The Scarsdale Diet

The Scarsdale Diet got its name from the city where Dr. Herman Tarnower, the founder, ran his clinic. This diet was created especially for overweight patients. His main idea is that every day a person should eat foods which contain 43% protein, 34.5% carbohydrate, and 22.5% fat. Tarnower promises a 20 pounds weight loss in two weeks.

The calorie intake should be about 1000 calories day and the first two weeks are the most restrictive ones. Once the first phase is completed successfully the calorie limit is lifted.
You can have a slice of toast but with no butter, half a grapefruit and a coffee, with no sugar or milk, for breakfast. Lunch can include, for example, a canned tuna, a salad with oil-free dressing and a coffee. At dinner, you can eat a roast lamb, a salad with lemon dressing and drink a coffee.

The issues that numerous nutritionists have discussed when it comes to this particular diet is that, considering the low intake of fat, it shouldn’t be followed for a long period of time because it certainly is not a healthy way of losing weight.

The diet specifies eating only three meals a day, without snacking between, which may be considered a disadvantage. When it comes to exercise, it is not part of the plan, unless a person wishes to include it or it is already a part of his/her lifestyle. The explanation is obvious: the limited calorie intake doesn’t provide enough energy to work out.