Beyoncé's diet secret: the Master Cleanse maple syrup diet

© Patrick Rideaux/ Rex F/ REX/ SIPA

Bootylicious Beyoncé loves her grub (and we love her for it), but the singer has been known to undertake crash diets, notably in 2006 when she shed 20lb in just a few weeks for her role in the film Dreamgirls.

Her secret: the maple syrup diet. This is actually a fast rather than a diet. Also known as the Master Cleanse, the maple syrup diet involves eating nothing, and drinking a mixture of maple syrup, cayenne pepper and lemon juice throughout the day to Cleanse the body. On the Master Cleanse, you drink laxative tea every night and a draught of lukewarm sea salt water in the morning to flush you out (it's not for the faint-hearted).

Beyoncé is also said to follow a pure cereal diet a couple of weeks before (and during) every tour to get her in shape for all that booty-shaking. But just as soon as the tour/film/public appearance is over, she indulges in all the calorific treats she loves: waffles, cheeseburgers, pecan ice cream and fries. Till next time.

Our expert says: "This is the worst thing you can do to your waistline! By literally starving yourself, you're imposing restrictions on your body and you don't just burn fat: you burn muscle. As soon as you start eating again, you put the weight back on, but you only put the fat back on. Your weight will fluctuate (the yo-yo effect). Alternating starvation with junk food binges is a diet disaster, and the effects of surviving on maple syrup are unpleasant and downright dangerous. Don't ever do it."

If you want to lose weight fast but lose it properly, check out our SOS beach diet.