Some people still take the "no pain, no gain" slogan to the gym. But it takes a certain type of bravery to take the theory all the way into the doctor's chair as he stitches a prolene patch to your tongue.
Dr. Nikolas Chugay, a plastic surgeon in private practice in Beverly Hills, Calif., developed the tongue patch as a temporary way to lose "20 to 40 pounds."
"The tongue patch is a prolene mesh [the] size of [a] stamp," Chugay said. "All you need is about four stitches to attach it to the tongue."
The prolene patch makes it uncomfortable, if not painful, to chew solid food. Chugay has implanted the patch in more than 10 patients, and sells a liquid drink mix to the dieters to ensure more calories are cut.
Chugay said his drink is "about 700 calories per day, so it's a low caloric intake. It has carbs, proteins, fat, vitamins and minerals.
"Some people still manage to eat solid foods even despite of the patch, but it's a good way of helping people not to cheat," he said.
After a month-long liquid diet, Chugay will snip off the patch, releasing his patients into the world of solid food again.
Blair thought the approach seemed short-sighted for a person's general health, or even as an attempt to lose weight.
"If you make it painful to eat, maybe people won't eat so much -- in the short-term," he said.
"But it won't work long-term, unless somewhere in this world there is a crazy person who would wear this for their whole life," Blair said.
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