Whether you snack, don’t snack, or graze, do keep in mind that there are times when a strategic snack can be really useful. For example, if you know dinner is going to be late or you’re heading to a cocktail party where there will be lots of temptations, have a snack to stave off hunger. If you let yourself become famished, you’ll invariably overeat.
The bottom line: By Phase 3, the South Beach Diet becomes a lifestyle that readily adjusts to your lifestyle. Only you will know what’s best for you in terms of maintaining your new and healthy weight. And now you’re free to make those choices.
Should I be taking nutritional supplements?
I recommend taking very few supplements. The reason? We have not yet learned to extract vitamins from foods so that they work as well in supplement form as they do when you eat the foods themselves.
I strongly believe that you should get the nutrients you need from eating a whole-foods diet. This means enjoying a wide variety of fruits and vegetables because they contain thousands of phytonutrients that are critical to good health (see Chapter 7, “Supercharged Foods for Better Health”). So far the research that has been performed on specific supplements—notably, antioxidants—has been disappointing. To date there is no pill, including a multivitamin, that works like a good diet based on healthy foods.
That said, I do recommend that you take an omega-3 fatty acid (fish oil) supplement because it’s difficult to get enough omega-3s from foods. I take a fish oil supplement myself, and I strongly recommend it to all my patients. The active ingredients in omega-3s are docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and both are listed on the label. A total of between 1,000 and 2,000 milligrams of DHA and EPA a day is recommended. Taking a supplement of the mineral calcium, which many people fail to get enough of from foods, can be helpful for women at risk for osteoporosis.
Can I really eat anything I want on Phase 3?
If you’re talking about dessert as an occasional treat, of course. On Phase 3, we don’t regulate what you can eat. Yes, you can finally have that small bowl of ice cream or a small piece of chocolate cake or the white bagel that you couldn’t have before. But you shouldn’t do it too often, and you should continue to watch amounts on desserts. Phase 3 isn’t about abandoning the good principles of the diet and suddenly resuming your old eating habits. It’s about continuing to make smart, healthy food choices—for life. If you follow the principles of the diet most of the time, we expect you to enjoy anything you want now and then.
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living THE SOUTH BEACH DIET
Wendy N., age 30: It’s Simply My New Way of Living
Two years ago, I weighed 370 pounds. I’m 5-foot-10, so I’m tall, but even so, I was extremely overweight. I was already on blood pressure medications, and my doctor had been telling me for years that I might develop diabetes if I didn’t take off some weight. My mother is diabetic, but I was young and thought I was invincible. In October 2006, my doctor told me I was officially prediabetic. I saw how my mother had struggled with her diabetes, and my immediate thought was, I’m going to run as fast as I can in the other direction!
I didn’t know where to begin, though, so my doctor recommended that I try the South Beach Diet. I bought the book, and the first thing I did was thumb through the recipes. I got scared because I’m not a great cook. But then my doctor told me not to worry so much about the recipes but just read about the principles of the South Beach Diet. That’s when it all clicked. I realized that it was easy. I could do this. I saw that I could still eat the same foods I’d been eating, but I’d have to prepare them differently. Once I understood what the diet was about, the recipes didn’t seem too complicated. In fact, they were pretty easy.
My first 2 weeks on the diet, I lost 15 pounds, and I didn’t even exercise—I just ate the right foods. I realized that if I started to exercise, I could lose a lot more. I began slowly, exercising just a few days a week. Now I’m working out 6 days a week. Healthy eating and exercise have become a permanent part of my lifestyle. Over the past 12 months on the diet, I have lost 125 pounds. My co-workers ask me what my secret is, and I steer them to the South Beach Diet. In fact, two of them have adopted this lifestyle, too, and we exchange tips and keep each other motivated. Of course, I have days when I slip up, but I keep remembering what Dr. Agatston says about acknowledging that you’ve messed up and getting quickly back on track.
During a recent visit to the doctor, I learned that I am no longer prediabetic, and I no longer need medications for my high blood pressure. The South Beach Diet has completely changed my life. Everything is a challenge in the beginning, but when you stick with something long enough, you discover that it becomes easier. The South Beach Diet has been so easy to incorporate into my lifestyle that most of the time I don’t even think that I’m on a diet. It’s simply my new way of living.
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The Basics of the South Beach Diet
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