Grapefruit Diet

The Grapefruit Diet has a very simple concept: eat all you want, then follow up with some grapefruit juice or half a grapefruit. This makes us very concerned from the beginning. The idea is that there is a catalytic reaction between the juice and the fats in the “accepted” foods that causes almost instantaneous weight loss. Of course, there’s more to the diet than just eating and eating. There are some more specific directions.

First, the diet requires that the dieter drink 64 ounces of water each day—a common health recommendation that should be followed regardless of whether or not you are dieting. The second rule is to eat until you are full at every meal. This means continue until you can’t eat anything else—literally stuff yourself. In fact, the diet is a “minimum food” diet instead of a maximum food diet.

The main focus of this diet is on eating fatty meats and salads—bacon at breakfast and salads at the other meals. Any kind of meat will do, so don’t be afraid to choose a fatty meat at a restaurant. Without these two key foods, the diet will apparently not work at all. In combination with the Grapefruit Juice as a catalyst, these foods will burn fat at a miraculous speed. However, it is important to only consume one half of a grapefruit or 8 ounces of Grapefruit Juice when suggested—no more and no less.

It is suggested to cut down on coffee since it counteracts the effects of the Grapefruit Juice, and it is also suggested that dieters not eat in between meals. If you do it right, according to one source, you won’t feel hungry. The diet also suggests frying foods in butter and use it generously with vegetables. One of the main keys to the diet is avoiding starchy white vegetables, desserts and sweets. On the other hand, you are allowed to double or triple servings of meat at any meal without concern.

The diet has a two-week time frame: diet for 12 days, then stop for two days and repeat the process.

Our biggest concern with this diet is that it relies on food combinations—something that has little scientific support in the diet world. We are also concerned with the amount of fatty foods necessary to make this diet work. If the diet works as it says it does, there are obviously weight loss benefits, but the excessive consumption of meat could cause considerable health problems in the long run, including high cholesterol, high blood pressure and heart conditions. We highly suggest that dieters speak with their doctors before beginning this diet.

From our research, it seems the only cost on top of any normal food costs is the purchase of grapefruit juice or grapefruits. There are no pills, exercise tools or special equipment necessary for the diet. This does make the diet an inexpensive option for any dieter, and it may be worth a try if the diet seems right for the dieter.

There is no official website for the Grapefruit Diet. Instead, there are many secondary sites offering information on this diet—some skeptical and some supportive. One such site is webterrace.com, a site that outlines the diet as a whole, all of its do’s and don’ts and a list of acceptable and unacceptable foods to go with the diet (found at www.webterrace.com/fad/grape.htm). This site, though, makes mention of how the publisher has not used this diet and thus has no idea whether or not it will work. It would be beneficial to this diet if it had a more official site, especially one that contained reputable research to support the science behind the diet.

• Claims incredible weight loss in a short amount of time

• Does not limit consumption of fatty meats and vegetables, but instead encourages it

• Almost no cost to the consumer to use the diet

• Could result in health concerns due to the high-fat plan

• No official website to support the diet formally

• Has been considered a “fad” diet by many different sources

• Very little evidence is available to scientifically support the claims of this diet

• Their customers do not like them at all and have negative things to say about their experiences. Click here to read a popular Grapefruit Diet Blog.

Everyone is looking for an easy way out of obesity, and it shows in the types of diets that appear on a daily basis. The Grapefruit Diet advertises itself as a “no limits” diet, offering dieters any amount of food they want to eat and even saying that the more they eat the more they will lose. The trouble, though, is that the diet itself just doesn’t add up as easily as it claims. We simply can’t put faith in a diet that says eat all the fatty foods you want as long as you wash them down with some Grapefruit Juice. There may be a catalytic reaction between the fats and the Grapefruit Juice, but we doubt that it can cause as much weight loss as it claims to cause. The health concerns are also quite disheartening—fatty foods do more than just pass through the body; they end up in the arteries, causing serious complications. It is far more important to eat a balanced diet and lose weight gradually through nutrition and exercise than to rely on a miracle like Grapefruit Juice to melt pounds magically. People looking to lose weight should consider finding a healthy eating plan that they like and can live with long term. You should also exercise each day by doing an activity that is fun and enjoyable. Water is extremely important too, and dieters need a lot of it to stay hydrated and to keep their bodies free of toxins. Finally, try the addition of a supplement specifically designed to help with weight loss. Be sure that the product you choose includes the two key elements all effective diet products need; a fat-burner to rid the body of excess weight on the arms, hips, belly, thighs and buttocks, and an appetite suppressant to help control caloric intake and keep cravings at bay. Many good intentions are ruined by cravings that take us over and sabotage our dieting efforts. If you combine all these elements, along with patience and diligence, you will see the pounds come off.