I Ate Like Bella Hadid & Lost Way Too Much Weight
Bella Hadid is body goals. Her stomach always looks toned, her hips always look sexy, and she’s even got a cute little booty that she doesn’t mind showing off from time to time. I think most of us can agree it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to be given Bella’s bod.
But if we want to work for it ourselves? Let’s just say easier said than done.
Bella is one of many drool-worthy celebs who turn to Dr. Charles Passler for dieting and detox help, so I decided to try it too.
I had just come back from vacation with my boyfriend’s family where I didn’t exactly eat healthy. I also worked out once all week. I started the program at 118 pounds, which is a few pounds over my usual weight (damn you, boardwalk fudge shops).
But unlike every other BS detox cleanse on the market, Dr. Passler’s Pure Change 7-Day Eating Plan actually worked for me without making me want to kill myself (most of the time).
The idea behind the diet is that you eat every two and a half hours, which sounds amazing. Once you realize that all you’ll be eating is plain vegetables, protein shakes, and fake-chocolate protein bars, it becomes a little less amazing. But the longer I stuck with the diet (I say stuck with, because it was difficult at times), the more it grew on me.
The sample eating plan was:
7 AM: Protein shake
9:30 AM: 1/2 Protein Bar
12 PM: 100 calories of approved vegetables, 1 TBS olive oil, one detox support pack.
2:30 PM: Protein shake
5 PM: 1/2 Protein Bar
7:30 PM: 100 calories of approved vegetables, 1 TBS olive oil, one detox support pack.
It wasn’t recommended to work out on the diet besides yoga or light walking, which made sense considering you were consuming under 1000 calories a day. It was also recommended that you wake up at 6 to follow the meal plan exactly. I did that the first day, and then I went back to waking up around seven or eight and just following the meal plan from there. I also had to go to bed super early because otherwise I would get too hungry.
The first two days were pretty easy for the most part. I even went to a yoga class on Monday night and didn’t faint afterwards. I did quickly realize how annoying it was to measure everything out before you cook it, but I didn’t want to fuck up the diet by eye-balling things.
As for the pre-packaged food, it could definitely have been better, but it could have also been worse. The bars were pretty sad tasting compared to a regular protein bar or a KIND bar, but that’s also because protein bars and KIND bars are loaded with sugar and bad for you. They were edible, and it was kind of nice to fulfill my sweet tooth, even if it wasn’t as satisfying as a big brownie would’ve been. The shake was pretty standard, I got the vanilla flavor, and it tasted kind of like cookie dough (much more than the cookie dough flavored bar did, lol).
Another awesome benefit was that I only spent $15 on food the whole week. Awesome…but then again the program is $200. But I guess that’s the price you pay to lose weight? Juice cleanses ain’t cheap either, although there are certainly cheaper ways to try to be healthier. Like you know, working out…
On Tuesday night before bed, my boyfriend ate veggie sticks and they smelled like heaven to me. I wanted to kill him. After this, I made sure I was never around anyone eating normal food when possible.
Wednesday was when I hit a rough patch. I was down five pounds when I weighed myself around noon, which was insane to me. I was starving for dinner, but was so sick of veggies that I had to force down my “dinner” or romaine lettuce, mushrooms, and brussel sprouts. I went to bed hungry and grumpy.
By Thursday, I was down eight pounds, and I was determined to finish strong.
On Friday, I was moving from one apartment to another. I was a little worried I’d pass out from all the exercise and heavy lifting. I couldn’t stick to the normal eating times because I was busy, and wasn’t able to cook any vegetables like I normally would. I bought a bag of carrots from 7-11 as some form of lunch, only to realize when I checked the pamphlet that night that carrots weren’t on the approved list. Oops.
I attempted to go out Saturday night, unlike every other night where I had gone to bed by 10 for fear of sneaking into the kitchen and shoving food in my mouth. Obviously I couldn’t drink, but I was determined to make the best of it.
Even if the no drinking part sucked, while getting ready I realized that shorts that had previously gone up my ass suddenly looked actually wearable on me. I was picking an outfit based on what would show my abs, which were suddenly visible for the first time in years. For safety purposes, I brought an extra Pure Change bar in my purse if I got too hungry in the evening, but I ended up making it through.
Being sober was a bit rough and there was nothing lamer than explaining to people that you’re not drinking because of your diet, but whatevs.
I made it through the night, but that was the only time I went out with friends during the entire diet. I couldn’t stay out late, I couldn’t be around other people eating, and I couldn’t drink. If I wanted to try the 21-Day Cleanse, I would’ve had to completely say goodbye to my social life.
By the end of the diet, I was down 12 pounds. 12 pounds in a week is insane, right? It was even more insane because at 5’5″ and 118 pounds (where I started the diet), I didn’t really need to lose any weight. When I spoke to Dr. Passler on the phone he actually said that a healthy weight for my height would be 125.
Obviously, I celebrated the end of the diet by going out for a brunch of chicken and waffles. Probably not recommended for keeping the weight off, I know, but I fucking love food, okay?
By the second day off the diet, I realized that I wanted to keep starting my day with the shakes and eating the bars in addition to a more normal diet (not just veggies). The shakes allowed me to have more time in the mornings before work, and the bars helped me get to lunchtime without starving.
I’ve since run out of the protein powder and the bars (unfortunately), but I would consider getting more because I felt like they really helped me realize how much I actually needed to eat. I’ve been off the diet for two weeks now (I’m back to a normal weight for me, at 115), but I’ve found that I’ve still been eating smaller portions without feeling hungry. I also haven’t worked out since I went off the diet, which is not great, but I haven’t felt bloated and gross like I used to feel after going just a weekend without working out.
That was another thing that I really liked about the diet. I had been having a lot of early morning stomachaches, and I wasn’t really sure what was bugging me. I had thought maybe cheese and dairy, but sometimes I would avoid dairy and still wake up feeling not great. Since the diet, I haven’t had any stomach issues whatsoever, which is pretty crazy.
Although Pure Change is pricey, tough to stick to, and it’s unclear how often Bella Hadid really does the diet, I do have to say that out of all the crazy diets I’ve tried, I liked this one the best. If you’re not as disciplined as me, or you don’t like vegetables like I do, I don’t recommend this. But if you’re trying to get a jumpstart on going back to healthy eating or aren’t going to have time all week but still want to feel fab, this wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world. Another option is buying the protein and bars to add to your regular diet, which I think is a bit more realistic for the average person.
Whatever you do, you’re not going to suddenly look like Bella Hadid after just a week, and even if you lose a lot of weight like I did, you probably won’t keep all of it off. There’s only so much you can healthily do in a week. Regardless, if you don’t mind quitting your social life and half the food groups for the week, have at it!
