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Low-carbohydrate diets have been in fashion for quite some time now. Two of the most common of these diet meal plans are the Atkins Diet and the South Beach Diet.

Interestingly, both diet meal plans were developed by medical doctors (cardiologists, in fact) who goals were to help Americans try to lose weight. Both diets target carbs as the culprit in weight gain.

The Atkins Diet was developed by the late Dr. Robert C. Atkins around 1972, and over time it became very popular with dieters, especially in the 1990s.

Dr. Arthur Agatston, a cardiologist from Mount Sinai Cardiac Prevention Center in Miami Beach, Fla., developed the South Beach diet program for his cardiology patients. His diet meal plan was introduced to the masses through his book: “The South Beach Diet: The Delicious, Doctor-Designed, Foolproof Plan for Fast and Healthy Weight Loss” which was published in 2003.

There are some similarities to these popular diet plans. They both advise dieters to avoid carbohydrates and follow stringent meal plans, and ultimately maintenance meal plans to ensure that the significant weight lost during the program does not come back.

Both of these diets start with an induction phase during which the dieter’s body is “trained” for the diet routine.

Both diet plans include food lists to help dieters mix and match foods to create daily menus to suit their tastes. Of course, like most diet meal plans, both diets encourage dieters to stay away from any foods not included on the lists.

Among the “forbidden” foods on Dr. Atkins’ list are fruit, bread, pasta, grains, starchy vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, and many dairy products except cheese, cream, and butter.

Aside from fruit, bread, pasta and vegetables, Dr. Agatston’s South Beach dieters are also advised to stay away from potatoes, cereal, rice, and corn, especially during the first two weeks of the diet plan. After this induction period, some of these foods may be slowly re-introduced into the body, however, in smaller amounts.

Both of these popular diet plans have a lifetime “maintenance” phase. Dieters will be so accustomed to either plan that they hardly recognize that they are continuing to diet.

There are differences between the two plans. Although both diet meal plans restrict carbohydrates, the South Beach diet tends to be a bit more forgiving since it does not totally eliminate carbohydrates. Instead, it distinguishes between “good carbs” and “bad carbs” and “good fats” versus “bad fats”. The South Beach diet encourages dieters to eat reasonable amounts of the “good” carbs and fats.

Low-sugar carbohydrates with a low glycemic index are “good” carbs according to the South Beach plan. Also, foods rich in fiber are recommended.

The Atkins’s diet routine is supposed to help the body to burn fat. The goal is to help the dieter achieve better health, and lose weight. The Atkins’s diet meal plan consists of four phases while the South Beach plan has three phases.

In both plans, the introductory stage of 14 days aims to condition the body for some changes to prepare for the program.

The Atkins diet trains the body to burn fat instead of sugar to help eliminate cravings for sugar and break the addiction to some foods, especially those high carbohydrate foods.

In South Beach diet, the induction phase has dieters cut high-carb foods, which are gradually re-introduced in small amounts in the next phase. South Beach debunks myths that this approach prevents dieters from getting healthy mix from all food groups.

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Atkins dieters go through the next following four phases: induction weight loss, ongoing weight loss, pre-maintenance and lifetime maintenance.
The last two phases of South Beach diet are called re-introduce the carbs and diet for life.

What’s key in the maintenance phase of the Atkins Diet is to keep portions of food at small amounts. Atkins diet guarantees you won’t get hungry because its long-term goal is healthy diet.

South Beach’s promise is to “change the way of eating,” in such a way that the dieter does not recognize that he is on a diet.
Summarizing the Diets

Atkins Diet
Developed by cardiologist Dr. Robert C. Atkins in 1972, with his “Diet Revolution”, a high-protein, high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet.

The program focuses on a low-carbohydrate diet.

The Program has 4 phases:
1. induction phase (train the body to burn fats instead of high sugar carbs)
2. ongoing weight loss
3. pre-maintenance
4. lifetime maintenance

South Beach Diet
Developed by cardiologist Dr. Arthur Agatston of Miami Beach, Florida, who in 2003, published the book “The South Beach Diet: The Delicious, Doctor-Designed, Foolproof Plan for Fast and Healthy Weight Loss”.

The program distinguishes between “good” and “bad” carbohydrates, and “good” and “bad” fats.
Take in “good” carbs and fats.

The program has 3 phases:
1. 2-week introductory or induction phase (strictly no carbs)
2. re-introduce the carbs
3. diet for life

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