Who hasn't heard of the grapefruit diet?  You obviously have, your parents have and probably Grandma has a least heard of it if not tried it.  The Grapefruit Diet, also known as the Hollywood Diet and Mayo Diet has been around at least since the 1930s.  The whole diet is based on the idea that something inside a grapefruit, some magical enzyme, can burn fat.

The problem of course is that there is no scientific proof that this magical ingredient exists.  Yes people do lose weight when they go on it but they gain weight almost immediately after they go off it. The grapefruit diet is essentially a low carbohydrate moderate protein diet that involves drinking grapefruit juice at every meal.

When you break down the food guidelines it really isn't surprising that people lose weight.  The diet allows for about 800 to 1000 calories a day and also requires drinking at least 64 ounces of water as well.  With or without grapefruit you would lose weight with these kinds of numbers.

So if the diet doesn't work, why do so many people still keep trying it?  Much of that has to do with the lack of restrictions in preparation that you find in many popular diets.  The grapefruit diet doesn't care how you prepare your meat.  If you want to fry it feel free to go ahead.  If you like butter, slather it on.  If dry salad turns your stomach, pour on some ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing to make it more palatable.  And bacon, the diet calls for 2 slices every morning. 

The other reason that people still use it is that they do in fact lose weight.  Unfortunately it is mostly all water weight and almost none of the loss comes from losing fat.  It's a 12 day plan that promises you'll drop 10 pounds so if you have a special occasion, and don't mind living on 1000 calories for nearly two weeks, it might hold some attraction for you.

But on the whole, there is nothing magical about the involvement of grapefruit.  Granted, grapefruit juice is loaded with good stuff for you, just like most citrus fruit including tangerines and oranges, but it is not the secret to getting that little black dress to looking good on you again.

If you're serious about losing weight there is only one thing that has to happen.  You have to use more calories than you take in.  That is the only way to burn fat reserves and that means exercise and cutting back on food intake.  Unfortunately, bending your elbow drinking a glass of citrus fruit juice does not qualify as exercise.