Fad Diet Favorites — The Grapefruit Diet

The Grapefruit Diet Basics (aka: a version of the “Mayo Diet”) include a bold claim about the amount of weight you can lose quickly.
The Big Promise:   “Like no other diet before!  You can lose 52 pounds in  2 1/2 months.” 

Short of being locked in a cell and given nothing but bread and water, I don’t see how that can happen.  Still, people swear it works.  The Mayo Clinic long ago developed a similar diet and it has been passed around for about 30 years now — before the internet.  This diet (not exact one) supposedly was implemented to help some patients with quick weight loss before surgery.

You should know that this “Mayo Diet” has developed it’s own personality over the years and the Mayo clinic does not endorse it (of course, because fad diets are dangerous and not healthy long-term)

Rules To Follow 

1. You must drink a minimum of eight 8oz. glasses of water daily (64 oz. in total).
2. You may eat until you are full and any meal 
3. You must eat the minimum listed at each meal. (the reverse of most diets, which list the max).
4. You cannot eliminate anything from the diet. Especially the bacon at breakfast and the salads. You must eat the bacon and salads. These combinations of food burn the fat, omitting one part of the combination will cause the whole thing not to work.
5. The grapefruit or fruit juice is important because it acts as a catalyst that starts the burning process. Don’t add or reduce the amount of grapefruit or juice.
6. Cut down on coffee, it affects the insulin balance that hinders the burning process. Try to limit to 1 cup at meal time.
7. Don’t eat between meals. If you eat the suggested foods you will not get hungry.
8. You can fry food in butter and use butter generously on vegetables.
9. Do not eat desserts, breads, and white vegetables or sweet potatoes.
10. You may double or triple helpings of meat, salad or vegetables.
11. Eat until you are stuffed. The more you eat the more weight you will lose.
12. Stay on the diet 12 days, then stop the diet for 2 days and repeat.

Here’s a List of Foods You Can and Can’t Eat with This:  

Have:  Red onions, bell peppers, radishes, broccoli, cucumbers, green onions, leaf spinach, cabbage, tomatoes, green beans, lettuce, chili (no beans), mayonnaise, any cheese, hot dogs, cole slaw, regular salad dressing, green vegetables, 1tsp nuts, dill or bread and butter pickles.

Have Nots:  White onions, Potatoes, Celery, Peas, Carrots, Corn, Lettuce, Potato Chips, Starchy Vegetables, Cereal, Bread, Noodles, Rice, Pretzels, Fruit, or Diet/Fat Free Salad Dressing.