Designer dieting

We’ve lusted after the bags, sprayed on the No.5 and longed for our own tweed jacket, but now we all really can live a little like Karl Lagerfeld ladies and gents- by following his specially-created diet plan, that is. Designed by Dr Jean-Claude Houdret when Mr Chanel was experiencing difficulties losing weight, the diet claims to not only physically but mentally prepare followers for rapid weight loss, and Karl managed to shed a staggering 92lbs in little over a year!

So how does it actually work? The basic principles are simple: limit calorie and fat intake, ditch the fried foods, and increase your intake of protein and vegetables. Dr Houdret then introduced three phases into the plan, the first being VCLD (Very Low Calorie Diet). He states that for a period of two weeks, dieters should limit their calorie consumption to no more than 900 calories a day, which should be achieved by eating vegetables and drinking protein shakes. This helps to shrink the stomach and mentally prepare the mind for the decreased amount of calories the individual will consume from now. Then, the diet ups your intake to 1200 a day, and allows dieters to introduce lean meats and low fat yoghurts and cheese into the plan, making meals a little more enjoyable! Finally, dieters should enter the maintenance phase and consume up to 1600 calories a day, and can incorporate whole-grain toast and fruit into their diet. If dieters continue with the plan, they could see weight loss results of up to 10lbs a month- très chic!

However, there are some downsides to this deceivingly simple meal plan. For one, it is considered dangerous to eat only 900 calories a day even for the short period, and so medical supervision is recommended. Exercise is difficult to incorporate, because dieters are surviving off such little nutrition a day. Further to this, Lagerfeld has himself described it as a form of punishment, and followers have complained that the plan is too unsatisfying and bland to persevere with. The Lifestyle girls think we’d rather have chocolate in our lives than Chanel-inspired bods, thanks Karl!