This diet, like many others is based on weaving a fine bit of creativity around the simple rules of not eating a bunch of junk though out the day.  The grapefruit diet will actually work just fine for most people since it eliminates in between meal snacks and basic junk foods all while leaving in a few items such as bacon and salad dressings.  You can eat until you are full on this diet which is the neat part of it although after a few days, full takes on a whole new definition, so you most likely will not want to eat excessive amounts of the foods anyway after your grapefruit.  All in all it is a good idea and the creators were crafty in the way they assembled the plan.  There seems to be no real downside to this diet since it maintains adequate levels of fat, carbohydrate, and protein.  If you notice, the plan offers very little starch servings and provides plenty of protein and fats while having a serving of fruit (grapefruit) at every meal.  The Grapefruit diet, whether intended or not, combines food appropriately for lowering insulin response as well as minimizing the glycemic index of each food since they are eaten together as carbohydrate and fat.  There is more on this concept on the Glycemic Index page.  The grapefruit concept itself comes from the reported enzymatic response which aids digestion of other foods when consuming grapefruit just prior.  I say reported simply because the degree of usage of ingested enzymes has always been a big subject for debate and I don't feel that in my lifetime, I will see an end to that debate.  I welcome any information on new studies and research and I also will continue to search for new material on the enzyme debate.  Either way, this diet works and is based on sound principles of healthy eating.

The Rules:

• You must drink eight 8oz. glasses of water daily (64 oz. total per day).

• At any meal you may eat until you are full.

• You must eat the minimum listed at each meal. (yep, this diet list the minimum you should eat).

• You cannot eliminate anything from the diet. Especially the bacon at breakfast and the salads. You must eat the bacon and salads. These combinations of food burn the fat, omitting one part of the combination will cause the whole thing not to work.

• The grapefruit or fruit juice is important because it acts as a catalyst that starts the burning process. Don't add or reduce the amount of grapefruit or juice.

• Cut down on coffee, it affects the insulin balance that hinders the burning process. Try to limit to 1 cup at meal time.

• Don't eat between meals. If you eat the suggested foods you will not get hungry.

• You can fry food in butter and use butter generously on vegetables.

• Do not eat desserts, breads, and white vegetables or sweet potatoes.

• You may double or triple helpings of meat, salad or vegetables.

• Eat until you are stuffed. The more you eat the more weight you will lose.

• Stay on the diet 12 days, then stop the diet for 2 days and repeat.

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Diet Plan:

Breakfast:

• Either 1/2 grapefruit OR 8 oz. juice (unsweetened)

• 2 eggs any style

• 2 slices of bacon

Lunch:

• Either 1/2 grapefruit OR 8 oz. juice (unsweetened)

• Salad with any dressing

• Meat any style and any amount.

Dinner:

• Either 1/2 grapefruit OR 8 oz. juice (unsweetened)

• Salad with any dressing OR a red or green vegetable cooked in butter or spices.

• Meat or even Fish any style cooked any way.

• Coffee or Tea (1 cup)

Bedtime Snack:

• 8oz. glass of tomato juice or 8 oz cup of skim milk.