The Complete Scarsdale Medical Diet

The Scarsdale Diet was introduced in the late 1970s by Dr. Herman Tarnower, who ran a diet clinic in his hometown of Scarsdale, NY. The diet is an extremely low-calorie, low-fat and moderate-carbohydrate plan, which is designed to produce extremely quick weight loss, especially in the first two weeks. Dr. Tarnower was murdered in 1980, which brought some extra attention to his diet and helped increase sales of his book, The Complete Scarsdale Diet.

Doing the Diet

• The Scarsdale Diet is a short-term plan to be followed for 7 to 14 days at a time. The plan recommends eating approximately 20 percent fat, 35 percent carbohydrates, 45 percent protein, and less than 1,000 calories a day. While this makes it much higher in carbohydrates than a plan such as Atkins (which is less than 10 percent carbohydrates), it is still considered a low-carb diet by some. The eating plan, which is laid out in the book, is extremely strict and requires the dieter to eat specific foods (including grapefruit) at specific times each day. The weight loss plan is meant to be interspersed with a less strict regimen called the "keep trim eating plan" until goal weight is reached.

Maintaining the Weight Loss

• Unfortunately, only one study about the Scarsdale diet was ever published, and the only evidence to support the diet's effectiveness is anecdotal. Many dieters complain that weight lost on the Scarsdale Diet is very hard to keep off. Diets that severely restrict caloric intake often produce fast weight loss, but as the body adjusts to the lower caloric intake, weight loss slows and the dieter's resolve weakens. When the dieter attempts to raise their caloric intake, the body's metabolism has trouble readjusting and weight is regained.

Other Issues

• Many dieters report that the Scarsdale Diet is too strict to fit into their lifestyle. Others complain that alcohol is not allowed. Health professionals cite various issues with the diet, including the fact that there is no way to meet the body's vitamin and mineral requirements, given the extreme dietary restrictions. Additionally, many vitamins and minerals are fat-soluble, and the low-fat nature of the Scarsdale Diet prohibits them from being absorbed properly by the body. Although the Scarsdale Diet was not mentioned by name, both the American Medical Association and the American Association of Family Physicians have issued materials denouncing the effectiveness of similar low-calorie plans.