Extreme Dangerous Dieting Hollywood Style

Janet Jackson has revealed on Piers Morgan new CNN show in America that the worst thing she’d seen when it came to Hollywood diets was: ‘Eating tissue… Kleenex to fill the stomach, so that you’re full,’ she said. Even our very own Billie Piper has admitted that she has tried this herself and regularly starved herself when she was fighting anorexia. ‘I’d cut everything out and see how long I could go before I had to eat. At one point, I managed five days,’ she said.

In Los Angeles their is incredible pressure on starlets and singers to look their best so it’s not unusual for them to try out strange and often dangerous diets to keep their weight and appetite down. Here we look at five of the worst Hollywood diets:

1.     Laxative Teas

‘The big thing among teen actresses right now is dieter’s tea,’ says LA nutritionist Carrie Wiatt, owner of Diet Designs.’ It has a mild laxative effect. But many young girls are abusing it — drinking 10 cups a day. I knew one girl who ended up with long-term health problems. Drinking too much of these teas can cause vomiting, stomach cramps, chronic constipation or diarrhea. Not pretty! All that to lose a little water weight’

2.     Misuse of drugs

Whether it is over the counter diet drugs like Alli, prescription medications such as Adderall and Clenbuterol or illegal drugs like cocaine and amphetamines, drugs have been a dangerous aid to weight loss. Adderall abuse is certainly on the rise and one reason is its side effect, loss of appetite. However Adderall’s other side effects include addiction, depression and psychosis. And while abusing Alli, which blocks fat absorption, can help to lose a few pounds, you may also lose control of your bowels which is not nice at all.

3.     Cutting out whole food groups

Ever since the Atkins diet became popular, carbs have been the enemy to those trying to lose weight but even in more updated diets such as the Dukan diet, cutting out a whole food group for any length of time is just not healthy. ‘I see girls who haven’t had a Carbohydrate in three years,’ Big Love actress Ginnifer Goodwin says. ‘The second you go back to eating right, you’re going to put that weight on. You eat one piece of bread and you are screwed, lady!’

4.     Liquid diets

A lot of the time Hollywood A-listers seem to be surviving on just  caffeine and cigarettes. While both of these are stimulants and can slightly increase metabolism, with no nutrients, your body is really going to suffer. Two of the most popular, and most dangerous, liquid diets are the Master Cleanse, favoured by Beyonce and the Apple Cider Vinegar cleanse reported to be used by Megan Fox. It has even been rumoured that some of Hollywood’s elite periodically check themselves into hospitals so they can get put on IVs and avoid eating altogether!

5.     Over-exercise

Exercise is often seen as a healthy way to lose weight but over do it and your health can suffer. Young actresses often workout for up to three hours a day, so much so it can interfere with their work and social lives. It can result in muscle fatigue and injury, shin splits, broken bones and ligament problems. It can also lead to depression, insomnia and anxiety. All the more reason to not to overdo it at the gym!

[picture credits: ITV; Nikki Nelson / WENN.com]