Scarsdale Diet for Weight Loss: Does it Work? benefits and menu

Losing 20 pounds in 2 weeks sounds exciting, doesn’t it? And that’s exactly what the Scarsdale Diet does!

It was created by Dr. Herman Tarnower , a cardiologist, to help his patients with rapid weight loss .

And later, this diet was published in a book called The Complete Scarsdale Medical Diet (1978). This high protein diet  will allow you to consume just 1000 calories a day with 43% protein , 22.5% fat and 34.5% carbohydrates.

Of course, this is a fad diet and is only meant to achieve short-term rapid weight loss goals. So, check out a little more about the  Scarsdale Diet:

How it works:

The Scarsdale Diet is a high- protein  , low-calorie diet plan that works by suppressing your appetite. You will eat lots of fruits, vegetables, protein , 4 glasses of water a day and tea/coffee.

Benefits:

Here are the main health benefits of the Scarsdale Diet :

• Helps accelerate weight loss .
• Helps accelerate lean muscle mass gain.
• Increases muscle power.
• Helps eliminate toxins.

Like other fad diets, the Scarsdale Diet also has disadvantages or side effects.

Menu:

Check out the Scarsdale Diet menu now :

Day 1:

• Early morning (6:00 – 7:30 am) 2 cups of water (room temperature)
• Breakfast (8:30am to 9:00am) ½ grapefruit  + 1 slice of protein bread  + green tea or coffee (no sugar, milk or honey)
• Lunch (12:00 to 12:30) Cold snacks + tomato (boiled, stewed or sliced) + green tea / coffee / diet soda / water
• Dinner (19:00) Any type of fish or seafood + salad combination with any type of vegetables + 1 slice of toasted protein bread  + grapefruit  + green tea / coffee / diet soda / water

To lose fat, you need to do more than just eat well. You must create a negative energy balance in order for you to actually lose weight and build lean muscle mass.

How you will feel by the end of day 1:

At the end of the first day, you may feel a little tired as you will only consume 1,000 calories, which is much less than what you consume daily. You may also feel hungry 2-3 hours after lunch.

The best thing to do is drink water or a cup of green tea the moment you feel hungry. Remember, losing weight is your priority right now and it’s only for a few days. So follow the plan. Let’s find out what’s in store for you on day two.

Day 2:

• Early morning (6:00 – 7:30 am) 2 cups of water (room temperature)
• Breakfast (8:30am to 9:00am) ½ grapefruit  + 1 slice of protein bread  + green tea or coffee (no sugar, milk or honey)
• Lunch (12:00pm to 12:30pm) Grilled hamburger + tomato, lettuce, celery, 4 olives, cucumber and/or brussels sprouts + tea/coffee/diet soda/water
• Dinner (7pm) Fruit salad (any combination of fruits) + tea/coffee/diet soda/water

On day 2 too, you will be exercising.

How you will feel at the end of day 2:

At the end of the second day, you will start learning the diet plan. That way, you will feel more comfortable than on the first day.

Day 3:

• Early morning (6:00 – 7:30 am) 2 cups of room temperature water
• Breakfast (8:30am to 9:00am) ½ grapefruit  + 1 slice of protein bread  + green tea or coffee (no sugar, milk or honey)
• Lunch (12:00 to 12:30) Tuna or salmon salad (drained oil) with vinegar and lemon dressing + grapefruit  / melon / seasonal fruit + tea / coffee / diet soda / water
• Dinner (7pm) Sliced ​​roast lamb / fish / chicken / turkey / seafood + cucumber, celery, lettuce and tomato salad + tea / coffee / diet soda / water

Like day 1 and 2, on day 3 you should exercise to keep your metabolism active.

How you will feel at the end of day 3:

By the end of day 3, you should be able to see a visible change in your appearance as you will lose a lot of weight. This will keep you motivated and you will be looking forward to the 4th.

Day 4:

• Early morning (6:00 – 7:30 am) 2 cups of room temperature water
• Breakfast (8:30am to 9:00am) ½ grapefruit + 1 slice of protein bread  + green tea or coffee (no sugar, milk or honey)
• Lunch (12:00 to 12:30) 2 hard-boiled eggs + low-fat cottage cheese + zucchini / sliced ​​tomato / stew / green beans + 1 slice of toasted protein bread  + tea / coffee / diet soda / water
• Dinner (7pm) Roasted or grilled chicken (no skin or any visible fat) + green peppers, lots of spinach , green beans + tea/coffee/diet soda/water

How you will feel by the end of day 4:

By the end of the 4th, you will be more active and productive. Yoga will also help improve blood circulation, concentration and flexibility. You will start enjoying this diet plan now. Let’s go to day 5.

Day 5:

• Early morning (6:00 – 7:30 am) 2 cups of room temperature water
• Breakfast (8:30am to 9:00am) ½ grapefruit  + 1 slice of protein bread  + green tea or coffee (no sugar, milk or honey)
• Lunch (12:00 to 12:30) Assorted slices of low-fat cheese + spinach  + 1 slice of toasted protein bread + tea/coffee/diet soda/water
• Dinner (19:00) Fish or seafood + Mixed salad with fresh vegetables (cooked or raw) + 1 slice of toasted protein bread  + tea / coffee / diet soda / water

How you will feel by the end of day 5:

Resting is just as important as working out and therefore you will enjoy your “rest day”. You will feel relaxed and your muscle soreness from working out regularly will be better on this day.

Day 6:

• Early morning (6:00 – 7:30 am) 2 cups of room temperature water
• Breakfast (8:30am to 9:00am) ½ grapefruit  + 1 slice of protein  bread + green tea or coffee (no sugar, milk or honey)
• Lunch (12:00 to 12:30) Fruit salad (any combination of fruits) + tea/coffee/diet soda/water
• Dinner (7pm) Roast chicken / turkey + tomato and lettuce salad + grapefruit  or any seasonal fruit + tea / coffee / diet soda / water

Sixth day, you still have to continue exercising to keep your metabolism active and mobilize fat.

How you will feel by the end of day 6:

By the end of the sixth day, you may feel that your metabolism has accelerated and you will become more active and energetic. Also, from the 6th day, if you stick to the plan, your body will start to shed fat. This is the best news since the goal is to lose fat. Here’s what you’re going to do on the 7th.

Day 7:

• Early morning (6:00 – 7:30 am) 2 cups of room temperature water
• Breakfast (8:30am to 9:00am) ½ grapefruit  + 1 slice of protein bread  + green tea or coffee (no sugar, milk or honey)
• Lunch (12:00 to 12:30) Chicken / cold / hot turkey + tomato, carrot, boiled cabbage, cauliflower / broccoli + grapefruit  or any fruit in season + tea / coffee / diet soda / water
• Dinner (7pm)  grilled steak (any steak cut and remove visible fat before eating) + lettuce, cucumber, celery, tomato (cooked or sliced) + Brussels sprouts + tea/coffee/diet soda/water

On the 7th you should also exercise.

How you will feel by the end of day 7:

By the end of the 7th, you will be happy and feel good that you did your best to stick to the plan. But it’s not time to get rewarded just yet because the goal is to lose 20 pounds. By now, you would have lost 5 kg. But you must go into the second week in order to reach your target weight. See what you should do in the second week.

He 8 – He 14:

From day 8 – day 14 (second week of the Scarsdale Diet ) you should follow the same diet plan as you did the first week.

How you will feel at the end of the scarsdale diet:

After completing the two-week Scarsdale Diet , you will feel rejuvenated, less anxious, highly productive, and of course, leaner than before. You’ll sleep better and be able to focus more on your work or school.

In fact, the  Scarsdale Diet will help you change your lifestyle, which you will love. For your convenience, I have prepared a list of foods you can eat and should avoid when you are on the Scarsdale Diet . Take a look.

Foods to Eat During the Scarsdale Diet:

• Vegetables – Broccoli, Chinese cabbage, cauliflower, asparagus, spinach , Swiss chard, zucchini, bell peppers, Chinese cabbage, green peppers, gourd, bitter gourd, okra, eggplant, radishes, turnips, beets, sweet potatoes , radishes, carrots, kale and green bean.
• Fruits – papaya , apple , grape , grapefruit , lemon, orange , plum, pear, peach, fig, blueberry, strawberry, star fruit, green apple , watermelon and melon.
• Fats and Oils – Olive oil and rice bran oil in minimal amounts.
• Beverages – Coconut water, buttermilk (butter milk), tea, coffee, diet soda, fresh fruit juice and vegetable juice.
• Herbal Spices – Coriander, Oregano, Dill, Rosemary , Thyme, Cloves, Cinnamon, Cardamom, Nutmeg, Black Pepper, Star Anise, Cayenne Pepper, Turmeric , Cumin Powder, Coriander Powder, Fennel Seeds, and Fennel Seeds fenugreek.

Now for the most important list – the foods you should avoid while on the Scarsdale Diet . Check them out.

Foods to Avoid During the Scarsdale Diet:

• Vegetables, vegetables and greens – potatoes and pumpkin.
• Fruits – mango and jackfruit.
• Fats and Oils – Animal fat, butter, ghee, mayonnaise, ranch, canola oil and vegetable oil.
• Seeds and Nuts – cashews , macadamia nuts, almonds, pistachios, walnuts, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and hazelnuts.
• Beverages – Artificially sweetened beverages, packaged fruit juices and alcohol.

The next important thing you don’t want to miss out on is whether the Scarsdale Diet is safe for you to follow. Let’s find out.

The scarsdale diet is safe:

The Scarsdale Diet was created with heart patients in mind to help them lose weight. And you must remember that this should only be followed for two weeks. In addition, most of the diet focuses on the consumption of protein  and much less healthy fats.

Yes, proteins are  slow to digest and so can help with weight loss and help build lean muscle mass. But healthy fats and complex carbohydrates shouldn’t be ignored. Healthy fats reduce inflammation and therefore reduce the risk of inflammation-induced obesity.

Complex carbs are good carbohydrates found in whole grains, fruits and vegetables that help improve digestion, bowel movement and are loaded with vitamins and minerals. So the bottom line is, the Scarsdale Diet is safe but not beyond 2 weeks.

If you follow this diet continuously to lose weight, you won’t be able to do that. Instead, you will gain weight and put your health at risk. However, you can follow this diet after a 2 week break.

Side effects:

The main side effects of the Scarsdale Diet are:

• Not eating for more than 4 hours can put your body into starvation mode where your body will start storing any type of food as fat instead of using it as an energy source.
• It can make you feel hungry, which can make you highly irritated.
• Eating the same foods for two weeks can result in strong cravings for high-calorie foods.

To conclude, the Scarsdale Diet is effective, but you need strong willpower to lose weight quickly. Just remember that this is not a long term weight loss plan and is best followed when you have an upcoming event. It will help if you know how to make this work for you. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below.