The South Beach Diet teaches you to rely on the right carbs and the right fats–the good ones–and enables you to live quite happily without the bad carbs and bad fats.

As a result, it promises that you’re going to get healthy and lose weight–somewhere between 8 and 13 pounds in the first two weeks alone.

Here’s how you do it:

For Phase 1:

* You’ll eat normal-size helpings of meat, chicken, turkey, fish, and shell-fish.

* You’ll have plenty of vegetables. Eggs. Cheese. Nuts.

* You’ll have salads with real olive oil in the dressing.

* You’ll have three balanced meals a day, and it will be your job to eat so that your hunger is satisfied.

* You’ll drink water, of course, plus coffee or tea if you wish.

For the next 14 days you won’t be having any bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, or baked goods. No fruit, even. Before you panic: You’ll begin adding those things back into your diet again in 2 weeks.