This post contains discussion of disordered and restrictive eating, weight loss, and body dysmorphia. Every body is different, so before please consult a doctor before getting diet advice online.
1. Earlier this year, Rebel Wilson spoke about her weight loss journey and promoted a program where she was told that humans “don’t really need as many calories as [they] think.”
“The truth is your body doesn’t need a lot of calories and I know that might sound crazy to some people, but if you eat right and you eat small portions you’ll be just fine,” she said. “I learned that you really only need about 600 calories a day, you don’t need 1,500 or 2,000.”
Shortly after Rebel’s interview came out, registered dietician Sammi Brondo debunked this quote saying that a 600-calorie-per-day diet is “completely unnecessary and most likely unsafe.”
2. Kim Kardashian faced scrutiny after sharing that she crash-dieted in order to lose weight so that she could fit into her dress for the Met Gala. While on the red carpet, Kim said that she lost 16 pounds in 21 days. “I didn’t starve myself,” Kim said. “But I was so strict.”
Registered dietician and eating disorder specialist Elaina Efird told BuzzFeed just why this method of weight loss is “not sustainable at all and should NEVER be the goal or attempted.”
3. Back in 2018, Kim Kardashian also did an Instagram sponsorship for appetite-suppressing lollipops and received extreme backlash from users who called the ad “abhorrent” and “irresponsible.”
Even Jameela Jamil took to Twitter to share her distaste for Kim’s behavior. In a now-deleted tweet, Jameela said, “No. Fuck off. No. You terrible and toxic influence on young girls. I admire their mother’s branding capabilities, she is an exploitative but innovative genius, however this family makes me feel actual despair over what women are reduced to. ☹️”
4. Before her 2018 Coachella performance, Beyoncé promoted the 22 Days Nutrition diet that helped her lose weight after having her twins Sir and Rumi. Beyoncé followed the program for 44 days and said, “In order for me to meet my goals, I’m limiting myself to no bread, no carbs, no sugar, no dairy, no meat, no fish, no alcohol — and I’m hungry.”
Angela Lemond, a spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, went on to explain that this diet is not sustainable for anybody and she doesn’t recommend following it to lose weight. “We have to remember that food is energy for our body, and we should not be afraid to eat whole wholesome foods, and we should focus on the foods that we should eat versus ones we shouldn’t eat,” she said.
5. Earlier this year, Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Sean Hayes released a docuseries Smartless: On the Road that took viewers behind the scenes of their country-wide podcast tour. Throughout the series, Will, Sean, and several crew members were quick to call out Jason’s obsession with the food he ate himself, as well as what those around him ate.
During one scene, Jason called Will a “fat fuck” and a “chunk” as he ate, also commenting on the amount of sauces Will put on his meal and the size of his bites. In a later scene, Will even admitted, “I feel like I’ve put on some weight on this tour. My body dysmorphia, which has been aided by my friend, is pretty bad.”
6. Lizzo received a lot of backlash after she shared she was doing a juice cleanse on Instagram back in 2020. Amidst the cleanse she also shared “before and after” photos of her face and body. her defense for the cleanse was that she “drank a lot and ate a lot of foods and fucked [her] stomach up in Mexico,” and hoped to “reset” her stomach.
Several fans left concerned comments on her post, but Lizzo responded saying “I look and feel like a bad bitch,” and that she was proud of herself and her results.
7. In 2020, Kelly Ripa participated in a “What I Eat In A Day” video for Harper’s Bazaar, and shared some questionable and restrictive eating habits. In the video, which has been deleted from the Harper’s Bazaar YouTube channel but still exists on it’s Facebook page, Kelly explains that doesn’t eat any “chewing food” until after she’s done filming her show Live With Kelly and Mark. Her first “chewable food” of the day is a cut-up apple with nut butter, and the rest of the day is very heavy in greens.
Registered dietician and content creator Abbey Sharp made a reaction video of her own in response to Kelly’s and explained that the diet feels very “compulsive” because of how limited the food options are. She adds that while all the foods Kelly eats are healthy, the diet is limited in nutrients.
Kelly later mentions that she does “cheat” on her diet sometimes by eating chocolate-covered nuts. Abbey further explained that the “rigidity and repetitiveness” of the diet meant that there was no “room for regular, mindful treats.”
8. Earlier this year, Gwyneth Paltrow was called out by many after she shared her “wellness routine” which consisted of an extremely limited diet. She said that in her routine she will eat dinner early in the evening and does a “nice intermittent fast,” adding that she doesn’t begin eating until noon. In the mornings she’ll “have some things that won’t spike [her] blood sugar” like coffee or celery juice. And then for lunch, she has a bone broth soup most days. She said that she likes to have at least “one hour of movement” every day as well, and then spends 30 minutes in the sauna.
Registered dietician Sammi Brondo explained that the diet is “actually not that healthy-sounding at all” because of how little food is being eaten.
9. Hilary Duff compared her diet to Gwyneth’s saying “I wake up really hungry … Sometimes, I try to just drink coffee in the morning and stave off my hunger.”
However, it is totally normal to wake up each morning hungry, it’s the body’s response to not eating food for a number of hours. However, in more extreme cases, intense hunger may be a sign that not enough nutrients are being consumed during the day.
10. In 2021, when asked about what she eats when she’s stressed, Jennifer Aniston responded by saying, “A chip. Crunch, crunch, crunch.” Caught off-guard, the interviewer asked, “Just one?” to which Jennifer elaborated, “Usually. I’m good at that. I can have one M&M, one chip. I know, that’s so annoying.” She later added that her go-to alcoholic drink is a margarita that is “clean, [with] no sugar.”
Several Twitter users felt that this idea of indulging in one single chip or piece of candy was encouragimg disordered eating.
I just read an interview where Jennifer Aniston says that when she gets stressed, she eats 1 chip, or 1 M&M.
This is why women my age develop eating disorders, myself included. 2021 is not the time for her humblebragging.— Amy (@farty115) August 4, 2021
