Southlake- I Mean South Beach Diet- What a Country! Humor and Science on a Popular Diet

Working in the Civil Service and Human Service industries is a rewarding vocation. I am a student (and treatment provider) of addiction and compulsive behavior and continue to learn about all substances. Food is a primary reinforcer that we have to learn to consume properly. I at times struggle with comfort eating and wonder what the chalk line is between compulsive eating and addictive eating. Now I get to be my own case study and seek a method of weight control that fits my thinking and lifestyle. So what is my lifestyle?

Basically, I sit behind a desk or in chairs for most of my work day, not good for a mid 40's getting bigger in the middle guy. Rather than exercise, I'd like to find some kind of short-cut. Sure, I know you can't lose weight without activity and/or sacrifice. Mike Nichols Coordinator is a role model, but I can't play basketball like that, run long distances like that and just don't have the time (by my own choice of course..) to put my body throught those motions, nor was I ever really "good" at exercising.

Conversely, I am good at sitting idly during flights for work trips. But if you fly American Airlines like many of us here in DFW do, then you can sympathize with my automatic response to reach for the American Way in- flight magazine. Maybe I'll distract myself a bit and see what's up in the real world..lol.

What do you see in this thing? Basically you see things you can't have, wish you had, people you'll never meet, homes you'll never own, nor even stay one night in and of course, the great ads for those awesome condo's in ....South Beach! Wait. J-lo and Mark Anthony. No, no endowment nor desire to be a male Olive Oil. Back to realilty. So I am at the office building in Dallas, sneaking away to get a Diet Coke on the next floor up, I make my move and push the magic button.

So I'm in the elevator and I see two of my newly slimmed coworkers, Randy and Ray. Seriously, Randy dropped 60 and Ray looks at least 20 lbs lighter. I mean it was yesterday that these guys were in another weight category. So you guessed it, I rolled up to their office and grilled them on how they performed this miracle so fast. Their answer, The South Beach Diet.

I'm no Michael Savage, but I do come from a clinical background and hold 2 science degrees,.ok they are in Clinical Psychology, but I did minor in Pre-Med at Texas A&M (100 years ago. whew, what a save..) A N Y W A Y--
I did what any empiricist might and I hit the books. Somewhat promising, but not quite the fantasy fulfilled, what follows below is merely my take on this diet. My friend, Dr. RE ( Bariatric MD) Branch in Dallas was extremely helpful in my formulation of my opinion.

South Beach diet book offers a simplistic solution to weight loss. All you need to do is eat good carbs like whole grains, vegetables and beans instead of eating bad carbs like sugar white breads and potatoes.

If I'm not mistaken, this diet says, fast sugars are worst for dieters and slow sugars are good. And how are these foods classified as fast or slow? The Glycemic Index.

From what I've read in this diet, the food having a high Glycemic Index causes the blood sugar to spike (go up) immedietly after having the meal,whereas the food with a lower GI does not drastically shoot up the blood sugar levels.

But, isn't this only partially true? Yes, the foods with high GI are good for diabetics in helping them to keep their blood sugar levels in check. My understanding is that the GI of food is not the same; it depends on how the food is processed, ripened, stored and cooked.

Further, SB diet is formulated on the premise that good carbs like whole grains have a low glycemic index and bad carbs like sugars, white flour and refined grains have a higher GI.

BUT ISN'T IT TRUE THAT....

Bread is high GI whether whole wheat or white because it is made from finely ground flour.

Pasta is low GI, whether whole or white(thin languine has a high GI (as compared to the thick one). "Instant white" rice is low GI whereas "Uncle Ben's converted white" rice is high GI.

Take the case of sugars. Glucose is high GI, Sucrose is medium GI and fructose is low GI.

To me, it seems that recommending foods based on GI is confusing as well as misleading. On top of it all, there is no cited (referee journal )research to support the claim that the rise in blood sugar by eating high GI foods leads to high blood insulin levels, and that this leads people to overeat. I think other diets have used a cousin-like premise to attract buyers, corta-slim etc..

It appears there is a lack of evidence to suggest that eating low GI foods leads to weight loss.

South beach diet book claims that you won't feel hungry while on this diet. This is impossible considering the fact that some of the menus average only 1200 calories, which is too low not to feel hungry. I'd eat the paint off the walls at 1200..!!

The diet encourages you to eat seafood, chicken breast, lean meat, vegetables,whole grains, some fruits, beans, low fat cheese, nuts, oils and whole grains. fatty meats, high fat cheese, refined grains, sweets, juice and potatoes....which I like considering we were created to enjoy a plethora of food choices.

The choice of foods in this diet plan are somewhat healthy compared to other leading diet plans like ATKINS but restricting the consumption of carrots, bananas, pineapple and watermelon is the worst part of south beach diet. Why these restrictions? I do not know, perhaps y'all can get my head straight on this one.

The Best I can understand, the meal plan consists of three phases :

Phase 1 of the diet :

You are allowed to eat normal size helpings of chicken, meat, turkey, fish and shellfish, vegetables, eggs, cheese and nuts. You can have three meals per day. Desserts, coffee and tea are also allowed. That's what I'm talkin' about. Without meat and coffee, I'd have to be on an SSRI or phenylthiazine...(just kidding).

But for the first 14 days you are not allowed to eat bread,rice,potatoes,pasta or baked goods and even fruits! I see, set the hook with a guaranteed drop in weight!!! ...nice psychological maneuver. When the reality is no matter what you do, the first 14 days show the most dramatic change in symptoms. Hmmm isn't the same with antidepressants?


Phase 2 of south beach diet :

You can slowly begin to reintroduce carbs into your diet again. The diet advises you to take all the forbidden foods in phase 1 like bread, pasta, fruits etc. in moderate quantities but at the same time not as much as you were having before.

Phase 3 of south beach diet:

This part is the most relaxed. Dr.Agastson says that you can now forget that you are on a diet. He says that now onwards it is just a healthy lifestyle you are used to, and going to adhere for the rest of your life. That is a very positive message. Food, cigarettes and marijuana have a longer curve toward developing a modified life habit. Abstaining from our favorite vice foods, to me, moves the behavioral part of the cure in a direction that candy and junk food move to the secondary reinforcer camp. However, there are so many discriminate stimulus behavioral stimuli that never get "unlearned" and or replaced, that the likelihood of relapse is very real. I'm living proof. Just ask my wife....lol :-)

The initial weight loss caused by this diet is on account of calorie restriction and not because of low Glycemic Index or an invisible switch as Dr. Agastson's marketing language wants you to believe.

All in all, I am not convinced that this diet isn't one more money spinning fad diet for the creator of this weight loss program and a psychological prop(support) for people who are always hopping from one diet to the other in search of a better body. I respect the writing and not saying this out of jealousy. I am just fascinated by how many fads have come and gone, and they seem to be spaced just enough so that "the people" are hungry for another method just like me....

I and others might be better served if we chose healthy foods like green vegetables, whole grains, fiber rich foods and vegetables.

Shoot, I'm back to where I started. I suppose moderation, basic nutrition knowledge and practice win again.

With my luck, these thoughts will be broadcast to the world. If so, thanks for stopping by.
BWC