Arthur Agaston

THE SOUTH BEACH DIET

Rodale

ISBN: 1-57954-646-3

2003

Non-Fiction/Health

www.harpercollins.com/catalog/book_xml.asp?isbn=0060530308

By Tracy Farnsworth

**We were asked to remove the Amazon sales link for South Beach Diet.  I'm not sure why, but in following with the publicist request, the sales link has been taken down.**

Currently on the New York Times Bestseller list, I was intrigued by THE SOUTH BEACH DIET.  When I received my copy of the book, I read it over thoroughly and realized it sounded exactly like the information that my nutritionist had given me during my first pregnancy when I was told I was borderline for Gestational Diabetes.

I started this diet nine days ago and am happy to say I have lost three inches from my waistline.  The book is set up in two parts.  First is how the South Beach Diet works and how to succeed and what causes failure.  Second are the meal plans and recipes.  The book is very user friendly, information is simple to find with the index and content page.

However, now I have to comment on the negatives.  First, it took six days before the lack of carbs stopped making me feel odd.  I didn't have the energy crashes that I thought I might, but I was waking up in the middle of the night not feeling right ~ like my body was missing something.  I had been told that those feelings would pass, and they did.

The bigger problem with this book is the expense of some of the foods.  I tried to stick to the menus that first week, but the additional veggies, leaner cuts of meat and fish doubled my usual grocery bill.  This week I am finding I do much better picking acceptable foods from the list and then creating my own meals.  This is keeping me from having to buy the more expensive vegetables such as artichokes, asparagus, and snow peas.

Preparation of the meals also takes time.  I am at home with my kids, so I have time to cook.  Though I am finding it much easier to cook in bulk when possible and then freezing the meals.  But for those with limited time in the kitchen, this diet may be harder to manage.

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