One of the most wonderful things about this generation is the fact that more and more people are accepting that women come in all shapes and sizes. So many plus-sized (and average-sized) women are proving that you don’t need to be thin to be healthy, happy, and successful. But it wasn’t always that way.
Even some of our most beloved shows (Friends, I’m looking at you) thought the use of fat suits was funny. While our three female leads were notably thin, writers figured that flashback scenes of “Fat Monica” would bring in laughs — but the portrayal was more hurtful than anything. Especially since the character seemed to lack success in every other aspect of her life while she was overweight.
These feelings have leaked into real life, as well. Some of the best actresses out there have had to promote or try out obscene diets in order to shed pounds for movie roles. And by obscene, I mean drastically unhealthy.
There’s nothing wrong with losing weight, but it’s always important to do it the healthy way. That means consulting a doctor, eating enough, and making sure you’re working your muscles as much as possible.
Some of these diets are so ridiculous that you might not think they’re real. So, just a reminder — please don’t try these at home, unless a doctor has personally advised it.
1. Beyoncé’s Master Cleanse
Queen Bey isn’t the first or last celebrity to try out the Master Cleanse. The problem with this diet — which she tried out to lose weight for the 2006 movie Dreamgirls — is that it’s liquid-only. And that liquid is cayenne lemon water, which, gross. Supposedly she lost 20 lbs in just two weeks, which is a little extreme for most.
2. Gwyneth Paltrow’s Baby Food Diet
Paltrow was just one of the many celebrities to try out the baby food diet, which consists of — you guessed it — pureed baby food. Now, listen. Baby food has come a long way and is a lot less gross than it used to be. But, it’s still pretty disgusting and nowhere near as satisfying as real, adult food.
3. Snooki’s Cookie Diet
Nicole Polizzi, best known as Snooki from MTV’s Jersey Shore, once promoted a Cookie Diet in order to lose 10 pounds.
She followed Dr. Siegal’s Cookie Diet, which was initially established in the 1970s. On the diet, you’re supposed to eat six cookies throughout the day and one actual meal. That means that in general, you might lose the satisfaction of eating real food.
4. Megan Fox’s Apple Cider Vinegar Trick
Now, this one I’ve tried before. Apple cider vinegar is meant to be one of those miracle ingredients that can do anything. “It just cleanses out your system entirely,” Fox said, according to E! News. However, apple cider vinegar itself is a bit hard to swallow, so don’t expect it to be a pleasant experience when it’s not mixed with something else.
5. Kourtney Kardashian’s Placenta Pills
If you’re a Kardashian fan, you’ve probably heard of this one before.
While not necessarily used to lose weight, Kardashian believes that eating the placenta after birth will help improve your mood and energy, which is something all new moms can benefit from after labor.
She even posted a picture of her pills online, with the caption of “Yummy…PLACENTA pills No joke…I will be sad when my placenta pills run out. They are life changing!”
6. Kim Kardashian’s Charcoal Lemonade
On the topic of Kardashians, let’s talk about Kim. Plenty of people think that charcoal can help detoxify your body and make it easier for you to stay healthy, and she’s one of them. “I swear, when I drink it, I feel cleansed and energized throughout the day,” Kardashian said, according to Glamour.
7. Katy Perry’s Mushroom Diet
Okay, this one sounds kind of gross.
Even worse than charcoal, to be honest. Katy Perry reportedly used it to lose weight in the span of two weeks, and all it took was replacing one meal with a mushroom-based meal. Many celebrities opt to eat the mushrooms raw, just to ensure they won’t accidentally add more fat or calories to their plate.
8. Elizabeth Taylor’s Cottage Cheese Diet
Elizabeth Taylor was always open about her weight struggles, which makes her diet plan even more upsetting. In order to reach a weight she was happy with, she often mixed cottage cheese and sour cream together to top a piece of fruit. Another weird go-to combo was steak and peanut butter.
9. Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Cabbage Soup Diet
Every celeb has heard of the cabbage soup diet before, but Sarah Michelle Gellar was brave enough to actually try it.
The diet itself lasts a week and consists of the consumption of bland, boring, homemade cabbage soup.
If you want to live like Charlie Bucket from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, this would be a good start.
10. Victoria Beckham’s Five Hands Diet
“Five Hands” means that you can have five meals a day, but they must be the size of a handful. Seriously. And we all know that Posh Spice has tiny hands. Beckham reportedly tried out this diet, which emphasizes the importance of lean protein, after the birth of her daughter. As far as diets go, it seems okay — but also tough to manage outside the home.
11. Mariah Carey’s Two-Ingredient Diet
Supposedly Mariah Carey only eats two things in order to stay fit — Norwegian salmon and capers.
It sounds like a fancy meal indeed, but you can imagine it’d get a little boring after some time. “It would be difficult for a person to eat out at any meal, or live a normal semblance of a life on this plan,” Tanya Zuckerbrot, M.S., R.D., said to SELF about Carey’s diet.
12. Kirsten Dunst’s Alkaline Diet
You need to give props to Dunst. After Sofia Coppola asked her to lose weight for her role in Beguiled, she straight-up refused. These two have a history together, so maybe that helped make Dunst feel more comfortable in standing up for herself — but it’s something more women should try.
That doesn’t mean that Dunst didn’t try dieting for roles when she was younger.
She’s been tied to the alkaline diet, which supposedly helps balance your body’s pH. That means less processed foods and more greens. It sounds reasonable, but it’s also important to know that the creator of the diet actually went to jail for a few months for practicing without a license.
13. Madonna’s Sea Vegetables Diet
Madonna detoxes with a macrobiotic diet, which is known to cut out stuff like wheat, meat, and even eggs, which sounds terrible. Instead, she eats stuff like seaweed barley soup and tofu cheese. It may be reasonable if you have a personal chef, or Madonna money. Or, no taste buds.
14. Marilyn Monroe’s Raw Egg Diet
It’s a tough job being Marilyn Monroe. Back in 1952, she revealed that she often ate a concoction of raw eggs and whole warm milk, which sounds like the perfect drink to bring on food poisoning. She also reportedly avoided grains and starches to stay fit.
15. Sophia Loren’s Pasta Trick
Sophia Loren is a big fan of pasta, since she obviously has good taste.
But in order to keep the carbs from sneaking up on her, she reportedly ate the smallest portion sizes ever. I’m talking about the size of a fist. That might work for Loren, but it’d leave me feeling pretty hungry. Portion control is important with all diets, but if you’re still hungry after dinner, you’re bound to snack on the bad stuff.
16. Jessica Simpson’s Smoothie Diet
Jessica Simpson has gotten a lot of unneccessary flack about her weight. Even though she’s been a fan of Weight Watchers before, she’s also reportedly been on a smoothie diet. It’s not crazy, but it must be a little dull to drink your meals. The plan is reportedly 4 months long, and includes 15 days of smoothies.
17. Jessica Alba’s Soup And Smoothie Detox
Much like Simpson’s plan, this one sounds good in theory.
But like with all detoxes, it’s challenging and not very fulfilling. Actress Jessica Alba reportedly tried a pre-holiday cleanse last year that consisted of smoothies and veggie soup, with green juice as a snack in-between. Her goal was to get prepped for the holidays, but all those liquids might just end up making you sick.
