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Crafting diets for weight loss did not begin the other day. It has been a long journey and in 1970’s the Scarsdale diet was born. Just like many other diets, the scarlet diet menu restricts the kinds of foods you should be eating. On the other hand, the Scarsdale diet plan restricts the ratios of what kind of food you should be eating during each meal. There is a lot to cover on this subject like the Scarsdale diet review and answering your question: does the Scarsdale diet work?
But let’s get to first things first; what is the Scarsdale diet?
What is the Scarsdale diet?
The Scarsdale diet was developed in 1970’s to address the challenges of finding a balance of what to eat from the 3 major food sources. It required in your food quotas you take 43% of proteins, 34.5% of carbs and 22.5% of fat. As you can see protein has the lion’s share followed by carbohydrates then follows fat.
By the time the Scarsdale diet ratios were crafted, the healthy problems from proteins were not as widely known as today. Though the Scarsdale diet plan continues to hold popularity up to date there are concerned voices that criticize its approach of allowing more proteins in our meals. As such, the Scarsdale diet program is not recommended to last for more than 2 weeks.
For the Scarsdale diet menu you will be mostly eating fresh vegetables and fruits for your 3 meals a day. Another common characteristic is the consumption of lean meat so as to meet the daily portion of proteins of 43%. One of the flaws of this diet is that you are allowed to drink tea, which is believed to increase metabolism. This may be true but the Scarsdale diet overlooks the side effects of caffeine in tea.
On results and effectiveness; the Scarsdale diet promises the loss of 1 pound each day you are on it. As you know this overly optimistic and the diet may not deliver on this promise. We will see how this may not be possible on the Scarsdale diet review and the final section answering the question: does the Scarsdale diet work?
The original version of the Scarsdale diet is not much followed in the modern world. People have come up with versions of the original idea. But you can still trace the principle behind the original idea and the 1970’s spirit still lives on in the modern versions.
Scarsdale diet menu
Scarsdale diet is not one of the most strict weight loss diets you will come across. As you will see, the Scarsdale diet menu allows you to have almost everything that you would want to eat but only in limited quantities to meet the preset percentage of each kind of food. The menu here is about what you should and what you shouldn’t eat;
· Proteins: for your proteins you have a large pool of choices. You can go for beef, lamb, fish, sea food, protein-rich vegetables, eggs, protein bread and much more. The only thing you have to ensure is that you go for lean meat for all your meals.
· Carbohydrates: this is the second most proportion you should have in your meals. Just like proteins you have many sources at your disposal. A few examples include wholegrain cereals, dairy products (with less sugar content), natural honey, and low-carb vegetables among others.
· Fat: you should be taking the least of fat content in your diet. Good sources are the natural ones including seeds and nuts. Processed fat like margarine should not be included. You can use spices if you need flavor to your foods
· Fruits and vegetables: these form a very crucial part of the Scarsdale diet plan. You should go for the fruits and vegetables in season. There is no limit to what you can have on your meal table as long as you keep a tab on the quantities of each kind of food you are eating. The only vegetables not allowed include corn, dry beans, potatoes, and lentils.
Scarsdale diet plan
Without proper planning, weight loss diets do not achieve the results promised in them. The Scarsdale diet would not give any drop of the desirable results if you were left on your own devices to design what to eat, how much to eat and when to eat. For your assistance, here is a sample of Scarsdale diet plan for one day (For the rest of your days on the diet you can include foods in the foods included in the Scarsdale diet menu);
Typical Scarsdale diet breakfast
· A cup of coffee with no milk, sugar or cream
· Half piece of any fruit in season. You may go for papaya, grapefruit, or apple. A generous piece of water melon would be good for you.
· Protein toast or a slice of wholemeal (do not add any butter at all)
Typical Scarsdale diet lunch
· Any of your favorite drink- tea, coffee or soda
· Your favorite salad with no dressing. A few of your choices can be cucumber, celery, tomato and lettuce. If you prefer dressing go for the oil-free types.
· Fresh or canned tuna (in the 70s canned tuna was the best but today the fresh kind is the more preferred option).
Typical Scarsdale diet supper
This is your time to go for a bigger portion of your daily protein. Your options are;
· Chicken, fish, lamb, turkey, your favorite seafood, or vegetable protein (you are not eating everything here; you have to choose one of them).
· You favorite salad dressed with either vinegar or lemon
· Coffee or tea (as per your preference)
Please note that there are no snacks allowed in between meals. You are only allowed to go for 3 meals in a day and that’s all.
For drinks you can go for your favorite. Tea, coffee, soda or fizzy water is all allowed in the Scarsdale diet.
The original inventor of the Scarsdale diet recommended that you should walk at least 3km each day you are on the diet. Well, that may be good for accelerated weight loss but there is hindrance to being physically active. The diet approves of slow or low sources of calories.
Scarsdale diet review
Dr. Tarnower is credited with the invention of the Scarsdale diet in the 1970’s and officially got published in 1980. Since its inception, the Scarsdale diet plan has been praised by those who have tried it. The first place the diet gained much popularity was in New York and those who tried it then claimed to lose up to 20 pounds in the recommended first two weeks. As a result it was given the name “ultimate weight loss diet”.
But is it true that you can lose a single pound each day you are with the provisions of the Scarsdale diet menu? That one has to be confirmed from the voices of those who have tried the diet.
Linda Eisenhower claims that she had tried all the weight loss diets she had heard of but never achieved her desired results. It was not until someone mentioned to her the Scarsdale diet that for once she dropped a pound. She went on with the diet for 14 days and shed 14 pounds!
Jimmy Lewis was an overweight patient for a long time. He took medication and was put on various weight management diets but none bore the results he wanted. One doctor from New York happened to visit his local hospital where he was an in-patient. The doctor reviewed his case and recommended that he tries the Scarsdale diet. Since Jimmy was overly fat, the doctor told him to follow a two-on-two-off program of the diet (what this meant is that he had to be on the Scarsdale diet plan for two weeks and then be off for the following 2 weeks). By the time he had completed the first 2-week phase he had lost 28 pounds. He even claimed that any symptoms of any weight-related diseases disappeared and he could for once do some physical exercise.
To be objective, the Scarsdale diet has been used for over 40 years now. It has been successful for that long. There are even versions carved from the original idea and they are equally successful. This is not your average fad diet since the success speaks for themselves.
However, the overly consumption of proteins in meals is a no-no. By the time this diet was invented the consequences eating too much proteins were not as adverse as we know of them today. Still, taking a lot of coffee, tea and fizzy drinks is not good for your health. These are flaws that hinder the success of this diet and hence its dwindling popularity of the Scarsdale diet in the modern world.
Final verdict: does the Scarsdale diet work?
You should be asking this question: does the Scarsdale diet work? You have had a chance to know what is Scarsdale diet, the Scarsdale diet plan and Scarsdale diet review. To those who have tried it seems that it has been successful. But what really is of concern is the high intake of proteins and the fact that you are encouraged to take tea and coffee despite the adverse effects of caffeine. Yes, the Scarsdale diet works but only if you play by the rules and preset conditions. You have to take measured quotas of foods. Exercise and drinking water are part of the diet and you should not miss on them. The truth is that it is not an easy task to lose 1 pound each day. The diet may that good but this promise of losing weight so fast is not a reality.
