What is Scarsdale Diet?

The scarsdale diet is one type of weight loss program that is making a big buzz in the health and fitness world these days. Is this the right diet for you? Before you even venture into doing it just because your friend went through the process or your sister recommended it to you, it is better to know more about this diet first. That way, you can identify if this will also be beneficial for you.

In a nutshell, the scarsdale diet is a low-fat and low-calorie diet program that is developed by Dr. Herman Tarnower. This diet is accompanied by a book that was first published in 1978. The book contains the essential details about the program.

This diet is based on a seven-day diet program which can be repeated for another week. Then, after the two-week diet, there will be a couple of weeks to rest before starting over again, if desired. The meal plan for this diet is structured because the food which can be eaten in every meal is specified. However, the good thing is that there is no limitation in portion so you can eat until you are satisfied so long as you are not overstuffed.

Does the scarsdale diet work?

Two weeks may seem like such a short time to shed off those extra pounds but the truth is that, for over 20 years, this diet has made people become slimmer.

What this diet primarily does is that it pumps up your metabolism so that you would continuously burn fat. The specific foods included in the diet does not contain high amount of fat. Hence, the tendency is that your body will use up the stored fat. With increased metabolism and efficient fat burning, two weeks is more than enough to see significant weight loss.

One concern with scarsdale diet is that this may lead to vitamin deficiency if the program is followed for more than 2 weeks. That is why, there has to be a rest in between cycles so that the body has time to replenish its nutrients. Besides, the body will also reach a plateau if the diet program is followed for more than 2 weeks straight. This means that your system will adjust to the limited amount of food that you eat. Because of that, weight loss might not be as efficient anymore.

This is not a long-term diet program because of the rigidity of the menu plan. However, it is effective in preventing obesity, enabling you to avoid a lot of health complications.

Here is a sample of the food that you can eat while on scarsdale diet.

Breakfast—This remains the same everyday. You have to consume ½ grapefruit or if this is unavailable, substitute this with other fruits that are in season. You can also have a slice of protein bread without spread. For drink, have a cup of tea or coffee without sugar, cream, milk or honey.

Lunch—Indulge on fruit salad until you are satisfied. Coffee, tea, diet soda, or water can go with the salad too.

Dinner—Feast on broiled, lean hamburger. Add tomatoes, 4 olives, cucumbers, Brussels sprouts, celery and lettuce. You can also drink diet soda, water, coffee or tea.

With this diet, you do not have to starve yourself just to lose weight. Just be a little choosier when it comes to the types of food that you will munch on.