In this crazy world of weight loss and fitness, there are many different types of workouts and diets. One of the more radical types of quick weight loss diets that’s been around since the 70s is the pineapple diet. At VIP Fitness Center in Fort Lee, New Jersey, we don’t focus on a specific diet but a philosophy of eating that doesn’t require counting calories or even strict dieting, even if the pineapple diet were healthy, you wouldn’t follow it here.
Exactly what is the pineapple diet and who started it?
Sten Hegeler, a Danish psychologist and his wife, Inge are credited with the original pineapple diet. In fact, they published a book called “The Sexy Pineapple Diet” in 1970. Why was it sexy? It was supposed to help you lose weight and boost your sexual prowess by boosting your libido and preventing sexual dysfunction. According to the authors, all you have to do is eat normally five days a week and eat only pineapple two days a week.
The science behind the pineapple diet.
Hegeler had no scientific reason for recommending eating pineapple two days a week or whether it provided any real benefit for sexuality. He simply liked pineapple and since it provided less than 500 calories for two days, it was a cinch that it would cause weight loss. The book could have been called “The Sexy Orange Diet” or “The Sexy Watermelon Diet” had he loved those fruits. It took hold and developed an online following where people now eat nothing but pineapple for up to seven days or longer, because after all, if a little is good, isn’t more even better?
You’ll lose weight, but does it have a downside?
Losing weight is all about calories expended and calories consumed. If you eat 3500 fewer calories than you burn, you’ll lose a pound. That’s why the pineapple diet works. Pineapple is relatively low in calories, with just 450 calories for a whole pineapple. If you ate two on your only pineapple day, you’d still be consuming around 900 calories, with 1000 calories being considered a low calorie diet. Just like intermittent fasting, restricting calories just two days a week is safe. However, it also leaves you tired and often extremely hungry. Eating all that pineapple can also cause diarrhea and digestive issues. While it’s a healthy food, containing many nutrients, it’s mostly carbohydrates, with minuscule amounts of fat and protein. It also lacks vitamins and minerals that are necessary for a healthy body.
- Since pineapple lacks adequate protein and fat, it won’t leave you feeling satisfied and full. That makes it even more difficult to stick with this type of diet.
- You can use the pineapple diet for short periods, but using for longer can cause nutritional deficiencies, particularly if you aren’t eating healthy when you eat normally.
- Learning to eat healthy and develop a good relationship with food can help you avoid eating disorders and many of the emotional factors that can occur with strict diets, like shame or a preoccupation with food.
- At VIP Fitness Center, we help you with developing good eating habits that don’t require a strict diet. It’s all about healthy eating, treating yourself right and developing a good relationship with food.
For more information, contact us today at VIP Fitness