Health and Beauty - CELEBRITY FAD DIETS
CELEBRITY FAD DIETS
TOP TRAINER TO THE STARS OFFERS USEFUL ADVICE FOR A HEALTHIER AND FITTER LIFESTYLE – AND VALUABLE TIPS TO LOSE THOSE EXTRA KILOS
CELEBRITY FAD DIETS
They’re beautiful, they’re radiant and they have bodies to die for. But the extreme lengths some of our fave celebrities go to in order to look their show-stopping best is quite amazing. We take a look at some of the weirdest “miracle” diets that have graced the British headlines. Fad or fab? You decide…
Beyonce Knowles
For her role in Dreamgirls, Mrs. Jay Z had to lose those bootylicious curves and dropped an astonishing 22lb (10kg) in only a fortnight. How did she do it? By surviving on a concoction of Madal Bal Maple Tree Syrup, water and cayenne pepper – sounds yummy…not! Beyonce admits: “It was tough. Everyone was eating and I was dying.” This diet is extreme and should really only be done under the supervision of a health expert. Despite drinking the sugary maple syrup mix you are actually limiting your calorie intake to dangerous levels.
Lily Allen
Unconventional Lily chose to go down the alternative route in her bid to shift a few pounds, hiring hypnotherapist Susan Helpburn. It might have raised a few eyebrows at the time, but at £250 per session Lily sure trusted the lady – and the results were indeed remarkable. By reprogramming Lily’s attitude to food and eating through hypnotherapy (www.closeronline.co.uk/Dietsandhealth/DietsNews/hypnotherapy.aspx), the singer went from a curvy size 12 to a teeny-weeny size eight.
Martine McCutcheon
Well known for her yoyo dieting, the Love, Actually actress turned to science to gain control over her fluctuating weight. The blood-type diet is based on the principle that different blood groups react differently to food. So while blood group B might happily be slimming down on a diet rich in carbs, blood group A might find they’re bloating like a balloon on the same eating plan. Consequently, there are four different diets for the four different blood types. Although the idea was developed by a doctor, medics and nutritionists have criticised the diet widely for having no apparent scientific background. I personally still believe you can’t go wrong with the classic “Eat-healthier-exercise-more” programme.
CREDIT: 1 portion of chip-shop chips (500 cals) = DEBIT: One and a half hours of surfing
ARE YOUR DRINKS RUINING YOUR DIET?
With some shocking recent surveys showing that an increasing proportion of our calorie intake is derived from drinks, we decided to investigate the true calorie content of some of our fave tipples.
Juices
If you find yourself reaching for the pure fruit juice in the hope it’ll keep the calories down then think again. While fruit juice is packed full of vitamins the high fruit sugar content means that the calorie content of natural juices is fairly high:
500ml of pure orange juice = 220kcl
Similar to: 1 slice of Domino’s Deluxe Pizza = 171kcl
500ml of apple juice = 295kcl
Similar to: 1 McDonald’s cheeseburger = 295kcl
Nicki says: “Orange juice is fairly healthy…but those calories can creep up on you and you soon start piling on the pounds. If you have a large glass of orange juice with your cereal, it’s likely the drink will have more calories than the food.”
Cut the cals: Tomato juice has only half the calorie content of fruit juices, weighing in at only 25kcl per 100ml.
Soft drinks
Soft drinks don’t have a good reputation as it is, so do you want to know how bad they really are?
500ml of Coca Cola = 210kcl
Similar to: 1 McDonald’s hamburger = 235kcl
500ml of Lucozade = 360kcl
Similar to: 1 McDonald’s chicken sandwich = 370kcl
Nicki says: “Cola is surprisingly bad. It’s choc-a-block with sugar – it’s literally got tablespoons of the stuff. That in itself can make you fat, but even worse is that the sugar will cause your body’s insulin levels to rise, meaning your appetite could shoot up as well.”
Cut the cals: If you can’t resist fizzy drinks, why not try one of the many “fruity waters” that mix sparkling water with a variety of fruit flavours – just make sure to pick one with no added sugar.
Hot beverages
If you can’t get through the morning without your giant mug of coffee then listen up! The big high street coffee houses produce the worst offending drinks for a calorie-controlled diet.
1 large Starbuck’s white chocolate mocha = 628kcl
Similar to: 1 McDonald’s double cheeseburger PLUS 1 portion of small fries = 656kcl
Nicki says: “Black coffee is a very low-calorie drink, but as soon as you add milk the calorie count rises quickly. Also, if you don’t opt for a skinny latte, you get full fat milk, which is even worse.”
1 large Starbuck’s hot chocolate (330kcl) = 6 McDonald’s chicken nuggets PLUS barbecue sauce (330kcl)
Nicki says: “Hot chocolate is not as bad as people tend to think…but the tendency to add treats to a hot chocolate is the danger.”
Cut the cals: Opt for a skinny hot chocolate with no extra cream or marshmallows. For an even lower calorie version try Options hot chocolate with a low 68kcl content.
Milkshakes
If you think of all the ingredients that go into a milkshake, it is hardly surprising that they are an absolute calorie bomb: full-fat milk, ice-cream, syrup, whipped cream and sweet toppings – it’s diet suicide, really.
1 large chocolate milkshake = 500kcl
Similar to: 1 McDonald’s quarter-pounder with cheese (500kcl)
Nicki says: “Milkshakes are very bad because of the calorific milk that goes into them. On top of that, cocoa is very bitter on its own, so needs to be mixed with lots of sugar before we get the sweet taste we like.”
Cut the cals: Try a fruit smoothie, not from concentrate, for a sweet and refreshing drink.
Alcohol
It’s hardly a revelation that alcoholic beverages are full of calories.
Nicki says: “The only thing with more calories than alcohol? Pure fat.”
For those of you who go out and get drunk but would never dream of getting a takeaway at 3am, here’s something to keep in mind:
1 pint of lager = 190kcl
Similar to: a KFC potato salad = 180kcl
1 glass of red wine = 119kcl
Similar to: 3 Burger King “chicken tenders” = 120kcl
1 glass of champagne = 130kcl
Similar to: Subway beef salad = 115kcl
MIRACLE WEIGHT LOSS LIPPY
Forget gruelling exercise regimes: the secret to shaping up could be easier (and more glamorous) than you think. It seems all you need is the right makeup. The clever cosmetics company Too Faced has produced a lip gloss that could actually help you lose weight. Sold as a gloss that’s “Always on the lips. Never on the hips”, the Fuze Slenderize Guilt Free Lip Gloss, sold at around £10 (€12.60), contains ingredients that claim to curb the appetite, speed up metabolism and boost energy levels.
How does it work? The gloss contains plant extract SuperCitrimax, which reportedly keeps hunger at bay and stops the body turning carbohydrates into fat. It also uses the mineral chromium, which is said to boost metabolism, and carnitine, an energy-giving amino acid. The company teamed up with Fuze, the manufacturers of the Slenderize drinks range that produce low-calorie fruit juices popular with celebs such as Katie Holmes and Jessica Simpson.
What Nicki thinks: “I believe the secret behind the ingredients may not be what the company claims. It is highly unlikely that the gloss actually contains anything that reduces hunger. The ingredients are very similar to those used in slimming pills, and there is minimal evidence and almost no scientific research to show that such products actually contribute to weight loss. I have also never seen any evidence to suggest that these ingredients can be absorbed through the lips or skin. The real science behind the gloss can be found in other makeup products too. The idea is very clever and may well have positive effects for psychological reasons. It probably works in a similar way to painting your nails to stop yourself getting to the crisps, or brushing your teeth so you don’t want to eat anything else. You won’t want food to get stuck to, or wipe off, your lip gloss. You apply makeup to look good, and when you look good you feel good about yourself. It’s also a distraction because when you feel hungry you’ll apply your lip gloss instead of eating. You can get the same effect with a regular lipstick, and probably for half the price.”
AND FINALLY…
Having a glass of fridge-cold water, rather than one at room temperature, speeds up your metabolism by 30 per cent, says recent research from the Clinical Research Centre in Berlin.
For more information on losing weight and getting fit and healthy check out www.nickiwaterman.com
