A: The South Beach Diet™ is a three-phase diet. If I wanted you to stay in Phase 1 forever, then I would have made a one-phase diet. In general, I recommend you move on to Phase 2 after two weeks of Phase 1.
Many of our subscribers think that the purpose of Phase 1 is rapid weight loss. This is not the case. I developed Phase 1 as a method to eliminate cravings, and the majority of your weight loss will actually occur in Phases 2 and 3. If you remain in Phase 1 for longer than the recommended two weeks, you run the risk of lowering your metabolism and setting yourself up for yo-yo dieting. Instead of shedding the pounds and keeping them off, you may end up making it that much easier to put the weight back on.
That's not to say that there aren't some cases where dieters can stay in Phase 1 longer than the recommended two weeks. If you have a large amount of weight to lose, or if cravings persist past the two-week mark, then you can extend the first phase for up to one month. In rare cases of morbid obesity, you may be able to extend this even further to two months.
Still, the average person should complete Phase 1 and move on. While it can be tempting to stick with the restrictive and easy-to-follow guidelines of Phase 1, continuing with the diet as recommended will improve your overall health and promote continued and sustainable weight loss.
Arthur Agatston, M.D.
