THE SOUTH BEACH DIET SUPER CHARGED
OTHER BOOKS BY DR. ARTHUR AGATSTON
The South Beach Diet
The South Beach Diet Cookbook
The South Beach Diet Dining Guide
The South Beach Diet Good Fats/Good Carbs Guide
The South Beach Heart Program
The South Beach Heart Health Revolution
The South Beach Diet Quick & Easy Cookbook
The South Beach Diet Parties & Holidays Cookbook
The South Beach Diet Taste of Summer Cookbook
For more information on the South Beach Diet,
go to: www.SouthBeachDiet.com/Supercharged
THE SOUTH BEACH DIET SUPER CHARGED
FASTER Weight Loss and Better Health for Life
Arthur Agatston, MD
with Joseph Signorile, PhD
Notice
This book is intended as a reference volume only, not as a medical manual. The information given here is designed to help you make informed decisions about your health. It is not intended as a substitute for any treatment that may have been prescribed by your doctor. If you suspect that you have a medical problem, we urge you to seek competent medical help.
The information in this book is meant to supplement, not replace, proper exercise training. All forms of exercise pose some inherent risks. The editors and publisher advise readers to take full responsibility for their safety and know their limits. Before practicing the exercises in this book, be sure that your equipment is well-maintained, and do not take risks beyond your level of experience, aptitude, training, and fitness. The exercise and dietary programs in this book are not intended as a substitute for any exercise routine or dietary regimen that may have been prescribed by your doctor. As with all exercise and dietary programs, you should get your doctor’s approval before beginning.
Mention of specific companies, organizations, or authorities in this book does not imply endorsement by the author or publisher, nor does mention of specific companies, organizations, or authorities imply that they endorse this book, its author, or the publisher.
© 2008 by Arthur Agatston, MD
The South Beach Diet® is a Registered Trademark of the SBD Trademark Limited Partnership Photographs © 2008 by Rodale Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any other information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher.
Photographs by Thomas MacDonald/Rodale Images
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Agatston, Arthur.
The south beach diet supercharged : faster weight loss and better health for life / Arthur Agatston ; With Joseph Signorile.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN: 978-1-59486-457-5
1. Reducing diets. 2. Reducing diets—Recipes. 3. Reducing exercises. 4. Weight loss. I. Signorile, Joseph F. II. Title.
RM222.2A34965 2008
613.2'5—dc22 2008003928
We inspire and enable people to improve their lives and the world around them
For more of our products visit rodalestore.com or call 800-848-4735
To South Beach dieters everywhere
who have achieved a healthier way of life
And, as always, to my wife, Sari,
and sons, Evan and Adam
CONTENTS
Preface
Acknowledgments
PART I
Living The South Beach Diet
1 Changing the Way America Lives
2 The Basics of the South Beach Diet
3 A Diet You Can Live With…For Life
4 Supercharge Your Metabolism
5 Boomeritis: The New Epidemic!
6 Bye-Bye Belly Fat
7 Supercharged Foods for Better Health
8 A Generation Overfed and Undernourished
PART II
The South Beach Supercharged Fitness Program
Overview of the Program
Interval Walking Basics
Total Body Workout Basics
PHASE 1: Supercharged Fitness Program
Phase 1 Weekly Exercise Plan
PHASE 2: Supercharged Fitness Program
Phase 2 Weekly Exercise Plan
PHASE 3: Supercharged Fitness Program
Phase 3 Weekly Exercise Plan
Make Exercise a Lifestyle
PART III
Supercharged Eating on The South Beach Diet
Getting Started on the South Beach Diet
PHASE 1: Losing the Cravings
Phase 1 Foods to Enjoy
Phase 1 Foods to Avoid
Phase 1 Sample Meal Plans
Recipes for Phase 1 Meal Plans
Dr. Agatston Answers Your Questions about Phase 1
PHASE 2: Achieving Your Health and Weight Loss Goals
Foods to Reintroduce on Phase 2
Phase 2 Foods to Avoid or Eat Rarely
Phase 2 Sample Meal Plans
Recipes for Phase 2 Meal Plans
Dr. Agatston Answers Your Questions about Phase 2
PHASE 3: Enjoying the South Beach Diet for Life
Dr. Agatston Answers Your Questions about Phase 3
References
Conversion Chart
PREFACE
This book is a celebration and an affirmation. It is a celebration of the success of the South Beach Diet, and it is an affirmation of the wide acceptance of the healthy eating principles we have continued to advance since the original South Beach Diet book was published in 2003. These principles are simple: Choose nutrient-rich, high-fiber carbohydrates found in vegetables, fruits, and whole grains; good, unsaturated fats; lean sources of protein; and low-fat dairy.
This book also introduces a unique metabolism-revving exercise program that works. The program is based on the proven science behind interval training and core functional fitness.
For several years, readers of the original book and many of my patients have requested an update on the South Beach Diet. While the basic principles of the diet have not and are unlikely to change, volumes of new research have furthered our understanding of the importance of these principles. In fact, a major theme of mine when I speak to physicians and lay groups around the country is that the diet debates are over. We have progressed beyond the low-fat versus low-carb wars. We are at the point where there should no longer be confusion regarding the best diet approach for sustained weight loss and optimal health.
There is now a consensus of expert opinion that it is not the relative amounts of carbohydrate, protein, and fat that are important but their quality. Today, the basis of an optimal diet and of the South Beach Diet are one and the same. In fact, the healthy eating principles we stand by can be applied to almost anyone’s particular dietary needs. Our diet principles are reflected not only in the most recent recommendations of the federal government but also in the guidelines of the American Heart Association and many other organizations devoted to promoting good health.
We have learned a great deal over the past 5 years about how South Beach dieters can best apply our healthy eating principles to their hectic everyday lives. We have learned about the pitfalls that some dieters experience, and we have developed effective strategies to help them overcome these problems. One of these pitfalls is what I like to call the “You Can Never Be Too Thin” syndrome, in which people who have reached a healthy weight and look good still want to lose more weight. I explain why this is a problem that can lead to yo-yo dieting and even more weight gain (and what you can do abo
ut it) beginning on Chapter 6. We have also learned more about why some dieters plateau at a particular weight and what they can do to successfully rev up their metabolisms and continue their weight loss successfully. Furthermore, we have learned a great deal in recent years about how individual nutrients in foods and beverages can protect your health. This includes the phytonutrient resveratrol, which is found in one of my favorite foods (dark chocolate) and perhaps in one of yours (red wine).
Today we also know more about how and why the epidemics of obesity and diabetes have occurred, and ongoing research has taught us that the right diet is even more important than we thought just 5 years ago. In fact, in dozens of recent studies, the presence of belly fat has been convincingly associated with inflammation and appears to be a common denominator behind many of the diseases of the Western world. These fascinating new findings are helping us all better understand how to improve our own nutrition and health along with that of our families.
One criticism of the first South Beach Diet book was that we did not include more on exercise. While I have always been a strong believer in the health benefits of exercise and said so in the original book, in 2003 I didn’t feel that I had important new fitness information to communicate. At the time, our patient studies were done based on dietary changes alone in order to show the efficacy of the diet, and I didn’t want to dilute our exciting new approach to healthy eating. Today, thanks to some eye-opening personal experiences, I do have important and exciting new fitness information to offer in the form of a unique three-phase exercise program that dovetails perfectly with the three phases of the diet itself. To create the program, I consulted with two outstanding exercise specialists: Joseph Signorile, PhD, a well-known professor of exercise physiology at the University of Miami; and Kris Belding, a Miami-based Pilates teacher who has worked with my wife, Sari, and me for several years.
I have always considered the South Beach Diet and my goal to make it a lifestyle a work in progress. As new information becomes available, we do not hesitate to integrate it into our program. Naturally, as science marches forward, new developments in health, nutrition, and fitness may supersede or conflict with our current knowledge. But even as new knowledge must influence our thinking, the core mission of the South Beach Diet remains consistent: to help you live happier and healthier lives.
My ability and that of my colleagues to successfully treat our patients has improved exponentially during my 30-year medical career. Practicing medicine is more gratifying for me today than ever before because of the advances in medical and nutritional science. I am thankful that I have the opportunity to share some of this important information with you in this new book.
Arthur Agatston, MD
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
It is impossible to thank all of the people—friends, doctors, and partners—who have supported the South Beach Diet and influenced my work over the years. However, I would like to acknowledge those who have participated personally in the development and creation of this book.
First, I want to extend my deep appreciation to the South Beach dieters who have contributed their moving success stories to these pages. Your achievements are an inspiration.
I would also like to thank my collaborator, Dr. Joseph Signorile, and my Pilates teacher, Kris Belding, for helping me develop the South Beach Supercharged Fitness Program for this book and for consulting on The South Beach Diet Supercharged Workout DVD.
Special credit also goes to Marie Almon, my nutrition director, who has worked with me for many years counseling South Beach dieters and who has contributed greatly to the new meal plans and recipes. In addition, thanks go to Mindy Fox for developing the delicious dishes themselves and to Samantha Cassetty, of SouthBeachDiet.com, for her nutrition advice.
At Rodale, I would like to thank publisher Liz Perl and my longtime editor and friend Marya Dalrymple, who has truly been a partner in the creation of this book. I would also like to acknowledge test kitchen manager JoAnn Brader, project editor Hope Clarke, photographer Thomas MacDonald, and the best art director ever, Carol Angstadt.
Finally, I must once again credit my friend Linda Richman for making a phone call so many years ago and uttering seven life-changing words: “My doctor needs to write a book.”
Above all, and always, I thank my wife and partner, Sari, and sons, Evan and Adam, for their constant support, enthusiasm, and love.
PART I
Living The South Beach Diet
1
Changing the Way America Lives
The South Beach Diet was always intended to be more than just a diet. In fact, it was originally developed to help my cardiac and diabetes patients lose weight in order to prevent heart attacks and strokes. As a cardiologist, I have always felt that the South Beach Diet is less about dieting and more about living a long, healthy, and active life. I wrote the original book in 2003 because I wanted to help change the way America eats. Now I have a new goal: I want to change the way America lives, not only by helping people eat healthfully and lose weight, if necessary, but also by helping them become more fit. We must begin to overcome the poor eating habits and sedentary lifestyle that are making us fatter and sicker with each passing year.
Over the past several decades, we have witnessed an unexpected epidemic of obesity in this country. One-third of American adults over age 20 are obese, and two-thirds of us are overweight. The number of seriously overweight children has tripled. Moreover, statistics show that 51 percent of Americans don’t engage in any kind of regular physical activity. The results have been catastrophic.
This epidemic of obesity is causing an array of health problems that is much broader than we doctors ever imagined. Beyond the cosmetic concerns that pervade our culture, the list of real problems arising from our toxic lifestyle is getting ever longer. A partial list includes—and you may want to sit down for this—heart attack, stroke, prediabetes, diabetes, many types of cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, macular degeneration, arthritis, osteoporosis, psoriasis, acne, depression, and attention deficit disorders. And this is just a sampling.
It also appears that if we do not reverse the health course that we are on, the cost in human and economic terms will reach crisis proportions. Our poor diet and sedentary lifestyle are already exacting a steep toll in terms of mortality and money. They’re responsible for an estimated 300,000 premature deaths every year and $90 billion in health-care costs, but I believe the real costs are much higher. And as the baby boom generation gets older, these health costs will likely continue to soar.
Sadly, this is not only an American problem. Just as our sedentary, fast-food lifestyle is being exported around the world, so are the attendant health problems. The good news is that now that we better understand what’s happening to us, we can start to create solutions.
A Sedentary Nation
In order to develop strategies to halt and reverse the epidemic of obesity, we must be aware of the trends that have gradually but inexorably brought us to the crisis situation we are in today. I have found in my practice that by putting patients’ current problems into a context they can understand, they can more easily become cooperative partners in moving toward solutions. Perhaps because I was a history major (not all doctors are bio majors), I also find that tracing today’s health problems back to their original roots is fascinating.
The truth is that while our bad diet and unhealthy lifestyle have been many decades in the making, the toxic changes in the way we live have really accelerated in recent years. Our DNA is designed to live, eat, and exercise the way our hunter-gatherer ancestors did, and it hasn’t changed substantially since that time. But we no longer live in the wild. We don’t have famine in this country to keep us thin. We no longer burn calories hunting and gathering our food.
On top of that, a completely sedentary lifestyle has gradually crept in, invention by incredible invention. Due to the march of technology, we sit in front of computers both at work and at home. Machines and gadgets lift, move, and carry t
hings for us. We communicate by e-mail, and many of us don’t even walk down the hall to chat with colleagues as often as we used to! While studies document how much less physical exertion we’re doing, we really don’t need research studies to appreciate the trend. All we have to do is look around.
The preponderance of labor-saving devices, from tractors and forklifts to remote controls and the personal computer, has had a major impact on the number of calories we expend daily at home and at work. These devices have also had devastating effects on our muscles, bones, tendons, and ligaments. Sitting bent over at a computer for most of the day is simply not good for our health. In Chapter 5, “Boomeritis: The New Epidemic!” I talk about these evolving physical problems and their solutions. And in Part II of the book, I present the South Beach Supercharged Fitness Program. Not only will this 20-minute-a-day program help you burn more calories even when you’re not working out, it will also strengthen the key core muscles in your abdomen, back, pelvis, and hips. It’s your core muscles that help you avoid the back pain and other muscle problems that so often result from our sedentary lives.
The South Beach Diet Super Charged Page 1
