Obesity Discussion Forums

[wildbill3156]

My previous post was missing a few letters in the title. This was suppose to be the title ... South Beach vs Adkins Diets Do They Work?

William

[Obesity Discussion]

Yes and no. They seem to work well for those who are fairly obese, however, there seems to be a point of diminishing returns from what I've seen.

The one area people who are overweight seem to have a huge problem with is the consumption of a lot carbs, and both of these diets reduce the carbs eaten, although Atkins seems to reduce carbs more than South Beach, while South Beach products do have carbs, they're high in dietary fiber(i.e. .the good carbs).

I personally am not a big fan of "diets" as to me they are short term fixes for situations that really require a longer term solution.

I personally incorporate a lot of South Beach's foods from the grocery store into my eating regimen, and cook some of the Atkins stuff at home.

[wildbill3156]

The South Beach diet is also a fairly strict low carb program (during the first phase).....though perhaps not quite as strict as the Atkins program.

...But i also believe that the South Beach plan is too strict (limits carbs too much) to be practical for everyday dieters -- and it has the potential to sap your energy during phase 1 with the severely reduced carbs.

For example, I've observed that the higher carb foods (on the South Beach menu) are severely limited in portions during the first phase of the diet -- and this prevents a normal amount of carbs from being eaten during the first phase.

In fact, the only foods which dieters are allowed to eat in "unlimited portions" (during phase 1) are protein foods and super-low-calorie vegetables.

For example, the South Beach menu allows unlimited lettuce during phase 1 --- but yet it limits the portions of "tomatoes" and "onions" and "peanuts".

Additionally, the "sweet snacks" which are allowed on the South Beach menu are limited to a mere 75 calories per day during phase 1.

So even though the South Beach plan allows so-called "sweet snacks" -- they are severely limited to just 75 calories per day........and that's less calories than a typical cookie contains.
William

[wildbill3156]

The Atkins Low Carb Diet is based on eating very few carbs, and this is especially true during "Phase 1". I believe that it's one of the strictest weight loss plans on the market, and during "Phase 1" it's probably one of the hardest to follow low carb programs currently available.

There is no mistaking this program for anything other than an extremely strict low carb plan which can sap your energy very quickly, since it only allows 80 carb calories per day during the first phase (20 grams of net carbs is about 80 carb calories per day). ...That's less carbs than you'll find in a large apple, since even a large apple has more carbs than that.

This program is probably not for the faint of heart, since only truly committed dieters can withstand Phase 1 of this program.
William

[Obesity Discussion]

Excellent assessment!

[MikeB]

No diet works w/o exercise, be aware that just changing your eating habits is only a portion of the battle. When you lose weight w/o exercise you lose a much greater percentage of muscle mass than exercise & restricted intake combined.

[sass63]

Originally Posted by MikeB

No diet works w/o exercise, be aware that just changing your eating habits is only a portion of the battle. When you lose weight w/o exercise you lose a much greater percentage of muscle mass than exercise & restricted intake combined.

This is sooo true! When exercise isnt an option for you it makes it very hard to get the pounds off after a certian point. You still have to eat the right amounts of food to stay in the healthy range. It gets very tricky when your eating the minimum amounts and still not losing.

This is the problem I have run into over the last few months. With the Doctors screaming at me NO EXERCISE it gets discouraging. But on the upside we are moving into town soon so I will be able to swim a few times a week! YIPPY! I cant hardly wait to see how much just that little bit will help.

[wildbill3156]

Yes i agree no diet will be effective without having a regular exercise regimine in place. Our diet of choice and a daily exercise program are the two most important steps in loosing weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
William,

[Obesity Discussion]

Originally Posted by wildbill3156

Yes i agree no diet will be effective without having a regular exercise regimine in place. Our diet of choice and a daily exercise program are the two most important steps in loosing weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
William,

very well said!

[dreamblooms]

SB & Adkins both have waaay too much fat for me. Saturated animal fats, blech! I tried one recipe from each & felt like I'd eaten crank case oil.

The best diet would be Low carbs *and* Low Fat. That's the diet I'm on, and have made a lifetime program of. (Ok, I ended a sentence with a preposition, har.)

[NewSkinnyMe]

I've done both of these, and had some success with each. More with South Beach -- I lost 60 pounds over the course of a year or so.

But as with all "diets" the problem is sticking with them. It's just not a long term solution.

It only took me about 3-4 months to gain all the weight back and then some. Now, I'm back at square one. I hate Yo-Yo dieting!

I really want this time to be my last time ever to lose the weight!

Lori

[Obesity Discussion]

Originally Posted by dreamblooms

SB & Adkins both have waaay too much fat for me. Saturated animal fats, blech! I tried one recipe from each & felt like I'd eaten crank case oil.

The best diet would be Low carbs *and* Low Fat. That's the diet I'm on, and have made a lifetime program of. (Ok, I ended a sentence with a preposition, har.)

Bingo!!! Although I found South Beach to have substantially less fat than Atkins on average.