Ask a celebrity about their diet and there's a good chance they'll tell you how lucky they are genetically, or they might tell you that plenty of vegetables will work wonders.
Well, veggies are great as part of a carefully balanced nutrition plan, but they're not going to keep you skinny on their own.
As for genetics- these celebs must forget that science has shown the link between genetics and metabolism to be slim, rather like the celebrities that promote this argument.
At this stage we know that what you eat, when you eat it and how much you exercise are all crucial factors.
Throw in the "if I had a dollar...
" scenario, where stars all claim they love junk food, despite being a size zero and you have to question what's going on.
Sometimes they'll throw back the curtain and whisper about a crazy fad diet, used only for a short time (of course), to prepare for a role or tour.
Whether that's the infamous lemonade diet or some other crazy concoction, you know it's going to be leaving the body without the range of nutrients it needs.
The world of celebrity nutrition is so full of smokescreens and half truths that you have to wonder what, exactly, they are hiding from us.
If it was simply a balanced diet and the right kind of exercise program, why don't they tell us that? I don't doubt that there are some people, in the public eye, who eat and exercise right.
But there must be some publicist enforced rules, where they're told not to spoil the real secret behind fat loss and weight control.
The Private Face of Celebrity Diets Behind the beautifully created facade of celebrity lie some pretty dark secrets.
Now, without wanting to come across like a scandal mag writer, let's consider a few crazy choices.
There's the classic meal skipping, going out to lunch and having only water or juice approach.
Come on- don't they know what happens to the body when it doesn't get regular food? It goes into shut down and reserves fat- I thought they taught this at kindergarten these days! Another evergreen celebrity cheat is the coffee and cigarettes approach to kill appetite.
Sure it has some tiny amount of metabolism increasing power but it's an approach that kills more than just appetites! Then there's laxative abuse, which'll leave you feeling like crap, cocaine and diet pills or fasting.
I'm sure you don't need me to point out that they're bad news for anyone, whether they are looking to burn fat or not.
You even have celebrities that can turn something as positive as exercise into an unhealthy obsession, doing it to excess- without the right nutrition and rest between sessions.
Why Does This Celebrity Diet Culture Exist? Why does all this get so much coverage in the media? My theory is that both the public and private faces of celebrity diets promote the idea that there are super quick shortcuts to a fantastic body.
They present some methods as good and highlight the craziest celebrity excesses, so that the next fad diet appeals to everyone else- because you get used to the idea of shortcuts.
And then, you keep switching diets, because you never get that shortcut result you were promised.
Can We Say Goodbye To Celebrity Fads? Those in the know, in the real world, appreciate there are no viable shortcuts, but there are solutions.
Healthy food, good exercise and rest- the simple backbone of a healthy, attractive body and mind.
The best news- embracing a lifestyle like this avoids diets, because it turns your body into a fat burning machine.
So, you can put those days of flipping between fad diets behind you.
Who needs them? At best they work for a short time (like the ones where you put weight back on after a while).
At worst they're dangerous, relying on gimmicks and limiting your range of food (boring!).