There are numerous ways to lose weight – for instance, you could eat healthy and exercise. Or you could swallow a tapeworm. In a country where obesity has been described as an “epidemic,” it shouldn’t come as a surprise that a number of weight-loss fads have surfaced. Some of these try to curb the fat while maintaining the obese ‘lifestyle” while others are just extreme diets that require immense discipline. Regardless, all these diets have one thing in common – they are certifiably crazy.
Below you’ll find the top 5 most insane weight loss techniques people actually try.
While it’s largely unclear as to whether or not the tapeworm pill ever existed or is just a myth, it’s well documented that beginning in the 1930’s, a new kind of dieting pill began advertising the unique benefits of imbibing a tapeworm.
Relax and Just Breathe
To start this list, let’s go with the most extreme version of dieting – eating and drinking nothing at all. That’s right, in case it wasn’t obvious to you, one way to lose weight is to stop consuming anything! Or at least that’s the philosophy of the Breatharians – a group of people (sometimes called a “cult”) that strive to achieve oneness with the world by living off of air and sunlight alone.
The Breatharian Institute of America explains their philosophy as such:
“When humans reach the purest sense of harmony with the surrounding world as well as a complete understanding of each individual’s role as a function of God to create the universe, they will have reached a vibrational frequency on this material plane, where they no longer require food, water or sleep”
Sound familiar? Some might recognize the practice by its other name - starvation. And if you’re wondering who the hell would practice such a ridiculous thing, you might be surprised to learn that there’s tens of thousands of adherents worldwide who try to free themselves from “the drudgery of food and drink.”
The most famous Breatharian is Wiley Brooks who founded the Breatharian Institute of America and who appeared on the TV show That’s Incredible! to tout his regimen to millions of fat couch potatoes. And while you might be wondering how he does it – the answer is simple. He gets his real “nourishment” by eating Twinkies and hot dogs from 7-Elevens at 3am, as multiple sightings have reported.
Does it work? Yes. Would I recommend it? Hell no.
The Jesus Diet
While the Breatharians believe in coming closer to God through starvation, adherents to this diet seek spiritual wellbeing by only consuming foods mentioned in the bible. Yep, there is a new dieting trend emerging in the Christian community – the Jesus Diet. Based on the principle of “What Would Jesus Eat,” the Jesus Diet aims to imitate Jesus’ diet as a way to lose weight and avoid sin.
“A lot of people have no desire to change their foods. Instead, they just go on medication to control their symptoms of obesity-related disease. But it shouldn’t be this way,” says Dr. Don Colbert who wrote a book on the subject. “By getting them to look at the biblical side it allows them to slow down and make the correct choice about their diet and lifestyle.”
So what did Jesus actually eat? According to Colbert (no relation to a one Stephen Colbert), Jesus apparently ate lots of fish, raw vegetables, beans, lentils and of course – wine. Unfortunately, I don’t believe pizza was around in Biblical times.
Oh well, at least there’s the wine.
The Beyonce Diet
While not technically its name, this diet gained particular notoriety after famed celebrity Beyonce used it to drastically reduce her calorie intake. Also known as the Cleansing Diet, it consists of drinking a cocktail of maple syrup, cayenne pepper, lemon juice and water for two weeks straight. Why these particular ingredients? Who the hell knows.
When strictly followed, the diet limits caloric intake to 600-1000 calories a day, which is well below the safe limit for dieting. Additionally, other problems include the lack of protein and other vital nutrients which is why the practice is usually limited to two weeks.
And the best part about it? According to nutritionists, all the weight lost during those two weeks will return with a vengeance – leaving the dieter fatter off than they were. Oh, the irony.
I’ll Take It Medium-Raw
If you’re one of those crazy people that likes their food cooked, this diet is not for you. Rawists are a rare group of “unique” individuals who believe that cooking food destroys many beneficial enzymes and is generally unnatural. I guess the delicious smell of a cooked steak isn’t considered natural then- because these people go to enormous lengths to prepare all of their food raw.
Most of the food is stuff like vegetables and salads, but they also try to get creative by making cold soups and even a “meat-like” patty made from pine-nuts and yeast that you can then throw on… a salad.
And surprisingly, this type of diet actually has many devotees in various parts of the country. Dozens of restaurants that prepare this type of food have opened up in places like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, New York and Chicago – all of which advertise the diet as a way to eat healthy and lose weight. But as far as I know, microwaving your cold tomato soup doesn’t add calories.
Let the Tapeworm Do the Eating
While it’s largely unclear as to whether or not the tapeworm pill ever existed or is just a myth, it’s well documented that beginning in the 1930’s, a new kind of dieting pill began advertising the unique benefits of imbibing a tapeworm. Later, rumors started circulating that the practice had made its way to Hollywood and into the bellies of people like Claudia Schiffer.
Snopes has listed the tapeworm pill hoax status as being “undetermined,” but let’s just for a moment suspend our disbelief and go with it. The idea that anybody, anywhere, at any time ever considered ingesting a tapeworm for the specific purpose of weight loss should give you a clue as to the bottomless depths people will go to in order to avoid a treadmill.
According to rumors, the tapeworm will live inside of you for a few weeks, growing off the food you eat which would theoretically reduce your weight. Then, if all goes according to plan, you just “coax” the tapeworm outside of you and voila – you’re glamorous! I won’t go into detail about how the treatment suggests you coax the tapeworm out of you, but suffice it to say that every aspect of this idea is revolting.
In the end, there’s many ways to lose weight. But when you’re crazy, an exercise bike and a healthy dinner just isn’t “extreme” enough. Bring out the tapeworm.
The information in the article is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate medical professional.
