I would like this thread to turn more into an article, FAQ or essay or at least an entry point for the newbies of this board.

Basically what are the main differences between the major LC diets and which one would suit a particular lifestyle or dietary preference.

For the differences in the diets what are the differences in Phase 1 ( the initial phase ) Phase 1 for SB, Induction for Atkins, WW in the first two weeks, The first two weeks of the zone etc ...

Same with phase 2 and for phase 3 ( middle and maintanence )

So where can we begin?

From what I have read, the main differences between Atkins Induction and SB phase one would be:
on SB you can have nuts, but not on Atkins
SB promotes fat free and low fat with cheese, where as Atkins promotes full cheeses (this would be true for the diets in general, in ohter words SB promotes fat free and low fat period and Atkins advocates using full cheeses.
In meats SB again goes with the very lean cuts of meat and turkey bacon as opposed to regular bacon.
I know there are more but for now my brain is just not functioning.
SB does not hold a person to counting carbs and staying within a certain number per day, while Atkins induction limits you to 20 gr or less of carbs per day for the induction period.


Both plans are designed to help people get their cravings under control, also both plans talk about how carbs work and react in our bodies, and talks about good carbs vs bad carbs.or healthy vs unhealthy carbs.

As a general rule SB allows for adding carbs back in quicker than Atkins.

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An excellent write up on South Beach vs. Atkins was posted by Shawnee on our sister board. I don't think he would mind us posting it here...

Posted this in another thread but wil repost it here again as is 100% relevant to this thread................

For all of these plans once you cut through the hyperbol, this IS all about eating a b-a-l-a-n-c-e-d diet - healthy proportions of food that is as close to it's whole state as possible, with an eye to restricting consumption of food elements that have limited nutritional value - ie: their nett effect is to increase one's blood glucose levels, without any demonstrable addition to minerals, vitamins, fibre etc.

As far as I'm concerned once you add liberal amounts of exercise & tons of clear fresh water thats pretty much it in twentyfive words or less

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I try to take one day at a time but sometimes several days attack me at once

Started June 1, 2003
Start 229/ Now at 188/ Goal 175

Straight White Male, Married, 56 Years Old looking for........

I totally bow and agree with these words...and could not add more if I tried Especially the healthy proportions ..."close to it's whole state as possible" this is poetry to me!

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sw 159 cw 107 gw 120
hit goal 3/5/05

Yes, I agree also, and I remember when Frank did that excellent post on ADBBb. Thanks for sharing here as well FRank.

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I agree with all that is said but have to add that there is a population of us out here who are very calorie sensitive. Is there a low carb diet out there that allows me to eat good for me carbs and whole fats BEFORE I get to maintenance?

If I were not so metabolically resistant I could move through the rungs on Atkins and be there. But I've been stuck on the OWL rungs for over a year with no weight loss and now think I have to eat less calories from fat (as opposed to less calories) to move ahead.

On Atkins OWL, when I try to eat lean meats and reduce the fat content, I just don't lose. And if I go up the rungs and add in more carbs I don't lose because the loss is too slow at that point.

So like Huey Lewis says, "I want a new plan". One that takes the best of the whole foods from Atkins, and allows carbs while actively losing, but does not include fat-free or low fat yeccch!!!!

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Mindy

Try looking at the Hampton's Diet or the Thin for Good Diet. Both are by Fred Pescatore, MD. Dr. Pescatore worked with Dr. Atkins for most of the 1990s. His works aren't that different than Atkins. In fact they are so close, you can use his ideas and apply them to Atkins without "going off" Atkins because Dr. Pescatore further explains things that Dr. Atkins brushed over.

"Thin for Good" is like "Atkins Plus" because it is a bit more specific (takes physical age and your sex into account). I use some of the Thin for Good ideas, like limiting processed foods to 1 or 2 servings daily (if that) and some of the vegetable suggestions.

Hampton's is like "Thin For Good: Revised Edition". Again, it uses the basic Atkins ideas but adds a bit more into the mix. And I also use some of those concepts in that book to tweak my Atkins diet.

I hope that helps.

Megs! I have always taken your good advice! On logging on to Amazon.com now!!! Thanks.

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Mindy

I have a feeling I'm going to get flamed on ADBB and here for my last post. So allow me to explain....

I like Dr. Pescatore's books. I consider them to be "trouble shooting" manuals for Atkins. Why?

Dr. Pescatore was the Associate Medical Director of the Atkins Center for most of the 1990s. During that time, he wrote Feed Your Kids Well, which according to Dr. Atkins' introduction in that book was the diet the Atkins Center used for children and teens. Around 1999, Dr. Pescatore split from Dr. Atkins. Within a year he published Thin For Good. According to Pescatore's interviews and his books, he differed with Dr. Atkins on 2 points: 1. the type of fat eaten on Atkins and 2. the ketosis-is-a-must-for-weight loss thing. I never quite understood the ketosis thing because his diets are comparable to Atkins in terms of carb amounts, so I'm not going to get into that. In terms of the fat, Pescatore believes we should eat more unsaturated fats. That is, it's okay to eat steak and bacon---but not everyday nor at every meal everyday which some Atkineers do, eventhough Dr. Atkins said to eat a variety of foods.

Thin For Good was Dr. Pescatore's version of a low carb diet. It's very similar to the 1972 and 1992 versions of Atkins. But he individualizes the diet according to sex and physical age.

When I read the book, I thought to myself "
He splits with Atkins in 1999 and publishes the book by 2000. So where is he getting his data for this diet?" I assume the diet is based on his experience at the Atkins Center. I'm sure they had people on the diet who stopped losing weight and needing "tweaking". I have the impression that Thin For Good is based on those tweaks. That's why I consider it a troubleshooting manual for Atkins: it provides supplemental info and insight to Atkins.

Hampton Diet is an extension of Thin For Good. In fact, he refers to Thin For Good several times in Hamptons.

Pescatore's books are the only books I use as a fine tuner because Dr. Atkins was Pescatore's mentor and because their concepts on low carb dieting are very similar. I look at his books as a natural extension of the Atkins diet and it's apparent that in Atkins for Life, some of the concepts in that book are similar to the ones in Pescatore's books.

Now, if Dr. Pescatore comes to LCDB and sees this, I want to make sure he understands that I'm not diminishing his work at all. No way! His diet can stand on its own. But his diet can also help out Atkineers troubleshoot their diet. Dr. Atkins works and Dr. Pescatore's works complement each other and it's a **** shame that Atkins Nutritionals, Inc.'s version of the diet doesn't give Dr. Atkins that amount of respect.

So I hope I've 'splained myself well enough.

I understood that immediately! But a little CYA helps I guess, LOL!! I ordered the "Thin For Good" book yesterday after reading the intro. Like you, I look at this as a trouble shooting guide. Don't forget this is a free country and we are not robots!! I am very pleased to think for myself and make my own deductions from reading a lot of information!

I've read DANDR & South Beach. I'm in the process of reading Curves and now Thin for Good will be next. Put it all together, stir and cull out what is meaningful to me and I will have lots of options for trouble shooting! Now that doesn't mean I'll go on a free-for-all low carb diet without guidelines! No, just the opposite! I will make guidelines that are meaningful to me!!!!

I am very interested in what Dr. Fishdoctor (aka pescatore means fish!) has to say, as yes, I do remember he was an integral part of the Atkins institution with Dr. A.

Thanks again for your wonderful offer to help!!!!!!

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Mindy

Yep, though my a** is no longer a 26W-sized a** anymore, it's a size 14 and needs some covering.

Mindy, I've read the older editions of Atkins and even the other non-diet Atkins books to help me understand it better. The one thing people don't realize is that Atkins is pretty broad and allows for alot of individualization based on body tolerances in the OWL, Pre-Maintenance and Maintenance phases.

Think I was one that didn't understand. Guess I tried to use the book as a bible. I like the liberation of designing my own custom plan.

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Mindy

Well, it is a "bible" so to speak with rules, but there's alot of freedom within those rules to cobble a diet for yourself. I can't eat certain foods and certain combinations of foods because my body can't tolerate them. For example, I found I can't eat cantaloupe. Eventhough the book says cantaloupes are perfectly okay for the diet, they aren't for me. So there is individualization within the diet in the later phases--there has to be because we're all individuals.

Megs, you are indeed a wealth of information!

Thank you for giving us your take on Dr Pescatore's diet. It just goes to show that basically most good diets have simliar philosophies, no matter where they get their info. I do also think that Atkins can also be tweaked/tailored to individuals. After all he did establish the diet that would suit "most" dieters, but there are a few who would find it harder to lose on it for whatever reason. And if the fishdoctor has somehow done this, then I say, why not?

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~ Ari ~
5'5, Highest: 165lbs /75kg
Re-start: 155lbs /70kg
Current: 145lbs /65.5kg
Goal: 120lbs /54kg
Journal of My Stats
My Cheats Journal


Aussie Lo-carb Recipe site
Nutritional info for over 19,000 Australian generic and brand name foods (including fast-foods)
Easy US -> Oz conversions
Basic Imperial -> Metric conversions
Food Standard ANZ - food additives list

Dr Bernstein the author of 'Diabetes Solution' & 'Diabetes Diet' uses as his mantra 'The Law of Small Changes' & I agree with him 1000%

He recognized that we all are different & each of us reacts differently to various foods, combinations of foods, etc

It goes Like This

Law of Small Changes
1. Make a Small Change
2. Evaluate the effect of the change
3. Discard of Accept
4. Wait a whiole & then move on to another small change

By this constant process of trial & error & then fine tuning you develop a personalized program that works for you (& please recognize we are all different so the please recognize the same thing may not necessarily work for somebody else)

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I try to take one day at a time but sometimes several days attack me at once

Started June 1, 2003
Start 229/ Now at 188/ Goal 175

Straight White Male, Married, 56 Years Old looking for........

Skank/Shawnee that is soo true. With so much information shot out at us on a daily basis we are beyond instant gratification, we are on instant nano gratification! LOL.

I made the switch from Atkins OWL to SB Phase 1 and have been on it for 4 days and was expecting to see dramatic results like you do when you first go on a low-carb plan, but you know what? I am going to wait a while to see what happens!!!

Thanks for reminding us of that!!!!!!

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Mindy

Great info! Enjoyed reading it.

Perry....My left button doesn't keep the helicopter up LOLOLOL.