The Cleveland Clinic Diet
This version of the so-called Cleveland Clinic Diet has been circulating for years. Is it right for you? Here I break down the diet so you can decide.
Desperate times call for desperate measures. In need of losing some weight, I resorted to an old 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.

Day One Dinner
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?)
Since dieting is easier with a buddy, I recruited my (adult) daughter to do it with me. I guestimate that it costs around $55 for two people for 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 of 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 of 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.
The So-Called Cleveland Clinic Analyzed
I thought I would do a little analysis using MyFitnessPal.com to see how this diet really measured up – or down. Below is how the different day’s meal plan breaks down.
Day 1
So for day one, the calorie count is low. Most diets recommend a minimum of 1200 calories/day. (The National Health Service in the UK recommends 2,000 calories for women and 2,500 calories for men.) The sodium content is too high.
Day 2
Day two is still too low on the calorie count.
Day 3
Once again, not enough calories
Conclusion
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.
My daughter was not a fan of the diet.
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?
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!
I can’t stand beets alone either,but like them in a salad..
They do seem to be a food that one has to get accustomed to.
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.