The Sacred Heart Diet is a fad diet that purports to lead to substantial weight loss if you follow it for one week. It is sometimes also referred to as the Heart Foundation Diet. Neither the American Heart Association nor the Sacred Heart Hospital in Montreal, however, developed nor endorse the diet. In fact, those institutions warn that those who follow the Sacred Heart Diet may risk health problems. Men's health could be compromised on such a diet as it restricts calories to less than one-fourth of what an average man needs on a daily basis.
Basics
The Sacred Heart Diet features vegetable soup, made with an entire head of cabbage, tomatoes, other vegetables and broth. When following the diet for seven days, you can eat as much of the soup as you wish each day. You also can eat very limited amounts of supplemental food on a strict schedule; for example, you can have a steak one day and unlimited cooked vegetables on another day. Calories on the Sacred Heart Diet total about 500 to 600 per day, making it a very low-calorie diet.
Results
Men who follow the Sacred Heart Diet may see quick weight loss, especially at first, but the weight they lose may represent more water and muscle mass than fat, according to Netwellness.com. Men generally need about 2,500 to 2,700 calories each day to stay at the same weight. Therefore, cutting back by approximately 2,000 calories a day theoretically can lead to losing more than 1/2 lb. each day. Your body quickly begins to slow metabolism, however, when you cut calories this severely. This can significantly slow weight loss and cause fatigue.
Health Effects
According to the University of Washington, it's not safe for men to drop below 1,500 calories a day for more than a few days without medical supervision, due to the potentially negative effects of a very low calorie diet on their health. Super low-calorie fad diets such as the Sacred Heart Diet are likely not harmful for healthy men if followed for no more than a week, according to University of Florida News. Longer adherence can result in gallstones and gallbladder inflammation, however. In addition, men with chronic health problems such as diabetes or kidney disease shouldn't attempt the Sacred Heart Diet at all since it could exacerbate their conditions.
Considerations
If you're a man who wants to lose weight, you should steer clear of the Sacred Heart Diet -- despite its promises of easy, rapid weight loss -- and instead plan to accomplish your goals through old-fashioned diet and exercise. Since men weigh more than women, they can burn more calories faster by exercising. If you incorporate an hour of moderate exercise into your routine on most days, you should be able to lose 1 lb. each week or more. Unlike the pounds lost on the Sacred Heart Diet, you'll also be more likely to keep the weight off permanently.
References
- University of Florida News; "Cabbage Soup Diet No Lucky Charm for Weight Loss"; March 14, 2002
- Columbia University; Heart Foundation Diet?; March 9, 2010
- Netwellness.com; Fast Weight Loss for Cardiac Surgery Patients; Sharron Coplin, MS, RD, LD; Sept. 26, 2007
- University of Washington: Weight Management;
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