The Grapefruit Diet
One of the popular fad diets in Hollywood was the grapefruit diet. It dates back to the 1930s, and many Hollywood stars of the time swore by it. It remained popular until the mid-1970s, when it became one of the diets that was faxed around from machine to machine, popularly known as xerox lore. The diet is attributed to the Mayo Clinic, which clearly states that it has nothing to do with diet and that the diet is not good.
The grapefruit diet is a lot like Atkins, but with a grapefruit eaten with each meal. There are no snacks allowed on this strict three meals a day diet. Supposedly a person on this diet could lose 10 pounds in only 10 days. As wild as that sounds, this is wilder – the diet claimed someone might not lose weight for 9 days, but then suddenly drop 10 pounds in the last day. It was based on the claim that grapefruit contains fat burning enzymes, something that has never been proven.
Researchers showed that the diet may work in a 2004 study. Participants in the study lost 3.6 pounds on average in a 12 week span, eating one half grapefruit before each meal. Those who drank the serving of grapefruit juice at each meal lost just slightly less weight in the same period of time. A few of the participants lost an astounding 10 pounds. It was believed that eating grapefruit resulted in decreased insulin levels, which in turn resulted in less stored fat. But the weight loss may have also been due to increased levels of exercise.
Here’s a typical grapefruit diet:
- Drink eight servings of water a day.
- Stop eating when full.
- Eat all the food listed at each meal, skipping food interferes with fat burning.
- Grapefruit is the key – so eat that as specified.
- Try to avoid coffee, but if drunk consume only three cups a day.
- No snacking.
- Butter can be used.
- No starches or sweets can be eaten.
- Do eat meats and vegetables.
- Eating more will actually result in more weight loss.
- Follow the diet 12 days on, 2 days off, 12 days on etc.
- Grapefruit with each meal is ฝ or 18 ounces of juice.
The grapefruit diet may be for you.