Healthy Hollywood: Ask Keri Glassman — What Is The Tongue Patch Diet?

Nutritionist Keri Glassman, who regularly shares her expertise on Access Hollywood and Access Hollywood Live, is answering your nutrition, diet and health questions.

Want to know how celebrities are getting their fabulous post-baby bodies? And, if their diet plan is right for you?

This week’s question…

“I’ve read about this new quick way to lose weight called the tongue patch diet. What’s the deal with it and does it actually work?” — Samantha R., Tulsa, Okla.

Keri says…

I heard about this new “diet” too, and found it a little hard to swallow. The tongue patch diet, apparently all-the-rage in Venezuela, involves a patch, made from marlex (the material used to fix hernias), being sewn onto your tongue – yes you read that right! – causing pain whenever you eat. Patch patients go on a strict 800 calorie per day liquid diet until the patch is removed after a month. Pain whenever you eat? Ummm, CAPITAL N-O thank you! The liquid diet includes shakes and low-calorie beverages that provide you with about 800 calories a day. Do I even need to address the fact that this isn’t enough calories? I can’t get past the pain part! But apparently those who have tried this crazy diet method have lost from 18 to 20 pounds after a month.

Thinking about getting patched? Well if you do (which I do NOT recommend!), don’t forget to mark your calendar because if you don’t have the patch removed after a month, it starts to merge with your tongue – yikes! When the patch comes off, you are encouraged to eat a strict plant-based boot camp diet that is meant to prepare you for a lifelong healthy diet. But like most fad and yo-yo diets, it has been reported that most people that have gone through this procedure gained all the weight back, and more. Shocker?!

And chew on this one (since you can!), this pain-pusher will set you back a whopping $2,000, ten minutes, and six stitches. Sure you can go to work the next day, but good luck speaking in that morning meeting with your boss, since patients are said to endure a swollen tongue for 48 hours post-insertion. And aside from the swelling and discomfort of having an unnatural patch sewn onto your tongue, other side effects include speech difficulties, trouble sleeping, infections, difficulty moving your tongue, and pain. Needless to say, this method has not received FDA approval. Phew!

We’re supposed to EAT! Nix the patch, relish in your ability to chew, and enjoy the natural crunch every healthy food your body was meant to enjoy. Chomp on, patch off!

— Terri MacLeod & Keri Glassman