South Beach Diet doctor hits Bayshore
Dr. Arthur Agatston appears before
about 500 local fans
BY DAN NEWMAN
Staff Writer

FARRAH MAFFAI staff Teresa Strand, Jersey City, gets her book autographed by Dr. Arthur Agatston, founder of the South Beach Diet, at the Garden Manor, Aberdeen, June 9.

His success as a cardiologist is what many people in South Florida may know Dr. Arthur Agatston for, but it’s the evolution of his renowned South Beach Diet that has put him on the map when it comes to America’s obsession with losing weight.

Agatston took the time June 9 to meet and greet about 500 people at the Garden Manor in Aberdeen, as Bayshore Commu-nity Health Services and Friends’ Health Connection hosted "An Evening With Dr. Arthur Agatston." Agatston signed copies of his books and also gave a lecture with topics ranging from the evolution of the diet, to how to actually go about succeeding on the program.

While his program originated in Miami, it has taken off throughout the nation and people stood on line for nearly an hour just to have a chance to meet Agatston.

"We initially contacted him about coming to the area and he accepted our invitation," said Roxanne Black, executive director of the Friends’ Health Connection. "He was very interested in sharing his story with people and wanted to try and encourage them even more."

The program has resulted in a New York Times No. 1 best-selling book, "The South Beach Diet," along with "The South Beach Diet Cookbook" and "The South Beach Good Fats/Good Carbs Guide." Dr. Agatston’s program has surpassed other weight-loss programs as the most effective way to drop pounds.

Initially, his patients were not losing any weight on the standard American Heart Association diet, he said. In fact they were getting heavier, and some weighed more than when they initially had heart attacks. Thus, the impetus to create the diet became evident.

"I was getting frustrated watching many of my heart patients get fat," Agatston said. "These people should have been losing weight to try and prolong their lives, and instead, the opposite was happening. At the time, there was a lot of bad science, as far as what was good for people and what was not. I think that was part of the problem."

The outcome of his research was the "South Beach Diet," which led to pounds disappearing, and at the same time, his patient’s blood work was dramatically improved. In one study, over a 12-week period, patients who strictly adhered to the South Beach Diet lost 13.6 pounds, as opposed to just 7.5 pounds for people who were on the American Heart Association’s "Step II" diet, a program also intended to prevent or reverse heart disease. Soon, word of the diet’s success spread.

"I had intended for it [the diet] to be for the benefit of my patients, but once I saw what good it was doing I was glad to share my findings with others in the hope that they could be helped as well," Agatston said. "I had seen many other diets come and go and so I wanted to try and create one that could be different."

The South Beach Diet emphasizes items such as lean proteins, along with chicken, turkey, nuts, and low-fat cheeses ingested with foods that contain an abundance of Omega-3 fatty acids, such as fish.

Agatston said he feels that other popular weight-loss plans accentuate things other than what people are eating.

"Other programs are too concerned about counting and measuring items and there’s not enough concern about the actual foods. People need to realize what it is that they are ingesting," Agatston said.

While some critics call his program a fad diet, Agatston says there is a clear difference between his and others.

"A fad diet is definitely one that can be successful, but only for a short amount of time. The South Beach Diet is really not even a diet. It’s more of a lifestyle change than anything else," Agatston said. "In order to succeed at it, people must understand the diet and I think it’s constructed in a way that’s very easy and manageable to grasp."

Agatston took the time to explain to his audience how they can continue to have success with the program.

"Up to now, we have had amazing success with this program. People need to comprehend the choices they’re making. As long as people can do that, they will remain successful.

"Even if people have already lost a significant amount of weight, there is no reason for them not to go on and live a healthy lifestyle, which is what the program is all about."

Following the event, Black was impressed not only with the turnout, but with the response as well.

"We have had tremendous feedback about this event. He’s been able to help so many people nationwide and so to have him be able to come up here to speak to so many people is great," Black said.