Werewolves aren’t just popular in fan fiction — they’ve crossed over the world of fad dieting. The Werewolf diet is especially popular among celebrities right now like Madonna and Demi Moore, and it continues to gain in popularity.
The Werewolf Diet is also called the Lunar or Moon Diet, which has to do with the belief the diet is based on — which sounds a bit ‘luny’ to us. According to the website Moon Connection, the belief is that the moon “affects the water contained in the human body” in the same way the moon affects the tides of the oceans. Apparently the moon’s power can be taken advantage of to help you “cleanse your body and lose weight.”
Moon Connection claims those who follow this diet can lose “up to 6 lbs in a single 24-hour period!” and, apparently, Demi Moore has successfully achieved this. I have to admit, the idea of dropping that much weight in one day doesn’t sound healthy at all. Though the website does state that losing 2 pounds in a 24-hour period is much more common.
The main aspect of the diet is to do a juice cleanse once a month lasting a few days, but the day the cleanse is started matters the most. It either has to be at the full moon, new moon, or the start of a moon phase. The important thing is to be consistent month to month, although advocates of the diet claim the gravitational pull of the moon is most powerful during the new moon and full moon.
According to the Daily Mail, during these phases, “the moon can affect your mood and fasting during these points in the lunar calendar will reduce cravings.” So by doing a juice cleanse at these specific times, the power of the moon will “flush toxins out of the body” and help you drop weight — and fast.
We have some serious doubts about the effectiveness of this diet, the belief system behind how it works, and the unhealthy factor of literally dropping several pounds in one day. On top of this, Moon Connection declares it critical to “start the diet on the very minute the moon phase begins.” Really?
We also find it questionable that some of these Werewolf Diet advocates claim six days of a liquid diet is okay and will lead to better results than just a three day juice fast. Do these advocates know that a nutritionist and dietician would not deem a six day juice fast as safe? Probably not.
Nutritionists also disagree with the effectiveness of this diet. After a juice cleanse, you would maybe drop 1 pound in water weight — not 2, and definitely not six. The main purpose of a juice cleanse after all is to feel lighter and healthier, and to flush the toxins from your body — but not to lose weight. Plus, the weight you would lose through a juice cleanse (if any at all) is water weight — not body fat.
Sorry Moon Dieters, but this just doesn’t have enough scientific merit to convince us. What do you guys think?
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