Hollywood Diet

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Hollywood Diet

Research and general acceptance

Resources

Definition

The Hollywood diet products are intended to produce extreme weight loss in a very short time. The Hollywood diet 30 Day Miracle Program is intended to allow dieters to lose weight over the course of a month by using various Hollywood diet products combined with healthy living strategies.

Origins

The Hollywood diet products were created by Jamie Kabler. He is a self-proclaimed “diet counselor to the stars.” According to the Hollywood diet website, Kabler invented the Hollywood 48 Hour Miracle Diet after visiting a European health spa. He was at the spa to help him manage his own weight, and afterwards decided that he wanted to help people lose weight and detoxify their bodies by creating a product that everyone could afford. The Hollywood 48 Hour Diet was first available in December of 1997. According to its website, more than 10 million people have used the product since then. The Hollywood 48 Hour Miracle Diet was the first of the Hollywood Diet products, but since that time the line has been expanded to include the Hollywood 24 Hour Miracle Diet, the Hollywood Daily Miracle Diet Drink Mix Meal Replacement, and various dietary supplements .

Description

The Hollywood 48 Hour Miracle Diet is probably the best known of the various Hollywood products. It is an orange colored drink that is intended to be a complete food replacement for a 48 hour period. Dieters are instructed to shake the bottle well and then mix four ounces of the drink with four ounces of water (bottled water is recommended) and sip this mixture over the course of four hours. This is to be repeated four times each day. The dieter is instructed to drink eight glasses of water each day while on this diet.

For the two days that the dieter is following the Hollywood 48 Hour Miracle Diet, the drink mixture and water are all that the dieter is allowed to consume. The dieter cannot eat or drink anything else. This restriction even includes drinks that have no calories, such as diet sodas and chewing gum. During this time the dieter is told that for optimal results he or she cannot have any caffeine or alcohol while on the diet, and cannot smoke.

The Hollywood 24 Hour Miracle Diet is largely the same as the 48 Hour formulation, except that is intended only for one day use. The same restrictions about food, caffeine, and alcohol intake apply, as does the ban on smoking. The website recommends that dieters use one version of the diet or the other at least one time per month, and says that it many people choose to do the 48 Hour Diet once a week.

KEY TERMS

Calorie —A measurement of the energy content of food, also known as a large calorie, equal to 1000 scientific calories.

Dietary supplement —A product, suchas avitamin, mineral, herb, amino acid, or enzyme, that is intended to be consumed in addition to an individual’s diet with the expectation that it will improve health.

Mineral —An inorganic substance found in the earth that is necessary in small quantities for the body to maintain a health. Examples: zinc, copper, iron.

Both Hollywood diet formulations are made mainly of fruit juice concentrates. They do contain a significant number of vitamins . The 24 hour version of the diet contains 100% of the daily recommended value of vitamins A, B₆, B₁₂, C, D, and E, as well as thiamin, riboflavin, niacin , folic acid, and panto-thenic acid in each four ounce serving. The 48 hour formulation contains 75% of the daily required value of these vitamins and nutrients. Both formulations contain 25 grams of carbohydrates , 20 milligrams of sodium , 22 grams of sugar, and no protein ineach four ounce serving.

Each four ounce serving of the Hollywood diet contains 100 calories. This means that if a dieter follows the diet’s instructions and drinks four four-ounce servings over the course of the day, he or she will be ingesting 400 calories. Because no other food or drink products are allowed during this diet this means that anyone following it will only consume 400 calories per day. This qualifies the diet as a very low calorie diet. Very low calorie diets are usually used to treat extremely obese patients with more than 30% excess body fat, and are only administered under the supervision of a doctor or other trained medical professional. If either Hollywood diet formulation were to be used regularly or for an extended period of time this would be considered a traditional very low calorie diet and would require medical supervision.

The Hollywood diet website also includes an alternative diet plan that is more comprehensive than either the 48 or 24 Hour diets. This diet plan is called the 30 Day Miracle Program. It suggests that this program be followed to help the dieter maintain the positive results achieved during the 48 or 24 Hour Diets.

The first step of the 30 Day Miracle Program is for the dieter to do the 24 or 48 Hour Diet. After this diet is finished, and the dieter returns to eating solid foods, the second step is to replace one meal per day with another Hollywood Product, the Hollywood Daily Miracle Diet Drink Mix Meal Replacement. It is suggested that the dieter replace dinner for the most successful outcome. The dieter is also encouraged to avoid foods that are high in fat or salt, that contain sugar, and to avoid dairy products, red meat, and diet sodas.

The diet also recommends that the dieter take another Hollywood product, Hollywood Meta Miracle, twice each day. This product is supposed to be able to help dieters not feel hungry, boost their metabolism , and give them more energy. The other supplement recommended by the diet is the Hollywood Mega Miracle 75 nutritional supplement. The diet instruct that it be taken twice every day. This product supposedly contains 75 different nutrients needed by the body for good health.

The diet also suggests that dieters eat a healthy breakfast and lunch, do not eat after six pm each day, and eat fruits and vegetables as snacks. The diet recommends that a dieter take a brisk walk for 30 minutes or more each day. The final instruction of the diet is to repeat either the Hollywood 48 Hour Diet or the Hollywood 24 Hour diet on a regular basis. Once a month or each weekend are suggested.

Function

Hollywood 48 Hour Miracle Diet and Hollywood 24 Hour Miracle Diet are intended to produce large amounts of weight loss in very short times. The 48 hour diet claims that dieters can lose up to 10 pounds in just two days. The 24 hour diet claims that dieters can lose up to 5 pounds in just one day. These diets suggest that they be repeated often until the desired weight loss has been achieved. These diets also claim that they will detoxify the body and rejuvenate the dieter. The 30 Day Miracle Diet is intended to provide more long term weight loss over a period of one moth. The amount of weight that dieters can expect to lose during that time period is not specified.

The Hollywood 48 and 24 Hour Diets are not intended to be lifestyle changing diets. They do not provide recommendations for exercise, and they do not provide the dieter with any other forms of healthy lifestyle support, such as stress reduction techniques. The 30 Day Miracle Diet encompasses the 48 and 24 Hour products, but is intended to be a lifestyle program for more long term weight loss. It does provide healthy eating and exercise recommendations for the dieter to follow during the course of the diet.

Benefits

The Hollywood 24 and 48 Hour diets do contain fruit products and many vitamins and minerals that are part of a balanced diet. Drinking the diet product instead of a higher calorie, sugary drink such as soda, may have some health benefits. Used as a diet however the benefits are unclear. The dieter may lose weight on the diet, but it is likely to return quickly after the diet is stopped if old eating habits are resumed. There may be some psychological benefit to quick weight loss but this are likely to be undone if the weight is regained.

The 30 Day Miracle Program may have some benefits. The suggestions for helping dieters maintain the weight loss achieved by the 24 or 48 Hour Diets follows many guidelines for healthy eating and moderate exercise. Following these suggestions, such as avoiding sugar, red meat, and fatty foods, are more likely than the 24 and 48 hour diets to result in moderate, sustainable weight loss. Weight loss can have many health benefits if achieved through healthy eating and exercise. Obesity is a risk factor for many diseases and conditions, such as type II diabetes and heart disease. Weight loss can reduce this risk. Following the diet’s recommendation for 30 minutes or more per day of brisk walking may also have health benefits. Regular exercise has been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Precautions

The Hollywood 24 and 48 Hour Diets specify that they should not be undertaken by pregnant or breastfeeding women, nor by people with diabetes, who are taking medication, or with any medical conditions. People without any of these conditions should also be extremely cautious about beginning this diet because of its very low calorie content. Anyone thinking of beginning this or any other diet should consult a physician or other medical professional.

Risks

Although the 24 and 48 Hour diets may provide many essential vitamins and minerals, there are many substances necessary for good health that they do not provide. They do not provide significant amounts of protein or fat. Protein is a very important part of a healthy diet, and some fat is required for the body to function properly. The 24 and 48 Hour diets also do not contain other nutrients that are important for good health. This means that dieters who follow

QUESTIONS TO ASK THE DOCTOR

Is this diet safe for me?
Will thisdiet help me reach my long term weight loss goals?
Do I have any dietary requirements this diet might not meet?
Would a multivitamin or other dietary supplement be appropriate for me if I were to begin this diet?
Is it safe for me to follow this diet over an extended period of time?

these diet plans have a high risk of nutrient deficiencies. Dieters considering this diet should consult a doctor about an appropriate multivitamin or supplement to help reduce this risk. Vitamins and supplements have their own associated risks and are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration in the same way as medicines.

There may be some negative side effects from following the 24 or 48 Hour diets. Some dieters who have tried them reported intestinal cramping, light headedness, and generally not feeling well. The website suggests that the first time a dieter try these products it be done on a day off or a weekend.

Repeating this diet frequently or for an extended period could have serious consequences. Very low calorie diets can have many negative side effects. For extremely obese people these risks of side effects can be reduced by proper medical supervision, and may be outweighed by the benefit of significant weight loss. Very low calorie diets are usually only prescribed for people who are suffering serious medical consequences from obesity. Very low calorie diets can result in many different side effects including gallstones and cardiovascular problems. Very low calorie diets are not appropriate for people who are not extremely obese, and are never appropriate without medical supervision.

Research and general acceptance

There have been no significant scientific studies of Hollywood 24 or 48 Hour Diets, or any of the other Hollywood products. The use of very low calorie starvation type diets is generally accepted to be negative for the health. Some people do advocate the use of juice fasting as a way to detoxify the body, but this is extremely controversial, and there is no research on the Hollywood diets being safe or effective for this kind of use. It is generally recommended that for safe, effective, long term weight loss and maintenance dieters follow a reduced calorie diet full of fruits and vegetables and get regular exercise.

Resources

BOOKS

Downing, Frank and O. Bardoff. The Hollywood Emergency Diet. Montclair, NJ: Millburn Book Corp, 1979.

Shannon, Joyce Brennfleck ed. Diet and Nutrition Source-book. Detroit, MI: Omnigraphics, 2006.

Willis, Alicia P. ed. Diet Therapy Research Trends. New York: Nova Science, 2007.

PERIODICALS

Larhammar, Dan. “Fakes and Fraud in Commercial Diets.” Scandinavian Journal of Food and Nutrition (June 2005): 78-80.

ORGANIZATIONS

American Dietetic Association. 120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2000, Chicago, Illinois 60606-6995. Telephone: (800) 877-1600. Website: <http://www.eatright.org>.