Day One Dinner
Call me crazy, but I was a little desperate.
I had the incredible opportunity to attend the Food Blog Forum 2013 at Walt Disney World. WALT. DISNEY. WORLD. Plus food. DISNEY FOOD.
My dilemma is that one week prior to going my weight was up. Up about ten pounds from where I was last year. Plus there was going to be food. Did I mention DISNEY FOOD?
Wouldn’t you know that sitting on my large pile of documents to scan was an old, typewritten (on a real typewriter) copy of the Cleveland Clinic Diet. Now it is not really a diet from the Cleveland Clinic. It is one of those things that got circulated from person-to-person years ago and I still had a copy.
I decided to look it up on the internet and, naturally, there is some criticism. Aren’t most diets scrutinized? Some say it is bad because of the calorie restrictions. (Isn’t carrying around excess weight bad, too?)
My daughter did the diet with me. I guestimate that it cost around $55 for two people for the three days. The plan is as follows:
Day One
Breakfast : 1/2 grapefruit, 1 slice dry toast, and 2 Tablespoons peanut butter
Lunch: 1/2 cup dry tuna, 1 slice dry toast, coffee or tea
Dinner: 2 slices any type of meat (3 oz.), 1 cup green beans, 1 cup red beets, 1 small apple, 1/2 cup vanilla ice cream
Day Two
Breakfast: 1 egg, 1 slice dry toast, 1/2 banana
Lunch: 1 cup cottage cheese, 5 saltine crackers
Dinner: 2 hot dogs (meat only), 1 cup broccoli, 1/2 cup carrots, 1/2 cup vanilla ice cream, 1 banana
Day Three
Breakfast: 5 saltine crackers, 1 slice cheddar cheese, 1 small apple
Lunch: 1 boiled egg, 1 slice dry toast
Dinner: 1 cup dry tuna, 1 cup red beets, 1 cup cauliflower, 1 cup cantaloupe, 1/2 cup vanilla ice cream
My copy goes on to say:
Diet works on chemical breakdown and is proven. Do not vary or substitute any of the above foods; salt and pepper may be used but no other seasonings. This diet is to be used 3 days at a time.
In three days you will lose 10 lbs. After 3 days of dieting, you can eat your normal foods, do not overdo it. After your 4 days of normal eating, start back on your 3 day diet. You can lose up to 40 lbs. in a month if you stick to this diet. It is a safe diet.
DO NOT PICK IN BETWEEN MEALS
On day one I was H.U.N.G.R.Y! I lost between 1-2 pounds.
I admit that I did not quite stick to it on day two. I ate my banana and ice cream early. I was H.U.N.G.R.Y!
Day three: I think I made it through breakfast, but that was it.
I thought I would do a little analysis using MyFitnessPal.com to see how this diet really measured up – or down. Here is how the different days meal plan breaks down:
So for day one the calorie count is low. Most diets recommend a minimum of 1200 calories/day. The sodium content is too high.
Day two is still too low on the calorie count.
Once again, not enough calories
Overall I lost about 3.5 pounds following this version of the Cleveland Clinic Diet. Not too bad for starving for 2 days. Would I do it again? I think I would do one day just to mess with my metabolism. I cannot in good conscience recommend this to anyone. I think that perhaps one of the best diets that one can do is the No S Diet. Basically, it is no sweets, no snacks, and no seconds except on days that start with “S” or special occasions. How easy does that sound?
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I’ve gone on this many times to jump start. Lost a lot of weight with Weight Watchers, but recently gained some back. Using this to get me going again. Interestingly enough though, if you plug in these foods for WW points, it is actually WAY over in point values for the day.
I went on this diet back in the 90’s. I stuck with it and dropped 40 pounds. I managed to keep them off until 3 years ago. I think I am going back on it. I hate cottage cheese and black coffee. Might do the ice cream thing and save it to put in my coffee in the morning.
if I understand correctly, this diet was originally designed for severely obese people who needed to lose weight quickly so that they could have surgery. Under those circumstances the doctors would monitor them and it would help them to get to a weight that would allow the doctors could perform surgery safely.
I did this diet awhile back and it worked. I lost 11 lbs. A tip for those who cant drink blk coffee. Let the ice cream melt in the fridge and use it for ur coffee.
What a great tip! Thank you for sharing.
So funny, I had the same typewritten copy back in the early 90s – only my version was called the OHSU Diet! Same instructions and everything. I used to do it in my 20s just for a little kick start but never lost more than 3 lbs at a time. I googled it and found your post because I wanted to find the menu to look it up on MFP – and was excited to see you already did the hard work :). I didn’t realize the calories were so low!
That is an interesting part of the diet, isn’t it?
I am on this diet and can tolerate all of the foods. I lost 7 lbs the first week. It is Monday again and I am on my second session. Weight loss goal is only 15 lbs to get me back on track. I am 86 years old and I’m hoping to lose that “belly fat”. It is the second week of Lent and that will surely help me since I am giving up all desserts except vanilla ice cream. .
Thanks for stopping by. I hope that you reach your goal (and enjoy the ice cream). 🙂
I did this and lost about 6 pounds. I hate cottage cheese and cauliflower, other than that it was easy. I did find picked beets and ate those instead of regular beets, and now I love picked beets…the day I had to have the cottage cheese I would put it on the cracker and then slug it down with water. But I really think exercise is the key to a good diet. Exercise and portions controls and then you can still have a dessert.
I agree. Exercise and portion control help tremendously. (Thanks for stopping by.)
I did this diet in 2001 the week before my prom…IT WORKED! I was very hungry though…and I ate lunch in the bathroom stall b/c I was too embarrassed to eat those crazy combinations in front of people! Lol….oh, the things we do when we’re young…
That’s so funny!
That does seem really low in calories.
I’ve never heard of the Cleveland Clinic diet before.
This one is a new one for me!
I remember this diet from 15 years ago. I called it the ice cream diet.
Quite appropriate to call it that. That was my favorite part of the diet. 🙂
Beets are so gross, I couldn’t do it!
Hey you gave it a shot and lost some weight which is a win – not sure I could do any diet that promotes hot dogs…
I have never heard of this diet, but I like most, I don’t think I could do this diet.
I think any “diet” is not good in the long term. Changing of lifestyle and habits and exercise is what works in the long term.
Yeah, that definitely doesn’t sound good. The No S Diet sounds promising though!
Ooh, starvation diets are scary and, truthfully, that looks like a nasty meal 😛 Enjoy the food and just lose a little at a time after you come back 🙂
Thanks for sharing your honest opinion. That diet looks tough but The No S diet sounds interesting.
I’m willing to try most any diet—-just can’t stick to one for very long.
Yuck! I wouldn’t eat anything on the plate… course that could make one lose weight 😛
This would probably be a really good diet for me – since I’m tiny (only 4’9″ and for my height a healthy weight can be under 100 lbs), my calorie count isn’t the average 1200 calories a day, mine is more like 900 to lose weight at a healthy rate. Thanks for posting!
I’ve never done this diet. I don’t think I would last
I have done this one before
There is no way I could do that diet. I can’t be restricted or limited to certain things or I will rebel and be worse off in the end!
I don’t think I could do that diet either. I hate beets.
So does my daughter. It was quite comical watching her eat them. You would have thought she was eating some type of exotic bug. 🙂
I remember this blast from the past :). Starving for a couple of days, I’m sure, was worth the Disney food.
Now that we can’t it viennas, what’s should we eat in that place.
I would look at some other type of meat that has about the same amount of calories.