You will experience these dramatic results with the South Beach Phase 1 Diet by following some simple guidelines.

Once you are past the first two or three days and haven't given in to temptation, followed the guidelines you will start to notice a change.You will be eating good carbs and the good fats, your cravings will diminish. You will start to feeling better.

For two weeks you cut out just about all the whites out of your diet.No sugars, no starches.
Yes, that means no candy, no desserts, no bread, no pasta, no white rice or potatoes. Sorry to say for some of you that there is no alcohol allowed for this period but you can reintroduce wine in the next phase.Coffee and tea are okay just not the sugar.

You can feast on lean cuts of meat,fish,turkey and chicken. Eat low glycemic vegetables, certain types of nuts,eggs and low fat cheeses.

Eat lots of salad with olive oil as the preferred dressing and of course drink lots of water.

Stay away from fruit for the first phase also. I know you think fruits are healthy and they are but during this phase of the diet we are trying to start the reversal of the way your body uses sugars
and starches, which caused your current weight situation. Don't fret,you get most of them back in phase 2.

So what to eat during this phase with what seems like a limited selection of food groups to chose from? The first thing you want to do is consult the glycemic index of the foods you come across every day in the meals you normally eat.

The glycemic index will tell you how much one food will raise blood sugar compared to another food.Obviously you want to chose foods with a low glycemic index during phase 1 as test have shown that low glycemic foods satisfy hunger longer as well as prolong cravings better than higher glycemic foods.

You can access this index in the South Beach Diet book or on-line.

Remember though, there are some foods that have a low glycemic index but are not allowed in phase 1.

What you consume during phase 1 of the diet is where you are restricted the most of all the phases. It is only two weeks so you body has the minimum amount of time to adjust from all the bad stuff you used to eat.

You will eat three meals a day with a snack in between each meal and dessert after dinner. If you still feel hungry increase your portion size.

This diet is so easy to use. There is no counting of calories no measuring the size of your meal.

Both the book and the website give you suggested meal plans, grocery list and recipes to assist you in preparation of meals, snacks and desserts.

Good luck on your journey to a healthy and lighter you!