Written by Megan Ayala. Last Updated: December 27, 2023

What is the South Beach Diet?

*South Beach Diet is no longer offering a meal delivery program…If you’re looking for the best in diet delivery, we recommend Nutrisystem:

Looking for an honest South Beach Diet review? Well, the South Beach Diet was created Arthur Agatston, a well-known heart doctor, back in 2003 [1]. When Dr. Agatston first invented the diet, it was only available as a book, which featured a weight loss plan, and recipes that you could follow.

Over the last 15+ years, a lot has changed. The diet is now also available as a frozen food delivery service, which sends customers a month’s worth of weight loss food – this separates it from a lot of other diets.

No matter which version of the South Beach Diet you choose, though, you” find the founding health principles largely remain the same.

It’s mostly known as a low-carb diet [2], but you’ll find it is less strict than other diets, like Atkins for example. When following South Beach Diet, you don’t have to count carbs like some other diets, but you will follow a diet for health that is high in “healthy” fats, and lower in carbohydrates.

What is the Goal of the Diet?

The health goal of the South Beach Diet is to help people shed fat in a way that is safe and healthy [3]. While you want to be wary of weight loss diets that offer empty promises, the do say most people can expect to drop an average of one to two pounds per week when following the program.

South Beach also wants to help show you how to maintain a healthy weight over the long term, through a combination of healthy eating and moderate exercise.

This means it’s a weight loss program that can help with long term health, should you choose – you’ll find this makes it a much better option than other fad diets that offer short term solutions instead of real help.

Who Should Consider the South Beach Diet?

• You enjoy an international-style menu, with plenty of American favorites
• You prefer they make most your meals
• You’re sick of fad diets
• You’re tired of counting calories
• You like diets that offer low-carb eating, not counting calories
• You enjoy diets that have protein like beef, chicken, fish
• Prefer diets that teaches you health skills you can use for life vs worrying about calories
• Prefer meal delivery diets (“done-for-you” weight loss diets)
• Prefer diets that teaches you how to maintain your health and a healthy weight over the long term

We always recommend checking with your doctor before starting new diets and/or exercise health program like South Beach, but if you want to learn more about their delivery program and see the full menu, head to the South Beach Diet website:

*South Beach Diet is no longer offering a diet delivery program – If that’s what you’re looking for, we recommend Nutrisystem:

How the Diet Works

Whether you sign up for their delivery service, or simply follow the original The South Beach Diet: The Delicious, Doctor-Designed, Foolproof Plan for Fast and Healthy Weight Loss book by Dr. Agatston [4], you’ll find you’ll pretty much be following the same fat loss plan.

South Beach likes to call it a “balanced” approach to eating, which involves using the “right mix” of nutrients in all of their meals.

These nutrients include:

• “Good” Carbs
• Lean Proteins
• “Healthy” Fats
• Fruits
• Vegetables

Their program rolls out in three main phases:

• Phase 1
• Phase 2
• Phase 3

When you start Phase 1 you’ll find you will probably drop the most weight. Phase 2 offers steady results until you’ve hit the final phase. Phase 3 is your chance to continue following their principles for long term weight management – stick with it to avoid putting weight back on (more information on these phases below).

The South Beach wants to teach you how to eat the “right” way, so you can keep a healthy weight for life [5], by showing the “right” carbs to eat for your health.

The experts at South Beach determine good and bad carbs based off the glycemic index. Basically, carbs that elevate your blood sugar are avoided, because they say these can lead to overeating and weight gain.

By eating “good” carbs, they hope to help regulate your hunger, so you don’t overeat, and don’t get hunger pangs.

South Beach will also show you the right fats and protein sources to eat. This means avoiding saturated fats, and eating foods that have monounsaturated fats [6] instead.

Lastly, they encourage you to enjoy foods high healthy fiber, by including fresh fruits and vegetables with every meal.

South Beach Diet Phases

South Beach Diet follows three main phases, with the first phase being the strictest part of the diet.

Phase 1

Phase 1 of the diet lasts the first two-weeks. The focus is to help adjust to their healthy eating plan, and get rid of your sugar cravings. To make this possible, they eliminate all sugar and most carbs. That means you won’t be eating any pasta, bread, rice, or even fruit [8]. Sugary drinks and alcohol are also eliminated. Most of your diet will consist of protein and non-starch vegetables. They also mix in some nuts, seeds, and low-fat dairy. When you start this phase, expect to lose the most fat.

Phase 2

This is the steady weight loss phase, and you’ll be able to eat some of the foods you eliminated during Phase 1, but in moderation. You can even drink some alcohol, but not more than a glass of wine per night.

Phase 3

When you reach Phase 3, you will have reached your goal weight, and should hopefully be ready to carry these new healthy eating and exercise habits forward for life. You no longer have to follow South Beach Diet to a T, but you may want to continue making smart choices so you don’t gain the fat back.

RELATED: South Beach Diet Phase 1, 2 and 3 Food List

Do You Have to Exercise on South Beach Diet?

The latest version of the diet recommends getting at least 30 minutes of exercise per day for your health. If you sign up for their delivery food, they have a free exercise guide that you can download or access via their app.

Exercise options include things as simple as walking, jogging, swimming, biking, or even gardening.

Once you start getting moderate exercise, though, we think you’ll find it a necessary part of your daily routine.

South Beach Diet Sample Menu + Frozen Foods

Their foods menu is one of the best parts about South Beach Diet, in our opinion. That’s because they make most of your meals for the month. Remember, we’re talking diet food here, so as long as you go into with realistic expectations, then you should enjoy the food too!

The offer an awesome selection of international-style foods, so there should be options that most people love.

We’re talking foods and meals like Chicken, Broccoli & Rice, Artichoke & Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast, Chicken Fajita Bowls, and Garlic-Ginger Beef & Broccoli!

They also have crowd favorites like pizza, breakfast sandwiches, chicken primavera, and other foods customers love.

Here’s a small sampling of the more than 101 foods and menu choices they currently offer:

Breakfast

• Beach Shack Chocolate Shake
• Canadian Turkey Bacon, Egg, & Cheese Muffin
• High Protein Pancakes
• Vegetable Frittata
• Florentine Omelet

Lunch & Dinner

• Italian-Style Meatballs in Zesty Tomato Sauce
• Southern-Style Chicken & Beans in Tangy BBQ Sauce
• Edamame Chicken
• Home-Style Creamy Cauliflower & Chicken
• Grilled Chicken Sandwich
• Margherita Pizza
• White Bean Chicken Chili
• Roasted Turkey with Herb Gravy
• Steak & Asparagus
• 7 Spice Shrimp & Chicken Stir Fry

Snacks

• Vanilla and Chocolate Shakes
• Meat Sticks
• Salt & Vinegar Multigrain Chips
• Salted Caramel Protein Puffs
• Chocolate Chip Muffin Mix
• Fudgy Graham Crumble Bar
• Whipped Chocolate Almond Bar
• Nacho Protein Puffs

Remember, this is a very small sampling of all the food they currently have on their menu.

How Many Grams of Net Carbohydrates Do You Eat?

While some consider South Beach Diet to be “low carb,” it’s not as restrictive as other well-known diets like keto or Atkins.

During the first two weeks of South Beach Diet you’ll eat about 50 grams of net carbs per day, but after that expect to eat about one hundred forty grams of net carbs per day.

By comparison, the keto diet includes about 20-30 grams of net carbs per day (LEARN MORE: South Beach Diet vs. Keto), while the Atkins diet is somewhere between 20 and 100 grams, depending on which of their programs you’re following [7].

How Much Weight Can You Lose?

There is no one sized fits all weight loss diet plan, so remember that results will vary from person to person. Based on their research, though, they say people may lose somewhere between 8 and 13 pounds during the first phase [9].

Moving forward from week one, most people may see an average of one to two pounds of weight loss per week.

Once you’ve passed Phase two you’ll be ready for long term maintenance mode in Phase 3. Stick with their healthy lifestyle principles to avoid putting weight back on.

South Beach Diet Pros & Cons

By now it’s probably pretty obvious what our opinion of the diet is: We’re big fans, and that’s because it easy to follow and it absolutely can help you lose weight when used properly.

Even with all the positives, though, there are some potential downsides for you to think about.

Cons

• Have to Stay Committed to the Plan to See Results
• Isn’t the Cheapest Delivery (COMPARE DIETS: South Beach Diet vs Nutrisystem)
• They Don’t Currently Offer Plans for Vegetarians
• Diet Food Ins’t for Everyone

Pros

• Lose up to 7 Pounds in Phase 1
• Drop one to two pounds per week after week one
• Easy to Follow
• Great for People Who Hate Grocery Shopping
• Food Tastes Good
• Lots of Menu Options to Pick From
• New Keto-Friendly Menu Items
• Clear Beginning, Middle, and End
• Proven to be Safe and Healthy
• Diabetes-Friendly Plan (Talk to your doctor before starting the diet)
• Generally considered pretty affordable
• Many Positive Testimonials

South Beach Cost: Where to Buy their Frozen Food Home Delivery

South Beach Diet ranges in price from $10.36 to $13.93 per day depending on the plan and options you choose. This comes out to be about $289.99 to $389.99 per month for their full meal delivery service. These prices are dependent on your enrollment in their auto-delivery program.

Now, let’s take a look at these prices in more detail. Because South Beach Diet features several different plans for you to pick from, the prices can vary greatly depending on a number of different factors.

*South Beach Diet is no longer offering a diet delivery program – If that’s what you’re looking for, we recommend Nutrisystem:

South Beach Diet Meal Plans & Delivery Prices

1. Silver

If you’re looking for South Beach Diet’s most affordable plan, then Silver is what you’ve been looking for.

The best part is, it’s still a full-service meal delivery program, so you should be able to expect the same weight loss results as their more expensive plans.

Here’s the pricing breakdown for Silver:

Prices

• Per Day: $10.36 for Women / $11.79 for Men
• Per Week: $72.52 for Women / $82.53 for Men
• Per Month: $289.99 for Women / $329.99 for Men

What’s Included

• Breakfasts, Lunches, and Dinners
• Free Tracker App
• Free FedEx Shipping with Auto Delivery

 2. Gold

Want more menu variety and even more convenience? Then South Beach Diet’s Gold Plan may be exactly what you’ve been looking for.

It’s a bit more than the Silver Plan, but if you want a larger menu, then it’s definitely worth it.

Prices

• Per Day: $11.79 for Women / $12.86 for Men
• Per Week: $82.53 for Women / $90.02 for Men
• Per Month: $329.99 for Women / $359.99 for Men

What’s Included

• Breakfasts, Lunches, Dinners
• Snacks
• Free Tracker App
• Free FedEx Shipping with Auto Delivery

3. Platinum

Want the very best plan that South Beach offers? Then Platinum is what you’ve been looking for. It’s their biggest and best plan ever.

Here’s how much it costs:

Prices

• Per Day: $12.86 for Women / $13.93 for Men
• Per Week: $90.02 for Women / $97.51 for Men
• Per Month: $359.99 for Women / $389.99 for Men

What’s Included

• Breakfasts, Lunches, Dinners
• Snacks
• 20 South Simply Fit Shakes
• Free Tracker App
• Free FedEx Shipping with Auto Delivery

Do They Have Specialty Plans?

Yes!

As of right now, South Beach Diet offers a diabetes plan, and they also have keto-friendly options as well.

Diabetes Plan

The South Beach Diet’s Diabetes plan is the same price as their Gold plan. It’s specially designed for those who are living with type 2 diabetes, and is designed to help:

• Control blood sugar and lower A1C
• Give you more Energy

It features 4 weeks of breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks.

Prices for the diabetes plan are as follows:

• Per Day: $11.79 for Women / $12.86 for Men
• Per Week: $82.53 for Women / $90.02 for Men
• Per Month: $329.99 for Women / $359.99 for Men

New Keto-Friendly Option

Here’s the deal with South Beach Diet’s new keto menu – they don’t have a specific keto plan for you to enroll in, but you can make it a part of the Silver, Gold, or Platinum plans simply by choosing more of their “keto-friendly” meals.

The best way to do this is to select the “I’ll Pick My Menu” option, and then when it comes time to choose your menu items, you can stick with the the foods that have the lowest number of net carbs.

Extra Costs to Consider?

Yes.

In addition to what you’ll pay for South Beach Diet every month, you will also have some misc costs for the following:

• Groceries: Mainly Fresh Vegetables and Fruit
• Flex Meals: SBD has flex meals built in, so you can expect to pay for meals out, or those that you prepare on your own.

I would say you should easily be able to keep these extra costs at $100 or less, especially if you’re smart with your grocery shopping or buy things on sale.

Of course, these additional South Beach Diet costs will totally depend on your dietary needs, if you decide to dine out at restaurants, and how much you want to spend on groceries.

Review Summary: Where to Buy

South Beach Diet can be a safe and healthy way to lose weight for most people. While it isn’t always the best fit for everyone, it’s a proven way to lose weight, and has a large body of research [11] and testimonials supporting its results.

You have the option of doing it on your own and simply following their book, or you can go with their full service meal delivery program.

Both work great, you’ll just have to decide which option you prefer if you decide you want to give it a try. If you want to buy South Beach Diet, the best place to get started is at their website:

*South Beach Diet is no longer offering a diet delivery program – If that’s what you’re looking for, we recommend Nutrisystem:

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Citations

1. About Dr. Arthur Agatston, MD, U.S. News & World Report. Found at https://health.usnews.com/doctors/arthur-agatston-324243
2. Franziska Spritzer, RD, CDE, South Beach Diet Review and Beginner’s Guide, Healthline. Found at https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/south-beach-diet
3. Mayo Clinic, South Beach Diet. Found at https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/south-beach-diet/art-20048491
4. Arthur Agatston, MD, The South Beach Diet: The Delicious, Doctor-Designed, Foolproof Plan for Fast and Healthy Weight Loss, Amazon. Found at https://www.amazon.com/South-Beach-Diet-Delicious-Doctor-Designed/dp/0312991193
5. How South Beach Diet Works. Found at https://www.southbeachdiet.com/how-it-works/index.jsp
6. Facts about monounsaturated fats, MedlinePlus. Found at https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000785.htm
7. How Does a Low Carb Diet Work? Atkins. Found at https://www.atkins.com/how-it-works
8. Laura Dolson, What to Expect on the South Beach Diet, Verywell Fit. Found at https://www.verywellfit.com/what-to-expect-south-beach-diet-2242435
9. Wendy Lee, The South Beach Diet, WebMD. Found at https://www.webmd.com/diet/a-z/south-beach-diet-what-it-is
10. Weight Loss and Diet Plans, South Beach Diet. Found at https://www.southbeachdiet.com/diet/shop-plans.jsp
11. Sarah L Goof, et al, BRIEF REPORT: Nutrition and Weight Loss Information in a Popular Diet Book: Is It Fact, Fiction, or Something in Between? Journal of General Internal Medicine. Found at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1924692/
12. Not Convinced SBD is the Right Diet for You? See the Best Alternatives
13. Best Diets for Healthy Weight Loss
14. South Beach Diet vs Atkins