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I definitely agree with prior sentiments suggesting that you consult a physician before significantly altering your diet. I would be wary of any diet that limits your food consumption to a narrow range of nutrients (all fruit diet, all meat diet, grapefruit diet, etc.).
My understanding of most of those "only eat this" diets is that they manipulate a particular part of our psychology, namely sensory specific satiety. Sensory specific satiety occurs when you eat only one food source, and become sated (full) very quickly. It causes people to eat a range of types of food (increasing the likelihood that you're getting a proper nutritional mix of foods).
If you limit yourself to one food source (like fruit only), you will become full sooner and eat less. The opposite occurs at buffet restaurants - too much variety results in a lot of food consumed before being sated. I have a colleague that has suggested that he could help anyone lose weight on a "stick of butter" diet (eat as much as you want, but only butter). You'll get sick of it really fast and consume fewer calories. You will also sacrifice your health to lose a few pounds temporarily.
While it is true that consuming fewer calories may result in weight loss, your body is not a "bank" in which you deposit calories and take them out later. You can't lose weight effectively by simply cutting your calories significantly. As onesnowyowl suggested, your body holds on to fat and calories. It won't let them go easily. If you go on a crash diet, rather than losing fat and calories, your body will slow it's metabolism, slowing fat loss. Then, when you stop your crash diet, you'll have a slower metabolism, resulting in rapid weight gain (your body wants that fat back).
You are more likely to lose weight permanently with a healthy, well balanced diet and a reasonable exercise routine. You won't lose it fast, but you are more likely to keep it off. Anyway, consult a physician before making huge changes to your diet.
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