PITTSBURGH -- The popularity of the South Beach Diet has steadily grown over the last few years, but does the carbohydrate limiting plan actually work?

Channel 11 put the South Beach Diet to the test and asked two of our volunteer dieters to follow the South Beach plan. Was it successful?

Kelly Papariella, 23, is a grad student at Duquesne University working toward her Ph. D. in chemistry and would like to lose 25 pounds for an upcoming spring break trip to Florida.

Papariella said she likes the diet so far. "I’m not really hungry because I am eating my snacks and I’m eating breakfast, lunch and dinner and I'm allowed to have a little bit of dessert -- they're sugar-free of course," she said.

For lunch, Papariella packs water, grapes, and a frozen south beach diet meal. For dinner, she tries to prepare something. "It is kind of hard, but usually I can throw together a nice big salad or cook up some frozen shrimp and stir fry and it’s nice and easy to make," she said.

Tonya Shell works full time at Children's Hospital and has a part-time job as well.

Shell walked a marathon not too long ago and a lost lot of weight, but since has slacked off.

Now, Shell said, her goal is to get the dog out and do some more walking with him. He’s going on the diet, too, she said. Shell’s freezer is stocked full of south beach frozen dinners.

"It was a little hard at the beginning, fighting those cravings late in the day, wanting that snack or that something sweet. I’m trying to use the Jello after lunch," said Shell.

Eating enough vegetables is also a challenge for Shell; however, she said she is drinking a lot of tomato juice. "I drink it real fast, then drink water after it," she said.

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Click here for Kelly Papariella's Diet Diary
Click here for Tonya Shell's Diet Diary
VIDEO: The Great Diet Challenge: South Beach Diet

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The South Beach Diet is divided into three phases.

For two weeks you totally eliminate fruit, potatoes, pasta, sugar, alcohol and baked goods from your diet. The idea is to correct the way your body reacts to food before you start adding some of the forbidden foods back in to your diet.

"I think there are a lot of studies that have looked at South Beach and the benefit of South Beach you're eating a diet a little higher in protein that has fiber in and selective of the type of carbohydrates and overall you're watching the calories you're taking in," said UPMC dietitian Dr. Leslie Bonci.

Previously, Shell followed Weight Watchers and lost 50 pounds. Compared to the South Beach Diet, she said there is a difference.

"Even if something Weight Watchers says is ok, the South Beach says you shouldn’t," said Shell.

For Papariella, the first phase has meant she has to say no to her comfort food.

"I love potatoes; they are my favorites, so that's definitely what I miss the most," said Papariella.

But after four weeks, both Papariella and Shell said they have stuck to their diets and have noticed a difference.

"My pants are a lot looser than they used to be also in my arms in my shirts I’ve noticed a lot more room," said Papariella.

"I went to a conference last week and I was able to wear a dress I hadn't been able to wear previously," said Shell.

After four weeks on South Beach Diet Papariella had lost just 5 pounds, falling short of her 25 pound goal and Shell has not lost any.

As you can imagine both dieters were disappointed when she stepped on the scale, but they and all the dieters have two weeks left in the great diet challenge and they said they are going to try even harder in hopes of seeing bigger losses.

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Have words of encouragement for Kelly or Tonya? Click here to wish them well as the Great Diet Challenge enters the final week.

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