The South Beach Diet Super Charged

by Joseph Signorile PhD

  Italian. To many Americans, Italian food means a heaping plate of lasagna, manicotti, or some other pasta, or a large pepperoni pizza. To Italians, Italian food means starting the meal with a big salad and having a small (and I do mean small) appetizer portion of pasta followed by grilled chicken or seafood with lots of vegetables. By now you know which version of Italian food works better for the South Beach dieter. If you are on Phase 1, skip the bread and pasta and eat just the salad, veggies, and lean fish or chicken. If you’re on Phase 2, you can enjoy a piece of whole-grain bread and even order a small portion of whole-wheat pasta with tomato sauce for an appetizer. Don’t order anything fried or breaded. If you want to eat dessert like an Italian—and you’re on Phase 2—order some fresh fruit and a small slice of Parmesan cheese.

  If your version of Italian is more pizzeria than trattoria, don’t despair. Today many restaurants offer crispy thin-crust pizza. When you have the option, ask for a whole-wheat crust and low-fat mozzarella cheese. Avoid high-fat toppings such as sausage, meatballs, or pepperoni. Instead, request mushrooms, spinach, or other vegetables—even better, order a salad slice, a thin crust topped with salad and a little low-fat cheese.

  Fast-food tips. Many fast-food restaurants now offer healthful alternatives to their normal fare, including meal-size salads (skip the croutons), grilled or rotisserie chicken, and veggie burgers that are lower in fat than the usual hamburger and fries. Drink diet soda, seltzer, or water instead of sugary soda.

  The beauty of the South Beach Diet is that it doesn’t require special foods and is adaptable to virtually any cuisine. If you follow the guidelines suggested above, you’ll be able to find a healthy, satisfying, and delicious meal in most restaurants in the United States and around the world.

  When You’re Traveling

  As someone who travels often for work, I understand that staying on any diet can be a challenge when you’re on the road. Work-related stress, time-zone changes, and shifts in your eating and sleeping schedule can be very disruptive, not to mention the frustration of getting stuck on a tarmac for hours. All is not lost! With a little advance planning, most people find that they can follow the South Beach Diet on the road almost as easily as if they were at home.

  The first step is anticipating where you’re likely to run into trouble. And for many people, that could be in the first few hours after leaving home! In my experience, airport terminals and airplanes can be dangerous territory for dieters. With the combination of long security lines and more frequent delays, air travel has become very stressful. Add to that the fact that many airlines have cut back on food choices and, instead of offering meals or even a sandwich, now hand out (and charge for) chips, candy bars, and cookies. If you’re not careful, you could be headed for big trouble before you’ve even reached your destination. Depending on the airport, you may be able to buy an acceptable meal, such as a salad, low-fat or nonfat yogurt, or a sandwich on whole-grain bread before boarding the plane. Also be on the lookout for healthy snacks, like a small package of dry-roasted nuts or some low-fat cheese.

  If you’re not sure that you’ll be able to find healthy foods, bring your own. (Security will confiscate drinks before you get through the scanners, but they won’t take your food.) Having healthy food on hand is critical if you are on Phase 1 and need to be eating primarily lean protein, vegetables, legumes, and low-fat dairy. So, before you leave home, put some washed, cut-up veggies in a plastic bag and throw in a few pieces of string cheese or some spreadable low-fat cheese wedges, a handful of nuts, and some lean ham or turkey slices. Eat your snacks before you get ravenous so you’re not tempted to grab the first thing that comes your way.

  If you’re on Phase 2 or 3, you can pack a white-meat turkey, reduced-fat ham, or natural peanut butter sandwich on whole-grain bread and a piece of fruit or two, along with some reduced-fat cheese and cut-up vegetables. Or buy a low-fat plain or artificially sweetened yogurt before boarding.

  Hotel rooms with mini bars stuffed with candy and chips can also spell big trouble. Don’t even open the mini bar—not even just to look. If you’re hungry, check out the room-service menu or go down to the hotel restaurant, where you will definitely find something better to eat. Pretend you’re at home, and order something that closely resembles what you would normally eat for dinner. My favorite on-the-road meals include Caesar salad with grilled chicken (ask the kitchen to hold those fried white-bread croutons) and dressing on the side, grilled salmon with vegetables, or a turkey burger with a big salad and olive oil and vinegar on the side. My point is, you don’t have to order the cheeseburger and fries. If you do, you won’t respect yourself in the morning.

  It’s also important to try to keep up with your fitness routine when you’re traveling. Besides burning calories, it will help motivate you to stick with your diet, and it’s a great stress reliever. Fortunately, you can do our Total Body Workout right in your hotel room. Interval Walking may be a bit trickier to accomplish. Depending on where you’re staying, you may not be able to walk outdoors, but many hotels have gyms with cardio equipment such as treadmills, stationary bikes, or elliptical trainers. If you can, try to stay in a hotel that has a gym. I give a few suggestions for doing interval cardio with and without a machine in “Interval Training Indoors” on “Interval Walking Basics” Section.

  Remember that even if you miss a few workout sessions, it’s not the end of the world. When you get back home, you’ll pick up where you left off.

  SUPERCHARGED EATING ON THE SOUTH BEACH DIET

  PHASE 1

  Losing the Cravings

  Do you have 10 or more pounds to lose? Do you have food cravings for refined starches and sugar? If you replied yes to either question, Phase 1 is for you. If you answered no to both questions, you can begin the diet with Phase 2.

  Phase 1 is the most restrictive phase of the diet, but it’s also the shortest, lasting only 2 weeks. During Phase 1, you will not eat any starches or sugary foods. No refined white bread, pasta, or rice. No cakes, cookies, or pastries. No beer or alcohol of any kind. Not even any whole grains or whole fruits, two “good” carbohydrates that I reintroduce on Phase 2. Fruits (and especially fruit juices) can be high in natural sugars, and even whole grains can be a problem when you’re trying to stabilize your blood sugar and eliminate the cravings that caused you trouble in the past. By eliminating problem foods, Phase 1 allows you to gain control over your food choices. Although this may seem hard at first, remember that this phase is only 2 weeks long, after which you’ll be adding many of these foods back into your diet.

  In fact, Phase 1 may not be as difficult as you expect because you’re not going to be hungry. After the first couple of days, most dieters find it fairly easy. During Phase 1 you’ll eat plenty of healthy food, including lean protein (fish and shellfish, skinless white-meat poultry, and lean cuts of meat), high-fiber vegetables, nuts, reduced-fat cheeses, eggs, low-fat dairy, and good unsaturated fats, such as extra-virgin olive oil and canola oil. (No, you won’t have to eat your salads dry.) You’ll enjoy three satisfying meals a day, plus two snacks, and you’ll even have some high-protein, low-sugar desserts, such as the Ricotta Cheesecake with Lemon Drizzle and Pine Nuts on “Recipes for Phase 1 Meal Plans” Section.

  Snacks are required on Phase 1 and should be eaten 1 to 2 hours after a meal or an hour before your cravings typically strike. The goal is to fight hunger before it hits because if you let yourself get too famished, you’ll have a greater tendency to overeat. The best snack is one that combines some protein and some high-fiber vegetables—for example, you might have some lean white-meat turkey, fat-free or reduced-fat cheese, plain nonfat or low-fat yogurt with a handful of nuts, or some hummus with some celery sticks or bell pepper slices.

  By the end of 2 short weeks, there will be a real difference in how you look and feel. Most people lose weight fairly quickly on Phase 1, especially in their bellies. While quick weight loss is a strong motivator, it’s not the primary goal of Phase 1. This phase
is designed to banish your food cravings so that you can start Phase 2 with a clean slate. You’ll be well on the way to making good food choices most of the time, which is what the South Beach Diet is all about. For the most part, by the end of Phase 1, your cravings will be gone, you’ll feel lighter, and your clothes will fit a lot better.

  On the following pages, we provide a list of Foods to Enjoy and Foods to Avoid during this phase, as well as 14 days of Sample Meal Plans for Phase 1. To support the meal plans, we’ve developed plenty of delicious, new, quick-and-easy recipes, many of them time-saving one-dish meals, and we’ve included some of your all-time favorite recipes as well. In addition, there are a number of recipes developed for the Phase 2 Meal Plans that you can enjoy. We have provided a note at the end of the Phase 2 recipes where this pertains.

  The wide variety on the Foods to Enjoy list allows you to mix and match foods to fit your taste preferences. For example, if you don’t like ham in your omelet, which I recommend on Day 1, substitute salmon or vegetables. Not a fan of cod on Day 6? Substitute another firm white-fleshed fish, like halibut. These Sample Meal Plans really are meant to be guidelines, and you should adjust them to suit your personal tastes.

  In addition, on “Dr. Agatston Answers Your Questions about Phase 1” Section, you’ll find answers to some of the questions our nutritionists and I are most commonly asked about Phase 1. If you have additional questions, it’s likely you’ll find the answers on our Web site, SouthBeachDiet.com.

  As I explained in Part II, adding daily exercise to Phase 1 of the diet will certainly help move your weight loss along faster. Successful South Beach dieters tell us that when they start to lose weight on Phase 1, they feel so much lighter and have so much more energy that they’re inspired to become even more active. They not only walk more but are more motivated to pursue other forms of regular exercise as well.

  Therefore, as you embark on Phase 1 of the diet, I urge you to also embark on Phase 1 of our new three-phase South Beach Supercharged Fitness Program (“PHASE 1: Supercharged Fitness Program” Section). You will certainly lose more weight faster if you’re active on a regular basis.

  Phase 1 of the diet may be the hardest for you, but you’ll find that the Phase 1 fitness program is the easiest. What they have in common is that both help you become leaner and healthier.

  PHASE 1 FOODS TO ENJOY

  BEEF

  Lean* cuts, such as:

  Bottom round

  Eye of round

  Flank steak

  Ground beef:

  Extra lean

  Lean sirloin

  London broil

  Pastrami, lean

  Sirloin steak

  T-bone

  Tenderloin (filet mignon)

  Top loin

  Top round

  POULTRY (SKINLESS)

  Cornish hen

  Ground breast of chicken

  Ground breast of turkey

  Low-fat turkey sausage (3–6 g fat per 60 g serving)

  Turkey bacon

  Turkey or chicken breast

  SEAFOOD

  All types of fish and shellfish (limit those high in mercury and other contaminants, such as swordfish, tilefish, albacore tuna—use light tuna instead—and shark)

  Salmon roe

  Sashimi

  PORK

  Boiled ham

  Canadian bacon

  Loin, chop or roast

  Tenderloin

  VEAL

  Chop

  Cutlet, leg

  Top round

  LAMB (REMOVE ALL VISIBLE FAT)

  Leg, center cut

  Loin, chop or roast

  GAME MEATS

  Buffalo

  Elk

  Ostrich

  Venison

  COLD CUTS (FAT-FREE OR LOW-FAT ONLY)

  Boiled ham

  Deli-sliced turkey breast

  Lean deli roast beef

  Smoked ham

  Smoked turkey breast

  SOY-BASED MEAT

  SUBSTITUTES

  Unless otherwise stated, look for products that have 6 g or less fat per 2–3 oz. serving.

  Seiten

  Soy bacon

  Soy burger

  Soy chicken, unbreaded

  Soy crumbles—¼ cup (2 oz.) suggested serving size

  Soy hot dogs

  Soy sausage patties and links

  Tempeh—¼ cup suggested serving size

  Tofu (all varieties)—½ cup suggested serving size

  Yuba (bean curd on sheet)

  CHEESE (FAT-FREE OR REDUCED-FAT)

  For hard cheese, look for varieties that have 6 g or less fat per ounce.

  American

  Blue cheese (does not come as reduced fat, so use in moderation)

  Cheddar

  Cottage cheese, 1%, 2%, or fat-free

  Feta

  Mozzarella

  Parmesan

  Part-skim ricotta

  Part-skim string

  Provolone

  Swiss

  EGGS

  The use of whole eggs is not limited unless otherwise directed by your doctor. Egg whites and egg substitutes are okay.

  DAIRY

  Except for half-and-half, 2 cups allowed daily, including nonfat or low-fat plain yogurt.

  Buttermilk, 1% or fat-free

  Greek yogurt, nonfat

  Half-and-half, fat-free (2 Tbsp.)

  Milk, 1% or fat-free

  Soymilk, low-fat plain, vanilla, or artificially sweetened (4 g or less fat per 8 oz. serving). Be sure that the product does not contain high-fructose corn syrup.

  Yogurt, low-fat or nonfat plain

  LEGUMES

  Fresh, frozen, or canned (without added sugar). Start with a 1/3- to ½-cup serving size.

  Adzuki beans

  Black beans

  Black-eyed peas

  Broad beans

  Butter beans

  Cannellini beans

  Chickpeas (garbanzos)

  Edamame

  Fava beans

  Great Northern beans

  Italian beans

  Kidney beans

  Lentils

  Lima beans

  Mung beans

  Navy beans

  Pigeon beans

  Pinto beans

  Refried beans, fat-free, canned

  Soy beans

  Split peas

  White beans

  VEGETABLES

  May use fresh, frozen, or canned without added sugar. Eat a minimum of 2 cups with lunch and dinner.

  Artichoke hearts

  Artichokes

  Arugula

  Asparagus

  Bok choy

  Broccoli

  Broccoli rabe

  Broccoli sprouts

  Brussels sprouts

  Cabbage (green, red, Napa, Savoy)

  Capers

  Cauliflower

  Celeriac (celery root)

  Celery

  Chayote

  Collard greens

  Cucumbers

  Daikon radish

  Eggplant

  Endive

  Escarole

  Fennel

  Fiddlehead ferns

  Garlic

  Grape leaves

  Green beans

  Hearts of palm

  Jicama

  Kale

  Kohlrabi

  Leeks

  Lettuce (all varieties)

  Mushrooms (all varieties)

  Mustard greens

  Okra

  Onions

  Parsley

  Pepperoncini

  Peppers (all varieties)

  Pickles (dill or artificially sweetened)

  Pimientos

  Radicchio

  Radishes

  Rhubarb

  Sauerkraut

  Scallions

  Sea vegetables (seaweed, nori)

  Shallots

  Snap peas

  Snow peas

  Spinach
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  Sprouts (alfalfa, bean, broccoli, lentil, radish, sunflower)

  Squash (spaghetti, summer, yellow, zucchini)

  Swiss chard

  Tomatoes (all varieties)

  Tomato juice

  Turnip greens

  Vegetable juice cocktail

  Water chestnuts

  Watercress

  Wax beans

  NUTS AND SEEDS

  Limit to one serving per day as specified. Dry roasted recommended.

  Almonds—15

  Brazil nuts—4

  Cashews—15

  Chestnuts—6

  Edamame, dry roasted—¼ cup

  Filberts—25

  Flaxseed—3 Tbsp. (1 oz.)

  Hazelnuts—25

  Macadamias—8

  Peanut butter, natural, and other nut butters—2 Tbsp.

  Peanuts, dry roasted or boiled—20 small

  Pecans—15

  Pine nuts (pignoli)—1 oz.

  Pistachios—30

  Pumpkin seeds—3 Tbsp. (1 oz.)

  Sesame seeds—3 Tbsp. (1 oz.)

  Soy nuts—¼ cup

  Sunflower seeds—3 Tbsp. (1 oz.)

  Walnuts—15

  FATS AND OILS

  Up to 2 Tbsp. of the following fats or oils are allowed daily. Monounsaturated oils are particularly recommended.