Carole Middleton's svelte figure has been attributed to the Dukan diet
Experts from the British Dietetic Association named the Dukan Diet the worst celebrity weight loss plan to follow and said it has 'absolutely no solid science behind it at all'.
The Dukan - also reported to be followed by actress Jennifer Lopez and supermodel Gisele Bundchen - is a complicated four-phase diet that starts with a protein-only approach which promotes weight loss of around 7lb per week.
It topped the BDA's annual list of the five worst celebrity diets to avoid in the New Year.
It works on restricting foods, calories and portion control. However, the BDA says cutting out food groups is not advisable.
The BDA said: 'This diet is so confusing, very rigid, full of very French foods that most Brits would run a mile from like rabbit and offal, and even Dr Dukan himself warns of the associated problems like lack of energy, constipation and bad breath.'
The BDA receives hundreds of calls every year on the subject of diets and analysed results to form a list of the most unreliable, difficult to follow or unhealthy diet plans.
BDA'S FIVE WORST DIETS
1 Dukan diet
2 Alcorexia diet (very low calories, calorie saving, alcohol binges)
3 Blood group diet
4 Raw food diet
5 Baby food diet
2 Alcorexia diet (very low calories, calorie saving, alcohol binges)
3 Blood group diet
4 Raw food diet
5 Baby food diet
The Dukan Diet was followed in the list by the Alcorexia or Drunkorexia Diet, an undeniably unhealthy tecnhnique believed to be used by many top models and other celebrities to keep their weight low without sacrificing their heavy partying lifestyle.
It involves eating very little during the day or week - a very low calorie (VLC) diet - and then 'saving' all the calories not eaten to binge drink alcohol.
However, the BDA reckons people must be 'blind drunk' to follow such a diet.
DUKAN DRAWBACKS
While weight loss can be quick, followers of the Dukan report difficulties. Here are the main cons.
1 Much of the diet prescribes solely protein for days on end. Followers complain this can get boring and as a result is difficult to adhere to.
2 Eating so much protein - around three to four times the normal amount - can put a strain on the kidneys. This can be more problematic for those with underlying kidney problems they may not have known about.
3 A lack of fibre can be a problem. An unbalanced diet short of fruit and vegetables and heavy in fish and meat can lead to constipation.
4 Lack of cereal-based foods can lead to deficiency of vitamin B.
5 Weight loss is difficult to maintain once the rigid programme has ended. The maintenance phase alone - six days of eating normally and one Dukan day of protein - is unlikely to keep the weight off for the average dieter, whose indulgence throughout the week will outweigh the benefits of the protein day.
1 Much of the diet prescribes solely protein for days on end. Followers complain this can get boring and as a result is difficult to adhere to.
2 Eating so much protein - around three to four times the normal amount - can put a strain on the kidneys. This can be more problematic for those with underlying kidney problems they may not have known about.
3 A lack of fibre can be a problem. An unbalanced diet short of fruit and vegetables and heavy in fish and meat can lead to constipation.
4 Lack of cereal-based foods can lead to deficiency of vitamin B.
5 Weight loss is difficult to maintain once the rigid programme has ended. The maintenance phase alone - six days of eating normally and one Dukan day of protein - is unlikely to keep the weight off for the average dieter, whose indulgence throughout the week will outweigh the benefits of the protein day.
The BDA said: 'Following a VLC diet alone is madness, as you will most certainly not be getting the calories, vitamins and nutrients your body needs to survive and function.
'In addition, you will feel weak, tired, have no energy and will become very irritable very soon. Alcohol has little nutrition other than calories.
'To do this in order to "bank" your calories so you can use them on alcohol is pure madness and could easily result in alcohol poisoning and even death.
'The BDA has received a significant increase in media calls about this diet and it is a worrying trend.'
The Blood Group Diet - said to be followed by Cheryl Cole, Sir Cliff Richard and Courtney Cox-Arquette - is also one to avoid, according to the BDA, which says it is 'completely based on pseudo-science'.
BLOOD GROUP DIET: Courteney Cox-Arquette and Cheryl Cole are said to use the diet to stay slim
However, the BDA said: 'Cutting out food groups is never a good idea, unless medically advised to do so and with help making substitutions from a dietician.
'This diet could lead to significant deficiencies such as calcium. You lose weight on this diet because your calorie intake is very restricted and this diet is not sustainable in the long term.'
Also on the list of the BDA's weight loss programmes to avoid is the Raw Food Diet, said to be followed by Hollywood A-listers Demi Moore, Natalie Portman and Woody Harrelson.
RAW FOOD DIET: Woody Harrelson, left, and Demi Moore, right, are said to follow the raw food diet
However, the BDA warns: 'A raw diet can be low in fat and calories but can also be low in calcium, vitamin D, iron, zinc and protein.
'Many foods can only be eaten cooked, like rice, pasta, bread, potatoes, beans and pulses, so these are excluded.
'The diet is unsuitable for pregnant women, children and other at risk groups. In fact some foods are more nutritious if cooked, like carrots and tomatoes.
'This diet is time consuming, socially isolating and you'll have an awful lot of chewing to do. For those who use meat in a raw diet, they put themselves at risk of food poisoning and gastroenteritis.'
The list to avoid is completed by the Baby Food Diet, said to be followed by Lady Gaga, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Aniston.
The diet calls for eating only up to 14 jars of pureed food or baby food every day, or mostly pureed food and one adult meal, or pureed food instead of snacks.
However, the BDA warns: 'This diet works on portion control and guess what? Yes, restricted calories, as a jar of baby food has very few.
'Although fruit and veg are included they are pureed so have much less fibre and texture.
BABY FOOD DIET: Lady
Gaga, left, and Gwyneth Paltrow, right, are said to have experimented
with the Baby Food diet, which the BDA calls 'anti-social and lacking in
fibre'
'Also, how anti-social would you be whipping out your jars of baby food at a top restaurant?'
Sian Porter, consultant dietician and spokesperson for the BDA, said of weight loss fads: 'Sadly, there is no magic wand you can wave.
'There is no wonder diet you can follow without some nutritional or health risk and most are offering a short-term fix to a long term problem.
'It may be obvious, but if you want to lose weight you need to eat a nutritionally balanced and varied diet with appropriately sized portions and burn off more calories than you consume.
'In short speak, eat fewer calories, make better choices and move a bit more.
'On a serious note, glamorous images of celebrities saturate our daily media in all forms. These celebs have an army of people to help them to keep looking good, which is essential to their livelihood and plenty of money to do whatever they think it takes.
'You need to remember too, a lot of these images are airbrushed and retouched to give celebrities an unachievable body image that does not exist in real life, yet many aspire to.
'Some people look at these images and will try anything they think will help them achieve the "perfect" body.
'If you have some weight you need to lose, then do it in a healthy, enjoyable and sustainable way. In the long term this will achieve the results you are after.'
The BDA, founded in 1936, is the professional association for registered dietitians in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It is the nation's largest organisation of food and nutrition professionals with more than 6,000 members.
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