Grapefruit Diet
The Grapefruit Diet is a weight loss diet built solely around the humble grapefruit.
The grapefruit is a marvelous fruit – a natural simple carbohydrate high in fiber and vitamin C. But to use it as the sole foundation of a weight loss program is unwise. However recent research has discovered that the grapefruit has more to it than meets the eye.
A lot of the grapefruit diet plans that have been circulating are very low calorie diet plans (VLCD’s) with a grapefruit thrown in. VLCD’s are not a good weight loss solution for many people. Most versions of the Grapefruit diet are identical to the Mayo Clinic Diet.
Grapefruit Diet -12 Day Meal Plan
12 days on – 2 days off
| Breakfast 1/2 Grapefruit or 4 oz. Grapefruit Juice (unsweetened) 2 Eggs (any style) 2 Slices Bacon |
| Lunch 1/2 Grapefruit or 4 oz. Grapefruit Juice (unsweetened) Meat (any style, any amount) Salad (any kind of dressing) |
| Dinner 1/2 Grapefruit or 4 oz. Grapefruit Juice (unsweetened) Meat (any style, any amount) (fish may be substituted for meat) Vegetables (any green, yellow, or red vegetables cooked in butter or any seasoning) |
| Bed Time Snack 1 glass tomato juice or 1 glass Skim milk |
| Vegetables Allowed Red onions, green onions, bell peppers, radishes, cucumbers, broccoli, spinach, lettuce, cabbage, carrots, peas. |
| Vegetables to Avoid White onions, potatoes, celery. |
Look here for other meal suggestions.
Below is the outline of the fad diet – and it IS NOT RECOMMENDED. Note that there is also substantial evidence that grapefruit (unlike any other citrus fruit) can interfere with medication.
Instructions
- At any meal you may eat until you are full – until you can’t eat any more.
- Don’t eliminate anything from the diet, especially don’t skip bacon at breakfast or omit salads. It is the combination of foods that burn fat.
- The grapefruit is important because it acts as a catalyst that starts the burning process.
- Cut down on caffeine- it affects the insulin balance that hinders the burning process. Try to limit to 1 cup per meal at mealtime.
- Don’t eat between meals. If you eat the combination of food suggested you will not be hungry.
- Note that the diet completely eliminates sugar and starches, which the body stores excess in the form of fat. It doesn’t eliminate fat since fat doesn’t form fat; it helps burn it. You can fry food in butter and use butter generously on vegetables.
- Do not eat desserts, bread, and white vegetables or sweet potatoes. You may double or triple helpings of meat, salad, or vegetables. Eat until you are stuffed. The more you eat of the proper combination of food, the more you lose.
Useful Video
Properties of the Grapefruit
The traditional grapefruit diet consists of a 7 or 21 day eating plan. 1/2 a grapefruit is consumed during breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Recently the Scripps clinic, based in San Diego carried out a clinical trial and discovered the following:
“The 12-week pilot study, led by Dr. Ken Fujioka, monitored weight and metabolic factors, such as insulin secretion, of the 100 men and women who participated in the Scripps Clinic “Grapefruit Diet” study. On average, participants who ate half a grapefruit with each meal lost 3.6 pounds, while those who drank a serving of grapefruit juice three times a day lost 3.3 pounds. However, many patients in the study lost more than 10 pounds….. The researchers speculate that the chemical properties of grapefruit reduce insulin levels and encourage weight loss.”
By all means include grapefruit in your diet – it may give you an edge. But for serious and sustained weight loss – look elsewhere. The idea that a single item of food has miraculous weight loss properties seems a farcical.
See Also
The Super Skinny Grapefruit and Egg Diet which retails for $4.99.
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Hi I’m going to start this diet tomorrow. I don’t eat bacon what can I have instead.
If you stick to this diet, you will have success. Once you achieve your goal, please be mindful about going back to your old, unhealthy way of eating. Its very easy to gain the weight you lost back plus some. #lovetheskinyouin
For some of you who are not losing weight, the most important thing is that you are regular. Being regular is what truly helps to give a flatter belly and lose more weight overall. Try drinking or eating juice before eating, on an empty stomach. Vitamin C can really help with regularity. If you are not going to the bathroom at least once a day, then that is probably what’s keeping you from weight loss. It was definitely hindering mine. You can always add benefiber to your grapefruit juice to help and always put some fresh spinach in your salad.
Hi, I am going to start this real soon, can anyone tell me if Simply Grapefruit brand is allowed for the grapefruit juice? Thanks!!
Hi
I’m 21 yrs old & I had 2 kids in the last 2 yrs (15mths apart) so needless to say I haven’t had a chance to lose any baby weight. I’ve always been a curvy lady @ 5’9” but my weight had gone up ridiculously to 275!! I know! A friend of mine told me about this diet & I was hesitant but desperate so I started it last Friday (5/10) & today (5/13) I’m already down to 269! Honestly I haven’t even been working out like I should w it, but I got a pilates dvd & I’m gonna start tomorrow. This is truely a blessing! I’m so excited bc now I can be healthy for my kids & sexy for my hubby <3
My girlfriend has been doing this diet and has lost almost 40lbs already. Now im gna try it. Only thing is, i hate grapefuit. Hope i can overcome the taste of it and lose as she did.
Try “SimplyGrapefruit”, it has alittle sweetness to it without sugar, its not bad at all. Good Luck!
Scott, maybe you could try putting a four or five drops of liquid stevia on your grapefruit. Stevia drops come in different flavors, I like vanilla cream drops on my grapefruit. Just a suggestion. My little girl hates grapefruit, but she likes them this way.
Oh, I also wanted to mention that I did NOT like eggs, eating breakfast OR grapefruit….but I did like losing weight lol….and this diet did the trick so I stuck to it. Now the grapefruit isnt unbearable and can even clear up a cold lol. Still not the biggest fan of plain eggs but mixed in salad, potato salad (substitute cauliflower for this diet), egg cream breakfast shake or deviled eggs are all delicious.
I did this diet from March 2005-Feb 2006. I didnt officially take off the 2 days, but on those days I would allow myself other fruits, condiments that contained sugar (like bbq sauce), juice, applesauce and on rare occassions crackers or bread. I also worked out minimum 45 minutes a day (not including stretching) 5-7 days a week. In that 11 months I lost 100 lbs. I was consistently losing 12.3lbs a month until I started taking birth control in an attempt to regulate my period. The 1st month on the birth control I lost 1 pound! So I upped my workouts and got even stricter on my diet (no juice on the 2 days off, etc)., 2nd month I lost 2lbs. Ditched the birth control since I was single and celibate anyway and next month lost 16lbs in 3 weeks!
I’m getting ready to get off the diet, how do I do that and what do I eat, so as not to gain what I have lost?
started it today haven’t been hungry at all nor smacking in between
Starting diet tomorrow any words of encouragement, I’m 12st and my goal is 10st, I enjoy grapefruit which is a good thing….
Louise, I hope you started it and are doing well. I started it 5 days ago and have lost 5 pounds–with very little effort. The food is easy and delicious and I haven’t been hungry at all. I’m amazed, actually, that I’m not craving starches even a little bit. I’m still cooking for my family, but I refrain from the potatoes, bread, rice, etc, and it’s been very easy.
hi i cant wait to start this diet it’s going to be hard but i hear all the success stories and hopefully it should work for me
and can i still have my coffee in the morning times?
been on the grapefruit diet since 4th jan was 15st 2 wen i started now i am 12 stone feel great the results are brilliant doing gym work also bought a sauna suit these are great you sweat buckets
Im on day 7 and I havent weighed myself yet but I do have tons of energy but I also workout ALOT.
been on this since 4th jan was 15st 2 now down to 12 st gone from 40s waist to 32waist never felt better
started this on jan 4th this year a was 15 stone 2 i am now 12 stone gone from 40s waist to 32s and i feel great done lot of cardio and got a sauna suit they really help even ad time off wen was birthday and pigged out just got back on it now a do 2 week on 1 week of
What kind of grapefruit do you eat? Can anyone answer this question.
I love the ruby red grapefruit–not as bitter as the regular grapefruit. If you get the ruby red juice, you have to be careful that it is not the cocktail which sometimes has sugar added. Florida Nature is one brand that is straight ruby red grapefruit juice. I used this diet before and lost alot of weight but then gained some back. I am starting Day 1 today but this time I will not be gaining any back. I have learned the hard way–no other diet so far has worked as good as this one.
the grapefruit you hafta have is unsweetened preferably the fresh ones.
It doesn’t matter, just eat the variety that you like the best.
I tried this diet before and yes it works for fast weight lost i lost 7 lbs in a 2 week period…….good luck to all
Can you drink n between meals? I.E. water, crystal light, the little squirt flavors n water?
I started this 5 days ago and haven’t lost any. I’m getting discourage about dieting. I have been trying for the past couple of years and haven’t lost on any of them. I do give up to easily. I’m not hungry in this diet and not craving sweets like I used to. I’m not give up yet:). Has anyone else had this problem?
Hey Danielle dont give up you can do it just be patient and you will see results i wanted to lose the weight to and wanted to see in 5 day but you will not see it in the 5 day you will see it on the 6 day
Thanks Michelle. I have only lost 3 lbs and that’s it so far. I do like the diet very much. I did go off due to many things going on but now I’m back on it. I always get my hopes up and quit to soon. Thanks everyone:)
Whenever i need to lose a few lbs this diet works great for me. A few years ago when i first tried i lost 8lbs the first week but when my mam tried it she lost nothing. I’d say stick to it, it might take a week or two to begin working.
Started the diet two days ago and I’m getting really bad stomach pains. Does anyone know what it could be? No nausea or vomiting.
I read a huge article that whenever fruit or fruit juice is consumed, that you should always eat or drink the fruit before eating any other foods. Once you pour the fruit on top of the other foods, they can break down and turn into terrible gases within your stomach. I always drink my grapefruit juice before I eat, the whole glass. This has worked well for me. I had the same problem you did with the pain but now with drinking the juice first, it rarely ever happens, as long as your stomach is empty.
Martha, your body prob isn’t used to the acid in the grapefruit. Try eating it as “dessert” after your meals. That way your belly will be full & coated.
Martha, my husband , daughter and I did this diet many years ago with good success. But my daughter had difficulty with the grapefruit and juice. Her stomach was just too sensitive to take in that much. So we substituted pineapple juice for her and it worked fine. We loved doing a cabbage stir fry with carrots, onions, cabbage, etc. in butter . Good luck with this diet. If you have FB and need some encouragement, feel free to check out my daughters page (Sonja’s Healthy Friends). Some good recipes (not all are on this particular diet) and tips and encouragement. It’s a fairly new group.
Uh maybe you’re hungy?
THIS IS DAY NUMBER 6 FOR ME AND IM DOWN 5 LBS….LOVIN IT
I don’t like eggs is there anything else I can substitute these for??? I really wanna try this diet anyone please…
Hi! I am trying this diet today. I am going to buy a working scale -___- lol and I am going to watch the needle go down
Question: Lets say during my 12 day diet and out of two days I had stop because I am going to a dinner and NY for weekend so I know I am going to eat junk food. Would it be hard to get back on the diet again or would it not work again? May sound stupid but eh I will ask 
I started this diet on 4/1/2013 and today is my first weigh in and I have lost 10lbs and it feels good… I bought the tomato juice but have’nt opened it yet because I have’nt been doing or craving for night snacks but I also work out a hour a day. Someday’s are rough because I like bread but I have a goal and that’s what keep me focus! I wish everyone LUCK!!!
Too much grapefruit juice, Im peeing like a horse. Im peeing as we speak. (:
I LOVE GRAPE FRUIT !!!!!!!!!!!!
can I substitue turkey bacon for pork bacon
I did this diet back when I was 22 years old and I had lots about 30 pounds. I loved this diet. I’m 32 yrs old now and have been looking for it now two. I’m so excited to start this diet back up it works wonders but you need a lot of willpower you must want to lose weight and stick with it. If you do this diet is perfect for you.
I just started this diet today. I was wondering if I could substitute the tomato juice or skim milk for grapefruit juice?
can i do anything else for bedtime snack beside tomatoe juice and milk?
I have read a lot about this diet I’m twenty years old a stay at home mom & house wife. I’m guna start this diet Monday morning. I will start out at 5’10 & 240ish. I’m wantin to lose weight fast because my husband of two years & I are finally getting a chance to go on our honeymoon. We are going on a cruise to the Bahamas & I really want to look good in a bathing suit for him. I’m prepared to try anything & this sounds like the best diet out there. I’m super excited to get started wish me luck & I wish yu all the same as I kno it is hard as heck to lose weight. (:
I am starting day one of this diet! I don’t have much to lose, but I have plateaued, so I figured that I’d try this diet out for about a month!! My starting weight is 158, 5’3! The goal weight is 140-145. Let the weight loss begin! Good luck dieters!!!