My wife and I began the South Beach diet when the doctor told her she had to lose at least 40 lbs. and reduce her cholesterol. Faced with that challenge, we decided to try 'living on the beach'. The first few weeks were really tough - headaches and cravings - but once we got into the main part of phase 1 things got easier and that's where this cookbook begins to shine. Finding different, tasty, and appealing recipes for phase 1 is not easy but the cookbook is ready with suggestions that make it easier. After my wife and I moved into phase 2 the book was even more helpful with many more recipes. The only downside to the book is that the recipes call for ingredients that are a bit on the expensive side. However, our success on the program (my wife lost the 40 lbs. and has kept it off for more than a year, cholesterol is now great) makes the cost more than acceptable. We're still 'living on the beach' in phase 3 and use the cookbook at least once a week.