Doctors reveal the Kardashian weight loss tips that just don't work

Publish Date
Monday, 21 May 2018, 3:35PM
Photo / Getty Images

Photo / Getty Images

Millions of women and girls hang on her every word, Snapchat, and Instagram post.

However, when Kim Kardashian posted a now-deleted picture of herself sucking on a Flat Tummy Co's appetite suppressant lollipop on Instagram earlier this week, the mom-of-three was met with harsh criticism for promoting a diet product that encourages people not to eat.

And now a Philadelphia weight loss specialist is weighing in on all the other dieting claims the Kardashian-Jenner family has touted over the years, telling Cosmopolitan which ones should never be followed.

Weight loss-tea

Speaking to Cosmo , Dr. Charlie Seltzer — who is board-certified in Obesity Medicine — advised that there is only one way to lose weight and it doesn't involve tea, despite what Kylie Jenner might tell her millions of Instagram followers. The truth? Dieters need to limit how many calories they ingest, period.

"Nothing you can take will have any real effect on your weight if you're not watching your caloric intake," Dr. Seltzer said.

Cheat days

Khloe has transformed her body in recent years, and while she usually follows a regimented diet plan, she has alluded to 'treat days' during which she allows herself to eat whatever she wants.

However, Dr. Seltzer said that eating junk food for an entire day has a far greater impact on results than people might think.

"The effectiveness of a weight loss program can only be assessed in retrospect, so in 20 years, if she can maintain weight by taking full cheat days, good for her," he advised.

Instead, he suggests that people should eat what they like every day but control food quantities, and eat less during certain meals to compensate for larger meals later on.

Tea Wraps and sauna suits

Khloe has also promoted Fit Tea Wraps in the past, and shared with her followers that she likes to work out in a 'sauna suit' to burn more fat.

The sheet masks, which are soaked in a special gel and feature ingredients like green tea and cocoa extract, is said to minimize the appearance of cellulite. The sauna suits help Khloe 'break a sweat faster'.

And while Dr. Seltzer said they could eliminate some water below the skin, it won't make a major difference.

Same goes for the suits: "The likelihood of overheating and dehydration is huge, and death is the worst-case scenario. And if you make up for all the water you're losing by drinking more, your stomach will feel sloshy and full, which can impact quality of your workout," Dr. Seltzer says.

Go gluten free

Kourtney is a big supporter of the gluten-free movement, and has even implemented a gluten-free diet with her children.

However, Dr. Seltzer said that unless someone has a gluten sensitivity, cutting it out of your diet won't have any direct benefit. It won't address issues like overrating, so any weight that might be lost will be packed back on once a person starts eating gluten again.

No carbs

Similarly, Dr. Seltzer had the same view of Kim using the restrictive Atkins diet to shed the baby weight after giving birth to Saint.

The diet involves cutting out all carbs, sugar, sweets, white flour and white rice. Certain foods like brown rice and yams are then slowly reintroduced back into the diet.

Dr. Seltzer said that in theory, slowing reintroducing food you've eliminated after a restrictive period should work. But a person who cuts out bread after eating it for years is likely to eat a lot of it one they are allowed to again.

"If you have to do crazy s**t to be lean, you're not going to be happy, and you lose," he said.

Drinking ghee every morning

Kourtney drinks clarified butter every morning and in 2016, shared on her app that it helps with her digestion.

"Ghee is the first thing I put in my body every morning," she wrote. "I take one big teaspoon of ghee every morning, melt it on the stove in a pan and drink it out of a cute little ceramic white cup. After I take it, I don't eat anything for 20 minutes, and then I drink a glass of water before eating food."

Dr. Seltzer doesn't agree "I wouldn't ever drink fat in the morning because it provides extra calories without making you feel full. Unless you like the way it tastes and it leads you to eat fewer calories later in the day, you'll be no better off."

Chia seeds

Kourtney has also spoken about her love of chia seeds in the past, and claims they help keep her feeling full as they expand in her stomach.

Dr. Seltzer explained that drinking a glass of water 30 minutes before a meal would have the same effect.

Ditch dairy

In an interview with New Beauty in 2016, Khloe said that she lost 11 pounds in just over a month by ditching dairy.

"I'm obsessed with cheese and milk, but eliminating them from my diet (I did it gradually) made the biggest difference," she said.

Echoing his advice about gluten, Dr. Seltzer explained that unless someone is allergic to dairy, it won't have a negative impact on your body. However he did state that cutting out an entire food group can lead to weight loss as fewer calories are consumed.

"Low-fat dairy is high-protein source of nutrition, and eliminating an entire food group is absolutely not necessary to lose weight or maintainable for most people," he said.

Take your Radio, Podcasts and Music with you