The South Beach Diet book became extremely successful as soon as the diet book by similar name was finally published and grew with rapid succession among a dedicated inner circle. Armed with their own dieting successes to tell everyone about, the South Beach Diet book, officially titled as, The South Beach Diet: The Delicious, Doctor-Designed, Foolproof Plan for Fast and Healthy Weight Loss, continues to grow in popularity, but the South Beach Diet Phase 1 continues to confuse readers.

The South Beach Diet Phase 1 is the shortest of all phases of the diet, lasting for a 14 day period. It was designed to be confrontational, kick-start your body and how you think about eating from that now on. Contrary to popular thinking and one of the more difficult to grasp parts to Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet, you do not have to limit yourself only eating low carb foods.

In a nut-shell, Phase 1 instills in you the thinking to: rid yourself of bad carbs that are not doing anything nutritionally for your body, replace the bad carbs that are overwhelming in quantity in the American diet with ample amounts of protein, good fats and low glycemic index (G.I.) carbs that solves your hunger and balances your blood sugar.

Foods that cause you more harm than benefit: fruit, candy, cereal, potatoes, grains, etc. all are to be eliminated, or the dieter must wean themselves off of during the South Beach Diet Phase 1. A safe bet, if you should have any confusion, is to consume as much salad, greens, and (most) vegetables you desire, as they are on target for dietary benefit.

It's during this South Beach Diet Phase that Dr. Agatston believes that one's body resistance to insulin will go down, so depending on your body weight and current health, you may lose 6 to 9 pounds initially, initially in the first two weeks right off the bat, as your body begins to eliminate excess body weight.

The major goal of the South Beach Diet Phase 1 is two fold: to push you into a routine that you stick with which keeps you feeling full and to lay the groundwork for a mindset that ensures you rid yourself of the bad foods and move towards the food that drops pounds, deliver energy and better your lifestyle.

Finding tell it to you straight and real resources about the healthy living you want to work towards, is not 'brain surgery'. No matter your interest: from water conservation at home to weight loss 'secrets' that really work, you name it. Adopting a healthy lifestyle isn't frustrating, or at all life altering if you don't want it to be, nor is it mandatory that you have to forgo all the flavors, living like a rock star lifestyle and adventure you seek out now as much of the time, is the misconception.