Warning: Fad diets don't work. At the very least, they don't keep the weight off. This piece starts off mentioning fad diets because many of the tricks and gimmicks that you hear about celebrities doing are precisely that--short-term gimmicks. Ever notice how certain celebrities' weights seem to yo-yo up and down with the seasons?
Jorge Cruise, the celebrity trainer, calls extreme low-carb diets like the Atkins plan "nonsense," and states that fad diets never work, at least not permanently. (Cruise's book, "The 3-Hour Diet", actually espouses a well-regarded, sustainable weight-management strategy of eating every 3 hours with few restrictions.)
Many celebrities either actively endorse or have mentioned using these weight-loss plans. Singer Tony Orlando and football legend Dan Marino have done NutriSystem; Jennifer Aniston and Cindy Crawford have tried The Zone diet; Valerie Bertinelli and Queen Latifah are Jenny Craig spokeswomen.
What to Look for
If you're looking to shed pounds and keep them off permanently, seek a weight-management plan that makes reasonable claims, that avoids gimmicks and that doesn't force you to entirely cut out certain food groups.
A credible diet plan will tell you that for both fat-loss and general health reasons, you will need to exercise. If any diet plan or product says that you can lose weight without exercise, run in the opposite direction.
Look for diets that allow you to eat and drink to fullness, provided it's the correct food and drink. Deprivation diets are doomed to failure, because once you decide not to stick with them, the brain has a way of overcompensating by directing you to eat even more than before.
Some foods from Cruise's 3-Hour Diet include Egg McMuffin, Lean Cuisine cheese cannelloni, grilled chicken, green tea and protein powder. As you can see, it's an interesting mix of "healthy" foods with things you might ordinarily buy at a fast-food restaurant or in the frozen foods section.
A random page from one of Dr. Phil McGraw's books lists assorted nuts, seeds, broth-based soups, fresh fruits and vegetables, oatmeal and even a baked potato (starch!).
The Mediterranean Diet's "food pyramid" includes vegetable oils, lean red meats, pork, veal, skinless poultry, fish and many other foods. Forming the base of the pyramid--the bulk of what a person is supposed to eat--are fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
Common Pitfalls
Replacing meals with cookies, shakes or a single item (like a grapefruit), is not advisable. You may very well lose pounds and inches with these schemes, but their very wackiness makes them unsustainable. C'mon, do you really want to be eating just a grapefruit for lunch for the rest of your life?
Some diets, particularly high-protein diets, can make you feel woozy, run down or irritable, because of nutrient deficiencies or just plain hunger for "real food."
So what's the solution? Rather than look for some shortcut miracle diet, make a commitment to healthy lifestyle changes that will help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight over time. When it comes to eating to get a "celebrity figure" moderation comes out on top of deprivation every time.
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