The Complete Scarsdale Medical Diet: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

The Complete Scarsdale Medical Diet is a book by Scarsdale physician Dr. Herman Tarnower and Samm Sinclair Baker, originally published in 1979. The book became a bestseller and (as of 2003) is still in print. The "Scarsdale Diet," a low-carbohydrate, low-calorie weight-loss diet, is still popular today.

The plan specifies a very specific diet which is supposed to be followed exactly. Artificial sweeteners are used in place of sugar. The diet is to be followed for 7 or 14 days, alternating with a less rigorous regime.

Critics acknowledge that the diet gives quick results, but say that weight loss on the Scarsdale diet results simply from the reduced caloric intake; is mostly water; is quickly regained; and that the diet is so extreme as to be unhealthy.