"Miracle" diets that don't work

You've heard about them in email forwards and late-night infomercials, but these 5 "miracle diets" just plain don't work. From straight-up starvation to a steady diet of boiled cabbage, here are 5 diets to steer clear of:

#1 The Grapefruit Diet
The claim is that eating grapefruit with protein triggers a "magical" fat burning process. We're always wary of the word "magic" in regards to a diet, and this one is no exception. While grapefruit is loaded with vitamin C and fiber and is a great way to start your morning, there's no evidence to support its reputation as a "fat-burner."

#2 Juice Diets
While a liquid diet has the potential to starve your body into shedding excess pounds, a super low-calorie diet like this one kicks your metabolism into survival mode. Unsure where the next meal is coming from, your body hangs on to the nutrients it has, slowing your metabolism, and burning fewer calories overall. The minute you switch back to solid foods, there's a good chance those pounds will "magically" reappear.

#3 The Apple Cider Vinegar Diet
We love apple cider in a vinaigrette for a salad, but the recommended 3 tablespoons of it before meals in this diet is so high in acidity, it might actually damage your stomach lining. Other than possibly making you too nauseated to eat, we couldn't find any evidence that it aids in weight loss.

#4 The Cabbage Soup Diet
This diet claims you can lose 10 or more pounds by eating just cabbage soup, but this is largely just water weight. Those pounds will likely reappear the minute you return to eating a normal, balanced diet that includes solid food. To add insult to injury, followers of this diet reported light-headedness, weakness, and trouble concentrating. In other words, you need more than a bowlful of cabbage soup to power you through your busy life.

#5 The Maple Syrup Diet
While we think maple syrup is a miracle food when it comes to pancakes and waffles, it's not what you would call a weight-loss miracle. That infamous cocktail of maple syrup, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper reportedly melts the pounds right off your body, but this is little more than a starvation diet. With almost no protein, this diet will likely cause you to lose metabolism-driving lean muscle, resulting in a slowed calorie-burning capacity. And that's not a miracle any of us is interested it.

If you want to lose weight, there's no magic potion or concoction to get you there. A healthy, balanced diet and regular exercise is the only way to shed pounds.