Each year, a new crop of fad diets isintroduced to the public. Most of these diets disappear soon after,only to be replaced by the new crop. It's an endless cycle largelybecause the amount we weigh and how we appear to others is always onour minds. Ironically, while data suggests that our nation's citizensseem to be losing the struggle with their weight, there has been anunprecedented demand for new and exciting diets.

In 2007, a new diet took America bystorm. Coined the Martha's Vineyard Diet, it promised its followers away they could lose 21 pounds in only 21 days. News of the dietspread like wildfire. Soon, many popular media channels (such asLarry King Live) began profiling the diet. But, beneath the hype andmedia, the Martha's Vineyard Diet does something differently thanmost diets.

Understanding The Diet

Instead of focusing on eating certainfood groups, avoiding others, or shunning food altogether in order tolose weight, the Martha's Vineyard Diet is centered arounddetoxifying the body. According to the diet, cleansing the body ofharmful toxins is the most effective way to lose weight. The diet'sauthor claims that by constantly flushing the body with liquids, aperson can remove the toxins that hinder the metabolism. In theory,once the toxins are removed and a person's metabolism speeds up, thebody can burn through fat more efficiently, paving the way for rapidweight loss.

How The Martha's Vineyard Diet Works

Those who choose to go on this diet cando so for 2 days, 7 days, or the entire 21 days. Dieters are to drinkliquids (water, vegetable juice, homemade soups, etc.) every 2 hoursto cleanse their bodies. Exercise while on the diet includes yoga,walking and other routines that are approved by the dieter's doctor.After undergoing this detoxification process for 21 days, dieters areencouraged to slowly begin introducing normal foods back into theirbodies. The reason for going slowly, according to the diet's author,is to allow the body to "normalize" after detoxifying.Foods that are high in saturated fat will likely be rejected ifintroduced too quickly.

Experts Claim The Diet Works, But...

Experts readily agree that a person canlose weight rapidly while on the Martha's Vineyard Diet. However,they claim that much of the weight loss experienced by dieters may bethe result of reduced caloric intake during the 21-day detoxificationprocess. In fact, it's possible that detoxifying your body so rapidlycan actually result in a higher fat composition in the body. This canhappen because the body begins to burn muscle as a source ofprotein.

The Final Word On Health And Dieting

While the Martha's Vineyard Diet cancause a person to lose weight, it's important to realize the benefitof a proper diet. Detoxifying your body is ultimately good, but rapiddetoxification can have negative results.