The South Beach is supposed to emphasize good fats vs. bad, and good carbs vs. bad. It's really high fiber. There is no calorie counting (with few exceptions like a limit of 75 calories for "sweet treats" in stage 1 including chewing gum), but there are definitely restrictions if you go by the food list provided, and that's all I go by.

I'm dieting by cliff notes, and I guess crash dieting.
You are dieting more responsibly than I am, and doing very well