Here’s the real skinny on stars’ weight-loss regimens: They probably won’t turn you into J.Lo or A-Rod.
Celebrity diets are “not a magic wand for a skinny body,” clinical dietitian Jennifer Maeng, founder of Chelsea Nutrition, tells The Post. She says clients constantly ask her if they should give boldfacers’ diets a spin. “Come football season, Tom Brady wins, and everyone’s like, ‘He’s still doing great, what’s his secret?’ ”
Celebs might owe their fit physiques to their diets, but they also have access to other perks, Maeng points out — including intense workout routines or even plastic surgery.
“To take these recommendations from people that [have access to] things that the average person doesn’t have access to . . . it’s not comparing apples to apples,” she says.
Plus, celebs could also be getting paid to endorse a plan or product, without making that clear to the average dieter, says Lauren Cadillac, a Manhattan-based registered dietitian and personal trainer.
“I don’t think people take the time to educate themselves,” Cadillac says. Unless you’ve done plenty of research, she says, you might be “doing more damage than good” when you try to lose weight like a boldfacer.
So how do you figure out which celeb-backed slim-downs are actually worth trying? Easy: Ask the pros. Here, Cadillac and Maeng give us the skinny on today’s trendiest Hollywood diets — and tell us if they’re worth a shot.
Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez | 10-day carb-and-sugar fast
America’s hottest couple is making waves with their “10-day challenge” — 10 days without processed carbs and added sugars. The pair first tried the diet in January, and even dared famous friends Hoda Kotb, Leah Remini and Michael Strahan to join them in an Instagram video.
For the diet — which J.Lo took up to help her prep for an upcoming role as a stripper in “Hustlers” — the pair set cookies and bread aside and loaded their plates with peppers, poke, ground turkey, green beans, eggs and sugar-free Jell-O.
While Maeng says this plan has its positives — for example, you’ll quickly see “how much sugar you have been consuming” and get a sense of how much to cut back on — Cadillac thinks that as weight loss goes, this is a quick fix that won’t last. “You’ll lose some water weight,” she says, but “the second you start eating [carbs and sugar] again you’ll gain it right back.” (Bummer for Rodriguez, who Instagrammed himself breaking his first 10-day challenge with a spread of pizzas, wings, french fries and cookies.)
Instead of going cold-turkey, Cadillac suggests a more realistic approach: Try, for example, to cut out one processed food or sugary treat per day. “If you start to cut these things out of your diet slowly, you’ll eventually experience the same [effect].”
Try it or skip it?: Skip it.
Chris Pratt | Daniel Fast
The Daniel Fast, a Bible-inspired 21-day cleanse that Pratt took for a spin in January, prioritizes foods available 2,000 years ago: plenty of fresh produce, beans, nuts and grains. There’s no leavened bread allowed, and the only beverage permitted is water.
Because it’s so restrictive, “You might eat the same thing over and over again,” Maeng says. But if you can handle the boredom, Cadillac says, it’s not a bad way to go. “It’s pretty well-rounded . . . You’re getting healthy carbohydrates, fat, protein, fruits and vegetables.” The majority of foods excluded from the fast aren’t great for you anyway, she says. If you want to keep losing, she says, keep the plan going for longer than 21 days.
Try it or skip it?: Try it.
Beyoncé and Jay-Z | Greenprint
The Carters officially went vegan last year, with help from their longtime trainer Marco Borges. Now, they’re helping to promote his new diet book, “The Greenprint” — a 22-day plan to transition to a completely plant-based diet. For the first 11 days, you eat one plant-based meal a day, such as mushroom “chorizo” tacos (Beyoncé’s favorite). For the next 11 days, you have two plant-based meals a day. The goal, by the end of the program, is to go completely vegan. The book’s Web site, 22daysNutrition.com, also sells plant-based powders and bars.
Both Maeng and Cadillac say that in general, eating more plant-based meals is better for your health — and for looking bootylicious. You’ll see “weight loss, higher energy levels [and feel] less bloated,” says Maeng. Just don’t let yourself become a junk-food vegan: “You can be on a vegan diet and eat french fries all day,” Cadillac says, but it won’t make you any slimmer.
While both nutritionists are down with plant-based eating, Cadillac doesn’t think you should stock up on the bars and powders on Borges’ Web site. In general, she says, weight-loss programs that have you “buy a shake or a pill or a tea” shouldn’t be trusted.
Try it or skip it?: Try it — but skip the products.
Gwyneth Paltrow | Goop 2019 Detox
Paltrow’s lifestyle brand starts out every year with a detailed five-day regimen, designed to reset the body from the previous December’s over-indulgences. This year’s, with a focus on “balance” and “recalibrating,” is centered on lots of greens, veggies, seeds, grains and proteins.
The diet’s staple foods are “good for your body, and they’re going to help you live longer and feel better and sleep better,” Cadillac says. But eating this way for only five days limits how many of the effects you’ll feel, including weight loss. “If you’re dedicated for two weeks that might be a better way,” says Maeng.
Try it or skip it?: Try it.
Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen | Anti-inflammatory
The supermodel and Super Bowl winner stick to a superstrict diet comprised of 80 percent veggies and grains and 20 percent lean proteins.
That part, Cadillac likes. She thinks it’s a more realistic way to eat plant-based than going cold-turkey on animal products, as Beyoncé and Jay-Z do. “[Eating] more plant-based is healthy but going completely vegan might be a little extreme and difficult to implement and sustain long-term,” she said.
But the football star also makes a point to exclude nightshades, a group of colorful vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers and eggplants, to avoid inflammation — and both Cadillac and Maeng say there’s no need to do so.
“It’s not really evidence-based — these are all healthy and nutritious ingredients,” Maeng says. She also says he’s missing key vitamins from avoiding fruits.
Try it or skip it?: Skip it.
Jenna Jameson | Keto
Stars from Halle Berry to Al Roker are on the low-carb, high-fat keto diet these days. But Jameson remains the regimen’s poster child, after claiming the plan helped her lose 80 pounds after giving birth to twins.
Cadillac has gone keto herself, and says that it has some health perks: For example, done right, “it can help stabilize your mood and your blood sugar and reduce cravings, and it can help keep you feel fuller.”
But Maeng says that following a strict keto diet — and “you have to follow it well in order to see the results” — isn’t as easy as it looks. “It’s low-carb, so they drink diet soda, and they eat cheese and salami and pork rinds,” says Cadillac, of clients she’s seen that have tried and failed on the diet.
Plus, “there [isn’t] enough evidence that it’s beneficial for weight loss,” says Maeng. “[I’ve seen clients who have] done it incorrectly and they’ve gained weight on it.”
Try it or skip it?: Skip it.