South Beach Diet- Worth it?

[escher]

I'm looking for a plan to follow, where everything is layed out precisely what i should eat. I want to shed a few pounds. I've been lifting to gain muscle mass, so I guess you could call it 'bulking', although my current diet is really preventing me from showing my progress. My workout routine consists of 2 days cardio (in a boot camp program), 3 days freeweights, and about 40 minutes swimming 4 days a week. Each of the workouts lasts about an hour. I had looked at the South Beach plan, and although it looks good, I'm not entirely sure it is for 'me', and if it is the best for me in what I want to do. Any suggestions on where to go so I have a plan layed out exactly, or is south beach ok? Here's a link to my pic so you can see where I'm at. I have a fair amount of fat covering most of my abs, which I would like to lose. Thanks for any comments in advance!

Escher's 1 month pict

[French Spirit]

No, not for someone whose goal is to keep all that muscle mass they've gained.

[Bawl]

Originally Posted by French Spirit

No, not for someone whose goal is to keep all that muscle mass they've gained.

Care to expand on your thoughts? I am curious as to why you think the South Beach diet will cause you to lose muscle mass. I haven't read the book, just skimmed. It seemed to have focused on complex carbs, veggies, and healthy fats.

Any diet can fail, if implimented incorrectly.

[TheLemonSong]

If you want to bulk I don't think SBD is good for you...try to find a good bulking diet at the bookstore perhaps?

[tensdanny]

if you want to shed fat and gain muscle, swolecat is the guy for you.

[French Spirit]

Originally Posted by Bawl

Care to expand on your thoughts? I am curious as to why you think the South Beach diet will cause you to lose muscle mass. I haven't read the book, just skimmed. It seemed to have focused on complex carbs, veggies, and healthy fats.

Any diet can fail, if implimented incorrectly.

Alright, now you made me feel guilty. Indeed, that comment was thoughtless and mindless low-carb bashing.

However, you MUST have some high GI carbs after you workout. Also, I don't see the point of induction for you, because I assume you'll already eating clean. I guess I just don't see the point of going on low-carb diets when you're already eating clean. South Beach is eating clean, except way more restricting on carbs.

[escher]

Originally Posted by French Spirit

Alright, now you made me feel guilty. Indeed, that comment was thoughtless and mindless low-carb bashing.

However, you MUST have some high GI carbs after you workout. Also, I don't see the point of induction for you, because I assume you'll already eating clean. I guess I just don't see the point of going on low-carb diets when you're already eating clean. South Beach is eating clean, except way more restricting on carbs.

Thats part of the problem.. I dont eat clean all the time, and I think that if I did this, it might be enough for me to lose what I want. I've done a bit of searching, and have found bits and peices of what to eat as there's a lot of good info out there. However, it would be 'nice' to have an exact guide that says "eat this, this and this today", sort of what the SBD diet does. Perhaps it is lazyness, but I cant see myself adding my daily calories, fat, carbs, etc, as I'm lucky I have time to eat with 2 infants. (haha.. sounds like I need Swole's program) Any good places you guys know of to find some sort of guide?

[Bawl]

If you want a restrictive diet that tells you exactly what to do...read this --> http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/par30.htm

[RMe]

If you want to gain muscle and lose fat over time then education is key. Don't subscribe to one diet. Instead learn your body's tendencies and educate yourself on how to fix those problems. Diets work for some if they can't motivate themselves, but too much restriction over time is a recipe for failure (it gets old). Listen to Jeremy, Swolecat, and other opinions on the board and really learn what is best for your goals. Read, read, and read some more on nutrition (not from someone selling a fad diet).

I find it amusing that people want to be told the secret to shedding fat or gaining muscle, but the answers are sitting there without a fad attatched to it. With that being said, some people need to be told what to eat and when to eat it. Remember the old proverb, "Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime". There is a lot to learn, and I am sure you already know a lot, but don't fall into fads.

[Skoorb]

Perhaps it is lazyness, but I cant see myself adding my daily calories, fat, carbs, etc,

Hey you said it, not me Body for life is a decent approach to diet as well. Most people will just tell you to eat 5-6 meals/day evenly spaced, high in protein. That should be what you're following. Then, to have those meals, just substitute any number of recipies that fit the calorie guideilnes, which can be found in droves across the internet.

[Bawl]

Originally Posted by RMe

If you want to gain muscle and lose fat over time then education is key. Don't subscribe to one diet. Instead learn your body's tendencies and educate yourself on how to fix those problems. Diets work for some if they can't motivate themselves, but too much restriction over time is a recipe for failure (it gets old). Listen to Jeremy, Swolecat, and other opinions on the board and really learn what is best for your goals. Read, read, and read some more on nutrition (not from someone selling a fad diet).

I find it amusing that people want to be told the secret to shedding fat or gaining muscle, but the answers are sitting there without a fad attatched to it. With that being said, some people need to be told what to eat and when to eat it. Remember the old proverb, "Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime". There is a lot to learn, and I am sure you already know a lot, but don't fall into fads.

I agree that education is key, but everyone is different. "Fad diets" so to speak often teach key principles that can be implimented into your own lifestyle.

For instance:
South Beach stresses complex carbs, and healty fats. It teaches which foods to eat regularly, sparingly, and to avoid. A principle that everyone should learn.

Just because its a "fad" diet does not mean its core principles are not valid. There is no better way to see how your body responds to certain stressors then trying it for yourself. We can only provide direction.

[RMe]

Originally Posted by Bawl

I agree that education is key, but everyone is different. "Fad diets" so to speak often teach key principles that can be implimented into your own lifestyle.

For instance:
South Beach stresses complex carbs, and healty fats. It teaches which foods to eat regularly, sparingly, and to avoid. A principle that everyone should learn.

Just because its a "fad" diet does not mean its core principles are not valid. There is no better way to see how your body responds to certain stressors then trying it for yourself. We can only provide direction.

I agree 100%. So why should you subscribe to a fad when the principles taught are already available to you. Why give credit to something that wrapped in a bookend and sold for profit when the answers are staring you in the face. Some people hear the principles taught in fad diets and think they are magic. If they are successful, they attribute their success to the diet not the underlying principles. In reality, a lot of the principles have been drilled in to our brains since childhood. If someone would have put a fancy name on it and a pretty cover then maybe most of us would have bought into it sooner.

There is plenty of trial and error on this forum to support most people's questioning, just ask (you will get many opinions to try). I am just advocating that a change of lifestyle and free knowledge is better and cheaper than a fad diet that you pay for. To me fad diets aren't something you live on, they are just something you go through.

[Bawl]

Originally Posted by RMe

I agree 100%. So why should you subscribe to a fad when the principles taught are already available to you. Why give credit to something that wrapped in a bookend and sold for profit when the answers are staring you in the face. Some people hear the principles taught in fad diets and think they are magic. If they are successful, they attribute their success to the diet not the underlying principles. In reality, a lot of the principles have been drilled in to our brains since childhood. If someone would have put a fancy name on it and a pretty cover then maybe most of us would have bought into it sooner.

There is plenty of trial and error on this forum to support most people's questioning, just ask (you will get many opinions to try). I am just advocating that a change of lifestyle and free knowledge is better and cheaper than a fad diet that you pay for. To me fad diets aren't something you live on, they are just something you go through.

Agreed!

[ThatOldGuy]

I started out on South Beach and followed it exactly for about three months. I suppose it could be called a fad diet because of all the publicity it gets but it's not based on any fad concepts. It's based on the very solid priciples of lean protein, low GI carbohydrates, and good fats. I lost the first 25 to 30 lbs on South Beach.

I have since "graduated" to a more complex diet, adding in PWO shakes, counting calories, calculating macro nutrient ratios, etc. My opinion is that South Beach is a great place to start for someone with a lot of weight to lose. It's basically a body builder diet without all the complexities so it doesn't overwhelm the newbie.

I wouldn't even consider South Beach for a bulking diet. I suppose you could modify it for bulking but if you do that, it's not South Beach anymore.

[RMe]

Originally Posted by ThatOldGuy

I wouldn't even consider South Beach for a bulking diet. I suppose you could modify it for bulking but if you do that, it's not South Beach anymore.

Just wait, there is a North Beach diet around the corner for bulking. JJ. . BTW Congrats on your transformation.