Here’s What Happens To Your Body On The “Watermelon” Diet
by Trisha Leigh

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There are about a million different “diets” out there, and each of them claims to have the quickest fix for whatever issue you have with food, health, and weight.
I think we know by now that none of them have a miracle cure to most issues, unless your dietary restrictions are medically necessary.
The latest trend, called the “Watermelon Diet,” promises to help you lose weight by eating only watermelon for an entire week.
@missbubbly___ 7 day watermelon detox! I lost almost 10 pounds. My start weight was 208.6 my current weight is 198.9 🩵 #watermelondiet#detox#drinkwater#weightlossmotivation
In addition to probably making you really hate watermelon, there are a few other reasons this diet isn’t at all sustainable.
Registered dietician Julia Zumpano says that although you might feel better initially due to eliminating processed food and drinks, you’ll soon have other unpleasant symptoms.
“It [the watermelon diet] could lead to fluid retention, weight gain, inflammation, bloating, headaches, gas, indigestion, fatigue, or other symptoms.”

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And even if you do lose a little weight in that week, it will almost certainly return as soon as you begin to eat normally again.
In addition to the discomfort, registered dietician Tommy Lor says diets like this one are considered unsafe.
“You’re cutting out a bunch of foods, and these challenges usually promise quick results. But they’re not very sustainable, and they can make it hard to maintain progress over time.”
If you fall into certain categories of people, registered dietician Shonali Soans says following a diet like this one could be downright dangerous.
If you are pregnant, nursing, have struggled with disordered eating in the past, are insulin resistant, have mental health issues, or are recovering from a surgery, this could be a really bad idea.
If you have mental health issues, for example, you could be affected because “nutrients play a key role in producing neurotransmitters involved in mood, pleasure, calm, focus, cognition, and wellbeing.”
Soans also warns this diet is riskier the longer you adhere to it, due to potential risks like malnutrition, kidney problems, digestive issues, diarrhea, dehydration, electrolyte imbalances, and disrupted blood sugar.
“Every cell in our body requires these nutrients to function efficiently, including the cells of our liver and kidneys, which are our bodies detox organs. If we want to detox well, we need to nourish our cells with adequate nutrition from all food groups.”
Not only that, but trying out trending challenges can actually make things harder for our bodies in the future.
“Very restrictive diets can negatively impact our relationship with food as well as our hunger and satiety cues, which are very important if we are trying to achieve lasting health and wellness goals.”
The bottom line is that it’s best to find a healthy diet that you can stick to indefinitely than it is to give into a trend or the promise of a quick fix.
There’s very little chance diets like that are ever going to work – or be safe.
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