Atkins Vs. South Beach

A reader writes:

So could you answer a quick question for me?

I’d like your opinion on which diet to do: South Beach v. Atkins. 

Different diets work better for different people, so instead of simply telling you which to try, let me interact with the conditions you feel are important to making the decision and give you my impression of which way a particular consideration tips.

Impacting this decision:

– I’m 5’6", about 175 lbs., looking to drop about 20.

Okay, the good news is that your weight loss goals/needs are modest enough that probably either one of the diets will work for you. It’s not like you have 100 or more pounds you need to lose. If you did then you’d likely need to consider a more intensive strategy than you do.

– I currently have very little idea what I’m allowed to eat or not
eat with either diet, but really only have the time to read up on one.

If time is a consideration then that probably tips toward Atkins. The Atkins diet is built around a few simple principles that are easy to learn and that you then apply yourself to come up with your own menu. South Beach’s principles are "fuzzier" and it relies more heavily on telling you what you can and can’t eat. One of the things that South Beach does not do is give you a formula that you can go out and apply for yourself. It relies more on giving you lists of approved and disapproved menu plans and foods. This means that you have to rely more on the book and less on your self.

To put the contrast crisply: I could take two minutes and tell you the principles you need to know to do Atkins, but there’s no way to do that with South Beach because the author never comes out and gives you a concise list of principles to follow. He doesn’t offer a concise "formula" the way Atkins does.

– I more or less have my wife’s support.

That probably tips toward Atkins, too. Because of the way South Beach works, it involves a lot more specialty cooking. A typical man will need more spousal support for South Beach than for Atkins. The cooking is (or can be) simpler in Atkins than in South Beach.

– I really don’t like vegetables; the only ones I eat are corn, potatoes, and baby spinach, and not much of those.  The spinach I can do once a day, but I don’t particularly like it, and eat the leaves raw.  I’ve tried to change this behavior toward veggies, but by now it’s so ingrained I can’t avoid the gag reflex.

Corn and potatoes will be a problem under either diet. Baby spinach will be fine under both.

Both diets will want you to eat veggies, but it’s easier to ignore this if you’re doing Atkins than if you’re doing South Beach.

 

– I do eat most fruits.

If you really want to eat fruits then that would tip towards South Beach. Fruit options are more limited under Atkins. If you can take or leave fruits then it doesn’t really matter.

 

– I eat all kinds of meat, but am also currently a carb addict.

As far as meat goes, this tips slightly toward Akins. Both allow meat, but Atkins allows a bit more diversity in kind and quantity than South Beach.

As far as being a carb addict, this is less of a concern than it used to be as there are so many low carb alternatives on the market now (e.g., low carb tortillas are in all of the grocery stores–at least out here–and they can be used not only for the obvious purposes but also for things like making sandwiches and pizza; Dreamfields pasta is also in all the supermarkets out here).

Atkins is stricter on carbs in the first two weeks of the diet, but after that there’s really not much of a difference as after the first two weeks Atkins will let you eat as many carbs as you want as long as your weight loss doesn’t stop.

 

– We’re not poor, but we also don’t have a lot of money to spend on diet foods, vitamins, etc., although I do plan to try your fiber supplement idea.

Neither diet requires you to buy speciality foods, though they are there if you want them (particularly when you want a treat, like low carb candy or ice cream).

Neither diet requires nutritional supplements, though Atkins talks them up more. Your goals are modest enough that you can probably get by with just a good multivitamin (which you ought to be taken anyway). If you had more weight to lose then supplementation would be more of a priority.

 

– I drink a LOT of diet soda.

Neither diet prohibits this, though both will tell you to avoid taking in huge amounts of caffeine since caffeine stimulates insulin production and that will inhibit weight loss. When I first went on Atkins (before South Beach was on the market), I lost a very large amount of weight while drinking diet cokes like crazy (though a good chunk of that was Diet Rite brand since this kind has neither caffeine nor NutraSweet). Both diets will allow diet coke, and even moderate caffeine.

That deals with the list of considerations you mention, but there are a couple more things I’d like to offer that may be helpful. Since this post is getting lengthy, though, I’ll spin them off into new posts.