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South Beach Diet Phase 2: More Liberal Meal Plans

Here's where you gradually reintroduce certain healthy carbs into your diet: fruit, sweet potatoes, whole grain bread, whole grain rice, whole wheat pasta. Start with one piece of fruit a day for lunch or dinner, and continue with some cereal or a piece of bread. Weight loss will slow a little. (A healthy average rate of weight loss is 1 to 2 lb a week over time.) Stay on this phase until you hit your target weight. If you regain some weight, switch back to Phase 1 until you lose it.

See Phase 2 Complete Menu

A key to success is the glycemic index (GI) that ranks carbohydrate foods by their effect on your blood sugar levels. Focus on adding low-GI foods (apples, berries, grapefruit, high-fiber cereal, whole grain breads) to your diet instead of those with a high GI (cakes, cookies, crackers, pasta, white bread).

The goal is to eat more carbs again while continuing to lose weight. If you add an apple and a slice of bread a day, and you're still dropping pounds, that's great. If you try an apple, two slices of bread, and a banana daily and notice that your weight loss has stalled, you've gone too far. Cut back, or try some different carbs.

You'll go on that cautious way as long as you're in Phase 2, eating the most beneficial carbs and paying attention to how they affect you. You should also be aware of foods that increase cravings. No two people will experience this phase the same way. Some dieters can have pasta once a week with no detrimental effects. Others have to avoid pasta but can eat sweet potatoes. You'll have to figure this dynamic out for yourself.

Phase 2 Sample Meal Plan

Breakfast
Berry smoothie (8 oz Dannon Light 'n Fit fruit-flavored yogurt, ½ cup berries, ½ cup crushed ice, blended)
Decaf coffee or decaf tea with fat-free milk and sugar substitute

Midmorning Snack
1 hard-boiled egg

Lunch
Lemon Couscous Chicken
Tomato and cucumber slices

Midafternoon Snack
Dannon Light 'n Fit yogurt, 4 oz

Dinner
Meat Loaf
Steamed asparagus
Mushrooms sautéed in olive oil
Sliced Bermuda onion and tomato with drizzled olive oil

Dessert
Sliced cantaloupe with 2 Tbsp ricotta cheese

Foods You Can Eat Again Foods to Avoid or Eat Rarely Fruit: Apples, blueberries, cantaloupe, grapefruit, grapes, mangoes, oranges, peaches. Dairy: Milk (light soy, fat-free, or 1%), yogurt. Starches (use sparingly): Bagels (small whole grain), bran muffins, bread (multigrain, bran, whole wheat), cereal (high-fiber, oatmeal [not instant]), pasta (whole wheat), pita, rice (brown, wild). Vegetables and legumes: Barley, black-eyed peas, pinto beans, sweet potatoes, yams. Miscellaneous: Chocolate (bittersweet or semisweet, sparingly), pudding (fat-free).   Starches: Bagels (refined wheat), bread (refined wheat, white), cookies, cornflakes, dinner rolls, matzo, pasta (white), potatoes (white baked, instant), rice cakes, rice (white). Vegetables: Beets, carrots, corn, white potatoes. Fruit: Bananas, canned fruit, fruit juice, pineapple, raisins, watermelon. Miscellaneous: Honey, ice cream, jam.

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