atkis vs south beach
 

What is the difference? I'm so confused on that. I'm on atkins right now, but does south beach work better?

You do need to read the South Beach book to get a real understanding of how it works!! :idea:

Its basically a low glycemic index food plan.

Here are some of my thoughts:

we don't count carbs...we don't eat high fat protein or dairy while we do eat lots of fish and poultry and very lean red meat....we eat lots and lots of veggies...we are not a low carb as we are a good carb food plan......and last but not least...this aint no diet!! its a way of eating for the rest of our lives!! :D

Click on the link in my signature to see the food lists and meal plan charts.

Good luck! :D

Hi ! :wave:

You're confused ????? me too :confused:

I asked one of my friends ( who has been on every diet invented ) and she totally baffled me.
Something about if you have a target area for losing weight i.e 'Waist' you eat certain foods for that area and mentioning something about wild berries and wild hog or something ( only joking about the last comment but it was beginning to sound like it by the time she had finished I was completely cabbaged :bash:

I would stick on Atkins if I were you sweetie !

Thanks for sharing your South Beach experience!! Your friend sounds like she's a bit confused too!! :lol:

No dairy? I thought we could have yogurt and cottage cheese.

No I think judy meant not high fat dairy.

I have changed over (with Judy's assistance) and it's been an easy transistion, and it seemed really daunting at first.
I can only talk from experience but I have changed from atkins to SB and lost 13lbs in a month.
Obviously your milage may vary!!

If you're interested then like judy says you should look at the link in her signature, it's a really good simple way to understand what you can have on SB.

we can!!! just go to the food link on the bottom of judys signature,or get a south beach book and read it.as for the other person said ,she has this diet confused with another plan. we can eat low fat cottage cheese, and fat free plain yougurt that you can add a lil bit of vannilla and slpenda to make it very good.

I started losing when I switched from Atkins to SB, too. I was surprised because I felt like I was eating more and cheating! :D

Yes! That is exactly what I meant!! :agree:

Thanks for clarifying that Hazel!!

As an Atkins advocate, I must respond.

We count carbs (especially in the induction phase) as they are evil and wicked and lead to much disorder within the body. We, like the heathen South Beachers, eat lots and lots of veggies. We eat high fat and good tasting meats such as fish and poultry, along with steaks and chops. We eat high fat dairy such as good tasting cheeses and butter. We shun items labeled low-fat or with trans-fats in them.

In reality, both eating plans result in healthier bodies and reduced chances of being overweight. It all depends upon which one you can live with for the rest of your life. I prefer Atkins because I have had great results with it and can eat foods that I enjoy.

Thanks for your rundown Mike.

We are not here to debate which plan is better. This is not a debate forum but a support forum. If we wanted to debate this, which we don't, we'd take this to the War Zone.

When members come in here and ask us Atkins vs South Beach, I think it is up to the original oster of the thread to make their own choice. We are not trying to swy opinion or sell this plan. We are trying to explain the differences.

Many atkins users do not go beyond induction and stay at 20 carbs a day and they do stop losign weight. Many are afraid to to go the OWL phase of atkins because they are afraid of adding good carbs back into their food plan. This is a mistake!! From what I've seen, those who are successful on Atkins do move into the OWL phase and do add carbs back into their plan.

I went to Atkins Nutritionals site to read about OWL phase to try to understand why there was so much fear and confusion around adding carbs back. What I came away with was seeing how hard and scary it is to move into this phase according to the formula that they tell you to use.

One of the things that makes this plan work for me is the ease that I moved inot phase II of this plan. They make it easy to learn which carbs work and which don't for our individual bodies. I find myslef meeting many here that I encourage to move inot OWL phase because they have stopped losing...I don't try to get them to come over to the heathens!! :D :lol:

Thanks for your point of view!!

Well, for my WOE/WOL, I definitely, 100% prefer the South Beach WOE than the Atkins. YES, I have been on the Atkins several years ago and lost weight fast, but put it back on and then some because I could not stick to that WOE. It really is a preference in which way you want to lose the weight. I appreciate learning about good carbs, bad carbs and good fats, bad fats. Hey, and I got my little period after 10 years of being annovulatory/infertile, so that has to say something about the plan for me personally. I never got my period with the Atkins. With that said, I am so, so happy.

My dh is so happy for me and very supportive (always has been) that because of my results, he is recommending this WOE to his patients. He's seen first-hand how it works and what health benefits result from it. You really do, do, do need to read the book. In fact, read both books and see what way of eating would best suit you. I'm not against the Atkins if that is the way you want to go, but for me personally prefer the good carbs & good fats WOE/WOL. I feel that I can always stick to this WOE for life. That's important to me.

Best wishes on making a decision!

Plumtired :)
(who has lost 19 pounds since 5/20/05 on South Beach)

I counted carbs at first, but after getting used to understanding which veggies were good carbs and bad carbs, well it has been super easy to follow! And, the weight has come off easily enough. I don't track which level of the ladder I should be on, but do listen to my body and of course don't eat sugar and flour. You should definitely educate yourself on which plan is best for you...while I don't proclaim to be an expert on South Beach, I am also not an expert on Atkins. I just know when I ate low cal/low fat...well I was always hungry and while I did lose weight eating that way, I was miserable! Now, on Atkins I don't get hungry...ever and am now 157 pounds down and 10 to go. Research each eating style and pick the plan that suits you as an individual. Don't take our words or experiences...find out for yourself. Obviously, both plans work.

MissScruff, well said. I feel the exact same way as you! ;)

this is not the war zone. like they said .i find this site a huge support of my CHOICE of woe.i come here to talk to other people who are making positive changes in thier personal health and mental well being,to make friends and see if i can offer my friendship and encouragement. allllll i have to say to any one trying to make a choice is read both BOOKS. not just listen to what you hear from other people.differnt things work for differnt people.