The Scarsdale Diet (also known as the Scarsdale Medical Diet) is a low calorie and low fat weight loss diet. The associated book sets out the rules for following this diet plan (see books below).
The scarsdale medical diet is a strict structured diet that which must be followed exactly for the first 14 days. The next 14 day period still specifies what foods to eat but is not as strict. There is a grapefruit each day to supply enzymes necessary for the burning of the 700 calories consumed per day on the diet.
Foods on the Scarsdale Diet Menu
This is the scarsdale diet menu plan:
Scarsdale medical diet Day One
Breakfast:Coffee /tea with sugar substitute if required and half a grapefruit and one slice of protein bread
Lunch:Assorted cold cuts with tomatoes (sliced, boiled or stewed) and coffee / tea
Dinner:As much broiled fish or shellfish as you like with one slice of protein bread plus unlimited salad and a grapefruit
Scarsdale medical diet Day Two
Breakfast:Coffee /tea with sugar substitute and half a grapefruit and a slice of protein bread
Lunch:As much fruit salad as you like with coffee /tea
Dinner:As much lean, broiled hamburger as you like along with unlimited tomatoes, celery, cucumbers or brussels sprouts
Scarsdale medical diet Day Three
Breakfast:Coffee /tea with sugar substitute and a half of a grapefruit and a slice of protein bread
Lunch:As much tuna salad as you like with a grapefruit and coffee /tea
Dinner:As much broiled lean pork as you like along with unlimited green salad and coffee /tea
Scarsdale medical diet Day Four
Breakfast:Coffee /tea with sugar substitute and a half of a grapefruit and a slice of protein bread
Lunch:Two eggs done in any style, cottage cheese, string beans or tomatoes, and a slice of protein bread with coffee /tea
Dinner:As much broiled, barbecued or roast chicken (with skin removed) as you like along with unlimited green beans, spinach or green peppers and coffee /tea
Scarsdale medical diet Day Five
Breakfast:Coffee /tea with sugar substitute and a half of a grapefruit and a slice of protein bread
Lunch:Assorted low fat cheese slices, unlimited amounts of spinach, and a slice of protein bread with coffee /tea
Dinner:As much broiled fish or shellfish as you like along with unlimited salad, and a slice of protein bread with coffee /tea
Scarsdale medical diet Day Six
Breakfast:Coffee /tea with sugar substitute and a half of a grapefruit and a slice of protein bread
Lunch:As much fruit salad as you like with coffee /tea
Dinner:As much broiled or roast turkey or chicken as you like with unlimited salad of tomatoes and lettuce, and a grapefruit with coffee /tea
Scarsdale medical diet Day Seven
Breakfast:Coffee /tea with sugar substitute and a half of a grapefruit and a slice of protein bread
Lunch:Cold or hot chicken or turkey, tomatoes, carrots, cooked cabbage, broccoli or cauliflower and a grapefruit or melon along with coffee /tea
Dinner: Broiled (grilled) steak, all visible fat removed before eating along with a salad of lettuce, cucumbers, celery, tomatoes and Brussels sprouts with coffee /tea
Second week of the scarsdale medical diet
Repeat all menus of the first week.
Keep Trim second phase
If after fourteen days, if you still need to lose weight, switch to Keep Trim Eating for two weeks, (before going back on the regular Scardale Medical Diet). The Keep Trim diet follows the same principles as the 2 week strict initial phase of the scarsdale medical diet but is not as specific.
Scarsdale Medical Diet Basic Rules
1.Eat exactly what is assigned.
2. Don’t drink any alcoholic.
3. Between meals eat only carrots and celery but you may have as much as you wish. You also may have low sodium vegetable broth.
4. The only beverages allowed are regular or decaffeinated coffee, black only; black tea; diet sodas / sugar free drinks in all flavors; and water. Drink as often as you wish.
5. Prepare all salads without oil, mayonnaise or other rich dressings. Use only lemon and vinegar.
6. Eat vegetables (but no corn, peas, potatoes, lentils or beans, except green or waxed) without butter, margarine or other fat; lemon may be used. Non-stick cooking spray may be used in moderation.
7. All meat should be very lean; remove fat before eating. Remove skin and fat from chicken and turkey before eating.
8. It is not necessary to eat everything listed, but don’t substitute or add. The scarsdale medical diet calorie totals are between 850 and 1000 a day during the strict phase and between 1000 and 1200 during the Keep Trim phase.
9. Never overload your stomach. When you feel full, stop eating.
10. Don’t stay on the strict version of the diet more than fourteen days.
Non-stick vegetable spray, cocktail sauce, herbs, seasonings, spices, grated onion, minced parsley, ketchup (sugar free & low carb okay), chili sauce & mustard are all permitted within moderation.
Dieters follow the scarsdale medical diet strict version for two weeks during which fast weight loss is obtained (7 – 15 pounds). After the initial two weeks you switch to Keep Trim Eating for two weeks. Here you plan your own meals with a list of foods additional to the strict two week period. You keep cycling through the two two week phases until your goal weight is reached.
How does the scarsdale medical diet work?
Dieters follow the scarsdale medical diet strict version for two weeks during which fast weight loss is obtained (7 – 15 pounds). After the initial two weeks you switch to Keep Trim Eating for two weeks. Here you plan your own meals with a list of foods additional to the strict two week period.
After two weeks on Keep Trim, you return to the strict two week version for another two weeks of the scarsdale medical diet strict low calorie plan followed with another two weeks of Keep Trim. The cycle is repeated until your goal weight is achieved.
The diet gives quick results but weight loss is more likely to result from reduced calorie intake and is mostly water weight that is quickly regained rather than a fat weight loss. It is argued that the diet may be unhealthy due to the low calorie intake making it an extreme weight loss diet. However many followers report successful weight loss on the scarsdale medical diet.
Scarsdale Diet Reviews
There is no doubt that this diet works most likely due to it’s extreme low calorie intake. However this does make it difficult to stick to for any period of time and a string dose of will power is required. Nevertheless if you are looking for a short term weight loss with rapid successful results this is a definite winner diet to follow.
Scarsdale Diet Pros
Rapid initial weight loss
Scarsdale Diet Cons
Restrictive and very strict making it difficult to stick to for lobd periods of time
May be unhelathy due to the low food intake
Requires strong willpower to see it through
Did you know that the scarsdale medical diet book which was published in 1978 received a boost in sales when its author, Herman Tarnower, was murdered on 10 March 1980 by his lover Jean Harris. Jean Harris was the headmistress of the fashionable boarding school for high school girls, The Madeira School in McLean, Virginia. The murder was the subject of a TV movie called Mrs Harris [DVD] in 2005. The book Mrs. Harris – the Death of the Scarsdale Diet Doctor is also available.
Scarsdale Diet Plan
