At first glance, the South Beach Diet may not seem very different from the other high-profile, low-carbohydrate weight loss plans that have become household names - such as Atkins and Protein Power. But a closer look reveals that South Beach offers something the others don't - a focus on the type of carbs consumed. It's based on the glycemic index, a sometimes-controversial tool for the nutritional management of diabetes that provides a relative measurement of how quickly a particular food will make your blood glucose levels rise.

The belief that you can lose fat on a specific part of your body by exercising that area is a myth! Targeting the "spots" of your body for fat loss is called "spot reducing", and unfortunately it simply does not work.

Exercising certain areas of your body will strengthen the muscles there, but it will not remove the fat from them. Your newly developed muscles will be hidden under the layer of fat.