The phrase “calorie restriction diet” is a bit of a tough sell. It’s not the most appealing name because restriction doesn’t sound fun.
But I see that celebrities are doing calorie restriction. Kym Douglas, the author of the Black Book of Hollywood Secrets says, “The biggest secret I learned from celebrities is that they don’t do “diet food”. They eat the real thing, just not a lot of it.
“I remember sitting down to breakfast with Elizabeth Hurley and being shocked that she was having real bacon with her eggs, not turkey or tofu bacon. And she said: “I’m just going to have a salad for lunch and a little dinner, so it’s fine. But I’m not going to have fake bacon.”
Now, I don’t tend to turn to celebrities for inspiration and I hate the size zero mentality that is so ingrained in Hollywood. I do think that calorie restriction is the most effective way to lose weight, however. So for fun I’m going to list some of the items in the A to Z list of Hollywood’s hottest diet tips:
A FOR ASPARAGUS: Celebrities live on this because it’s a natural diuretic and gets rid of bloating.
B FOR BRUSH YOUR TEETH: A nutritionist advised her famous young client that the best way to maintain her mere 15 per cent body fat was to use a toothbrush after every meal. And a craze was begun. Using a toothbrush signals to your brain that you are full.
…and BENEFIBER: Sprinkle it on your salad or in your coffee because it helps move food through you system more quickly.
C FOR COOKIE: Celebrities such as singer Kelly Clarkson and Jennifer Hudson follow the Cookie Diet. In other words, they “eat a cookie, skip a meal.” They eat a healthy dinner of several hundred calories and eat only calories or biscuits at other meal times. They lose weight because it’s based on calorie restriction.
… and CINNAMON: Celebrities sprinkle it in their tea because it supposedly can lower cholesterol and blood sugar.
E FOR EPSOM SALTS: The salts draw fluids out of your body. Heidi Klum and other stars use these before filming and photo shoots.
I FOR ICE LOLLIES: Oprah Winfrey likes iced fruit bars because they take a long time to eat and also satisfy her sweet tooth.
L FOR LICORICE: Eat a piece of licorice or a strong breath mint when you’re hungry. It numbs the taste buds.
M FOR MATCHA GREEN TEA: One cup cup of matcha green tea is the equivalent of 8-10 cups of regular green tea. This boosts the metabolism and is an appetite suppressant.
P FOR PRUNES: Hollywood nutritionists suggest including four chopped-up prunes with the ground beef when you cook a hamburger. It reduces the fat by 40 percent and the prunes are tasteless so you won’t notice that they are there.
Q FOR QUICK SUGAR FIX: One Los Angeles bun shop is particularly popular with Hollywood celebrities. Many of them order a tiny paper cup filled with icing instead of a big cinnamon roll. That way they satisfy their sweet tooth without eating the calories.
S FOR SUSHI: Jennifer Aniston and Angelina Jolie love sushi. This seaweed is loaded with vitamins, has few calories and can lower cholesterol.
V FOR VEGANISM: Alicia Silverstone says that going vegan is the key to lasting weight loss: “I swear it’s so easy. You don’t have to have a diet mentality at all if you eat healthy, plant-based foods.”
W FOR WEDGE SHOES: According to Hollywood stylists the footwear that makes you look the thinnest. Cameron Diaz, Jessica Simpson and Gwen Stefani all wear wedges for that reason. Stylists love them for cover shoots as it makes the featured actress look taller and slimmer.
That’s only a partial list but you get the idea. These are tips that even real people like you and me can use. I’m making a mental note to try the icing tip sometime. I think I’ll pass on the wedges, however.
