Melonie Bell had heard of the South Beach diet but had never tried it when she volunteered to review "The South Beach Diet Supercharged," a new book by Arthur Agatston ($25.95, Rodale Books).
Her verdict? "I lost 10 pounds" over the course of a month, she says, "so it was good."
The original South Beach book focused on helping people eat the right carbs and right fats. This book adds a three-phase exercise plan to the three-phase diet.
Bell, a 27-year-old Wichita mother of two, says she had a hard time with the first phase of the diet, which basically eliminates all carbs for two weeks. "I was either going to have to binge on a whole bunch of cake or move on," says Bell, who teaches language arts at Hamilton Middle School.
So after a week, she moved to the second phase, which allows one fruit and one bread serving a day. That made it possible for Bell to stick with the diet, even while on vacation.
The second phase also is designed for two weeks but it can be extended before the follower moves on to the maintenance phase.
"It's pretty versatile," Bell says, and it's not meant to be a diet but a way of healthy eating, understanding the difference between good and bad carbs.
"I don't think I realized how much carb stuff I was eating," Bell says. In addition, her husband and their two children now are eating less junk food and more fruits and vegetables.
The exercise plan calls for interval walking, toning and core strengthening, all of which work well for Bell, who already was walking her dog. "It just never occurred to me to do fast paced and slow paced" while taking the dog out, she says.
Because she already was exercising, she skipped the first phase of the exercise plan, which was too easy for her. The book calls for spending 20 to 30 minutes every day on exercise; Bell manages four times a week.
Overall, Bell says the book is full of good information, though much of it is common sense. It includes recipes and sample menus; Bell liked most of the recipes she tried. But she says that if the authors really think mashed cauliflower tastes like mashed potatoes, they must not have eaten the real thing "for a long, long time."
The ricotta dessert recipe here was a hit, even with her children, Bell says.
RICOTTA DESSERT
1/2cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/4teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
1 pkg. granular sugar substitute
Whisk together all ingredients. Serve immediately or chill for 2 hours. MAKES 1 SERVING.
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(c) 2008, The Wichita Eagle (Wichita, Kan.). Distributed by Mclatchy-Tribune News Service.