Crazy ‘Six Weeks to OMG’ diet criticised by experts

A quick fix diet, self published as ‘Six weeks to OMG’, has been criticised by nutritionists and psychologists for promoting practices that could lead to eating disorders and health problems.

[Healthy: 10 diet foods that make you fat]

Billed as a way to ‘get skinnier than all your friends’, Six Weeks to OMG has been racing up the ebook downloads charts, offering tips such as swapping broccoli for cola and avoiding fruit.

Written by British sports scientist and celebrity personal trainer Paul Khanna, under the pen name Venice A Fulton, the plan suggests dieters skip breakfast, drink coffee before hitting the gym and take cold baths and showers.

So far, so unhealthy.

Khanna has also been criticised for preying on impressionable youngsters, using language popularised by shows such as TOWIE and emphasising competing with your friends and getting fast results.

GP Dr Ian Campbell told the Daily Mail: “This is a cynical attempt to sell huge numbers of books and I certainly wouldn’t recommend it.”

Some of the advice could indeed lead to weight loss, experts concede, but as fad diets don’t work, it’s more likely that devotees will put weight on in the long run and the bizarre eating practices could lead to eating disorders. Plus, some of the recommendations could be downright bad for you, including weakening your immune system with ice cold baths.

In his column for the Evening Standard, TV’s Dr Christian Jessen claims the diet is almost impossible to stick to, requiring a huge degree of willpower to dunk yourself into ice cold baths and skip breakfast. If you can do that, he asks, why not find the willpower to follow a healthy long term eating plan that’ll help you lose weight for good?