The South Beach Diet is broken down into three
different phases. In phase 1 of the South Beach Diet, you can eat
normal portions of food, but this phase is carbohydrate restricted and
works much like a low-carb diet, putting your body into fat-burning
mode. This phase of the diet is the hardest to follow and is the most
restrictive, but it only lasts for two weeks.
Phase 2 of the South Beach diet is less restrictive than phase 1 of the
diet.
This is the phase of the diet when restricted foods from phase 1
of the diet are slowly reintroduced. Weight loss continues during this
phase, but not at as rapid of a rate as is experienced during phase 1.
The amount of time that phase 2 takes will depend on how much weight
you want to lose. You remain on phase 2 of the diet until you have
reached your ideal weight goal.
Phase 3 of the South Beach diet is the maintenance portion of the diet.
This is the phase of the South Beach diet that lasts for life. This
part of the diet focuses on a normal, healthy diet with a balance of
carbs, proteins and fats. If you begin to experience weight gain during
phase 3 of the diet, you go back to phase 1 and also repeat phase 2 and
then go back to phase 3 again.
The overall approach of the South Beach Diet is a healthy eating lifestyle, not a short-term diet approach.
References:
http://www.southbeach-diet-plan.com/