Grapefruit Diet for Weight Loss

Do you wonder, “Does the grapefruit diet work? What results can I expect?” Are you interested in the grapefruit diet food list, meal plan or menu? Read on to get the answers to your questions about the grapefruit diet.

The grapefruit diet, also known as the Hollywood diet and the Egg and Grapefruit Diet, is based on the premise that some food combinations burn fat and promote weight loss. The grapefruit (and grapefruit juice) is an important part of the diet as it is supposed to contain enzymes that act like catalyst and help start the fat burning process. Therefore, all meals are accompanied by grapefruit or grapefruit juice.

The grapefruit diet is a low-carb, high-protein and high-fat diet. The diet restricts the intake of carbohydrates. Foods containing sugar and starches are eliminated from the diet regimen. So the list of foods to avoid contains starchy vegetables (potato, corn), sweet fruits and vegetables (pears, carrots), grains and cereals (bread, noodles, rice).

The diet encourages eating fresh vegetables and drinking 8 glasses of water a day. The consumption of meat and high-fat products such as bacon and eggs is encouraged as it is believed that the combination of high-fat high-cholesterol foods with grapefruit helps burn body fat.

The Grapefruit Diet Meal Plan

A typical breakfast consists of half of a grapefruit or 8 ounce of grapefruit juice, a cup of tea or black coffee, 2 eggs and 2 slices of bacon. As sugar consumption is restricted on the grapefruit diet, juice, coffee and tea is drunk unsweetened. Lunch and dinner include meat or fish cooked in any way, fresh non-starchy vegetables, black coffee or tea and, of course, half of a grapefruit.  For supper, you can have a cup of vegetable juice such as tomato juice or skim milk.

The diet lasts 10 days followed by 2 days off, which is why it was nicknamed the "10-day, 10-pounds-off diet". The diet can occasionally last 12 days instead of 10 days.

The Grapefruit Diet Results

The main claim of the grapefruit diet is that it helps to lose up to 10 pounds in 10 days (occasionally that claim is 12 pounds in 12 days). Some variations of the grapefruit diet are not calorie restrictive that is you can eat as much meat, fish and fresh vegetables as you want to. These variations of the grapefruit diet can be considered healthful as you can get enough nutrients from your meals to meet your daily nutritional needs.  If you are not allergic to citruses, grapefruits may be very good for you. They are low in calories, with only 52 calories per half a grapefruit, and high in dietary fiber, vitamin A and vitamin C. The only concern is the high consumption of saturated fat in the diet. The claim that foods high in dietary fat help you burn fat if eaten with grapefruit is not scientifically feasible. You should trim all visible fat from your meat and use olive oil in place of butter when cooking.

Some variations of the grapefruit diet restrict the calorie intake to about 800 calories a day. The very-low-calorie diet can lead to serious health problem, which is why the grapefruit diet is often frowned upon and considered unhealthy. Remember, you should never follow a diet that does not provide sufficient nutrition. The very-low-calorie diets can be recommended only by health-care providers and are always undertaken under medical supervision. You should avoid any grapefruit diet plan that restricts your calorie intake too low (below 1200 calories a day for women and 1500 calories a day for men).

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