I'd seen a lot about the South Beach Diet on the telly, so I bought the cookery book. The instructions were easy, so I decided to give it a go. It consists of three phases. During the first phase, you cut out sugars and carbs, so no bread, pasta, rice, biscuits, or chocolate. The first phase is the hardest because you can't eat fruit and some vegetables. But it only lasts two weeks, after which you gradually introduce fruit and carb-packed food. During the two weeks of the first phase I lost 2kg (around 4lb).

The second phase lasts for as long as you need it to. It's where you lose as much weight as you want, slowly but steadily. I stayed on the second phase for four weeks and lost another 3kg in that period. When you've reached your ideal weight, you go to phase three. Phase three lets you eat whatever you want, but always following the diet, eating portions of food instead of heavy amounts. The point of having a phase three is to maintain the weight and the good eating habits. Phase three is for life!

In total I lost 5kg (around 10lb) after the six weeks of phases one and two. My mum lost 7kg while I was doing the diet because she was cooking for me, and eating the same things I was.

I really recommend the South Beach Diet for people who are serious about losing weight and keeping it off in the long term. You learn to eat healthily with this diet, and because it's designed to keep your heart healthy, you'll feel better too!
Caterina Lay, 20, London

I had visions of gorgeous women in bikinis when I heard about this diet so I knew I had to give it a go! Also, I used to eat quite a lot of sugary, floury foods and I thought this diet would be a good way of clearing out my system and starting again.

It seemed quite complicated to start with but I stuck at it and once I'd reached the third phase, I'd really got the hang of it. I lost over a stone in six weeks and I've kept it off, even though I'm not sticking exactly to the plan. It's basically taught me to eat more fresh food and drink less alcohol.
Dawn Philpott, 28, Harrogate, North Yorkshire

Where to next?
Try the South Beach Diet
Find out which celeb keeps her figure slim on the South Beach Diet

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