K-E Diet: Would You Use a Feeding Tube to Lose Weight?

Lots of people—particularly brides-to-be—are turning to a feeding tube to shed pounds. Oy.

I’m sorry, but this is a whole new level of crazy, even for the bridezilla-est of brides-to-be. ABC News reports on a new fad called the K-E Diet, in which a doctor inserts a feeding tube into a person’s nose and he or she is administered a slow drip of protein, fat and water constantly for 10 days, consuming a total of 800 carb-free calories a day. People report losing as much as 20 pounds and say they never become hungry. The catch: They have to walk around with a feeding tube in their nose the entire time, and carry the liquid in a purse or handbag.

ABC News reports that the diet is popular among brides-to-be looking to shed weight quickly before their wedding day. The story centers on a doctor in Florida, who, as far as I can tell, is one of the only ones actually willing to administer this craziness outside of Europe, where the diet has apparently been trending for a few years. The treatment, which costs $1,500, purports to “melt” fat off through a process called ketosis, which flushes fat while leaving muscle in tact. “It is a non-invasive weight loss method which results in most patients losing approximately 1 percent of their weight in 10 days,” according to an informational brochure about the K-E Diet. Side effects include bad breath and constipation, since there’s no fiber included in the mixture.

Is this not the most desperate quick fix you’ve ever heard of? A bride-to-be whom ABC interviewed said she turned to the diet because she didn’t have time to exercise and watch what she ate. She wore the feeding tube for eight days, losing a total of 10 pounds, and said the worst thing she had to deal with was questions from people who thought she was sick. The bride says she had to “give excuses.”

Not surprisingly, dietitians and doctors are deriding the diet as dangerous and downright stupid. Losing weight too quickly is bad for your body, and cutting out entire food groups and nutrients is never a wise decision. Also? I would be shocked if the weight-loss was at all sustainable. Once you come off the feeding tube, I imagine you’d put the weight back on pretty quickly, especially if you didn’t change any of your eating or exercise habits. So, really, what’s the point? You’re out $1,500 and you’ll probably go back to fitting into your pre-diet jeans within a month.

But at least you’ll look good on your wedding day … er, right?

Tell us: Have you ever done anything extreme to lose weight? Would you consider using a feeding tube if it meant looking good for your wedding day?

>> See also: 10 Terrifying Diet Trends