Beverly Hills Diet
Beverly Hills Diet has been revamped since the original was published in 1981 and is regarded by many as being the first fad diet.
After losing 72 pounds on the original Beverly Hills Diet, the author Judy Mazel maintained her weight loss. Mazel died at the age of 63 from complications related to peripheral vascular disease.
The original diet commenced with a 42-day initiation phase, which was based largely on fruit. The New Beverly Hills diet is less extreme and Mazel stated that it now meets the recommended standards for a nutritionally balanced diet.
Dieters are told that they can expect a weight loss of 10-15 pounds in the initial 35 days of the program.
The New Beverly Hills Diet Basics
Food Combining
As with the original diet, the New Beverly Hills Diet is based on the concept of ‘conscious food combining’ . Mazel states that it is not what or how much you eat that causes weight gain but rather when and in what combinations the food is eaten. She claims that poor combinations lead to inefficient digestion that triggers weight gain.
The main rules for food combining according to this plan:
- Proteins can be combined with fats
- Carbohydrates can be eaten with fats
- Fruit must be eaten alone
- Champagne goes with everything
Daily Beverly Hills Diet Meals
Breakfast each day consists of fruit, which may be eaten, in unlimited amounts. However, only one fruit is to be eaten at a time. Dieters must wait one hour before switching from one fruit to another and two hours before eating any other types of foods. There are many days in the 35-day initiation plan where fruit is the only food consumed all day.
Once a meal based on carbohydrates, fats or protein is consumed dieters are not permitted to eat fruit for the remainder of the day. If the next meal is based on carbohydrates dieters may continue to eat carbohydrates without restriction until protein is consumed. As soon as any protein is eaten all the remaining meals must consist of at least 80% protein.
Dieters are permitted one free meal per day where they can combine carbs and protein however following this all meals eaten must follow the rule of containing at least 80% protein.
Recommended Foods
Fruits form the basis of this plan. Papaya is said to soften fat in the body, pineapple burns off the fat and watermelon flushes it out of the body.
Sample Day’s Meal Plan
| Breakfast Dried Apricots |
| Lunch Sandwich with avocado, tomato, lettuce and sprouts |
| Dinner Three veggies with rice |
Look for more low Calorie recipes here.
Exercise Not Required
Exercise is not a requirement however Mazel does acknowledge its importance for cardiovascular health and emotional balance.
Costs and Expenses
The New Beverly Hills Diet retails at $14.95.
Pros
- Promotes the intake of fruit and vegetables.
- Good for people who like eating fruit.
- Food preparation is simple.
- Includes a 35-day meal plan with recipes.
- No need for portion control or calorie counting.
- No foods are forbidden.
- Author is very positive and motivational.
Cons
- The plan involves many days where dieters eat fruit only.
- Some of the suggested tropical fruits may be difficult to find in some areas.
- Initiation phase is very low in calories, deficient in many nutrients as well as being extremely deficient in protein, essential fats and minerals.
- Includes many rules, which require dieters to keep track of foods eaten and which may be confusing.
- Based on food combining which has not been proven to affect weight loss.
- Does not teach dieters how to eat balanced meals for long-term weight loss.
- Not based on established scientific principles.
- Does not encourage exercise.
Low Calories NOT Food Combining
The reason people lose weight on this diet is probably due to restricting calories rather than the fat burning qualities that are attributed to specific fruits or the effects of food combining.
The new diet is slightly more balanced than the original Beverly Hills diet as it includes animal protein whereas the original plan was based on fruit only for the first ten days.
However, The Beverly Hills Diet is still is a low calorie diet that is also very low in protein, which will increase the risk of dieters losing muscle mass. The result of this will be a reduced metabolism that will make it highly likely that dieters will regain the weight when they resume normal eating.
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I really did lose 62 pounds in 6 weeks in 1984 with the original diet. Got down to below my high school weight when I was I great shape. You have to do what she says to keep weight off, but it really works. You can’t die in six weeks. The secret, which she tells you, is to eat a lot of what you’re prescribed and follow the rules.
Exactly and you can’t get aids from this eating program. I used to work with the author Judy Mazel and was a mentor to a number of her Best Examples, me being one them. With had some very good years together and then she got sick.
the original beverly hills diet was recommended by a friend at the gym (1996)when i was trying to loose weight desparately after i applied for a post as an air hostess, i lost 12kg in three weeks and now and again when i need to loose a few kilos i still start my days with the reccomended fruit. unfortunately i can’t get hold ot the origal copy, if anyone has any information as to where to get i’d highley appriciate it!!!
THIS DOESNT WORK IM STILL FAT!!!!!!
During the 80′s i went on this diet and lost 35 pounds in 5 weeks. I kept it off untill i got pregnant with my son. I think the younger you are the easier it is to adapt, but this 51 year old is gonna give it another go ariound and see what happens. I have to mention, that before if I got light headed a hard boiled egg does the trick.
My husband recieved aids from this diet, I do not recommend this diet!!!!!
excuse me Tyrone but you may also have aids due to your sexual relations with your husband, I also believe that it is impossible for a human being to contract aids from a diet.
Dr Caleb
Ummm, sorry but you dont get HIV from a diet…
im thinking that it was his husband rather than the diet itself
This diet was the best thing that has every happened to me, the prunes in the diet really help everything come house
Not easy to start with
The diet is not real to a person who is just starting to adopt
I’m def going to try this. I’m leaving for college in 28 days and I need to lose 34 pounds!!! I hope it works!!!
btw prunes give u the shits
This is my yearly spring diet. It makes my digestive system sing. I can keep the 20 lbs off as long as I follow the rules.
I went on this diet in1990 and lost 60 pounds
in3 years. This diet saved my life and helped me learn how to eat. Conscious combining really works. I kept the weight off until recently when I decided to eat on my terms. You can eat plenty of protein as long as you follow the rules.
this is a very dangeourus diet i can not belive that you would do that anyone would do this
This diet may allow you to lose afew pounds in the short term but long term you will just gain the weight back. Fad diets like this more times than not do more harm than good.
This fad diet is just as bad for you as any other fad diet out there. Not only does it restrict your calories to a dangerous level(the only reason this diet promotes weight loss), it also does not provide balanced macronutrients and could lead to deficiencies of specific vitamins and minerals. The theory of “conscious combining” has absolutely no scientific background and the author of this book lacks credentials. If anyone did research over this diet, they would know enzymes aren’t directly absorbed from food to break down other food. Protein from food is broken down to their amino acid bases. Your very own DNA (through transcription and translation) code for specific enzymes to be made within your cells. These enzymes then act on the food that you are currently consuming. The only reason anyone is loosing weight on this diet is because of the calorie restriction and there are healthier ways to achieve this weight loss.
I am 5’0 and i weigh 160 pounds. I need to lose about 30 pounds fast before summer! Im going to start this diet tomorrow so , wish me luck!
so basicly what this saying that after u do this diet u could put the weight back on wow i could just stick to drinking water and running and doing exercises
this can be really unhealthy.you need more things in your diet!!!!!! i do not recamend this!!!
First did the diet in 1984, at various times since and now again! Best advice? Stick to the plan – don’t try and improvise. It’s but 42 days of your life! The “Non-physical Exercises” are a great motivation
See page for 3 fat chicks on a diet – it lists the full plan – thanks so much to the person posting the first week list – I treat it like I’m doing a fruit fast / detox but one that leaves me very thin and feeling fantastic
I lost 10 pounds first week and another 4 the second then ate fruit in the mornings and “normal” food
Did this diet 10 yrs ago and tried other things (lost the book) and nothing else works
This diet works, and you eat SO MUCH, if you want to. My 60 year old mom ,lost 22 ounds in 14 days on the basic plan. The more elaborate plan ahs some great receipies, but we love fruit, so we kept it simple and felt fine!
Please,please,please could someone please list the old diet plan from day 8 – 15, have lost my book and am desperate to cary on, much prefer the old to the new…..Thanx
Lost my BHD original book. Anyone have the entire daily menu that they could share? Thanks
I’m trying out the Old Beverly Hills Diet for the first time and I’m surprised at how easy it is to stay on track.
I’m on Day 4 and can feel the difference – it’s brilliant. Plenty of energy too.
My tip: I read the book each evening for about 30 min and go over the chapters : It helps me stay focussed. And I prepared myself mentally for about a week before starting off.
this is the only diet that worked for me. I have tried others and this one for me works the best. I did manage to combine atkins and this one together to lose 130 lbs. but I, like so many others, didn’t stay focused. and gained a few pounds back. well I am going to jump start my program again soon and this is the best way. I don’t think it is healthy to eat fruit for months on end with nothing else, but for 10 days people how bad is that?
first few days….
day 1 pineapple….2 bananas
day 2 papaya….mango if available
day 3 papaya…pineapple…papaya
day 4 watermelon…
day 5 2 bananas..8oz.dried apricots..blueberries
day 6 8 oz. prunes..strawberries..2 bananas
day 7 watermelon…
Can someone tell me what you eat on the first few days of the OLD Beverly Hills Diet? I loaned out my book and never got it back. I just ordered a used copy from Amazon, but I want to start right away, while my momentum is high.
Can you stay raw on this diet? Can I skip the breads and meats and have salad and raw corn instead? I would even go for the cooked potatoes before the bread. Can I substitute? Not sure I wanna eat bagels or fish. I posted on the other BHD page, but now I can’t see any comments except for mine:( I also think I may have eaten too much watermelon today? I am scared I hope not, almost two large seedless one, it was all I could find. there was one black seed in the whole fruit! haha But I love fruit! And it is only 2 o’clock. I think I might eat more!
Answer to Amira’s question:
The fruit at night on the fifth day is pineapple, unlimited amounts (at least 1 whole pineapple). Make sure to wait 1 hour after your last bite of papaya.
I have the translated book,not the original. Something was lost in the translation;would any body out there, please tell me what is the fruit for dinner meal on the fifth day of the first week?
Thanks
Amira
I have used this diet since the book was first published. I gained 20 lbs in the last 3 years and had trouble losing the weight. I start back a few weeks ago eating primarily mangoes,grapes and papayas and I’ve lost about 8 lbs in 2 weeks. This is the only diet that works for me. And it is really easy because there aren’t a bunch of meal plans or calorie counting you have to do. I’ve been eating fruit during the week and then eating regular food on the weekends because I know I can go back to the diet and still lose weight. I feel great and the lbs and inches are coming off. You can get copies of the book online by doing a search.