Scarsdale Medical Diet

The Scarsdale Medical Diet, also known simply as the Scarsdale Diet, was developed by Dr Tarnowers and is claimed to be a lifetime slimming and diet program. The Scarsdale Medical Diet is a high protein moderate carbohydrate and fat diet that includes a prescription to eat 43 percent proteins, 27 percnet carbohydrate 25 percent fat. This diet varies from, say, the Atkins Diet because at least some carbohydrates are suggested, including pasta, rice and bread.

Like the Atkins Diet though, the Scarsdale Medical Diet is aiming to promote ketosis, the ability for the human body to burn body fat as fuel rather than relying on carbohydrates as their primary source of fuel.

How the Scarsdale Medical Diet works

The Scarsdale Medical Diet is believed to promote weight loss due to its high protein / moderate carbohydrate nature. The Scarsdale Medical Diet has two stages, an initial 14-day weight loss period and a further 14-day eating plan that strongly suggests the foods to eat.

The daily calorie allowance is set at 700 calories and each day is meant to start with the dieter eating a grapefruit - a fruit that supplies enzymes that can promote fat burning - see the Grapefruit Diet for more information on the benefits of grapefruit in weight loss.

At 700 calories per day the Scarsdale Medical Diet recommends less calories that the Weight Watchers Diet, the GI Diet plan, the TNT Diet, the Slim Fast Diet and the Slimming World Diet, including other diets.

It is for this reason that the Scarsdale Medical Plan promotes rapid weight loss, with up to 20 lbs lost in the first two weeks of the 4 week diet and eating plan.

Advantages of the Scarsdale Medical Diet

Of course the ideal of losing 20 lbs during the first two weeks of a diet and eating plan sounds great. At 700 calories it is no surprise that the Scarsdale Medical Diet promotes weight loss.

The Scarsdale Medical Diet also allows some variety in the foods available to eat, which include:

• Vegetables
• Fruit
• Bread
• Pasta
• Fish
• Poultry
• Steak and red meat
• Eggs

This means that unlike liquid diets including the Lighter Life Diet or the Slim Fast Diet, dieters on the Scarsdale Medical Diet will be able to sample a range of nutrients and tastes.

Another upside of the Scarsdale Medical Diet is that the diet and the foods available are fully prescribed each day, taking the thinking out of what you need to eat.

And of course unlike the Beverly Hills Diet, which is a 'lifestyle' and not a diet plan, the Scarsdale Medical Plan is a short duration diet plan that lasts for only 4 weeks.

Finally, the idea of eating a high protein diet steams from the fact that muscle mass is made up and create by branched chain amino acids, which are found in spades in fish, poultry, red meat, eggs, dairy products - in fact any food source derived from animals as opposed to plants. Eating a diet made up of 43 percent protein, as with the Scarsdale Medical Diet and the High Protein Diet may protect the body from losing muscle mass during a low calorie period.

Disadvantages of the Scarsdale Medical Diet

First of all, what exactly is 'medical' about the Scarsdale Medical Diet? Is it purely down to the fact that the Scarsdale Diet was create by a doctor? Secondly, any diet that is low in carbohydrates will result in rapid weight loss ... and the Scarsdale Medical Diet is no different. Reducing carbohydrates in the diet simply reduces the amount of water the body holds - hence the rapid weight loss as, after all, the body is made up of between 55-65 percent of water.

Also, a diet and weight loss plan low in carbohydrates will often make the dieter overly tired and worn out after a full day and work and simply doing the day-to-day activities required to put bread on the table.

The Scarsdale Medical Diet, like many other diet and weight loss plans doesn't advocate the use of exercise to promote further weight loss, even though diets that encourage a marriage between exercise and calorie controlled diets often produce more weight loss and weight that actually stays off rather than returning when the diet ceases.

And that is, perhaps, the main disadvantage of the Scarsdale Medical Diet. As soon as the dieter stops the Scarsdale Diet and eating plan and returns to eating 'normally' (i.e. increases the amount of carbs eaten in their diet), the weight that was lost over the 4 week dieting period will return because, as early suggested, the majority of weight loss that occurs on the Scarsdale Medical Diet is due to water loss rather than body fat loss.

A high protein diet, as the Scarsdale Medical Diet no doubt is, may place undue stress on the kidneys, as unlike excess carbohydrates or fats, excess protein is passed through the body as toxins via urine rather than sources as excess energy (i.e. body fat).

Scarsdale Medical Diet - The conclusion 

The Scarsdale Medical Plan does take away the need to create your own weight loss eating plan. As mentioned the Scarsdale Medical Diet prescribes the food the dieter should eat on any given day during the 28 day diet plan.

However, the Scarsdale Medical Diet does promote the idea of yo-yo dieting as any weight lost during the diet is likely to return as soon as the dieter reverts back to normal eating habits, which will usually include eating more carbohydrate based foods.

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