Read the South Beach Diet Book

I guess there's 2 ways to look at this.

Good way - more or less keto diet with allowance for "good carbs" to make it more palatible for the masses. Do a nice job of dispelling the obvious anti-fat myths like eggs are bad. Does a nice job of talking about some specific tough foods, ice cream etc... explianing what they do in your body. Very anecdotle for people who would find, say Ellis' style, too science. Full menus for thoses who like that.

Bad way - prone to failure. Once people get past the point where their following the menus to the T, they will start to do "their own" version and gain the weight back. It's a more forgiving diet which means you have less room to fall before it stops working. If after a month of Ellis or Atkins you decide you must have whole wheat toast in the morning and a few fries with your burger your still ok. If your already eating whole wheat toast, and an apple and yougart -your'e done.

No reason to even look at this one if you've read Ellis and/or Atkins.

Bill

[James Boelter]

I had no idea what the 'South Beach Diet' was, only that someone else was doing a modified Atkins thingie. I had no more reason to buy this book than I had to buy the latest Suzanne Somers "Eat and Cheat" style diet opus (nothing against Somers...she has her place in the fitness industry, even after the 'Thighmaster'), and now I have even less reason...but at least I now know what the heck it is!

[Mike]

I read about the South Beach diet in Men's Health. It seems to be just another low carb approach!

Jim,

Since I started moderating this part of the forum I'm trying to look at this stuff for my own FYI - in case some one asks. I draw the line at Dr. Phil though!

Bill

[Scott Sonnon]

Bill,
Everyone greatly appreciates all that you do here. I want to thank you for your efforts.

thanks Coach

[David Whitley, RKC]

Is there an explaination to the "lose belly fat first-GUARENTEED" statement i saw at the book store?

Complete non-sense

Fat is lost inexact reverse order of how it is stored.

In men that generally means belly, in women buts and thighs.

First on, last off - period.

I think their counting on the first blast of water loss to fool you into thinking that.

Bill

[Connie Brown]

Bill I respectfully disagree with you on this one.

The scenario you describe is true if the person does not have the particular abdominal fat that comes with excess insulin.

Disproportionate belly fat is a marker for excess insulin in most body types - it's a different quality from a healthy man's love handles. South Beach is an insulin-controlling plan and when a person fixes the insulin problem, the belly fat really does come off first.

And then with a working metabolism, what you say kicks in.

Connie

Connie'


Since i'm sure you have your facts right, one question; what % of the population is actually medically insulin sensitive to the point that they are outside the normal pattern.

I'm always a little wary of people using a condition they hear about as an excuse - it used to be "hormones"

Do you have any reading to recommend here?

Bill

[Connie Brown]

I haven't seen reliable numbers on that yet Bill. It is such a new field of study that doctors do not agree on what test to use, or what numbers to call normal, for insulin sensitivity. It's not on my annual physical for example.

But using experiential data, all the insulin-controlling lowcarb plans report losing the "insulin meter" of belly fat at a faster rate than the overall fat.

The best lay-oriented discussion I have seen about percent of population with this tendency is in Schwarzbein or Eades' books.

to get hard-core about it, maybe a Pub Med search on "insulin resistance" or "insulin sensitivity."

I remember that "hormones" excuse too! insulin is a hormone. It just gets out of whack when you eat wrong. So both sides are right - those who say it's hormones and those who say it's what you're eating. And cortisol is a hormone that keeps us fat too when it's too high all the time.

But I distinctly remember many times through Weight Watchers where I was eating what I now know was an insulin-overload diet, not knowing any better, and weight watchers said it was great and my doctor even said go to weight watchers. So it is possible to be trying to do the right thing and still have it be hormones.

oops TMI - better go

Connie

[Mike]

Connie'


Since i'm sure you have your facts right, one question; what % of the population is actually medically insulin sensitive to the point that they are outside the normal pattern.

I'm always a little wary of people using a condition they hear about as an excuse - it used to be "hormones"

Do you have any reading to recommend here?

Bill

Is there any way to find out if I am insulin sensitive?

[humilispuer]

Go your doctor.
Request:
Fasting Blood Glucose Test
Glucose Tolerance Test
These two should give you a pretty good idea of where you are at.
Also, as Connie said, if you tend to store you fat in your stomach more than anywhere else, most likely you have insulin problems. Connie - you know what you're talking about, please contribue more often :D

-Humilis

[Mike]

Go your doctor.
Request:
Fasting Blood Glucose Test
Glucose Tolerance Test
These two should give you a pretty good idea of where you are at.
Also, as Connie said, if you tend to store you fat in your stomach more than anywhere else, most likely you have insulin problems. Connie - you know what you're talking about, please contribue more often :D

-Humilis

I think I have insulin problems then. Even when I'm at lower bodyfat levels, I seem to carry most of the fat in my face and around my abdomen!

[aaron]

What do you consider lower body fat levels?

[Mike]

What do you consider lower body fat levels?

For, me the lowest I've been is 12%! I'm talking from a personal standpoint. When I lose bodyfat, I still tend to keep some around my waist and in neck and face!

[humilispuer]

Mike - it would seem that you do have some sort of insulin related issue. You may want to try a reduced carbohydrate diet. Problems with insulin effect a lot more than just weight: http://www.dfhi.com/interviews/rosedale.html
I noticed that on a low carb diet, not only can I get a lot more lean, my bodyfat is distributed proportionately and in a much more aesthetic manner.

-Jay

[Mike]

Yeah, I've always wanted to give a low carb diet a serious shot just to see what kind of results I might get.

[humilispuer]

No better time than the present! Also, you have a great support base here at the forum - this is a distinct advantage.

-Humilis

[aaron]

I have to chime in here...At 12% body fat you're still going to have a pouch of fa around your belly. I'm not sure how much fat would be stored in the face but I have noticed that dehydration is what really makes the face look exceptionally lean.

[Mike]

I have to chime in here...At 12% body fat you're still going to have a pouch of fa around your belly. I'm not sure how much fat would be stored in the face but I have noticed that dehydration is what really makes the face look exceptionally lean.

I was trying to say from a personal standpoint, that's the lowest I've been. I know that I'm still supposed to have some fat around my waist, but I lean out faster around other parts of my body! It's not the presence of fat on my gut that I was referring to, it was the fact that the fat on my gut seems to stick around the most.

[aaron]

I understand, and it is the same for me. It just seems that the belly is where fat is stored first for most men and that you might not not suffer from any insulin problems. Of course, it wouldn't hurt to check out if you did and I also plan to have myself checked out.

[Mike]

I understand, and it is the same for me. It just seems that the belly is where fat is stored first for most men and that you might not not suffer from any insulin problems. Of course, it wouldn't hurt to check out if you did and I also plan to have myself checked out.

It just looks funny when my shoulders, arms and chest are all defined and then I have that little pudge going!

[Jay76]

Bill I respectfully disagree with you on this one.

The scenario you describe is true if the person does not have the particular abdominal fat that comes with excess insulin.

Disproportionate belly fat is a marker for excess insulin in most body types - it's a different quality from a healthy man's love handles. South Beach is an insulin-controlling plan and when a person fixes the insulin problem, the belly fat really does come off first.

And then with a working metabolism, what you say kicks in.

Connie

How about fat in the but/hips??? excess insulin????

[Connie Brown]

If it's a rollover (nyuk, nyuk) from the abdominal fat, I think yes.

If it is not - like a defined waist and that is just where the person carries the extra, like on some women, then no.

It looks more like the beer belly on guys and on gals, that one where you look pregnant but you're not.

[Chuck Sproule]

I agree with what Connie is saying from a larger standpoint, in that controlling insulin is paramount in removing the "beer belly" effect on a man but Bill was also right. The fat that you have remaining, that last little "pooch" IS a result of improper insulin balance but you won't get rid of it with ANY insulin balancing diet alone. This is STUBBORN FAT and will resist all your attempts to get rid of it.

This, as Bill pointed out in the beginning, was the first on the scene, and will be the last to leave if you approach it correctly. I have helped many people lose this "last 5-10 pounds" by helping them understand why in the heck it's there to begin with. Let me first say that Connie's suggestion to get you insulin in control is first and foremost (and yes, she can probobly talk sicles around all of us! Smart Lady!) I am just sharing with you what I have seen work time and time again for this nagging problem.

This last "stubborn fat" is there because of initial insulin imbalance but remains even after this is corrected and perhaps many pounds have been lost along the way. Then all of a sudden...it stops! The remaining fat now HAS A PURPOSE for hanging around your stomach and love handles (as a man) and on hips, buttocks and thighs on females. The fat cells are being used as storage chambers for toxins that the liver can't efficiently deal with. Now, the same inert fat cell that we used to have that could have been burned using various diet and exercise methods--won't budge--because your body is storing toxins and now has this purpose for these fat cells. Until you remove these toxins from the cells by a small detox program (and I don't mean herbal cleanses etc. necessarily) you won't be able to tackle these last fat cells in the traditional way. Most don't realize as they try diffeent nutritional strategies and supplements that the road block was even there. Remove it and watch the last bit of stubborn fat disappear quite easily.

[Connie Brown]

What is the small detox program? this is muy interesting and makes a lot of sense.

[Chuck Sproule]

It's an actual part of our fat loss program for the Warrior Diet Connie. The first "detox "part is about resting the liver for 5-7 days by cutting out all animal proteins except for a few things like yogourt (which is live).

This allows the body to naturally eliminate stored toxins and then you can focus on burning the fat away when that happens.

[JonasCavileer]

Hello, iam new to the forum, yes i posted on the welcome mat, and was reading this very interesting thread and have become very curious about this "Warrior Diet". Where can i find this book, who is the author?

Thanks,
JC

[radiantkd]

I will espectfully disagree that a blood glucose test will tell you about insulin resistance.

In some ways this discussion really does not apply to most of you. If you have 12% body fat, you are not likely to be insulin resistant.

I do not think going and getting tests is the way to go. More efficient is to ask your own body.

You have the skills with doing your trainign programs. Simply apply them to your nutrition program. Experiement and see what gives you great resultsl

The issue is not whether you go low carb so much as slow carbs. And whether you give up sugars, white things and alcohol

Warmly,
Kathleen