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Scarsdale Diet
The Scarsdale Diet was a famous book written in the 1970s. Dr Herman Tarnower ran a clinic in the town of Scarsdale, and (like so many other doctor-designed plans) created the diet for overweight patients.
The book has always been a huge seller, and is still popular today.
Low Fat, High Protein
The Scarsdale Diet has a peculiar nutrient ratio – the only diet exactly like this. It contains 43% protein, 22.5% fat, and 34.5% carbohydrate.
Dr Tarnower claims this level of diet brings about the process of ketosis. Indeed the diet is low calorie (about 1000 per day), and has very strict rules during the first two weeks. After the first phase, the calorie limit is lifted a little (the “keep-trim” program).
The supposed weight loss is 20 pounds (9kg) in just 14 days.
Scarsdale Meal Plan
| Breakfast 1/2 grapefruit slice of wholemeal toast (no spreads or butter) coffee (no sugar or milk) Lunch Dinner Drinks |
Scarsdale Diet Issues
Like many diets of this kind – the calorie recommendations are too low. While weight loss will occur, it is neither healthy, or sustainable in the long-term.
See Also
The Complete Scarsdale Diet which retails for $7.99.
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Day 1 and followed diet easily, so far so good. I am lose weight extremely slowly (PCOS). I only need to lose 10-12 lbs but it has been bugging me now for a year or so. I went on the Scarsdale diet about 10 years ago, lost the 10 lbs and kept it off but over the last year I have not been exercising much and getting lax about my diet. So, I am going to a wedding in April and I WILL feel confident about the dress that is slightly tight right now. I’ll keep you all posted and good luck to everyone ..
I had done the diet a few months ago – see posts below – and had lost 7 1/2 lbs. Of course, having spent Xmas in France I did not refrain myself and having stuffed my face with all the good food, put the weight back on which I had expected.
I started the diet again 6 days ago on Monday at 171.5lbs and this morning I was at 163.5 or 8 pounds lighter. This is fenomenal. One week to go to the end of the 1st phase.
As a bonus on top of the weight loss, I have no reflux, reduced gallbladder pains – which should soon disappear – and blood pressure back to normal from pretty high as I cook with no or very little salt. I will update you when I finish phase 1. Love the fact that you have menus set up for you – which some consider as a down side.
To Some Guy, you can feed your family the food of the program but for them add a bit of pasta or rice if needed. This is good healthy home made food good for the whole familly. Just add some carbs and dairy and some calories…
Lets keep ourselves motivated…
Good luck to all!
Is anyone still doing this? I would love updates….
Hey hey!
About Maria’s black spot…
My experience with those kind of diet was a bit similar and a counselor told me that if your blood pressure is going low (like me my normal is 100/60 which is good but a bit low) you have to use salt over your food to keep up with the blood pressure and something else too but can’t remember so what I did I ate cucumbers and put salt on it and on veggies or meat sometimes depending…It solves that weird feeling instantly. Maybe it could help you but it could be something else too but for me that was it. Good luck everyone I’ve did a week after my pregnancy and lost 6 pounds, it works! I just start back today and want to lose about 25 pounds but by period of time so let see!
You have to stick to the diet exactly as written, its chemical!
Hello. What’s the difference between this and other zero carb high protein diets? Putting this menu together while also feeding my family will be difficult. Can’t I just eat the breakfast and lunches recommended and then leave out the carbs that I serve the rest of my family at dinner? Thanks.
This diet has always been great for me. Not only the weight loss…but after being on it I found that I ate smarter and ate less because I felt full. Also, after being on this diet my cholesterol etc. was awesome – my doctor thought I had been taking supplements…nope…just eating right….and I think, just not able to eat the big portions I was before. The only correction I would suggest is NOT snacking on carrots…as they are high glycemic and tended to make me hungry!
Of course – the walking and exercise help a great deal too.
Scarlet, If you read the book you will see that there are people who will reach plateaus in any part of the diet. Just stick with it, and maybe tomorrow you will be surprised on the scale. How are you weighing yourself, the book says to do it first thing in the morning and no clothes. I went to target and bought myself an indoor electric grill and i have been cooking my food on that. On the day that It said hamburger meat, I went to In-n_out ( a burger stand) and asked for a plain protein burger, and it was delicious. It was just hamburger patty wrapped in lettuce with tomatoes and onions, I added ketchup and mustard lightly and still lost a pound and a half. You need to like what your eating, try shrimp stir fry with shrimp, bell peppers, red onions, and salt and pepper over a non stick pan with light vegetable spray.
I have been on the scarlesdale diet for 3 and a half days and have already lost 4 pounds. This morning I weighed myself and didn’t lose a whole pound but 6 oz. Total weight loss is 4lbs. 6 o.z. I think I would have lost the whole pound If I cooked the chicken breast instead of buying a piece of chicken at el pollo loco and taking the skin off. I was pressed for time and didn’t have time to make my own.
Seriously! Iv’e been doing this diet (that supposedly helps you lose weight in a day) for three days now and haven’t even lost a pound!!! Why isn’t it working ( i followed it exactly) should i go on another diet, any suggestions??? Please help me!
I am officially done the first phase of the diet and lost a total of 10 pounds. I am going to the maintenance phase now and will do another round in hopes to lose another 10 pounds.
Today is day 8 for me. This is my second go around on this diet and it’s the only diet I know of where you will definitely lose weight and will not be hungry. I have lost 6 lbs so far and last year when I was on it for 4 months, I lost over 30 lbs. I got off of it, gained back 14 of the lost lbs and slowly returned to eating the NO NO foods. I do believe if you can stick to the plan, you can keep the weight off for life. Good luck everyone!!
I just started today. I did lots of reading. I did good so far. Its 1pm and my stomach just growled! I hope I make it. I will work out tonight so we will see!!!!
So I have been on the diet for 7 days and have lost 6 pounds in total so far. I have another week and hopefully i can lose at least another 5. Very happy with the diets success so far. I eat at night because i have work and then school and don’t get home to usually 9pm. So, right after dinner I will have a cup of tea to get rid of any cravings. I will keep everyone updated.
Today is day 5 and in 4 days I have lost 4.5 lbs which is excellent and to be honest unexpected especially as I lost nothing on day2. I have totally stuck to the food plan only switching diet cottage cheese for full fat yogurt on day 3 and today low fat cheese for full fat string cheese. Sometimes in the morning I felt a bit hungry but had a big cup of fruit tea that totally did the trick. I am so busy at work that I don’t even have time to think that I might be hungry. So tip no 1: keep busy! I am not exercising at all but will walk tomorrow and Sunday. Best of all is that I have had no reflux which I guess are/were due to fat intake… A good and hopeful start. Happy!!!
I started the diet today. I know that there are loads of positive experiences but I am very skeptical. Hope I will be proved wrong… I tend to have high blood pressure so I am not drinking coffee or tea but herbal tea instead. I read somewhere that it was good to start exercising during the keep-trim phase so I will not be exercising in those first 2 weeks. I must say that I have not been hungry at all. I will keep my progresses posted. Fingers crossed
First week on Scarsdale diet, after day 5 lost 7.5 lbs. I am walking and exercising in the mornings. Hoping this diet will make me more aware of fats and limit snacks to healthy alternatives.
I started the scarsdale diet today. I am really hopeful and enthusiastic about it. I hope to lose at least 15 pounds in two weeks. I will keep everyone updated!!
hi everyone hoping to start the diet today, after reading your stories i’m pretty optimistic! I’m a young mom just wanting to lose a few pound. Just one question really i’m a vegetarian can i substitute low carb, low fat meat free products for the meat protein and still get results such as tofu? I don’t eat breaded battered or cured versions so that wouldn’t be an issue. I still eat fish on occassion. Thanks.
I have been on the diet for 3 days (today is day 4) and I havent so much as lost 1 pound! My weight has stayed exactly the same as when I started. Has anyone else had this experience? Am not sure if I must continue and the weight loss will start or to try something else?
I went on Scarsdale after my second child. It was amazing. I really liked it and kept up the walking after going off the diet. However, thirty years later I have weight to lose. So, I went on NutriSystem. I hate it. I’m going back on Scarsdale. It’s the best!
I bought the Scarsdale diet when it came out. It was the #1 fad in the seventies. No diet book has been able to claim this position. Not even Dr. Atkins. I will start Scarsdale tomorrow. I’m at 212 now..I will send you a progress report. Cheer me on!
Just to finish my below comment, diet was brill (other than couple mornings waking up and instantly feeling faint). It was birthday last weekend so I only did the diet for 12days instead of 14 but that had been my plan all along – I lost 11lbs in 12 days and even better than that my appetite has shrunk by so much, got medium 11″ pizza in restaurant for my bday dinner and could only eat a third! Been nearly a week off it now and have kept weight off.
Started this diet on Monday and I have to admit I am finding the hunger pangs difficult to deal with, but I havent been tempted to cheat yet! I have lost 4lbs in 3 days which I am delighted with and hope that the weight keeps coming off over the coming days. We have the book from years ago but i hear its the same as current issue. Have been walking 40 mins a day as the book advises 2 mile walk a day. I do actually like all the food on the plan, I just find it hard in the evenings when I would usually snack, however I have been trying to keep busy to stop me thinking of food and with all the extra energy I have I have gotten so many little chores around the house done ha! Would advise everyone to try it, what’s the worst that can happen!!!!
The diet is absolutely amazing so far. Today starts my fifth day and I’ve already lost 4.5 – which is a LOT, especially because I started out at 137 and am 5’5″. My Mom is doing it with me, and I haven’t talked to her this morning, but she lost 4 lb in the first two days and 0.5 lb the next day…and I haven’t asked her what she lost today yet. So that’s incredible. She started at 200 lb. Basically, this whole summer I’ve been dieting and exercising – and I lost about 6 lb last month – but it took a month and in the past few days I started to gain it back, 0.5 lb by 0.5 lb per day. That’s when my mom told me about Scarsdale (a diet she used in college) and we’ve been doing it together. I love it. it’s AMAZING. I feel like I’ll actually get to the weight I’ve always wanted to reach – and not two months from now, either, but next week. It’s an incredible feeling. And I love the food – it’s all fresh, all delicious. GO FOR IT.
i am 75 years old i weigh 180 lb . i have never been heavy but i eat way to much always
and in the last 4 years have gained it all . i even eat at night , or cant sleep and i get up and eat and then fall asleep after i eat . i love nearly all foods in all catagories i like meat .but not without my meal although i do eat the meat that is left from supper that is left over . watching tv. i dont drink and i dont smoke . as soon as i eat somthing it seems then all i want to do is eat but if i dont start am ok i also have a problem ewith my esaficause and stomack
hey everyone, so encouraging to hear your stories! i have ordered the book and just waiting on it. a quick question, i don’t drink either coffee or tea. when it states in the menu coffee/tea is than an OPTION or a MUST. are you allowed to substitute any diet soda in that place? thanks everyone
@ang- you can’t equate diet soda with coffee and tea as coffee and tea have a lot natural antioxidants and no unnatural chemicals. Diet-soda is full of chemicals that aren’t good for your body.
I am a 30 yr. old 5’3″ woman, who is trying to lose those last 10 pounds. I started the Scarsdale diet last week, and was very happy that I was losing a pound a day. However, the morning of the third day, I woke up very sick. I was faint, dehydrated, and was seeing black spots. I don’t know if I did not eat enough of the foods Dr. Tarnower said we could eat, as he does not specify portions. All I know, is that the incident scared me so much, I stopped the diet. I want to start up again, I’m just afraid it will happen again. Any tips on how to avoid this? I miss the healthy eating!
I am a Celiac (no gluten, wheat, barley, or rye). So my diet is very limited, however I can eat everything on this menu and all is very healthy for you. The “Nay Sayers” come from the medical community who would rather operate or subscribe a pill. Amazing that right in our fridge are the nutrients to heal and protect our bodies from the toxins in our everyday. I also recommend juice fasting as a great way to detoxify yourself too. I have had great results on the diet plan – when ever I find myself climbing up on the scale I just do a week and it is gone. Any informed dieter should know not to go back to the stuff that got you fat in the first place. Change of life not a quick fix.
You CAN keep the weight off IF you do the KEEP TRIM. It will stay off absolutely.. it did for me