Nov. 20, 2009— -- Celebrities are notorious for their wild weight swings. Think Jessica Simpson and Jennifer Love Hewitt. But when it comes to shedding the pounds, are celebrities really the best authority?
"They are idolized by the public," Keith Ayoob, a registered dietician and director of the nutrition clinic at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, told ABCNews.com. "We hang on every word they say, whether it's good or not."
Celebrities swear by everything from macrobiotic diets to eliminating alcohol to skipping food altogether to get the weight off.
Kate Moss, that icon of uber-waif fashion, recently made headlines when she was quoted on the fashion Web site, WWD.com, as saying one of her mottos was "nothing tastes as good as skinny feels."
The phrase is commonly seen on pro-anorexia Web sites encouraging girls not to eat. Weight Watchers has used a similar slogan: "Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels."
Model Katie Green, who has campaigned the fashion industry to stop the use of super-skinny "size zero" models, told The Sun newspaper Moss' comments were "shocking and irresponsible."
"This was part of a longer answer Kate gave during a wider-ranging interview, which has unfortunately been taken out of context and completely misrepresented," the agency said in a statement. "For the record, Kate does not support this as a lifestyle choice."
"People look up to models, but they probably ought to look up to their doctor or get advice from a registered dietician," Ayoob said. "Models know how to look good but not necessarily be healthy.
"Weight management should be about health, not cosmetics," he added. "For most people, losing weight is not going to result in a Vogue cover."
Instead, Ayoob encourages regular people to be more reasonable and strive for losing even 10 percent of their current weight. He said they will definitely feel and see a difference.
So, before we succumb to the holiday temptations, ABCNews.com decided to look at five celebrity diets to see how valid they are. Should you try these at home?
Kate Hudson: Eliminate Alcohol
