12 Most Extreme Celebrity Diets

There are plenty of fad diets out there and plenty of celebrities who are willing to try anything to maintain their fabulous bodies, to go with them. Diets can be extremely and dangerous if not properly monitored, not to mention the psychological impact of denying yourself basic cravings. This list takes a look at some of the most ridiculous and restrictive diets out there, and what celebrities have fallen for them.

12. The “Master” Cleanse

Imagine not eating for 10 days but instead sticking to a liquid only diet consisting of a mixture of lemon juice, maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and water, and mixing that all up to be washed down by a laxative in the morning and at night. Well that’s exactly what Beyoncé did to slim down 20 lbs for her role in Dream Girls. And while it temporarily worked for her, she wouldn’t recommend it to anyone else. People on this extreme cleanse complain of hunger, weakness, loss of muscle, and constant trips to the bathroom. Well no doubt! Your body is being deprived of every nutrient: vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, proteins, fiber, and fat. Not to mention that this “cleanse” is really just 10 days of starvation. After prolonged deprivation your body will actually store all that it can as fat and as soon as you go back to a normal diet, the weight returns fast and fiercely.

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11. The Macrobiotic Diet

Most people associate this diet with Gwyneth Paltrow, the Queen Bee of restrictive diets who was once an avid champion of this extreme regimen. The concept is to remove any processed and refined foods to focus on organic, plant-based food sources (with a little fish). The food should be consumed in its most natural state. According to sources, Paltrow took this diet to its limits and is said to have ate no animal products and consume all of her food raw.  The extremity of this diet can leave practitioners with a lack of calcium, protein, and vitamin B. Gwyneth is reported to currently be suffering from osteopenia, a precursor to osteoporosis, and her diet may have played a factor in the development of this disease. This may be why more recently, Paltrow is letting loose and says she’s enjoying eating anything she wants for dinner.

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10. The Werewolf Diet

This one sounds way more monstrous than it is, but it still registers on the bizzaro scale. So, of course, leave it to celebs like Madonna and Demi Moore to give it a shot! The diet follows the lunar calendar so adherents practice a 24-hour juice or water fast during a full or new moon. They can also opt for an extended lunar plan and follow the juice fast with specific eating regimens based on the cycle of the moon. The idea is that the gravitational pull on the water in our bodies can affect our weight and consequently weight loss.

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9. Victoria’s Secret Diet

Ever wonder how those Angels achieve those great bods we envy on the runway? Well Adriana Lima sticks to a strict diet all year, but the restrictions get pretty intense before the Victoria Secret Fashion Show. For 9 days leading up to her catwalk strut, Lima goes strictly to a protein concoction diet and abstains from all solids during this period. And if that wasn’t enough, 12 hours before show time, the Angel will cut herself off from liquids completely. Just talking about it makes me hungry!

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8. The Rainbow Diet

Now as crazy as this one sounds, it does provide your body with the nutrients it needs, and that’s more than we can say for many of the diets on this list. The idea is that you consume foods of all one color for the day for each of the seven days of the week. For example, if the color of Monday is white, you can eat mushrooms, onions, potatoes, garlic, bananas, etc. If Tuesday is orange, you can eat carrots, peppers, mango, papaya, peaches, etc. You may also consume lean meat on this diet, so in general, it does provide balanced nutrition and encourages new food choices. It is said that Christina Aguilera used this diet to shed her extra pounds.

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7. Bulletproof Coffee

Ed Sheeran is a soulful music man and apparently an advocate of the Bulletproof Coffee diet. The day begins with a 450-calorie cup of coffee mixed with grass-fed butter, coconut and palm kernel oil for breakfast. This blend of healthy fats and oils is said to suppress hunger and increase your metabolism so you’re able to lose 1 pound per day. Sounds like a miracle…but of course you may also lose out on some integral vitamins if not properly supervised. David Allen of David Allen Nutrition in Woodland Hills, California says that, “One pound a day is an overstatement, but the ingredients are a great combination to improve metabolism and brain health.”

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6. The Baby Food Diet

Yep, you read that correctly. A-listers like Jennifer Aniston, Reece Witherspoon, and of course Gwyneth Paltrow, have been linked to the baby food diet. This diet was created by celebrity trainer Tracy Anderson, and the idea is to curb your hunger while not sacrificing nutrition. Most baby food is fortified, so one variation of the diet has you eat 3 regular meals a day while supplementing baby food for snacks. Another variation is more extreme; adherents eat 14 jars of baby food throughout the day and finish with a regular adult dinner. Given that baby food lacks fiber, vitamin D, and calcium, practitioners of this diet may be selling themselves short in nutrients. Besides, who could feel satisfied eating liquefied food all day?

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5. Pea Protein

Taylor Swift and her BFF Jamie King do everything together. Including jumping on the pea protein diet train together. These two drink protein shakes made with the delicious flavor and texture of pea protein. YUCK! Pea protein is a rich source of protein and arginine that helps to build lean muscle. It’s also a good vegan option rather than soy because it’s easily digestible and has a much higher percent of protein per serving than other options. Well, good luck with that ladies!

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4. The Cookie Diet

Well, at least it sounds delicious! The Cookie Diet trend was started by none other than Snooki. Leave it up to this pint-sized mini to capitalize on indulgence. The Cookie Diet involves eating 6-10 cookies a day based on the plan you choose, and then a healthy dinner. How can you lose weight and eat nothing but cookies at the same time? Well when you’re only eating one real meal a day, your caloric intake is caped between 800-1200 calories a day, much lower than is recommended by most dieticians, and of course, your malnourished body sheds those pounds. The restrictions of the Cookie Diet leave much to be desired in the way of nourishment, and it’s really just a calorie-restricted based diet.

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3. The Marilyn Monroe Diet

I think it’s fair to say that Marilyn Monroe didn’t have a good dietician working in her corner. She did however have a body that has come to define “sexy” in the 1950s, so she must have done something right! For breakfast Marilyn would have two raw-eggs mixed with warm milk. I guess she wanted to get her protein? She would skip lunch and for dinner she would have broiled steak or liver and 5 carrots, which of course be followed up with a hot fudge sundae! Well the dessert part of the diet sounds appetizing…

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2. The Fruitarian Diet

The Fruitarian Diet sounds healthy enough; it advocates that adherent’s daily meals contain a minimum of 75% raw fruits. In order to get into character as Steve Jobs for the 2013 flick Jobs, Aston Kutcher adopted the late Apple inventor’s strict Fruitarian Diet regime. Unfortunately for him, after only one month, Kutcher landed in the ER with an inflamed pancreas. I guess spiking your blood sugar with all that fruit may not be the best idea!

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1. The Alkaline Diet

Victoria Beckham and Kate Hudson are followers of this strict diet. The idea is to keep your body within a pH range of 7.35 and 7.45, and to do this one must follow the 80/20 rule of thumb, with more vegetables and less grain and proteins. And of course, check your urine regularly. Of the diet Hudson told People, “I live by a rule book of eating alkaline – no meat, no dairy, no gluten (and) I try to stay away from sugar – but I’ll cheat when I want to, since I’m a bit of a foodie.” This diet has taken over and even Dr. Oz is supporting research that suggests a diet rich in alkaline foods can help neutralize the toxic acid in your body. Maybe try adding alkaline rich foods to your diet before you go all out and lose all joy in your life.