If you've made it through phase 1 and have lost more weight than you possibly imagined you may be tempted to continue eating this way forever. DON'T! Dr. Agatston believes that the main reason people fail on this diet (stop losing weight and then gain the weight back) is that they stay on phase 1 too long. Agatston explains that once you reach phase 2 you will continue to lose weight but at a much slower pace of 1-2 pounds a week. This is disappointing to a lot of people so they revert to phase 1 which didn't feel so restrictive. After some time the food gets monotonous because "Phase 1 isn't meant to be a long term eating plan. You're limited to a failry small palette of food- grilled or broiled lean meats and fish, vegetables, low fat cheeses, salads, nuts, and good fats" says Agatston.

In his experience people who do this begin to improvise by mixing in their old habits with phase 1. They cheat with a cookie here, a bag of chips there, until all of a sudden they're cheating more than dieting. At this point he explains that most people revert to phase 1 but they are unable to stick to it because the food feels even more monotonous than it did when they first started cheating. Agatston believes that "it's important for people to like the food they eat. Eating is meant to bring pleasure, even when you're trying to lose weight. That's a sensible way to think about food, and it's one of the basic principles of the South Beach Diet. Which is why we strongly urge all the people we counsel to switch to Phase 2 after the second week, no matter how tempting it is to remain on Phase 1".

Foods You Can Reintroduce
Fruit: apples, apricots dried and fresh, blueberries, cantaloupe, cherries, grapefruit, grapes, kiwi, mangoes, oranges, peaches, pears, plums, strawberries
Dairy: soy milk, fat free or 1% milk, plan low fat or fat free yogurt, light fruit flavored yogurt
Starches and Breads (sparingly): small whole grain bagels, multi grain, oat, bran rye, or whole wheat bread, fiber one, kellogg's extra fiber all bran, or uncle sam cereal, non instant oatmeal, sugar free bran muffins (no raisins), whole wheat pasta, green peas, whole wheat pita, popcorn, small sweet potatoes, brown or wild rice
Vegetables and Legumes: barley, pinto beans, black eyed peas
Miscellaneous: bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (sparingly), fat free pudding, red wine

Foods to Avoid
Starches and Breads: refined wheat bagel, white or refined wheat bread (this is most of the breads at your supermarket so buy your bread at the health food store), cookies, cornflakes, matzo, white flour pasta, white potatoes baked or instant, rice cakes, white rice, dinner rolls
Vegetables: beets, carrots, corn, potaotes
Fruit: bananas, canned fruit, fruit juce, pineapple, raisins, watermelon
Miscellaneous: honey, ice cream, jam

South Beach Phase 1

Get Details on Phase 3 with The South Beach Diet: The Delicious, Doctor-Designed, Foolproof Plan for Fast and Healthy Weight Loss