In a world where fad diets are all the rage and people jump at the newest get-skinny-quick schemes, the Mayo Clinic Diet is nothing new. Having been around for nearly thirty years, this diet has several variances, but touts the same promise: to lose a lot of weight fast. Its name is also deceiving. It was neither created nor endorsed by the Mayo Clinic.

Each variation of the plan follows the same plan. Dieters are encouraged to eat as much poultry and beef as they please. Some variations require that the dieter eat numerous amounts of grapefruit; others, eggs. One variation warns that dieters should not skip the portions of bacon. In all of the variations, dieters are promised to lose up to 56 pounds in the period of two months.

As with all fad diets, the Mayo Clinic Diet promotes rapid weight loss by eating as much of an item as the dieter pleases, the most popular instance being grapefruit. It isnt a permanent means of weight loss, nor is it healthy. Most promoters of the diet even warn that it isnt safe to practice for more than a period of two months at a time.

The Mayo Clinic Diet does not teach a dieter how to practice moderation. It perpetuates the problems of unhealthy eating and will not help the dieter control his or her weight problems. Additionally, the Mayo Clinic Diet offering the temptation to eat until youre satisfied and not count calories should be a warning label.

The only way to permanently and successfully lose weight is to practice moderation. Following the trend of fad diets may not only cause you to gain all of the weight youve lost back (and sometimes more), it can have lasting affects on your health. Rapid weight loss, and subsequent gain, can be bad for your heart. It can also lead to other irreversible health problems.

As with all diets, you should consult with your doctor before beginning. It is almost guaranteed that this is not a diet your physician will advocate. The Mayo Clinics name may be attached to this diet, but even they do not recommend practicing this unhealthy means of losing weight.