Gabourey Sibide has made quite the impression over the past few months with her acting skills. Over the weekend while at the Oscar’s, Oprah Winfrey sung her praises and said that Gabourey will have a long and successful acting career. Granted, if Oprah’s on your side it doesn’t matter if you weigh 100 pounds or 400 pounds, because heck, you’ve got Oprah. But there is already talk in tinsel town as people are wondering if someone morbidly obese like Gabourey can get anymore roles. For example, on his radio show Howard Stern said,

“There’s the most enormous, fat black chick I’ve ever seen. She is enormous. Everyone’s pretending she’s a part of show business, and she’s never going to be in another movie.”

He continued the discussion with co-host Robin Quivers and said that Oprah was a liar for saying Gabourey will have a brilliant career because she’s the ’size of a planet’. Perhaps he’s right. After the obese Nikki Blonsky performed alongside John Travolta and Michelle Pfeiffer in Hairspray everyone thought her career was going to take off, and she hasn’t done anything since. However, Gabourey has already been casted to star opposite Zoe Kravitz in Yelling to the Sky and she has a recurring role in the Showtime series, The C Word, with Laura Linney.

What Howard Stern said was a little mean but Gabourey Sibide, regardless of her self-love philosphy, is morbidly obese. Surely the Hollywood bug will bite her soon and she’ll get her own weight loss reality show!

Robin Quivers, the hilarious wing-girl to shock jock Howard Stern, made headlines back in 2004 with her 70 lb weight loss. She denied having “that operation” aka gastric bypass surgery, claiming “that’s the most insulting thing.” Her secret?

She credited the Lemonade diet, also known as the Master Cleanser and popularized most recently by Beyonce, for getting down to a trim 145 pounds. The Lemonade diet is based on a concoction of lemon juice, maple syrup, cayenne pepper and distilled or purified water. She fasted for 21 consecutive days on 3 separate occasions. “It’s a completely different way to be” she says and Howard Stern producer Gary Dell’Abate gushes “I’ve been with her 20 years, and I’ve never seen her this happy and confident.”

Asked about her motivation for starting the diet, she told People magazine that she was “trying to regain my health, and that’s what I did.” At her heaviest weight of 218 lbs, her low point was at her friend’s wedding when she attempted to make an early exit and was encouraged to dance by then Rebecca Romijn-Stamos. “I thought I was going to burst into tears. I’d never felt so horrible about my physical condition in my entire life.” A month later, after magician David Blaine raved about the merits of the Master Cleanser, she decided to give it a try.

Unfortunately, the Master Cleanser is not a weight loss solution as more recent photos of Robin Quivers show that she has gained the weight back.

As with other fasting-type diets that encourage yo-yo dieting and slow down the body’s metabolism, dieters may gain the weight back and then some. The Lemonade diet is a short-sighted quick fix, that is potentially dangerous to your health and a total metabolic disaster for anyone trying to lose weight.

Published by naturopath Stanley Burroughs in 1976, the Master Cleanser is a cleansing and weight loss diet that has regained popularity in the last couple of years. Notable users of this plan include celebrities, Robin Quivers, Beyonce Knowles and David Blaine.

The Health Claims
It claims to “dissolve and eliminate toxins”, melt fat “at the rate of 2 pounds a day for most persons- without harmful side effects”, eliminate “colds, flu, asthma, hay fever, sinus and bronchial troubles”, dissolve calcium deposits, and cleanse skin disorders including “boils, abscesses, carbuncles and pimples”

The Plan
Basically, it is fasting diet consisting of a mix of lemon or lime juice, maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and spring or purified water. Recommended for at least 10 days up to 40 days and beyond according to the author.

Weight Loss Claims
No surprise here, users of this diet will lose weight because of severe calorie restriction. Be aware though that part of this weight loss is also water loss and dehydration due to the laxative effects of the diet. Severe calorie restriction will cause your metabolism to shut down as your body goes into starvation and survival mode. Once the diet is over, you will quickly regain the weight and possibly more as your resting metabolism is slower due to the loss of metabolically active muscle lost during the fast.

The Dangers
Contrary to the author’s claims, the Master Cleanser will cause toxins to build up, by depleting glutathione liver stores, the major detoxifying antioxidant produced by your body. Additionally the laxative effect caused by the diet will further acidify your blood and this can cause a profound metabolic acidosis. I have personally treated a number of patients in the Emergency Room, who presented with weakness, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea as a result of the Master Cleanse. Contrary to popular belief these “detox” symptoms are actually a result of a build up of toxins due to glutathione depletion, dehydration and a profound metabolic acidosis. One patient, whose acidosis and dehydration did not respond to IV fluid resuscitation, required admission to the hospital.

This diet is particularly dangerous if used, as the author claims to fight “colds” and ” flu”, since inadequate nutrition will weaken, not strengthen, your immune system.

The Bottom Line
I would not recommend this diet for any reason, and consider it dangerous to your health.