach program and have been "living the lifestyle" since October. What a difference it has made not only in my life, but in the lives of my entire family.
For the first time in my life I actually enjoy exercising. The interval walking program has taught me ways to be physically fit without having to devote major amounts of time to it. I am able to get a good work out in as little as 30 minutes. I also have the ability to change up the intervals by using the "interval time technique" on cardio machines such as ellipticals and treadmills this always keeps my workout new and fresh.
My favorite part of the exercise is the palates program. In the beginning I questioned my body's abilities. I now can't wait to see each day how much farther I can push myself. My favorite exercise is the Roll Down which is found in Phase 1. The fist time I tried it I said "You have got to be kidding"! Now, I can achieve success without any problem (Hint: roll up a towel between your legs and squeeze it as you are rolling up. In no time at all you will be able to remove the towel!)
Of course, the best part of the book is the new food choices and recipes. I am a HUGE foodie. I love cookbooks, TV food shows, magazines, anything related to food. This program allows me to continue loving food in a very healthy way. The family friendly recipes in the book will please even the pickiest of pallets! My husband and children are now huge lovers of foods like barley, quinoa and kale. The book also contains easy to use charts that offer you great South Beach friendly substitutes to many everyday cooking ingredients.
This program has changed my life. Not only have I lost weight (36 pounds to date), for the first time in years, I feel healthy!
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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
Already lost 11 pounds in 2 weeks!, July 27, 2008
This review is from: The South Beach Diet Supercharged: Faster Weight Loss and Better Health for Life (Hardcover)
Wow! Wow! Wow! I have a lot of weight to lose and I did not and would not do the "count the clorie and journaling" diets. South Beach diet does not have you do that! It was easy to lose weight....I am dead serious. I just stuck to their approved foods list and literaly ate as much as I wanted from it...and stayed away from their foods to avoid list. I also religously followed the EASY exercise program they have in the book. I have just finished phase one. It lasts 2 weeks and I lost 11 pounds. I recommend this to anyone who is trying to lose weight and who is excited about seeing quick results. Also for those who do not like to count calories and keep a food journal. I am SO GLAD I found this book!
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
South Beach Diet works miracles!, May 26, 2008
This review is from: The South Beach Diet Supercharged: Faster Weight Loss and Better Health for Life (Hardcover)
I went on the South Beach Diet in November 2005. In one year I went from weighing 280 lbs to weighing 215! My cholesterol went from 221 to 141,and my blood pressure went from 150/100 to 117/77 (with NO drugs). Also I lost 6 inches around my waist. It went from 42 inches to 36.As of May 2008, I currently weigh 212 (at 5' 11') and am trying to work my way to 195 now. I think that this book will probably help me do that.I own all of the books and am one of the biggest advocates of the diet. I would recommend this book to anyone!
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51 of 58 people found the following review helpful:
Supercharged Results!, April 28, 2008
This review is from: The South Beach Diet Supercharged: Faster Weight Loss and Better Health for Life (Hardcover)
Dr. Arthur Agatston really changed the way America eats when he published The South Beach Diet in 2003. As a direct result, we now have a broader choice of whole grain breads, pasta etc. and people know the difference between good fats and bad fats. We understand that "calories in-calories out" is a simplistic old fashioned phrased and that the quality of the calories is significantly more important. Dr. Agatston's nutrient rich, fiber dense approach to dieting is what has made The South Beach Diet an international bestseller. His NEW book, The South Beach Diet Supercharged introduces a three-phased interval training program to go along with the diet. It promises to rev up your metabolism, get you off plateaus faster, and keep your body melting fat, even at rest. The new meal plans, expanded foods to enjoy/food to avoid lists, and the inspirational success stories will have you racing toward your own personal weight loss goal in record time.
The new research just out about metabolic syndrome responding to interval training further backs up Dr. Agatston's new program. This is breakthrough stuff. I highly recommend it.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
Recharge your life!, May 19, 2008
This review is from: The South Beach Diet Supercharged: Faster Weight Loss and Better Health for Life (Hardcover)
I read most of this book in the first 2 nights! It is not just a rehash of the first book, but it offers new and improved food lists, new menus, new tips for food replacement and best of all--a new exercise program. There are greta stories of people who have lived this lifestyle for over 5 years--which really validates the plan. If you are new to the SBD-this book is a must. If you have the old book--this one is still a good buy!!
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20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
It's Real World On South Beach, May 2, 2008
This review is from: The South Beach Diet Supercharged: Faster Weight Loss and Better Health for Life (Hardcover)
The diet plan was always a smart, realistic plan for dropping pounds and eating healty. Now there's this simple walking and exercise plan that really makes the South Beach Diet a total lifestyle approach. It fits seamlessly into my busy schedule.
Thank you Dr. Agatston for offering the total package. There are so many ways to succeed with the The South Beach Diet. It doesn't make me feel guilty, deprived or set me up to fail like most short-term eating plans. This is the real deal.
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