Welcome to the WLF. It seems you've realized it's better to look at things as long term as opposed wanting to lose weight temporarily. Congrats with that. As for the South Beach diet... bah.... I saw a few of their items and you can honestly cook better things than that. Besides, it gets so expensive. If you haven't already, read over the stickied threads for fitness and nutrition information. If you have questions, then don't be afraid to leave a post. There are so many out there willing to help. Good luck with your weight loss.
Im in a similar boat as you. I can do the low carb diets with success but I can not stick to them too long. I have spend all day (while suppose to be working) on here and a few other places reading. I found some interesting reads on this site. Even without diabetes it still makes a lot of sense to follow these guidlines.