Grapefruit Diet Review

Grapefruit Diet Review - The Grapefruit Diet has been around a long time since at least the 1930s.  A short-term, rapid weight loss plan, the Grapefruit Diet surprisingly has survived the test of time, being circulated by word of mouth, online and in book form - yet no one claims ownership of the plan.   When searching online one can find a variety of “different” grapefruit diets. 

The original diet was an Atkins Style diet with the addition of 1/2 grapefruit before every meal.  The diet allowed only 3 meals a day and did not allow between-meal snacks.

Promotions for the diet were “lose 10 pounds in 10 days” or “lose 5 pounds in 5 days", and also claimed "there might not be any weight loss the first 4 days, but on the 5th day, 5 pounds would be gone".  Eat grapefruit at every meal.  Dieter has the choice of eating 1/2 a grapefruit or drinking 8 ounces of unsweetened grapefruit juice and the enzyme is touted to burn away body fat. 

This diet plan does not allow most complex carbohydrates.  Consumption of most vegetables is encouraged and dieters are allowed to prepare them in generous amounts of butter.  Consumption of coffee or tea is allowable. The premise of the Grapefruit Diet is based on an alleged "magical" ingredient in grapefruits, that, when eaten with protein, theoretically triggers fat burning and causes weight reduction.  Calories typically are limited to less than 800 per day, although some versions require that you "eat until you are stuffed."    Although there are variations of the diet, most of the plans last 12 to 18 days.

What we like about this plan.  No matter which version you follow, this is an easy-to-follow diet plan. If you like grapefruit, this is great, grapefruits has no fat, is low in calories and sodium, and is packed with vitamin C.   Beta-carotene found in the exotic pink grapefruit which helps to reduce the cholesterol level and build a healthy heart.

The time commitment is simple, the cost ismoderate   ,depending on the price of grapefruit or juice at the time you try the plan. In a week’s time, you’ll need 10 1/2 grapefruits or 168 ounces of grapefruit juice.

What we dislike about this plan.  Oneversion suggests no exercise because you won’t be eating enough calories to support physical activity.  Eating out is hard because grapefruit isn’t on the menu at every restaurant.  The daily caloric intake is too servers which is always a set for disaster.

How healthy is this plan? No. Although eating a half a grapefruit or drinking a glass of grapefruit juice with each meal is a good way to sneak in three daily servings of fruit, eating only 800 calories a day total is neither sustainable nor healthy.  It could put you at risk for nausea, dizziness, and vitamin and mineral deficiencies that could cause problems with hair loss, your nervous system, immune system and bones.  Certain medications, including some antidepressants, immunosuppressant drugs, and drugs to treat high blood pressure, high cholesterol and arrhythmias, grapefruit could have negative interactions with your medications and prescriptions.

One study from a 2006 issue of the “Journal of Food Medicine” revealed that people who ate half a grapefruit before each meal for 12 weeks lost 3.6 pounds. In addition, people who drank a serving of grapefruit juice three times a day lost 3.3 pounds. However, many individuals in that study lost more than 10 pounds.  Researchers suggest that grapefruit may lower insulin, which is a fat storage hormone.  Yet it's important to note that in this study, individuals ate healthy, balanced diets and could exercise up to three times a week. 

Note that this is substantially different from the Grapefruit Diet, which takes an unhealthy approach to weight loss and will inevitably set people up for diet failure.

Here’s The Bottom Line.  The possible weight loss potential of grapefruit aside, this diet works only because it restricts calories to severely low levels.  Even if you are sedentary, it's impossible to function on 800 calories a day. And the fact that exercise is discouraged is never a good thing.  Any diet that is recommended only for a certain time period (i.e. 10 days then take e break) is generally an unhealthy fad diet, with weight loss consisting of water loss.

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