Dr. Arthur Agatston first introduced "The South Beach Diet" five years ago, and it became a popular way to lose weight. Now, he's following up with a new book that offers a way to change your lifestyle for increased weight-loss success. Here's an excerpt.

Supercharge Your Metabolism
My patient Susan, who was prediabetic, had lost more than 20 pounds on the South Beach Diet. Although she looked and felt a lot better, she wasn’t happy. She still wanted to lose another 5 to 10 pounds but was having difficulty doing so. No matter what she did, she couldn’t seem to lose more weight. She asked me, “Couldn’t I just go back to Phase 1? I had no trouble losing weight back then!”

I strongly advised against it. Phase 1 is designed for people with cravings and substantial weight to lose, not for someone like Susan, who had only a few pounds left to shed. More important, Susan’s cravings were gone, and her blood chemistries were normal. In cases like hers, cutting back on calories and once again limiting nutritious food choices like fruits and whole grains could be counterproductive and potentially lead to yo-yoing (see page 41).

If Susan wanted further safe weight loss while continuing to follow the healthy eating principles of the South Beach Diet, she had only one option: She had to burn more calories. And the most efficient way to accomplish this was by engaging in the most efficient form of regular exercise. That meant more or better exercise, and that was exactly what Susan didn’t want to hear. She was already getting up at 6:00 a.m. to spend, as she put it, “one long, tedious hour” walking on her treadmill before getting her kids off to school and going to work.

“Don’t tell me I have to spend more time on the treadmill,” Susan complained. “I just can’t get up any earlier!”

Susan was pleasantly surprised when I explained that she didn’t have to spend more time exercising to burn more calories. She could actually jump-start her metabolism and burn more calories in less time by making some changes in her exercise routine.

I told Susan that doing more of the same wasn’t going to work. Her body had become accustomed to operating at her new weight and her current activity level, as often happens after a period of successful dieting. In fact, the most common complaint of dieters is what they call hitting a plateau. I’m sure many of you have experienced it.

Depending on our intrinsic metabolism, we all have different set points where our weight will plateau, even though we may be doing exactly the same thing we’ve been doing all along to lose weight. There are, of course, those lucky people who are born with a naturally high metabolic rate and who never have to diet or worry about hitting -plateaus—they’re the people we all love to hate because they seem to be able to eat anything and not gain weight. It simply doesn’t seem fair!

Susan, like most of us, wasn’t so lucky. Her problem was that her metabolism was stuck in neutral. Her body had adjusted to her need for fewer calories, so she was neither gaining nor losing.

Her only healthy and sustainable solution was to change her exercise routine and shift her metabolism into a higher gear. In other words, since Susan did not inherit a fast metabolism, she would have to rev it up — herself.

MORE FROM HEALTH

Health Section Front

Actress loses 144 lbs. to claim the limelight 6 tips to 'recession-proof' your relationship Diabetes hits home for Menounos Maria’s diabetes-friendly lentil soup Delicious delights: Recipes for diabetics 10 ways to pick up your pace Say cheese! 15 ways to whiter teeth 12 power foods to shrink your gut 9 ways to lose weight without dieting 10 dangerous lies women tell doctors Health Section Front   Add Health headlines to your news reader: