Craziest Diet Ideas Ever
Crazy Diets
By Jennifer Fields and Mary Kearl
Fad diets are so alluring with their promises of fast weight loss and their skinny celebrity followers. The problem is that they're often unhealthy and make outrageous claims that are untrue. Here's a roundup of the some of the most strict and downright ridiculous diets around and the famous names that champion them.
Going Bananas
Eat bananas for breakfast and lose weight? That sounds easy enough. But the Morning Banana Diet -- such a craze in Japan that grocery stores there can't keep the fruit in stock -- involves a little bit more than just eating this favorite breakfast food. On this plan, which is supposed to boost metabolism, you'll eat one or more bananas with room-temperature water for breakfast and have an optional snack at 3 p.m. You can eat anything you want for lunch and dinner. There are no desserts, dinner has to be eaten by 8 p.m. and you have to go to bed by midnight. Does it work? Japanese opera singer Kumiko Mori announced on a TV show that she lost 15 pounds using the Morning Banana Diet. The creator's husband is also said to have lost 37 pounds. We're not sure those two instances count as solid proof of its effectiveness, but this diet certainly rates high on wackiness.
C is for Cookie
We like the sound of any diet that involves eating cookies and promises you'll lose 15 pounds in a month. Sanford Siegal, M.D., is the creator of the Cookie Diet in which followers eat six of his specially formulated cookies along with one meal a day. It's not surprising people lose weight on this diet, considering they're eating a mere 800 calories a day -- a calorie count so low that experts would classify this as a crash diet that is not sustainable. We classify it as just plain crazy.
Dubious Cure
Kevin Trudeau's book, 'The Weight Loss Cure,' made HCG a household name. HCG, a hormone extracted from the urine of pregnant women, is used to treat reproductive problems, but injections of the hormone are also thought to curb appetite. We suspect any weight loss might be the result of the 500-calorie-a-day diet you're supposed to follow on the plan, not necessarily the self- or doctor-adminstered shots. The FDA denies weight loss claims about HCG, but the hard-to-find shots are still widely sought after. Aside from the obvious ick factor, there are some intense side effects including water retention, mood alterations, headaches, and high blood pressure. Men who receive the injections may get positive results on pregnancy tests.
Part-Time Diet
Who wouldn't go for a diet that promises you can eat whatever you want and as much as you want? But the s have more than one third of your daily sodium allowance. 'Alternate-Day Diet' by James B. Johnson, M.D., has a pretty big catch: You can only indulge every other day; on alternate days you'll be eating a mere 200 to 1000 calories total. Switching between overeating and starving sounds like torture, but does it work? A review published in a 2005 issue of the 'American Journal of Clinical Nutrition' found that non-obese followers of the plan did lose weight on the diet, but they reported high levels of hunger and irritability that would likely prevent this from becoming a long-term plan.
Pain in the Rear
Sure, the Martha's Vineyard Diet calls for mud treatments, but following it is no day at the spa. You'll also be drinking most of your meals and enduring weekly colonics and enemas. Robin Quivers does look great since she tried the detox, but with all those trips to the spa, this diet is heavy on the pocketbook and light on lasting results.
Diet in Vein
Any diet that requires a test of your blood type raises our eyebrows. And depending on the results, you could be stuck shopping for an all-veggie diet or one where the main component is veal. Why? the Blood Type Diet claims certain foods react differently with various blood types. A better idea than eating politically incorrect meat? Cut back on your portions.
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Cuckoo for Coconuts
Another contender in the realm of the single-food eating plan is the Coconut Diet. Jennifer Aniston swore by this plan where you load up on coconut oil (Almond Joy doesn't count), which is supposed to boost metabolism and help you lose weight quickly. Most experts agree you should limit coconut in your diet because it's rich in saturated fat which can raise cholesterol, so it's best to avoid this one.
Funny Face
Voluptuous Kate Winslet swears the Facial Analysis Diet helped her drop baby weight. On this wacky plan, a so-called facial analyst proposes a special diet based on food intolerances revealed in the texture of your skin, eyes and hair. But the only reason this diet ever works is because people tend to drink more water, get more sleep and eat more fruits and vegetables while on it.
Tart Diet
Beyoncé revived interest in the Master Cleanse when she used the juice fast to slim down for 'Dream Girls.' Drinking a mix of maple syrup, lemon juice, water and cayenne pepper for days is hardly a healthy approach to weight loss. Even Beyoncé said she wouldn't advise anyone follow her diet lead.
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Recent Comments
PerfectXon 11:00:48 AM Apr 20 2009
well you know what a lost 20 pounds verry fast, and i kept it off and i starved myself, and exersise and ive kept it off for 2 years and still going so.
SlackerGirl121 06:06:35 PM Nov 02 2008
I've got a 2-year-old son so 'exercise' for me is usually chasing after him. My husband did some research and made a diet for us. Now I've lost over 50 pounds and 6 dress sizes in less than a year. You can find out more at www.ThePenandPaperDiet.com What's great about it, I didn't have to give up any of my favorite foods! (Seriously, I didn't.)
M R Covington 05:28:17 AM Oct 22 2008
1. To lose weight and keep it off requires changing your diet and eating habits permanently andnot just for a few weeks or months2. Donât deny yourself of favorite foods but work sixty or 100 calorie portions of them in weekly or daily so that you donât binge. .3. Break learned associations: donât eat at the movies or at parties or use eating out as a main form of entertainment. 4. If you EAT less than you BURN, you will LOSE weight no matter how unhealthy the food. 5. Drink water with every meal to fill up space and because your body needs it. 6. Most of your plate should be vegetables. 7. Eat small meals more often. 8. Leave food on your plate. 9. Find and eat your favorite healthy meals and vary them. 10. Learn the food pyramid and REAL portion sizes. 11. Find an exercise you love: dancing, favorite sport, sailing, etc. and do it five time per week for the rest of your life.
M R Covington 05:13:58 AM Oct 22 2008
1. To lose weight and keep it off requires a lifetime commitment to a dietary change: you can't just "diet" for a few weeks or a few months. You have to change your eating patterns for the rest of your life. Same with your levelof exercise.On that bit of advice, you had better be eating foods you enjoy and love and doing exercise that you also love such as a favorite sport or line dancing or contra dancing.2. DON'T deny yourself of your favorite foods even if they ARE bad for you. This leads to binging. Instead, work a 60calorie or 100 calorie portion of a favorite treat in every day or every week to keep you happy on on your permanent lifestyle and dietary changes.3. We often eat by association: popcorn at the movies, appetizers at parties, going out to eat as a main form of entertainment. Drop these associations and form new ones that don't have anything to do with food. These learned behaviors lead to eating when you aren't even hungry or eating foods that you normally would
vcponsardin1 12:16:14 AM Oct 22 2008
I didn't follow any crazy diet. I merely listened to my MD when he told me I had high blood pressure and high cholesterol. So I went home, threw out all the food in my kitchen and started from scratch. To lower cholesterol, I stopped eating all foods with cholesterol, simple. No meat, no dairy, no eggs. In essence, I went vegan without knowing it. To lower blood pressure, I stopped using salt and began running every other day. To be sure I eliminated all unnecessary salt, I made all my own meals from fresh veggies, beans, and fruit. Lost 45 lbs in just over 3 months. Lowered my cholesterol from 270 to 127 and dropped my b.p. from 145/100 to 120/66. Simple.
Maxine LL Cool J 12:13:36 AM Oct 22 2008
There are several "catches"here but one big one is that bananas are VERY constipating! So if you don't want to take a dump, keep downing them!! Moderation is the key to most everything in life~listen to your body. Every bobdy is different everybody! Stop tryin' to be who you are not and love who you are the best you can.
o0sevion0o 11:31:41 PM Oct 21 2008
You guys are completely wrong, getting exercise is the only way to lose fat. If you diet and lose the weight fast, you're guaranteed to gain it all back and them some. It's been scientifically proven.
Newyorkjsw 11:30:15 PM Oct 21 2008
Playing a Sport unless done at a 'intense' level (Growth Hormone Creating) almost everyday will never compensate for eating Pasta, Pizza, Bread ect. All it does in most cases is help some Maintain where weight, so not to grow larger!
Newyorkjsw 11:26:16 PM Oct 21 2008
Remember along with eating them Green/Yellow they have to be eaten as a Meal NOT as a Fruit addition to regular Meal of Meat or Wheat.Eat mini meals. One inch more then the body can handle, will turn to fat storage !!
Newyorkjsw 11:23:02 PM Oct 21 2008
Bananas, along with Watermellon and Pastashios are Magic Super Foods !When eating bananas it is important to eat them when they are in the Green to slightly yellow stage. They have a positve effect on the Mind, if eaten in the early stages after being picked. (Always drink pure cold water with it)Too yellow or beyond can spike the blood sugar and cause issues !Also only eat them in the AM or afternoon, not at night.Pistashios not only possibly the best tasting natural food in the world, they alsowill if eaten as a mini meal allow the body to lose weight by avoiding Wheat Products of all kinds! Shockingly Pistashios are LOW in calories and have no sugar content.
