Ladies across New York are celebrating with the arrival of the new "Champagne Diet", which advocates sipping a flute of bubbly or two every day in order to drop those unwanted kilos.
The dubious diet was developed by New Yorker, Cara Alwill Leyba, 31, who works for MTV and claims she has lost 9kg on the regimen so far, the UK's Daily Mail reported.
Leyba says that she had previously tried everything to lose weight. "You name it, I'd done it," she says. "Atkins, Weight Watchers, Dukan. I'd been chubby since I was a child and hated it. I constantly felt down about my weight."
When a friend suggested she swap her daily glass of red wine for champagne instead of dieting, she was more than happy to oblige.
"A normal glass of champagne has just 91 calories per glass, and because the bubbles reach your bloodstream more quickly, you consume less," she claims.
The glass of bubbly is coupled with a "glamorised" diet of high-quality, nutrient-dense and tasty foods equalling somewhere between 1200 and 1400 calories per day.
Apart from that there are no other restrictions, allowing the champagne dieter to continue socialising without sacrificing too much; the theory being that eating "classy" foods make people value their bodies more, and thus less likely to overeat.
"Don't order the fatty cheeseburger with fries and cola. Instead, get a smoked salmon bagel with a mixed greens salad and a glass of champagne. Start putting the best into your body," she says.
While Leyba claims the diet helped her overcome her weight issues and feel more uplifted, a healthy diet, exercise and limited consumption of alcohol is still recommended by the health experts.
Elisabeth Weichselbaum, a nutrition scientist at the British Nutrition Foundation, says while occasional indulgences and treats are permissible, she "wouldn't recommend anyone increasing their alcohol intake as part of a diet."
The Australian guidelines for alcohol consumption are no more than two standard drinks per day with two alcohol-free days per week, and doctors have warned of the risks of consuming alcohol every day.
The
Australian Government's Department of Health and Ageing advises, "drinking alcohol can affect your liver or cause brain damage, heart disease, high blood pressure and increases your risk of many cancers. It may also increase your risk of injury through road trauma, violence, falls and accidental death.
But these risks have not deterred Leyba, who has documented her weight-loss journey on a blog The Champagne Diaries, and is about to publish a book on the diet.
"Champagne is usually reserved for celebrations," she says, "but I feel like it should be enjoyed every day."
We'll stick to water thanks.
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