The Grapefruit Diet

The Grapefruit Diet

The Grapefruit diet has been around for many years now, and has it's fair share of critics, who declare any weight loss has nothing to do with the grapefruit consumed, but rather to do with the low calorie content of the diet.(Around 800 calories a day).

Supporters of the diet disagree, arguing that grapefruit comtains fat burning enzymes that help to reduce insulin levels and encourage weightloss.

I agree with the diet supporters! I followed it for four days and lost three pounds.

The Grapefruit is said to contain unique fat burning enzymes

Until recently, opinion has been divided over The Grapefruit Diet. That all changed when researchers at Scripps Clinic of San Diego decided to study the diet. The researchers divided a group of 100 obese subjects into three groups. One group ate half a grapefruit before each meal, one group drank a glass of grapefruit juice before each meal, and one group was instructed not to eat any grapefruit or drink any grapefruit juice.

Those in the group that ate grapefruit with each meal lost an average of 3.6 pounds. Subjects in the grapefruit juice group lost an average of 3.3 pounds. A few of the subjects in both of these groups lost nearly 10 pounds. Meanwhile, the average weight loss in the group that consumed no grapefruit was less than one pound.

Researchers believe that the grapefruit diet aids in the management of insulin levels — a potential boon to dieters and diabetics alike.

When the study was over, those on the grapefruit diet had lower levels of insulin and blood sugar than they did at the start. In the group who didn't follow the grapefruit diet, levels were unchanged.

Below is the Menu Plan for the Grapefruit Diet

Breakfast

Half a grapefruit and plain coffee or tea

Lunch

Half a grapefruit plus two eggs

Cucumber and tomato salad with vinegar, lemon and herbs dressing

One piece of dry melba toast and plain tea or water

Dinner

Half a grapefruit

4-6 ounces of chicken,beef or ham slices

Half a head of lettuce and a tomato with vinegar, lemon and herbs dressing Plain tea or water

The diet IS rather restrictive, the calories amount to less than 800 a day. I modified the diet slightly, and ate a whole grapefruit before the rest of my meal. I believe this helped combat hunger pangs, and after all, if the grapefruit does contains a fat burning enzyme, as the recent studies suggest, surely more is better than less?