While both the Atkins and South Beach diets can be considered low-carb diet plans and have some similarities to each other, it’s the differences between them that will help you decide which of these low-carb diets is for you.
Both plans start with a two-week run-in period that is stricter than the rest of the diet. This two-week period is designed for very motivating rapid weight loss, but it will also get you off a lot of the bad carbs you’ve grown accustomed to eating. Many dieters can lose up to 7 to 14 pounds during these two weeks. Weight loss will usually slow down a bit after this, but you can still expect to lose 2-5 pounds per week depending on your metabolism, how much weight you have to lose, and how strictly you follow the plan you choose.
However, even during these initial two weeks, Atkins and South Beach are quite different from each other. Atkins virtually eliminates all complex carbohydrates, but does not restrict fat intake at all. So you can eat butter, oils, and fried foods like bacon and eggs. South Beach, however, limits most saturated fats, so you’ll avoid butter and dark meat on your turkey.
Count grams of carbohydrates
Atkins followers count every carbohydrate they put in their mouths after deducting the number of grams of fiber. South Beach dieters, on the other hand, don’t have to count carbs and there are no limitations on non-starchy vegetables. Instead of counting carbs, I’d just keep track of servings: how many and how big. Also, it allows good complex carbohydrates like whole grains and only rejects refined white starches. Atkins pretty much eliminates any type of starch.
Which diet is easier to follow?
For most people, I would say that the South Beach Diet will be the easiest diet to follow in the long run. Atkins may seem like a great plan since you can eat all kinds of meat, butter, and fatty foods, but most dieters will eventually find their complex carbohydrate restrictions terribly punitive. Plus, this is certainly more heart-friendly based on what we know today about saturated fats.
