For his role in The Machinist, Christian Bale lost nearly 65 pounds, maintaining his frail frame by eating only 275 calories a day over the course of four months. “It was like a massive shock to my body because of what I was trying to get it to do,” said Bale in an interview with the BBC. The bottom line? Don’t try this at home. “When celebrities lose loads of weight, they often have a team of professionals—doctors, nutritionists, and trainers,” says Christine Avanti, nutritionist and author of Skinny Chicks Don't Eat Salads, who worked with Jeremy Piven to healthily drop 20 pounds for his character in Smokin’ Aces. “But no matter who you are, this extreme dieting can be very harmful. People who go on and off low-carb diets get puffy and bloated easily because their body will not break down carbohydrates as efficiently as someone who eats carbohydrates more often.”
Besides, says Cheryl Forberg, RD, nutritionist for The Biggest Loser, “When people follow crazy diets like fasting, they’re usually just shifting water around, losing water weight.” Another negative side effect of rapid weight loss is that muscle mass is lost too: “Not only do we need muscle for flexibility and strength, it burns 10 times as many calories as our fat tissue and is metabolically more active,” Forberg says. Without precious fat-burning muscle, dieters who suddenly stop dieting will find they put pounds back on at a much faster rate—and could wind up being even more obese than they were to begin with. A lowered metabolism also plays a part in accelerated postdiet weight gain.
“When you severely limit your calorie intake, after a certain point your body adapts and forces your metabolism to slow down, and you stop losing weight,” says Vincent J. Portera, DC, and nutritionist for JF Gymnastique at the Julien Farel Salon. In effect, even though your weight is increasing, your metabolism will still be low. “You don’t want your body to be a Yugo car burning calories slowly—you want it to be a Ferrari, burning them quickly. If you eat in a more balanced way and exercise, you can restore your metabolism in a few weeks, but if you continue to go off and on a diet, it could take up to a year for your metabolism to get back to normal; when you yo-yo, it’s harder to recover your metabolism the way it was before you started.”
Yo-yo dieting affects your body—and it can wreak havoc on your psyche. Portera says he often sees crash dieters go though extreme mood swings: “They are much more likely to have reactive blood sugar,” he explains. “Their blood sugar drops, so they eat something and it spikes up. Then a half hour later, they’re moody and eating something again.”
Still, eating smaller portions is easier said than done; finding healthier ways to enjoy your favorite foods is also necessary. If you crave sugar, “drizzle dark chocolate over fresh grapefruit slices to satisfy a sweet tooth while benefiting from vitamin C and other nutrients,” says celebrity trainer Valerie Walters, who has worked with Jennifer Garner and Jessica Biel. “Consuming fruits and vegetables with high water content like grapefruit helps you feel fuller. You might also try nutrient-dense foods such as red peppers, apples, and those that are high in fiber, like grains and lentils.”
Good fats—avocado, almonds, flax seeds—are satisfying and make you feel less deprived, too. “Put some almonds in your yogurt or cereal, or avocado in your salad or sandwich instead of mayonnaise—it tastes great, and it’s filling,” says Forberg.
To complement healthy eating, Greene says you must also "commit to becoming healthier and fitter. Instead of trying to change overnight, make gradual, manageable habit changes. It's better to work out for 35 minutes three times a week than to try and work out for an hour every day and give up because you don’t have the time or energy for it.”
Even the slightest bit of exercise will benefit you mentally as well, says Binks: “Physical activity is important to successful maintenance—it helps joints, bones, heart, and mood.”
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