Today’s image-driven world has led many people to desire a certain body-type or image which is one of the main reasons why crash diets have evolved to the extent that they have. Losing weight fast is what these diets aim at. Here is brief information on some popular crash diets that work fast.
Some people want to lose 10 pounds in a week, others, in a day. The solution? Crash diets! As we all know, they are a rage in the dieting world. From Kate Middleton to Beyoncé Knowles, everyone is following one diet or the other, to shed off those extra pounds quickly.
Crash diets are diets that severely restrict the calorie intake to cause massive weight loss within a very short period of time. Not only do these diets claim to provide quick results, they also claim to be helpful in cleansing and detoxification.
Such crash diets that work fast can be followed by people who want to lose weight for an upcoming occasion, party, or dinner. These diets are nothing but a short-term solution to weight loss. If you are planning to follow one of these, you should be prepared to gain all the weight back (sometimes even more than the initial weight) since, such a weight loss is nothing but water loss and mostly does not burn fat.
As soon as one reverts to their normal eating habits, they put on all the lost weight back. Although these diets have proven to be effective for many, experts advise not to follow these for a prolonged period, considering the side effects that they possess.
Grapefruit Diet
The Claim: 10 Pounds in 12 Days
The grapefruit diet came into existence somewhere around the 1930s. It is a 12-day diet which involves consuming grapefruit, which the diet claims, possesses a special fat-burning enzyme. It also claims that the combination of foods incorporated in the diet plan helps the dieter to lose more, though there has been no such evidence.
The diet suggests intake of grapefruit or grapefruit juice along with each meal. Experts say that it is nothing but the restrictive calorie intake that helps the dieter lose weight and, there is nothing magical about the fruit that helps you lose weight. This diet is strictly not to be followed without the prior consultation of a doctor, since grapefruits are known to interfere with certain medication.
Diet Plan
- While following the diet, you can have 2 slices of bacon, 2 eggs and 8 oz. grapefruit juice for breakfast.
- For lunch, you can have salad, any kind of meat (up to 3 oz.) and half a grapefruit.
- Dinner can be salad, vegetables, meat, or fish and a cup of coffee or tea if desired, along with half grapefruit or 8 oz. grapefruit juice.
- Broccoli, corn, radish, bell peppers, red onions, low fat salad dressings, jams, and jellies are some of the foods that are allowed during the diet.
- Foods like bread, green or white onions, potatoes, tomatoes, regular salad dressings, nuts, peas, and cucumber are to be avoided.
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- Short-term diet.
- You can have 2 days off the diet.
- Quick weight loss.
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- Restrictive calorie intake.
- No carbohydrates.
- Weight loss is temporary.
Cabbage Soup Diet
The Claim: 10 Pounds in 7 Days
Popularized by Jaime Pressly, this diet recommends the consumption of cabbage soup along with fruits, vegetables, meat, and milk for seven consecutive days. Again, there is nothing magical about the cabbage soup. The diet claims that steamed or cooked cabbage rapidly reduces the unnecessary cholesterol levels in your body. But the truth is this diet, like the others, works on the principle of very low calorie intake.
Diet Plan
- The diet is followed over a period of seven days.
- On the first day, you eat unlimited fruits except bananas; while on the second, you eat any amount of vegetables, raw or cooked, except potatoes (you can have one potato for breakfast).
- The third day is a mix of fruits and vegetables, while on the fourth day, you are limited to six bananas and 3 glasses of milk.
- On the fifth day, you can eat two 10 oz. portions of boiled beef along with six tomatoes.
- The sixth day allows you to have unlimited amounts of boiled beef along with vegetables, whereas, you eat brown rice, vegetables, and fruit juices in unlimited amounts.
- The cabbage soup is made with cabbage, green pepper, tomatoes, and onions, and can be consumed in unlimited quantities throughout the diet.
- No variation or substitution in the diet plan is allowed.
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- Recommends intake of lots of fruits and vegetables.
- Massive weight loss.
- The diet is convenient.
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- The diet can be very monotonous.
- Only a short-term solution to weight loss.
Liquid Diet
The Claim: 20 Pounds in 7 Days
The liquid diet was initially limited only to patients who needed to undergo surgery. But it did not take long for this plan to make its way into the diet world. The plan basically aims at replacing all the existing solid food with liquids. The liquids include all kinds of fruit and vegetable juices. You can also choose to consume those drinks, which are ‘supposedly’ made by medical practitioners using different types of food nutrients, and help burn the fats.
Although the products are available over-the-counter, their consumption is strictly not to be initiated without medical supervision. The logic behind this diet is that, since solid foods are completely eliminated from the daily consumption, the body will not get any carbs or fats. Hence, it will burn the stored fat for energy, thus leading to tremendous weight loss.
Diet Plan
- You can either choose to follow a clear liquid diet or full liquid diet.
- On a clear liquid diet, you can consume juices of fruits like oranges, grapes, strawberries, cranberries, watermelon, etc.
- Lemonade, clear soda, fruit punch, honey, tea, or coffee are also allowed for consumption.
- When following a full liquid diet, you can consume milk, milk shakes, protein shakes, vegetable broths, and soups along with fruit juices.
- The liquids can be consumed in any amounts throughout the day.
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- Cleanses the colon.
- A lot of variety in the liquids.
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- Lacks nutrients.
- Slows metabolism in the long run.
Israeli Army Diet
The Claim: 15 Pounds in 8 Days
This diet got pretty popular in the 1970s.Though it is not followed by the Israel Defense Forces, the name simply stuck. The diet plan is an eight day planner, which encompasses food like apples, cheese, chicken, and salad for 2 days each. The diet claims that low calorie consumption, absence of complex carbohydrates and sugars, forces the body to burn the stored fat. On completion of this eight day diet plan, one has to continue following a controlled and well-balanced diet along with strict exercise.
Diet Plan
- According to the diet plan, you eat apples for the first two days, cheese on the third and fourth day, chicken on fifth and sixth, and salad for the last two days.
- No other foods are allowed except the ones suggested in the diet plan.
- Black tea and coffee can also be consumed. However, the quantity or cooking style of these foods is nowhere specified.
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- Rapid weight loss.
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- Difficult to follow.
- There is no science to support this diet.
- Nutritionally unbalanced.
Warning!
The diets mentioned above are just a short-term solution to weight loss. You might experience nausea, dizziness, weakness, constipation, diarrhea, hair loss, etc., when following any of these. Prolonged use of such crash diets may cause eating disorders and it might get difficult for a person to get back to healthy eating habits.
These are not to be followed by children, pregnant, or lactating women and those facing any kind of health issues. More importantly, none of these are supposed to be followed without the prior consultation of a doctor.
It is always recommended that you consult a dietitian or nutritionist for a long-lasting weight loss. Implementing these diet plans hastily, can prove to be dangerous at times and, there are chances of major side effects occurring in the future.
When it comes to a healthy weight loss, the best option is to follow a well-balanced diet plan along with a suitable exercise regimen.
Disclaimer:This article is for informative purposes only and does not in any way attempt to replace the advice offered by an expert on the subject.