It all started in Miami.

Worried about his heart patients who were overweight, a doctor came up with a diet that was not so much focused on the “high” and “low” but rather on the “right.”

The right carbohydrates and the right fats lay at the core of the South Beach Diet, developed by Dr. Arthur Agatston. It has three distinct phases.

Phase 1 is described as the most restrictive – but the outcome is rewarding. How does eight to twelve pounds in two weeks sound? Dr. Agatston is quick to point out that it is not a low carbohydrate diet, and the only similarity it shares with the Atkins Diet is the very strict two-week phase.

Lean meats are emphasized in Phase I, and so are chicken, turkey and fish, as well as certain vegetables, cheeses, nuts and eggs.

Two dominant principles characterize the South Beach Diet: the first one – the right carbohydrates, proteins, and fats – runs parallel to the second principle of low glycemic sugar present in foods. Apparently, the human body has a “switch” that dictates how our bodies will react to the foods we eat, making us store fat unnecessarily. Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet is supposed to “normalize” that switch by turning it off, so that the fat does not park itself inside our bodies.

Phase 2 kicks in after the two week period. It is here that we can slowly re-introduce the foods that were off limits in phase 1 – pasta, rice, bread, fruit, baked goods and alcohol. These foods must be taken only in moderate amounts; dieters can expect to lose 1-2 pounds per week.

Then comes the maintenance phase – phase 3 – and this should be followed during our entire lifetime. Should the unwanted pounds come back, we start Phase 1 again.

Dr. Agatston believes that if there is one word that might describe the South Beach Diet – it is “pain-free.” Even the most avid pasta fans will be able to adjust to Phase 1 without much difficulty.

Other highlights of the South Beach Diet include drinking a minimum of eight glasses of water daily, eliminating soda drinks that are sweetened, and limiting caffeine intake to one a day. Vitamin and mineral supplements are recommended: 500 mg for men and women under 50 years of age, and 1,000 mg for women over age 50.

Get rid of the measuring cup and the calorie counter. With the South Beach Diet, you won’t be needing them!