Mark Twain’s doctor kept him on a strict diet that consisted only of one glass of milk and a few pieces of bread and toast each day. "Since I’ve got nothing else to eat, give me a couple of postage stamps: I’ll be writing letters before going to bed."
Luckily, nowadays we don’t have to lick stamps (every time you lick a stamp, you’re consuming 1/10 of a calorie) in order to bite the edge of hunger. There are plenty more effective ways to lose a few kilos without swooning and starving to death.
In summer, it sounds sensible to go on a fruit and vegetable diet. For example, one of my friends lost 4 kilos thanks to the so-called cabbage diet. You can eat as much cabbage soup as you want, plus a variety of low-calorie vegetables, such as onions, tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers, plus any fruits you like (except bananas). Seven days later your brand new jeans will definitely fit you and you’ll have no need for those elastic-waist fat pants.
When the heat is unbearable, juice fasting becomes the only way to survive. So get perky and fill your fridge with tons of various juices, but beware: 100 percent fruit and vegetable juices are the only foods allowed during the fast. This is a no-brainer: All juices should be salt- and sugar-free And don’t overdo it – juice fasts are usually meant to last from one to five days. Not only will you lose weight, but you will detoxify your body from the harmful effects of indigestion and environmental toxins.
If you’ve made up your mind to change over to a fruit diet, don’t think that it’s as simple as A-B-C. If you’re used to eating heavy, substantial food like French fries and hamburgers, you’ll experience occasional weakness as soon as you begin dieting. Try to concentrate on those positive results that you will achieve and that should be enough to tide your stomach over. The best source of fuel for the body is sugars found in fruit. Strange as it might seem, a fruit diet is even lower in calories than juice fasting. My favorite kind of fruit diet is the one-week melon or watermelon diet. You’ll appreciate the fruit's cleansing properties as soon as you look at your new reflection in the mirror.
Not surprisingly, bananas are the basic food in many tropical countries (in Eastern Africa there’s even a special kind of beer brewed from bananas). They say it’s the only fruit that can actually make people fatter because bananas contain more starch than sugar. But a friend of mine managed to lose 3 kilos thanks to her simple banana diet: For six days running she would only eat bananas. Since bananas contain all the eight unique amino-acids that our body doesn’t produce itself, plus an essential source of fiber, potassium and vitamin C, it’s only natural to make this tropical fruit part of your diet.
Grapefruit fans have another opportunity to indulge in their favorite healthful fruit. Grapefruit is flawless and can be used as a role model for all calorie-counters: It has no fat! It’s also packed with vitamin C and contains enzymes that speed up the way our bodies burns fat. Thus, you’re losing weight quite rapidly. Make it a rule to eat half a grapefruit before every meal. One week later you’ll start reaping the emblematic fruits of the fabulous grapefruit diet.
Keep in mind, though, that if you are serious about losing weight, you should limit your overall amount of calories consumed per day to less than 800, although some followers of the diet confirm that you can eat until you are stuffed. And, as always, with starting a new diet, you should consult a doctor to make sure it is right for you.