Your South Beach Diet Guide to Success

Congratulations on taking the steps toward living a healthy and sustainable lifestyle. With the South Beach Diet, you’re given the flexibility you need to allow healthy living to fit seamlessly into your busy schedule. And let’s face it: We’re all busy with work, families and the craziness that life brings! With the help of our easy-to-follow meal plan, South Beach makes low-carb-living completely attainable (and delicious).

Given that your South Beach Diet meal plan provides you with so much flexibility, you might be feeling overwhelmed with your “do’s” and “don’ts” while dieting. Don’t worry! That’s exactly why we’ve created this handy, dandy South Beach Diet guide to success to provide you with ALL the information you’ll need to succeed during each phase of the South Beach Diet.

Now check out our guide to success to learn everything you need to know about the South Beach Diet:

Grocery Guide >

To kickoff our guide to success, let’s get started with some grocery shopping. On the South Beach Diet, you’ll be cooking home nutritious and delicious low-carb meals and snacks. In order to feel fully confident in walking down the ever-tempting grocery aisles without inadvertently putting anything and everything into your cart, we’ve created a full grocery guide that lists Proteins, Healthy Fats, Veggies and Extras that are all South-Beach-approved. Check it out! >

Dining Out Guide >

An important part of our guide to success is understanding what to choose when you’re in real-life situations, like dining out. Many fad diets completely restrict you from enjoying a night of dining out with your friends. That’s what makes the South Beach Diet so attainable. You’re allowed to eat all your favorite foods with a few simple guidelines—and that goes for dining out, too. We’re here to give you all the information you need while heading out to eat.

Dining out does not have to completely cancel out all the hard work you’ve put in to leading a healthy life. In fact, using dining out as a DIY meal is perfectly acceptable on the South Beach Diet! Apply all the principles you have learned from our awesome Grocery Guide to the menu when you are out to eat. Want the Cobb Salad but notice it’s made with fried chicken and loads of dressing? Ask for grilled chicken instead and the dressing on the side. Want the hummus as an app, but see that it’s served with pita bread you KNOW you’ll overindulge in? Ask for carrots, celery, bell pepper or cucumber to dip into the hummus instead.

Regardless if you are at a Mexican, American, Italian or Chinese restaurant, there are always tips and tricks to stay on track while still enjoying your meal.

Get our full Dining Out Guide here >

Ordering takeout or delivery? Check out these seven tips before placing your order! >

Want to know more about simple ways you can stay on the straight and narrow while at your favorite restaurant? Check out this article on dining out while on the South Beach Diet >

Weight Loss Phase Meal Plan >

The start of your South Beach Diet journey is all about rebooting your body by eating fewer carbs and more Proteins, Healthy Fats and Non-Starchy Vegetables. During this time, your body will adjust to using fat as energy, rather than what your body is typically used to—which is using carbs for energy. By following this low carb approach, your body begins to burn excess fat, which in turn, causes weight loss—it’s that simple!

After a week or so, your body will ease into steady weight loss. Your body no longer looks to carbohydrates as its first source of fuel, and your body now burns fat—your fat—for energy.

In your Weight Loss Phase, you’ll have flexibility with your grocery additions and DIY meals. You’ll get to use your creativity in the kitchen with DIY meals and snacks. Just be sure to limit your net carb intake to 50 grams or less per day.

On our meal plan, we also recommend drinking half of your body weight in ounces of fluid each day. However, please note that this is just a recommendation and you may need more or less fluid based on your activity level or other factors. Speak to your doctor to ensure you are hydrating properly for your specific needs.

You will remain on your Weight Loss Phase until you have reached your goal weight, in which you can move on to our weight maintenance phase.

Click here for even more info on your Weight Loss Phase >

Weight Maintenance Phase Meal Plan >

Congratulations on your weight loss! If you are entering your Weight Maintenance Phase, this means you have officially reached your goal weight. You rock!

This part of our handy guide to success is the best part! In the Weight Maintenance Phase, you’ll follow our easy guidelines to gradually increase your calorie intake. You’ve reached your weight loss goal and no longer require a caloric deficit—and this means more food in your daily meal plan.

You can also eat more carbs if you want: Some people may wish to increase their net carb intake to 75 to 100 grams each day (Low-Carb meal plan), while others may prefer eating less carbohydrates with 50 grams of net carbs per day (Very-Low-Carb meal plan).

Just like in your Weight Loss Phase, you will continue to drink at least half of your body weight in ounces of fluid each day (As we already mentioned fluid needs vary, so speak to your doctor to ensure you’re hydrating properly for your needs). However, we recommend increasing your physical activity to 60 minutes per day and your non-starchy Vegetable servings to six per day.

You are AMAZING, and we know you can keep up with this healthy lifestyle you have created for yourself. And when in doubt, just head back here to brush up on your guide to success to remember the ins and outs to healthy living!

To find out even more info on the ins and outs of Maintenance, click here >