I actually did try south beach once before, about 4 years ago. I was living with a friend who was doing it, and the way she explained it to me in a nutshell was that it was similar to Atkins, but low-fat.
That's only for Phase 1, which lasts 2 weeks.. or you can do it longer if you want, but it isn't sugggested b/c you can burn out on it and just give up. (which is what happened to me)
Phase 2 is the long part of the diet, where you gradually add in carbs to find the perfect balance where you can eat them and still lose weight. Like I said, I didn't get that far.
I've got the book, which I'll be reading in the next two days, and I'll keep you posted.
As much as a carb/sugar addict as I am, I love proteins and veggies just as much, so I don't think it'll be too hard to adjust. The first week is a pain in the butt though, but it pays off. Your cravings for sugars really do stop. Sugars even make you feel crappy, which is a nice side-effect.
I'm only going to do phase 1 for the reccomended two weeks this time though. Losing 15 lbs in the first two weeks tempted me to stay on phase 1 for longer, as it was the first time I had EVER lost any weight.
So here goes. I found that on the Fat Girls On The Beach message board has a few great stickies with the good/bad foods, and a more organized overview than mine. I tend to ramble, I apologize.