Sleep Diet - Snooze Your Way Slim

by Jacki Donaldson (Subscribe to Jacki Donaldson's posts)
Feb 10th 2009 12:00PM

Can sleeping make you slim? Yes, it can. Glamour magazine editors put seven women on a sleep diet and found, to their astonishment, that the gals lost between six and 15 pounds over the course of 10 weeks.

The women were told not to purposefully change their diet or workout routines (well, except for a couple of beverage bans) and to focus simply on getting 7.5 hours of sleep per night. And so they did. And a funny thing happened: While they didn't try to change the way they ate or exercised, the extra slumber gave them extra energy. As a result, they started eating better and moving more. Subconsciously, then, they changed their lifestyles.

Ready to follow this easy diet? Here's what you'll need to do: Sleep for 7.5 hours per night, cut the caffeine after 2:30 PM, and consume nothing alcoholic less than three hours before bed. That's it. Don't change what you eat. Don't change how you exercise. And see what happens. Bet you'll drop a few. You might even add seven years to your life with all that energizing sleep, say the Glamour girls. Now that's a diet I like -- lose a few and gain a few all at the same time.

Hollywoods Hottest Diets

Post-Holiday Hottie

The average person is bound to feel a little guilty after some holiday overindulging, and maybe even resolve to lose weight in the new year. But Gwyneth Paltrow's post-holiday binge is far from ordinary. Her seven-day elimination diet consists of liquid meals and snacks (think room temperature lemon water, coconut milk and the occasional handful of berries and almonds). In her newslettter, she doles out detox advice: "I like to do fasts and detoxes a couple of times during the year, the most hardcore one being the Master Cleanse... It was notpretty. Or easy. It did work, however." Paltrow cautions that her doctor doesn't recommend the Master Cleanse since "the liver is not supported by the nutrients it needs." She says her version diet is designed to be a "good detox" but that before following hers, or any other, you should check with your doctor. We couldn't agree more.

Alexander Tamargo, WireImage

By Jennifer Fields

Alli Spokeswoman

Known for her country music, famous family and a much-covered struggle with food addiction and weight issues, Wynonna Judd is the new face of the weight-loss drug, alli. Of her new gig, Judd has said, "Alli has allowed me a sense of well-being," says Judd. "I've passed up a lot of products, but with alli I have choices over what I can eat and flexibility; it fits into my schedule. The fact that it is FDA-approved really struck a chord with me because that means it has been thoroughly tested and is safe."

PRNewsFoto/GlaxoSmithKline

Clock Watcher

To get into fighting shape for "Blade: Trinity," Jessica Biel followed a strict diet that banned sugar, dairy, flour and salt. To keep her metabolism revved up and to get her through an intense workout schedule, Jessica has said she would eat several small meals every few hours, similar to the 3-Hour Diet.

Dimitrios Kambouris, WireImage.com

Whole Foodie

How does a middle-aged singer with three children maintain such a phenomenal physique? In addition to engaging in hours of daily punishing workouts, Madonna adheres to a strict macrobiotic diet, which is based on the idea that food and food quality affects health, well being and happiness. The diet focuses on whole, unprocessed foods and is low in fat, high in fiber and rich in vegetables and soy.

Jeffrey Mayer, WireImage.com

Dream Body

Beyoncé may be known for her curves, but the star has said she lost 20 pounds on the ever-trendy juice fast, the Master Cleanse, for her role in "Dream Girls." The fad diet (also called the Maple Syrup diet) consists of drinking a concoction of syrup, lemon juice, water and cayenne pepper.

In the Zone

When she starred on "Friends," Jennifer Aniston reportedly turned to the Zone Diet. On this plan, Jennifer would aim to have her diet consist of 40 percent carbohydrates, 30 percent protein and 30 percent fat. The Zone's founder claims this ratio will rev your metabolism.

Bryan Bedder, Getty Images

Carb Cutter

J.Lo has said that her only diet is a strategy of eating anything she wants in moderation. However, it has been reported that when Jenny wants to drop some weight, she cuts out the carbs in a strategy similar to the Atkins Diet.

Frazer Harrison/, Getty Images

Former Fat Actress

The former star of "Cheers" was the face of Jenny Craig's diet plan from 2004 to 2008. Kristie Alley is said to have lost 75 pounds on the program before stepping down as spokesperson. She's even written about the experience in a book called "How to Lose Your Ass and Regain Your Life."

Will Powers, Getty Images

Rockin' Robin

Though this popular plan promises you'll lose 21 pounds in 21 days, radio personality Robin Quivers lost nearly 25 following the Martha's Vineyard Diet. The strict diet involves consuming juice, tea and soup and having regular colonics and other spa treatments.

Stephen Lovekin, WireImage.com

Less of the Prez

The former prez's love of fast food was the subject of many 'Saturday Night Live' sketches. After leaving office, however, Bill Clinton began to cut back on the junk and lost roughly 35 pounds on the South Beach Diet, which emphasizes whole grains, lean meats and discourages bad fats.

Rolf Klatt, WireImage.com

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