But although the insta-results of uber-restrictive weight-loss plans may tempt you to give them a go, they won't only torture tastebuds- research shows they can lead to fatigue, dehydration, constipation, and diarrhoea, and raise a person's risk of gallstones, osteoporosis and heart disease, not to mention the fact that most crash dieters gain their weight back (and sometimes more). But you can use crash diets as crash courses in improving your diet. We dissected five extreme diets- ones we'd never recommend trying- to find what they can teach you about dropping kilos safely and sanely.
Dinner for breakfast
The Fad: Belly bulge is more than a nuisance when you bare it onstage twice a week. That's what helped librarian and belly dancer Nicole Sinclair 36, stomach a diet of steak for breakfast and toast for dinner. "I read that some naturally slim people eat their meals the wrong way around, so I decided to give it a shot," she says.
That meant pasta, casseroles, even lamb stew in the morning; a salad in the afternoon; then tea and fruit in the evening. Sinclair lost 8 kg in a few months as a result. But within the year, she was back to morning toast and her original weight.
The lowdown: "Sinclair gave her body the most kilojoules in the morning, which is when it was prepared to burn more," says Cynthia Sass, dietitian and author of Your Diet Is Driving Me Crazy. Most of us are pretty inactive between dinnertime and bedtime, so not much is getting worked off. But according to WH weight-loss expert Dr Amanda Sainsbury-Salis, neuroscientist at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and the author of The Don't Go Hungry Diet, there's no concrete scientific evidence that kilojoules consumed in the morning are any more slimming that those eaten at night. "Sinclair undoubtedly ate less just by having a less leisurely meal," she says "By eating her biggest meal before rushing to work, she had no time (and probably no taste) for appetizers, high-kilojoules drinks, or desserts."
The good: Shake up your routine. "Sometimes a life or even a schedule change can jar you out of a rut," Sass says. "I've had clients break overeating patterns thanks to a move, a new job or relationship, or getting a dog." If you aren't due for a major transformation, even a small change can help rewire your eating habits. Try taking a class, pursuing a hobby, or just going for a walk instead of an after-meal sugar rush.
One container of food a day
''' The Fad: When actress Lynn Mikeska, 29, agreed to bump and grind in a live burlesque show, she didn't want that attention aimed at her spare tyre. "I only had a month before I had to take it off and shake it," she says. She knew she wouldn't feel confident about being half naked onstage unless she shed five or so kilos from her middle.
But putting in a full day followed by four-hour rehearsals didn't leave her much time to think about food - she'd just breeze through the nearest drive-thru when she got hungry. "I needed something I could tote around all day that wouldn't spoil and was more nutritious than a bag of Burger Rings," she says. Instead of getting her undies in a twist, she put two handfuls of mixed nuts and two Slim Secret bars in a plastic container and nibbled out of it all day. When it was empty, she was finished for the day - no exceptions. By the end of the month, she'd dropped 5kg - and bared (nearly) all before a roomful of strangers. She ditched the Tupperware Diet right after her debut.
The lowdown: "Nutrition bars and nuts are packed with protein, which takes longer to digest than carbs, so your stomach won't growl for up to four hours," Sass says. And although nuts are high in kilojoules, they might help quash your appetite: One theory is that the combination of protein and fat keeps you sated. Plus, prepackaged meals are useful because they're portion controlled.
The good: Add nuts to your daily diet, but don't anger the kilojoule gods by overdoing it - a serve of nuts should total 30g, which is about 35 peanuts, 24 almonds, or 18 cashews. If you've got time, create your own portion-controlled meals - cook big batches on the weekends, then measure out 1/2 cup of rice or pasta, 1 cup of vegetables, and 90g of meat or fish. Store them in your refrigerator for easy microwavable dinners. Too busy to man the oven? Head to the frozen-food aisle for Weight Watchers or Lean Cuisine meals.
One Word: Liquid
The Fad:''' Something more than the camera clicked for Melissa Benitez when she posed for a photo at a family party. The picture made the 31-year-old paralegal realise she'd gained so much weight that her clothes weren't fitting anymore. "I looked god-awful," she says. "I wanted to be able to wear anything, not feel like I couldn't wear certain things because of my size."
Her plan to slim down involved giving up only one thing: chewing. She had coffee or tea for breakfast, soup (chicken minus the noodles or vegie soup without chunky bits) for lunch, and miso for dinner. In between meals, she chugged water. "I have never weed so much in my life," she says. Over almost three weeks, Benitez lost 4.5kg, but not without feeling tired and dizzy. And two-weeks after she started using her teeth again, she said bye-bye to her new pencil skirt.
The lowdown: "Most of what she ingested was water, which has zero kilojoules," says Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition, food studies, and public health at New York University and author of What to Eat. Another shrink-fast factor: Putting the kibosh on chewable food eliminates a lot of mindless snacking.
The good: Drink water with your meals. "While there is little scientific proof that gulping water aids weight loss, anecdotal evidence shows that it might replace empty-kilojoules soft drinks, juices or alcohol. Plus is slows your eating, making you less inclined to eat more than you need," say Dr Sainsbury-Salia. Benitez made a good choice with soup, but she should have chased it with a nutritious, filling meal. A recent study found that diners ate fewer kilojoules overall when they started lunch with a bowl of low-fat vegetable soup. Keep portion sizes small, though, and avoid creamy or salty soups.
No White Food
The Fad: No stranger to extreme dieting, Alin Leslie, 34, a hairstylist had tried just about everything to lose the extra 10kg she'd been lugging around since childhood. But nothing - from Atkins to the self-conceived Ice Cream and Shiraz Diet - stuck. So finally she took the advice of one of her clients, who had banned all white foods (including dairy, flour, and sugar) from her plate.
From then on, Leslie says, "I tried to think in colour." Vivid red capsicum, broccoli, and pomegranates were a go, while anaemic pasta, rice, and white bread were a no-no. In just under a month, Leslie lost those stubborn 10 kilos. But a rainbow of vegies was no substitute for creamy dairy. Ultimately, she collapsed into the arms of Homer Hudson, and in just six months, all the weight she'd lost came piling back on.
The lowdown: Leslie lost chub because she ditched empty-kilojoule, processed foods and ate mostly fruits and vegetables. "By eliminating white flour and sugar, she removed starchy, refined carbohydrates that often have a lot of fat associated with them," says Anne M Fletcher, dietitian and author of Thin for Life (available from amazon.com).
The good: Instead of swearing off rice and pasta altogether, nutritionists say you should choose unprocessed wholegrains. Identical portions of wholewheat pasta, bread, and brown rice usually pack more fibre than their refined, white counterparts, helping prevent heart disease and diabetes. "Studies also show that whole grains help control body weight - they are digested more slowly, keep blood sugar levels steady, and delay the return of hunger," Sass says. And don't cut out dairy entirely - it's a good source of calcium and protein, and giving in to the occasional need for a double-dip will prevent you from feeling too deprived.
The Lemon Detox
The Fad: After three months working in a summer camp in the States, Emma Solman, 25, a sports administrator, landed back in Oz with more than happy snaps. "I'd put on a couple of kilos and was feeling toxic after eating fried foods every day." She'd heard about the Lemon Detox Diet (also called the Master Cleanser in the US, it hit our shores just over a year ago) and found its claims of cleansing and weight loss were too good to resist. Solman swapped all her food for a concoction of lemon juice, maple syrup, cayenne pepper and water. "It tasted surprisingly sweet and quite nice. For the first day. The second day I started to struggle and by day five I could barely get out of bed - I had no energy and felt dizzy." Solman switched to the 'relaxed' version of the diet - replacing only one or two meals with the drink and eating unprocessed, fresh food. As soon as she started eating normally again, though, Solman regained the five kilos she'd dropped.
The lowdown: Er, obviously, if you don't eat, you lose weight. And focusing on the cleansing aspect of an eating plan takes the focus off weight-loss. But not for long. "Research shows banning any type of food leads to craving for that food," say Dr Sainsbury-Salis. "You're better off eating a variety of minimally processed foods with plenty of fruit and veg."
The good: Start eating mindfully. While pancake toppings do not a diet drink make, Solman felt the "cleanse" helped her identify her satiety cues. "When I started eating normally I really noticed which foods made me feel good and which made me sluggish, plus I learnt to control my appetite." Dr Salisbury-Salis says this is key. "Listen to your body's signals-eat only when you feel hungry and stop when you've honestly had enough."
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