There is no thing as an end time for the South Beach diet. It is good to follow this diet for life. This is because following it for life will ensure that you always follow a very healthy and worry-free eating pattern.

The South Beach diet has three stages.

Phase one

The first stage, also called Phase I, is the most difficult of the three, as this phase has the maximum food restrictions. This is a fortnight-long phase, wherein you are encouraged to consume food that has low fat content, or that is absolutely fat free.

During this phase, your food generally consists of lean protein-sources, cheese that is either low in fat content or doesn't have fat at all, leguminous food products, food products with 'healthy' fat content, and also other vegetables that are low in their glycemic index.

The glycemic index, as you know, is an index that ranks carbohydrates according to the way they impact blood glucose. A low glycemic index is ideal, while a high glycemic index is an indicator of problems within the body.

Phase two

The second stage, called Phase II, is one of moderation.

This phase has no fixed time period, unlike other diet regimens. Here, food items such as whole grain bread, pasta, milk, which were considered taboo during Phase I, are allowed in limited amounts during this stage.

During this time, you can lose whatever amount of weight you had set yourself at the beginning of the South Beach diet schedule.

Phase three

The third stage, called Phase III, is one of persistence.

During this stage, the key is to continue to maintain the diet plan you had developed over Phases I and II. As the transitions between the phases happen smoothly and over a period of time, the feasibility of being in Phase III of the South Beach diet plan is much more realistic than in the case of other diet control routines.

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