Crash Diets That Work

We see so many celebrities dropping pounds quickly after following a crash diet, that we too are tempted to do the same. We all know that the best way to lose excess weight is by following a well-balanced healthy diet and a proper exercise regimen. But when you have a party to attend in a fortnight and a hot dress to fit into, the temptation to lose weight fast increases. A crash diet or a fad diet is an extreme form of diet where a person restricts his/her calorie intake by eating only a particular food group. Doctors and dietitians strictly warn us against crash diets, as they are unhealthy and can also be dangerous. Crash diets can be used by people who are looking to lose small amount of weight fast. When crash diets are followed for a small duration of time, they can help you to lose some extra pounds.

Best Crash Diets for Losing Weight

The basis of any crash diet is to limit calorie intake by restricting certain high calorie food. Dairy, red meat and processed foods are generally excluded from any crash diet program. Most fad diets involves eating a particular type of food all through the day and so it gets tedious after a while. Some crash diets that works are the 3 day tuna diet, grapefruit diet, lemonade diet, chicken soup diet and 7 day diet.

3 Day Tuna Diet
The tuna diet is a low carb and high protein diet that has to be followed for 3 days. It involves eating at least one portion of tuna fish everyday, which is either steamed or baked with a bit of olive oil. You are also allowed to consume limited portion of some other food along with the tuna. Tuna fish is rich in omega 3 essential fatty acids, minerals and vitamins, which makes it a healthy food option. Here is the tuna diet meal plan.

Day	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner
Day 1	1 cup black tea or coffee, 1 toast with peanut butter, ½ a grapefruit	150 g steamed tuna steak, 1 cup black tea or coffee	100 g steamed chicken breast, ½ cup steamed green beans, 1 apple, 1 carrot, 100ml vanilla ice cream
Day 2	1 cup black tea or coffee, 1 soft boiled egg, 1 toast, 1 banana	200 g pan-fried tuna steak, 5 saltine crackers, 1 cup black tea or coffee	1 small grilled beef steak, 1 steamed carrot, 1 banana, ½ cup steamed broccoli, 50 ml vanilla ice cream
Day 3	1 cup black tea or coffee, 5 saltine crackers, 1 cheese slice, 1 small apple	1 omelet, 1 toast, 1 cup black tea or coffee	200 g tuna fillet, ½ cup steamed baby carrot, ½ cup steamed broccoli florets, 1 melon wedge, 50 ml vanilla ice cream

Chicken Soup Diet
Another crash diet that works is the chicken soup diet. This is one of my favorite crash diet plans because unlike other diets, it does not make you feel hungry all the time and of course, everyone likes chicken soup. The diet consists of having a healthy breakfast every day and as much chicken soup for the rest of the day for seven days. You need to eat homemade chicken soup for this diet. You are not allowed to have canned chicken soup or order chicken soup from a restaurant. The homemade chicken soup can be made with organic chicken, along with lots of fresh vegetables.

Day	Breakfast
Day 1	½ cup fruit salad with non fat yogurt
Day 2	2 slices toasted whole grain bread, 1 banana
Day 3	½ bowl cereal with low fat milk, ½ cup fresh orange juice
Day 4	1 whole wheat bagel, ¼ cup fresh strawberries
Day 5	2 slices of toasted whole wheat bread, ½ cup fresh orange juice
Day 6	½ bowl of muesli with low fat yogurt
Day 7	2 slices of toasted whole wheat bread, ½ cup skimmed milk

Cayenne Pepper Diet
One of the best crash diets is the cayenne pepper diet. This diet has received a lot of attention, as this was what Beyonce was following to drop weight fast. It's a diet that involves drinking a concoction made of maple syrup diluted with lemon juice, water and cayenne pepper. This diet has to be followed for a fortnight. You can only drink this maple syrup and lemon juice mixture while you are following this diet and you are not allowed to have any other food. It is an extreme crash diet and although it makes you lose weight fast, it can also be very dangerous.

All these diets should be followed only after you consult with your doctor. Crash diets are an option when you need to lose a small amount of weight fast, but they should not be followed by overweight people for a long duration. There is nothing to beat a good healthy balanced diet, supplemented with moderate exercise for long term weight loss.