CancerRD - Diet Tips and Reviews

Losing weight can be challenging when it’s time to juggle different foods, workout routines, and your day-to-day life. Due to these struggles, a lot of people start for a few days and then give up. To avoid these hurdles, more and more individuals are looking towards structured programs such as the South Beach Diet.

This is a diet program that is continuing to grow in stature with each passing day and has become a mainstay for those who want great results.

It is delivering good value while being marketed as a safe solution. However, before starting with any diet, it’s essential to breakdown potential side effects that may hinder your progress.

Reported Side Effects of the South Beach Diet

1. Headaches

The first thing people point towards would be a subtle headache that settles in. This happens because you are dealing with what is called a ketosis headache and that happens when you start cutting down on carbs.

Following the South Beach Diet is wonderful, but certain people are going to have to deal with the biological reality of ketosis.

This is where the benefits are going to lie and a subtle headache might come along with it for a few days before going away.

2. Nausea

This is one of the more rare side effects that a person is going to feel and it has more to do with how your body reacts to the new foods that are entering the digestive system.

This is a feeling that you would see whenever you change your diet to foods that the system is not used to.

As a result, you are going to have to wait for a little bit and continue to follow the diet plan. After a while, the South Beach Diet is going to add structure to your routine and your body will adapt as well.

3. Dehydration

This is one of the more common side effects a person is going to end up dealing with when it comes to the South Beach Diet.

In essence, due to the foods you are eating, the body is going to start losing water. This happens due to the lack of carbs and during this period you are going to have to stay calm.

You will feel like this for a day or so and then it is going to go away. Dehydration simply means the body is changing and is going to feel better after a while.

Simple solution? Follow their guidelines make sure you’re drinking plenty of water every day. They have daily recommendations for water intake when you sign up, so be sure to follow them.

4. Dizziness

Dizziness happens because the body doesn’t have enough carbs. You have to be careful when it comes to how you are eating the food and it’s essential to follow the program to a tee. As long as you are doing that, it is rare for the dizziness to become an issue.

This is a minor side effect that happens when you are moving around throughout the day and it can feel odd at first.

The body is simply readjusting to what is going on and what type of foods you are eating. Once it does, you are going to feel better.

5. Bad Breath

Due to the foods you are eating, you may start noticing a change in your breath. This doesn’t have to do the foods that are being delivered to your door, but more due to what your body is doing as soon as those foods are digested.

You are going to notice a change in your breath and it isn’t going to be pleasant for a day or so.

This happens because the body starts feeling dehydrated and that means you are going to have a dry mouth to contend with.

When this happens, it’s natural for the bad breath to settle in just like it would if you were fasting or outside in the middle of a heatwave.

6. Mental Fatigue

Mental fatigue is one of the more common side effects a person has to deal with when it comes to the South Beach Diet.

In general, this includes not being able to concentrate the right way or feeling like you have a bit of a brain fog throughout the day.

This happens because your body isn’t getting the sugars that it is used to having in the system at all times. Those who are constantly pumping the body with carbs will often feel this way. It can be disconcerting at first and you may assume it’s not going to get better but that isn’t always the case.

Mental fatigue tends to last for a little bit in those who do see this side effect. Please note, just like the other side effects, this is not going to be a permanent issue and will disappear after a few days.

7. Insomnia

It’s possible to end up feeling like you are not getting enough rest at night. This happens because the body is still dealing with some of the other minor side effects that last for a few days.

Of course, just like the other side effects, this isn’t guaranteed and most people will feel perfectly fine throughout the diet.

However, insomnia is a concern for those who do have trouble sleeping because it will become challenging to handle the change during the first few days. Once you get past that initial rush, it is going to become easier for the body to adapt and that’s when you’re going to feel better.

A lot of people start seeing noticeable improvements in their sleeping habits after the first few days pass.

Final Thoughts

While these side effects are present here and there, you are still going to enjoy the results that come along with the South Beach Diet. Plus, most people are never going to experience any of them. It is a well-structured program that allows you to go on with the rest of your life while remaining fit at the same time.

It is a win-win option that is ideal for the average person and works well for beginners too. If the goal is to maximize your weight loss journey, the South Beach Diet is a good starting point.

Sources

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/south-beach-diet/art-20048491

As an ever-increasing number of people learn about lifestyle diseases, there is an increased-emphasis to exercise regularly, eat a healthy balanced diet, and crucially live within one’s recommended BMI number. This means, more people are exercises and cutting back on fast foods. Consequently, industries have emerged to cater to peoples’ need to live healthy lives.

The Nutrisystem has been designed to cater to the needs of healthy meals during weight loss endeavors. It is a diet program that entails prepackaged portion-controlled food delivered to program followers to help them cut weight or maintain a healthy weight. The company provides different programs to cater to different needs and groups of people. You can opt for either the men, women, type 2 diabetes patients, and vegetarian programs.

Developed in the 1970s, Nutrisystem is premised on the idea that losing weight is much easier when you do not have to plan and prepare the meals yourself. And according to published reports in the Annals of Internal Medicine, Nutrisystem follows lost about 3.8% more weight over a 3-month period compared to a control group who received nutritional education and counseling (1).

Moreover, a study published in the American Journal of Hypertension indicated that the weight loss food program helped partakers lose weight, fat, and reduce arterial stiffness and blood pressure (2). As you can appreciate, there are people who have found success using the system.

However, this is not to say that the program is faultless. There are potential and reported side-effects to contend with. As a consumer, it is only right you educate yourself on this side of the program before buying into it. This read will educate you on the side effects you might face when you use Nutrisystem to lose weight and maintain healthy weight levels.

#1. There Is Risk Of Providing Inadequate Calories

While the meals might vary depending on your subscription, they all emphasize consuming carbohydrates with a low glycemic index (for example, whole grains) and lean proteins. This diet approach is effective at helping Nutrisystem lose weight while staying healthy. However, the pre-packaged meals might provide inadequate calories for program partakers who require a lot of calories.

It is for this reason that Nutrisystem cautions pregnant women from following the Nutrisystem as they need a lot more calories than usual. In the same light, they breastfeeding moms with young babies (6 months or less) who are yet to start eating solid foods should not follow the system. Kids and teenagers under the age of 18 should not follow the system as well since they are still growing. Finally, if you engage in intensive physical activities, the Nutrisystem might also not provide you with ample calories to power your body and stay healthy.

#2. You Do Not Get Information And Instructions On Healthy Eating And Basic Nutrition

While Nutrisystem is touted as a weight loss program and they offer online support and resources to followers, they do not help program followers understand even the basics of healthy eating and proper nutrition. Consequently, the gains in weight loss experienced initially are short-lived if followers do not have an intricate understanding of what to eat, when, and how much, and what to avoid.

Moreover, the program contains plenty of foods that are considered less nutritious but difficult to stop eating after the completion of the program. For instance, cinnamon buns, cheese, and hamburgers are part of typical daily meals and followers might find it difficult to stop eating them after the completion of the program, thereby taking away any gains made soon after the subscription ends.

As a side effect of this Nutrisystem structure, there is a chance that the system will not yield any positive results in the long run.

#3. Allergic Reactions To The Prepackaged Food?

If you are allergic to soy and or peanuts, the Nutrisystem isn’t for you. The prepackaged entrees and desserts have peanuts and soy as ingredients, which, as you might guess will cause anaphylaxis. In fact, Nutrisystem expressly prohibits individuals with peanut allergy, whether mild or severe from partaking in their weight loss program.

Additionally, the meals contain Maltitol and other sugar alcohols, which are the main culprits for ‘Nutritoots’ – a term coined by Nutrisystem followers to describe a condition of extreme gassiness. The condition can affect your quality of sleep and affect your daily activities. Followers who are extremely sensitive to sugar alcohols are the most affected

#4. You Over-Rely On Processed Foods

While the program uses food instead of nutrition bars, the pre-packaged meals are still heavily packaged. Typical program followers will find numerous unfamiliar ingredients on the package, which might indicate extensive food processing. Moreover, the company does concede their meals might contain GMOs, which, for some users, can be concerning.

#5. The Use Of Preservatives Takes Away Some Of The Benefits Of These Foods

To make the entire concept of sending Nutrisystem pre-packaged meals possible, the company uses preservatives to keep the pre-packaged food fresh. The use of preservatives is necessary as it prevents spoilage of food. As such, preservatives allow the company to send you the easy-to-prepare meals straight to your door-step. In fact, by estimates, a third of all the meals in the Nutrisystem contain preservatives.

While the preservatives are safe to consume as they are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, you are still ingesting chemicals with little to no nutritional value into your system. This is unlike preparing your own food, where you can avoid many, if not all of these preservatives.

#6. Inadequacies In Quantity And Taste (For Some Users)

While this is not a side effect per se, the inadequacies might render the program ineffective. There are plenty of people who complain that the pre-packaged meals are small and are not filling, leaving consumers feeling hungry. This makes it harder to strictly follow the system after some time, reversing any gains made.

For others, the pre-packaged foods have inadequacies in taste. And just like the inadequacies in quantity, the less-than-tantalizing taste leaves followers unsatisfied with the experience, which, in return makes it hard to follow the program.

In many cases where followers complain of inadequacies in taste and making you feel full, any possible weight loss gained is short-lived as the Nutrisystem partakers are unable to follow the program.

The Bottom Line

There is no avoiding the fact that Nutrisystem has its pros and cons. While the prepackaged meals can help you in your weight loss journey, the system does have its own demerits to contend with. Careful consideration of the possible side-effects will help you determine whether Nutrisystem is the nutritional weight loss program that suits your needs.