South Beach Diet is a 3-phase weight loss program comprising a metabolism-boosting, rapid weight loss phase, a steady weight loss phase, and a weight maintenance phase. South Beach Diet Phase 1 is the shortest and most difficult part of the program. To help you get started more easily, we have created this quick guide to South Beach Diet Phase 1.
South Beach Diet Phase 1 Structure
South Beach Diet Phase 1 is designed as a 14-day body reboot. It is highly restrictive and eliminates a variety of foods known to induce weight gain. It includes 6 low-calorie meals per day, including ready-made breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, 3 homemade snacks, and fresh food items that you can eat as sides or snack elements.
In addition to strict adherence to the dietary regime, you need to exercise regularly. This does not mean that you need to exercise vigorously but simply that you should be more physically active and engage in exercising that suits your current fitness level and fits the South Beach Diet recommendations.
Furthermore, in this phase, you need to drink a whole lot of water. This is important because a higher water intake keeps your body hydrated and reduces water retention.
Finally, you should keep track of your progress with the use of the South Beach Diet planner provided in your diet kit. By monitoring your progress and thinking about every element of the program, you can boost your motivation and truly adopt the healthy eating habits that this program aims to instill.
South Beach Diet Phase 1 Dos and Don’ts
South Beach Diet Phase 1 has many dos and don’ts, as it is the most rigorous part of the process. Here are the key facts you need to keep in mind as you get started.
Dos
- Eat and enjoy every meal. Enrich your meals with recommended fresh foods. This means adding 3 lean protein servings, 2 healthy fat servings, and 5 non-starchy vegetable servings per day if you are a lady and 4 lean protein servings, 3 healthy fat servings, and 5 non-starchy vegetable servings per day if you are a man. South Beach Diet provides a comprehensive list of allowed fresh foods, including beef, pork, and deli lean proteins, various kinds of cheese, dairy, eggs, nuts, seeds, oils, fats, and veg. You never have to wonder if you are allowed to eat something – if it is on the list, it is the right choice.
- Drink at least 8 cups (64 ounces) of water per day. You can also enjoy black coffee, unsweetened herbal, green or black tea, unsweetened iced tea, and plain or flavored and calorie-free seltzer.
- Engage in any form of physical activity that suits your interests and fitness level. You can go for a walk every day, ride a bike, join a yoga class, swim, do body weight exercises or lift weights. Anything that works for you is fine as long as you stay active for at least 30 minutes per day. South Beach Diet provides great exercising recommendations for all fitness levels.
Don’ts
- Do not eat refined carbs, grains, fruit, and legumes. More specifically, do not eat fatty meat like brisket, rib steaks, chicken wings and legs, duck, honey-baked ham or veal breast. Do not eat starchy vegetables like beets, carrots, corn, green peas, white and sweet potatoes, turnips, and yams. Do not eat any kind of starchy food like bread, cereal, matzo, oatmeal, rice, pasta, pastry, and baked goods. Do not eat any kind of fruit and do not consume any fruit juices, including apples, apricots, berries, cantaloupes, grapefruit, peaches, and pears.
- Do not drink any sugary drinks or alcohol and try to limit your intake of all kinds of artificially sweetened beverages, including diet sodas.
- Do not make up reasons to break the rules and do not skip meals and exercises.
South Beach Diet Phase 1 Results
During South Beach Diet Phase 1, you can lose up to 9 pounds and 3 inches. However, keep in mind that not everyone achieves the same result. In a study, dieters who went through South Beach Diet Phase 1 lost 7.08 pounds on average.
It is important to keep in mind that the results depend on your adherence to the plan. If you strictly follow the program, the results will show. Even if you do not achieve as impressive a result as 7-9 pounds in 2 weeks, as long as you lose 1-2 pounds per week, which is a healthy and sustainable weight loss range, the program is working. You should stay focused and determined and keep progressing toward your goal weight. We wish you the best of luck!