Scarsdale Diet Menu

So life has been somewhat hectic to say the least. Between shuttling back and forth from KL to Singapore and work, I've barely had the luxury of time to sit in front of the comp and pen my thoughts down.

So a few posts back, I believe I was ranting about my weight issues and and thereafter making a conscious effort to try to lose the weight that I have gained over the last few years. I started out at 70kgs and now stand at 66.5kgs. Yesterday, my boyfriend and myself started round 2 of the "Scarsdale Diet". The good thing I noticed was that in trying to maintain my healthy eating habits while on the 2 weeks interim, I managed to maintain my weight (something which was hard for me to do before!). 

Going into this with a real effort to make it a lifestyle change has really been fruitful and its changed the way I view food, I still indulge every once so often but I do so to kill the cravings and leave it as that. I'm thankful that my boyfriend supports me in doing this and he has been especially enjoying the changes I've been making to my cooking. However, I should probably mentioned that the original Scarsdale Diet is extremely strict and does not allow a lot of things. Because I am a somewhat fussy eater I have made some changes to our diet which also make it easier to follow. Also, we have had many friends who have asked for a copy of our diet and are attempting the first round as we speak so I thought i'd share it here.

Here is the Weekly Eating Schedule (which you are to keep for 14days):

Breakfast:
One half grapefruit (or fruits in season)
One slice of protein bread -NO SPREADS!
Coffee/Tea (no sugar, cream, milk or honey)
** Alternative fruits: 1/2 cup diced fresh pineapple, 1/2 mango, 1/2 papaya, 1/2 cantaloupe or a generous slice of honeydew or melon.

	Lunch	Dinner
Mon	Assorted cold cuts*** Tomatoes - sliced, broiled, or stewed Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water	Fish or shellfish, any kind  Combination salad, any greens and vegetables as you wish One slice protein bread, toasted Grapefruit - if not available, use fruits in season Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water
Tues	Fruit salad, any combination of fruits Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water	Plenty of broiled, lean hamburger Tomatoes, lettuce, celery, olives (limit 4), cucumbers and/or Brussels Sprouts Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water
Wed	Tuna fish or salmon salad (oil drained off) with lemon and vinegar dressing Grapefruit, or melon, or fruit in season Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water	Sliced roast lamb***, all visible fat removed Salad of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, celery Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water
Thurs	Two eggs, any style (no fat used in cooking) Low-fat cottage cheese Zucchini, or string beans, or sliced/stewed tomatoes One slice of protein bread, toasted Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water	Roast, broiled or barbequed chicken (skin and visible fat removed before eating) Plenty of spinach, green peppers, string beans Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water
Fri	Assorted cheese slices (preferably lowfat) Spinach, all you want One slice of protein bread, toasted Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water	Fish or shellfish Combination salad (any fresh vegetables desired, raw or cooked) One slice of protein bread, toasted Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water
Sat	Fruit salad, any combination of fruits Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water	Roast turkey or chicken Salad of tomatoes and lettuce Grapefruit or fruit in season Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water
Sun	Cold or hot turkey or chicken Tomatoes, carrots, cooked cabbage, broccoli or cauliflower Grapefruit, or fruit in season Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water	Plenty of broiled (grilled) steak, all visible fat removed before eating; any cut of steak you wish- sirloin, porterhouse, London broil, etc. Salad of lettuce, cucumbers, celery, tomatoes (sliced or cooked) Brussels Sprouts Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water

After finishing with the 14days, you will then move on to the Keep Trim Diet...I never follow this, I just try not to go nuts and binge thereafter! The reason the diet is so strict is because its supposed to play off on how the chemical compounds in the food react with each other and your body.

Rules of Scarsdale diet:

• STRICTLY NO ALCOHOL. 
• Follow the menu as closely as possible. If you have to, change the days but not the foods. If you do not like a particular food, replace with more of something else that's on the menu
• Carrots and celery are allowed anytime- with meals, salads, snacks.
• When you eat vegetables don’t use any form of fat. It means no olive oil, no margarine, no butter. 
• Only vinegar and lemon dressing. Alternatively, mustard dressing. But oil and mayonnaise are strictly forbidden.
• Sugar beverages are STRICTLY forbidden. So always look for diet(sugar free) versions of your favorite beverages. Coffee and tea are allowed but without the milk and sugar.
• When preparing meat make sure it is as lean as possible. Cut off as much skin and fat as you can before cooking your meals.
• The diet is designed for 14 days. Keeping it for more could be seriously dangerous to your health.

Few things to note about how I perceived the diet:

• Salads are boring as it is, so I try to be creative with my dressings and use natural flavouring. Stuff like anchovies, Bragg's Amino Acid and Apple Cider Vinegar, Balsamic dressing and olive oils. Once in awhile, I do use a cream based dressing but it does effect the result of the diet. MODERATION IS KEY!
• I do not like protein bread! AT ALL! So I always prefer to look for alternative source of protein. My go to source of protein- EGGS!
• I do not like Sugar beverages and if I need to have something gassy, soda water is my go to drink. Even if I have to make fruit juices at home, the composition is usually 1:3 fruit to vegetables. I drink my coffee and tea black so its not an issue.
• I like my meat with a little bit of fat so I usually leave that on. Also sometimes when cooking, the fat helps to protect and flavour the meat so before consumption, the individual can remove the fat. Also, I will never be able to swallow chicken breast...EVER! It's like eating cardboard.

*These changes that I have made are strictly on a personal basis and has not been approved by any Doctor.  It is changes that I have made to try keep my diet sustainable without triggering cravings which trigger binge eating! Also, if I make my salads yummy, I'd look forward to eating them more! 

For anyone who wishes to try, GOOD LUCK!!! 

And i'd love to hear any feedback and success stories in the comments below.