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Jessie James Decker had her third child, Forrest, in March 2018, and she now says she’s back in shape. She didn’t do it alone, though: Decker credits the South Beach Diet for helping her get there.
“I started the South Beach diet and it honestly works for me,” she shares with Build Series host Lauren Moraski. “I’m still really able to enjoy the foods that I love.”
The singer also captioned side-by-side Instagram photos of herself in the gym after having Forrest and now in a bikini.“I know you’ll see a lot of people in the public eye, and they drop weight in what seems like five minutes after having a baby, and I think we all feel like we should live up to those expectations.” Decker wrote on Instagram. Still, she agrees that’s not realistic for most women.
Decker writes she’s been “every shape and size over the last 4 1/2 years from having children and never had to worry about losing weight until I had kids. I had good metabolism and had always been that way before.”
But having children changed that. “I’m so blessed and grateful to have my babies as y’all know, but it definitely can test your self-esteem when you are used to looking and feeling a certain way,” she wrote. “I got up to 165 pounds with my first baby and being 5’1″ it was really hard on my frame, and I definitely struggled self-esteem-wise. I wish I would have known about the South Beach Diet then.”
“This is the fastest I have ever lost weight of all of my pregnancies,” she continued. “I truly think it’s just from educating myself and knowing what to do and having this program right in front of me.” Her goal now, she says, is to be healthy and fit — not skinny. “I really feel like this program can help, and it keeps you on track and is not complicated,” she said.
For the record, Decker is an ambassador for the brand, but she really does seem to love the diet. (She shared video of the contents of her freezer with her Instagram followers, and it was pretty heavy on South Beach Diet products.)
Bonus? Her husband and kids love it, too.
“We enjoy being healthy in our home,” she shares with Moraski. “...we’ll have chicken and rice and broccoli for dinner and it’s delicious and the kids don’t think anything of it, they just think it’s good.”
What is the South Beach Diet, exactly?
According to Decker, the South Beach diet is more of a lifestyle than a rigorous diet plan.
“What they want is for you to make the life change,” Decker explained. “I used to have way bigger portions than I should, and sometimes I think we’re programmed to think we need to eat way more than we need to. With the South Beach Diet, I really learned portion control, so I still eat that pasta and I still have the things that I love. I still eat that pizza, but it’s portion control.”
The diet itself is an eating plan that emphasizes eating high-fiber, low-glycemic carbohydrates, unsaturated fats and lean protein, according to the South Beach Diet website. It also categorizes carbs and fats as “good” or “bad” for followers.
The diet is broken into three phases. Phase one lasts for two weeks and is designed to eliminate cravings for foods high in sugar and refined starches, the Mayo Clinic says. During this time followers eliminate almost all carbs from their diet and focus on eating lean protein, high-fiber vegetables, low-fat dairy and foods with healthy, unsaturated fats.
Phase two is a long-term weight-loss phase during which people start to add foods that were eliminated in the first phase, like whole-grain breads and fruits. People are encouraged to stay in this phase until they reach their goal weight.
The last phase, aka phase three, is a maintenance phase designed to help people eat healthy for life. This incorporates principles from the first two phases, although people can eat whatever they want in moderation.
How much does this cost?
Plans start at just $8 a day, and are spread out over four weeks. Each plan includes fully prepared breakfast, lunches and dinners, plus some plans also include no-prep snacks and keto-friendly snacks. Have less than 10 pounds to lose? Try the one-week body reboot kit for $100.
Don’t want to opt into a plan? Select entrees are available right now at Walmart, and you can purchase everything from keto-friendly chocolate shakes to different chicken dinners.
The pre-made South Beach meals and snacks cost $60 and under, with up to 20 servings of the dishes included! Whether you’re in the market for a healthy work snack or breakfast substitute, the protein-filled and low-carb options will keep you moving.
Packs of protein bars cost just $9, and shake combos start at $50. The dinner options cost just $6 per meal! With these, you’ll save money and save calories.
Nutritionists are fans.
“It is relatively more balanced in food groups than a lot of diet plans,” Beth Warren, a registered dietitian, founder of Beth Warren Nutrition and author of Secrets of a Kosher Girl, tells Yahoo. “The South Beach Diet tries to encourage a healthy eating lifestyle long-term versus a quick fad diet.”
Julie Upton, a registered dietitian and co-founder of the nutrition website Appetite for Health, tells Yahoo that “plenty of people do well when they follow it.” The South Beach Diet is “like a modified Atkins diet that highlights quality of calories and carbs, proteins and fats rather than simply suggesting that if you limit all carbs, you’ll lose weight and keep it off for good,” she says. “I like it as opposed to strict low-carb diets because it’s more flexible, which means you can follow it long-term.”
Gina Keatley, a certified dietitian-nutritionist practicing in New York City, tells Yahoo that the diet is a pretty good choice for people looking to lose weight. “The goal of not being hungry while on the diet plan is excellent,” she adds.
The plan offers prepackaged food that can be delivered to your place, which is helpful to get you started but can be tough to afford long-term, Warren says. “Followers ultimately should learn how to use principles to cook on their own and implement into their real life,” she says.
The diet encourages people to cook their own food as well, which nutritionists say is a pro. If cooking isn’t your thing, Keatley recommends taking a local cooking class to help you get up to speed.
So if you’re looking for an eating plan to help you lose weight and keep it off for the long haul, the South Beach Diet may be a good choice for you.
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