If you've been looking for quick ways to lose weight, you've probably come across J.J. Virgin's The Virgin Diet, which suggests that you can lose seven pounds in seven days by dropping seven foods from your diet. Though the idea of losing so much weight in a week sounds uber-tempting, you've got to wonder if it's too good to be true.
In a nutshell, The Virgin Diet suggests cutting gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, corn, peanuts, sugar, and artificial sweeteners for three weeks. The theory is that some people can't tolerate these common foods, leading to undesirable side effects like extra fat, inflammation, skin issues, and more, according to Virgin’s website. "The removal of offending foods from the diet can deliver a number of health benefits: weight loss, better energy, improvements in sleep, clear complexion, and much more," Virgin writes in her quick start guide for the diet.
After three weeks, dieters slowly begin testing the foods one at a time and tracking their symptoms. Week four brings back soy, gluten returns in week five, followed by eggs in week six, and dairy in week seven. Based on their reactions, dieters are encouraged to cut out any foods they can’t tolerate and mix the others into their diet in moderation.
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People following the guidelines may lose weight because they’re cutting out many food groups and focusing on what they put in their mouth, rather than eating mindlessly, says Caroline Apovian, M.D., director of the Nutrition and Weight Management Center at Boston Medical Center, associate editor at the journal Obesity, and author of The Age-Defying Diet. "An elimination diet can result in weight loss, but cutting out entire macronutrients is not sustainable in the long-term," she says.
Though reducing the number ofrefined carbohydrates you eat and nixing added sugar—as The Virgin Diet suggests—is definitely valid, avoiding foods like eggs, whole-grain bread, and yogurt can cut out important nutrients from your diet, says Apovian.
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"Eggs, for example, are a nutritious, low-calorie source of protein, and can be part of a sustainable diet for weight loss," she says. And whole grains are full of fiber to keep dieters feeling fuller longer, boosting your weight-loss results, she adds.
It's also worth mentioning that losing seven pounds in seven days, as the diet advertises, doesn't follow the one to two pounds per week guideline most nutritionists recommend, says Ellen Albertson, R.D., founder of Smash Your Scale.
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But Chris Groutt, chief operating officer of JJ Virgin & Associates, Inc. says that that the elimination diet is nothing new and emphasizes eating fruits and veggies, protein, healthy fats, and gluten-free grains, which are a great addition to any diet.
"The foods she focuses on [eliminating] are good for most people, but if you’re facing stubborn weight-loss resistance you can try taking them out and then gradually adding them back in," he says.
The bottom line: Instead of totally dropping gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, corn, and peanuts, consider adding more of the foods Virgin's plan emphasizes, like veggies, fruit, lean protein, and whole grains (gluten-free or not). That's a recipe for success.
