Bacon, Eggs, & Grapefruit Diet

If you love waking up in the morning to a hot plate of bacon and eggs, a diet that incorporates your favorite breakfast items may seem like an enjoyable way to lose weight. The Bacon, Eggs and Grapefruit Diet, also known simply as the Grapefruit Diet, includes bacon, eggs and half a grapefruit every morning. The diet may help you lose weight, but it may not be the most effective weight-loss plan, according to the American Heart Association.

A plate of bacon and eggs. (Image: Stockbyte/Stockbyte/Getty Images)

History

According to Health.com in the article "The Grapefruit Diet," the origins of the diet are unknown, but it has been used since the 1930s. There are several versions of the diet, although most consist of eating the same foods every day for two weeks in order to lose weight quickly.

Meal Plan

While following the diet, eat half a grapefruit, two eggs any style and two slices of bacon every morning. Eat half a grapefruit and any type of meat and a salad with any type of dressing for lunch, recommends EveryDiet.org in the article "The Grapefruit Diet." Eat half a grapefruit, any type and amount of fish or meat and any vegetables on the approved vegetables list. Drink a glass of tomato juice or skim milk to curb your hunger before bed. Eat these foods every day for 12 days, then take two days off.

Vegetables

Because some vegetables are higher in carbohydrates and fats than others, some versions of the Grapefruit Diet contain an approved vegetables list. The vegetables approved to eat during the diet include green onions, bell peppers, red onions, cucumbers, radishes, spinach, broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, peas and carrots. Do not eat celery, potatoes or white onions while following the diet.

MIsconceptions

According to the American Heart Association, a diet plan that involves eating the same foods every day is not a sustainable diet because you will eventually crave other foods. The Grapefruit Diet fits under the category of a fad diet. Because fad diets encourage fast weight loss by eating fewer calories than usual, most of the weight loss is water weight, which will most likely be regained after discontinuing the diet.

Expert Insight

According to Elisabetta Politi, RD, nutrition manager of the Duke University's Diet and Fitness Center on Health.com, you will lose weight if you are expending more calories than you are taking in. Therefore, weight loss does not depend on the ingredients you eat, but the amount of calories you are eating. Eating any diet that is equally low in calories and fat will provide the same results.