Grapefruit Diet- What You Need To Know
The Grapefruit Diet which has also been called the Hollywood Diet or Mayo Diet has been popular in the United States since the 1930's. It's reputation of being a fast weight loss method has kept it a popular option for anyone who wants to lose weight. There have been some modifications but one thing that has remained the same is that you have to have 1/2 a grapefruit before every meal. Grapefruits are said to have fat burning properties and when coupled with high cholesterol food such as meat the impact seems to be even bigger.
Many people think that the reason this diet works so well is because it's part of an overall diet plan that drastically restricts the amount of carbohydrates you eat in a day as well as being a very low calorie diet, between 800-1,000. Anyone who was eating such a low calorie diet would lose weight, with or without grapefruit. No one has been able to prove scientifically that grapefruit really is a super fat burning food.
Pros
1. It consists of 12 diet days with 2 off diet days, so you have 2 days to eat whatever you want.
2. Many people have had very quick weight loss on this diet: 18 pounds in 18 days.
3. For those who doesn't like the idea of going to gym, this program have no instruction whatsoever regarding exercise or workout.
4. Affordable and simple.
Cons
1. The high level of acid in grapefruits can be very hard on the stomach over a long period of time leading to gastritis and ulcers. If you already have any of these diseases you should stop eating foods like oranges, lemons and grapefruits.
2. This diet is not a balanced diet, it eliminates things such as carbohydrates.
3. Very limited variety which can quickly lead to boredom.
4. This is a quick weight loss plan, but it's not a permanent weight loss plan. As soon as you start eating a normal diet again you will gain back all of the weight you've lost.
5. Grapefruit has been shown to have negative interactions with some drugs, particularly the hypertension drug Felodipine, that can cause toxic effects.
6. Some have reported getting diarrhea at the start of this diet plan. If you get diarrhea be extra careful to drink plenty of fluids so that you don't get dehydrated.
7. There is evidence to suggest that grapefruit can inhibit the production of insulin thus leading to a sudden drop in insulin levels. This can be potentially life threatening for a diabetic person.
Conclusion
This is not a healthy weight loss plan to follow long term. If you are healthy and want to lose a few pounds before a big event such as a wedding it probably wouldn't hurt, but if you are looking for a long term weight loss solution this isn't it. Some people say they've done this diet for years without having any negative side effects but even if that's true why take the chance? It just doesn't make sense to take risks with your health especially when there are effective, safe, long term diet plans around. If you do decide to try this diet at least make sure to talk to your doctor first.