Demi Lovato, Candace Bergen and 8 Other Celebrities Who Are Anti-Diet
From stunning models to hilarious reality stars, the following celebs have ditched dieting for good. Find out why and get advice on how achieve a balanced diet from a licensed clinical psychologist.
Overview
For every fad diet — whether it's keto, Paleo or Whole30 — you can find a hot celebrity who's sworn by its effectiveness. But some stars are sick of following restrictive meal plans in order to look a certain way. From stunning supermodels to hilarious reality personalities, the following celebs have ditched dieting for good and couldn't be happier. We spoke to licensed clinical psychologist Andrea Thornton, Ph.D., to learn why fad dieting can be unhealthy and to get her advice on how to achieve a balanced diet.
1. Demi Lovato
Demi Lovato can always be counted on to drop some sorely needed body-positive wisdom on the world. For instance, take that time she renounced dieting and all the stress it entails. "No longer depriving myself of treats (in moderation) and I'm not gonna lie, I put on a couple lbs since I've given up dieting BUT I've given up the chronic stress of what I eat because I don't want to set that example for my fans," she tweeted in January. "No more food shaming myself!!" Then, in March, she bashed diet culture while also raising awareness about orthorexia, an emerging eating disorder characterized by an obsession with foods considered to be "healthy." "It's so frustrating and sad how strong the #dietculture in our society is. It's constantly telling us we're not thin enough, no matter what," the 25-year-old singer and songwriter tweeted. "You are beautiful, no matter what anyone says."
UP NEXT: Learn the life-changing question that made this "Riverdale" star swear off dieting.
2. Camila Mendes
"Riverdale" actress Camila Mendes isn't letting her diet keep her from enjoying life anymore. Mendes took to Instagram to share a life-changing question posed to her by a naturopath: "What other things could you be thinking about if you didn't spend all your time thinking about your diet?" she wrote. "I suddenly remembered all the activities I love that used to occupy my time. At some point in my life I allowed my obsession with being thin to consume me, and I refused to make room in my mind for any other concerns." Dr. Thornton, a clinical psychologist, says that directing all of your attention toward your diet can throw the rest of your life out of balance. Instead, she says, know that food can play different roles in your life — whether nutritional, social or emotional. Making conscious decisions about when and why you're eating different foods can help you maintain a balanced diet (and life).
UP NEXT: This supermodel refuses to feel guilty for eating mac and cheese.
3. Ashley Graham
Supermodel, advocate of body positivity and all-around girl boss Ashley Graham shared her food diary with ABC News, and it turns out she loves to eat healthy. While she tries to stick to a meal plan, breaking it won't ruin her day. "I'll also have splurges every once in a while, like mashed potatoes and mac and cheese. Nothing about me is perfect in the way that I eat, but I always try to manage it," she said. "I always try to say, 'Tomorrow is a new day. If you mess up today, don't feel guilty about it.' I've done every yo-yo diet you can imagine, and none work for me. I'm at a comfortable weight and I know that I look good and, more importantly, I feel good. So why am I dieting? I now know what works for me."
UP NEXT: This actor won't sacrifice her social life for a fad diet.
4. Gina Rodriguez
Gina Rodriguez flawlessly navigates a packed schedule, filming "Jane the Virgin," kicking butt in the boxing ring and socializing, all while living with energy-draining Hashimoto's disease. Her trick? She doesn't give dieting her time or headspace. "I think body positivity is important because it frees up a lot of worrying and a lot of stress we spend on it daily," she told Shape. "Instead, put all that time and energy into doing the things you want to do and making your dreams come true." And once those dreams become reality: "Don't forget to sit back and enjoy it," she said. For the 33-year-old actress, that means savoring good food and drink, guilt-free, with her favorite people. "Eating, drinking and toasting are big parts of my family gatherings," she said.
UP NEXT: This actor doesn't care what body shamers have to say anymore.
5. Ariel Winter
"Modern Family" actor Ariel Winter was bullied by internet trolls when she developed curves at the age of 12, being called "fat," "ugly" and "a slut," she told The Cut. So she tried desperately to change the way she looked. "I would do these weird crash diets," Winter explained. "It was always like, no matter what I did, I was always getting this negative, negative, negative backlash. After a while I was kind of like, if I can't please them in any way, I might as well just start doing what makes me happy." According to Dr. Thornton, our relationship to food can be traced back to our childhood. "We're starting to make connections about what's important to us, and if we start placing an emphasis on fad diets early on as a way of getting important needs met, then there's the potential that that's going to perpetuate into our adulthood and beyond."
UP NEXT: This "Glee" actor wants young people to know that weight has nothing to do with happiness.
6. Amber Riley
Amber Riley is done playing the part of the miserable woman on TV. "I never wanted to play a character that hated herself. I wanted people to know that those weren't the only kinds of roles for women like me. Normal girls," she said in an emotional episode of MTV's "This Is How I Made It." "Going to the auditions and hearing the casting director say, 'You need to lose a little weight,' I didn't understand why people couldn't accept me for who I was. I'm not gonna conform and hurt myself and do something crazy to be a size 2." Dr. Thornton says we don't have as much control over our appearances as society would have us think. "A person certainly can change [their weight], but the amount of effort that's required to get that change can end up having a really negative impact on other parts of their life and their nutrition."
UP NEXT: This '90s TV star is having a very public affair with carbs.
7. Candice Bergen
"Murphy Brown" star Candice Bergen, now 72, isn't afraid of the word "fat." In her 2015 memoir, "A Fine Romance," the former model decries dieting and professes her love for cookies, carbs and ice cream. "Let me just come right out and say it — I am fat," she writes, via People. "In the past 15 years … I have put on 30 pounds. I live to eat. None of this 'eat to live' stuff for me," she continues. "At a recent dinner party I shared bread and olive oil, followed by chocolate ice cream, with my husband. A woman near me looked at me, appalled, and I thought, 'I don't care!'"
UP NEXT: This actor refused to lose weight for a role.
8. Kirsten Dunst
When "Beguiled" director Sofia Coppola suggested to Kirsten Dunst that she lose weight for her role as Edwina, the 36-year-old actress had none of it. "It's so much harder when you're 35 and hate working out," Dunst told Variety. Her excuse? The shoot's location in rural Louisiana. "I'm eating fried chicken and McDonald's before work. So I'm like, 'We have no options! I'm sorry I can't lose weight for this role.'"
UP NEXT: This writer gained 24 pounds and couldn't be happier.
9. Lena Dunham
Lena Dunham gained 24 pounds, and she's happy about it. "On the left: 138 pounds, complimented all day and propositioned by men and on the cover of a tabloid about diets that work," Dunham captioned a before-and-after photo recently posted to her Instagram. "Also, sick in the tissue and in the head and subsisting only on small amounts of sugar, tons of caffeine and a purse pharmacy." The "Girls" writer, producer and actor shed some weight earlier this year when her decadelong battle with endometriosis culminated in a hysterectomy. But she's happy to announce that she's bounced back. "On the right: 162 pounds, happy joyous & free, complimented only by people that matter for reasons that matter, subsisting on a steady flow of fun/healthy snacks and apps and entrees, strong from lifting dogs and spirits…. As I type I can feel my back fat rolling up under my shoulder blades. I lean in."
UP NEXT: This reality star isn't afraid to get caught in a bikini.
10. Jennifer “JWOWW” Farley
When paparazzi photos of a curvier-than-usual Jennifer Farley, aka "Jersey Shore's" JWOWW, made their way into the tabloids in 2015, the 32-year-old reality star was far from ashamed. So she uploaded them to her Instagram account along with an important message about self-love. "I want to sit here and say that I'm embarrassed by these pictures, but honestly I'm not. I'm a new mom that loves to work out but also loves food as well," she captioned the post. "I will always try to eat healthy and … consistently work out. But I'm also a human and I love being me and I love my life. I will never try to follow the trend of being stick thin. I follow the trend of what I love in life…. And what I love is me."
What Do YOU Think?
What is your opinion of fad dieting? Have you ever tried a fad diet? How do you maintain a balanced diet? Share in the comments section!