Making improvements to your current lifestyle involves a multipronged approach. For instance, selecting the right fats and carbs over saturated fats and highly processed carbs; choosing beverages without added sugar and other unhealthy fillers; and getting enough physical activity. Truly understanding these South Beach Diet strategies will help you adopt them — and lose weight and become healthier in the process. Here is a crash course on Phase 1 beverage guidelines to get you started — or to refresh your memory if you are returning to Phase 1.

Phase 1-approved drinks:

• Water
• Milk, 1 percent low-fat or fat-free milk
• Soymilk with 4 grams or less of fat per 8-ounce serving (low-fat plain, vanilla, or with sucralose). Be sure that the product does not contain high-fructose corn syrup
• Caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee and tea (drink caffeinated in moderation)
• Herbal tea (such as peppermint or chamomile) without added sugars (avoid any teas that promise to help you lose weight or boast any other unrealistic health benefits)
• Sugar-free flavored waters (check labels carefully, as flavored waters often contain hidden sugars), soda, iced teas, powdered drinks, etc.
• Club soda or seltzer
• Tomato juice or vegetable juice cocktail

You should avoid the following:

• Fruit juices
• Sodas and any drinks containing sugar
• Whole or 2 percent reduced-fat milk
• Alcohol of any kind, including beer and wine (once you begin Phase 2 you are allowed up to 2 glasses a day of the following libations: wine, vodka, gin, whiskey, scotch, bourbon, tequila, or rum)
• Flavored waters and powdered drink mixes containing sugar
• Soymilk with more than 4 grams of fat per 8-ounce serving