One of the popular fad diets in Hollywood was the grapefruit diet.

Stars and starlets used it as far back as the 1930s. Then in the 70's it became a piece of fax junk, sent from machine to machine, commonly known as xerox lore. The Mayo Clinic, which is often credited as the diet's creator, claims to have nothing to do with the unhealthy diet.

The grapefruit diet is essentially like the Atkins diet with the addition of a grapefruit before each meal. The diet only allows three meals each day, with no snacking in between meals. Supposedly a person on this diet could lose 10 pounds in only 10 days. It is also commonly claimed that a dieter might not lose any weight on the first four days but then 5 pounds would magically drop off on the fifth day. Supposedly grapefruit contains enzymes that destroy fat, but no study has ever proven that to be true.

In 2004 it was proven that the diet may work. Eating ½ grapefruit prior to meals helped people in the study lose 3.6 pounds in twelve weeks. People drinking the same serving size of grapefruit juice lost slightly less weight. Many of the participants lost more than 10 pounds in 12 weeks.

Researchers attributed the weight loss to decreased insulin levels caused by eating grapefruit. However, all the participants slightly enhanced their exercise programs, which may account for the lost weight.

Here's a typical grapefruit diet:

- Eight 8 ounce glasses of water each day, this is a must.
- Stop eating when full.
- Eat every item of food listed for each meal because the menus are formulated to burn fat.
- Grapefruit is a catalyst that starts fat burning. Do not change the amount of grapefruit.
- One cup of coffee can be consumed at each meal.
- Never eat between meals.
- Butter is OK.
- No starches or sweets can be eaten.
- Meat and vegetables are fine.
- Eating more will actually result in more weight loss.
- Skip two days between each 12 day diet period.
- Grapefruit with each meal is ½ or 18 ounces of juice.

Give the grapefruit diet a try.