Geordie Shore's Holly Hagan sparks outrage after launching 800 calorie diet book

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Geordie Shore star has published book Lose 5 Pounds in One Week
It promises rapid weight loss on 800 calories a day
Fan posted photo of herself eating a lolly after having 758 calories in a day
Commenters rushed to criticise Holly for encouraging such behaviour

Published: 10:27 EST, 23 September 2015 | Updated: 12:03 EST, 23 September 2015

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Geordie Shore star Holly Hagan has been slated for encouraging people to eat just 800 calories a day in order to lose weight.

The 23-year-old from Middlesbrough advocates the low calorie diet - 1,200 calories fewer than the NHS recommend - in her new manual Holly Hagan's Lose 5 Pounds in One Week, written with Liverpudlian personal trainer Ashley Lucas.

She said: 'The plan used in the Lose 5 Pounds In 1 Week book is the plan that I followed during the week that I lost six pounds.

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Holly Hagan has lost three stone in the last three years and has been keen to show off the results online

One fan revealed how they had followed Holly's plan and had just 758 calories in a day - including this lolly. It led to a barrage of criticism after it was reposted by Holly's 'lose5pounds' account

'Although that exact regime may not have the same effect on other people who try it, I'm walking proof that the goal is reachable.'

Fans of the book have shared pictures of their weight loss success on the associated Instagram account 'lose5pounds', which has led to criticism over whether it is a healthy way to get into shape.

Concerning comments came after one Instagram user following Holly's plan revealed she had consumed just 758 calories in a day. They posted a picture of an in ice lolly with the caption '45 cals and I'm finished on 758 for the day #lose5pounds #hollysbodybible @lose5pounds #swuk #sw #slimmingworld'.

Critics leapt to condemn the user for eating just 758 calories a day and Holly for encouraging her.

'Scienceofmuscle' who wrote 'That's less than a small child should eat. This is NOT healthy', while 'plant_based_bailey' added 'Are you crazy!!!! That is not enough for an adult!!'

Others commented on how eating so few calories was 'ridiculous' and 'horrendous'.

'Toastgains' said Holly was a 'moron to advertise this to people' while 'kateeepate' added: 'This is unhealthy and unsustainable. This post should be deleted. You're setting a terrible example to female society.'

Holly said the plan helped her lose 6lbs in a week

'Caryscruton' weighed in saying: 'You are promoting Incredibly dangerous "nutrition"/ "calories". This is totally unhealthy' while '_discodances' said: '758 calories a day is horrific. Absolutely disgusting to promote this to young impressionable girls looking for a quick fix. This sort of diet is NOT sustainable. Ladies you will drop weight quickly but put it and more back on very quickly afterwards. You will also feel absolutely horrific.'

However in defence of the reality TV star, 'anniepilman' pointed out that the diet plan is not supposed to be followed indefinitely.

'It's not supposed to be an everyday thing long term, it's to lose a lot of weight in a week,' she wrote.

A spokesman for Holly reiterated this point when contacted by MailOnline.

They said: 'On the first page of the Lose 5 Pounds In 1 Week book, it states that the diet contains general information about nutrition and diets, that the information in the book is not advice and should not be treated as such.

'Also in the book, it says that the plan is designed to be followed for seven days, without starvation, supplements, or cutting out entire food groups. It is designed so be about small sacrifices for a week, combined with specific techniques.

'The plan is also versatile for different people and is not designed to be a strict one-size-fits-all regime, for example boys are recommended in the book to consume more than 800 calories per day.

The reality star shows off her figure from behind before and after she embarked on a healthy eating and exercise regime

'There is an entire page in the book, led by our fitness expert Ashley Lucas, about the science behind the regime, Holly also snap chatted a video of herself talking directly to a doctor about the pros/cons of the week-long plan, and he stated that the plan is not dangerous, if carried out for the time advised, and that it IS possible to lose 5 pounds in that time-frame.

'The benefits of the plan are mostly weight loss, it is designed for people to lose a small amount of weight in a short period of time for a quick confidence boost.'

The benefits of the plan are mostly weight loss, it is designed for people to lose a small amount of weight in a short period of time for a quick confidence boos

Indeed Holly's weight loss since she first found fame on Geordie Shore hasn't been as rapid.

She dropped from a size 16 to 8 and lost three stone over three years by eating more healthily and taking up exercise.

She writes of her weight loss journey on her website: 'As most of my fans have noticed, I've dropped a considerable amount of weight since my first season on Geordie Shore and Lord knows I needed to. I was heavy, unhealthy, depressed and hated the way I looked... all through my life I've struggled to be a slim girl but I'll hold my hands up now and say I struggled because of my poor junk diet.'

She said rather than resort to plastic surgery, she discovered 'hard work and sacrifice' was a better way to slim down.

She wrote: 'I made the firm decision to forget all the fad diets, the quick fixes, cutting corners, the nonsense body shrinking wraps, the food supplements and all the junk. I would ditch all the excuses and the false explanations.

'I would finally do the one thing I hadn't yet tried to get slim… good old-fashioned healthy eating and exercise. I knew it was going to be hard, but anything that’s worth having doesn’t come easy, especially not your dream body.'

Holly, left, in a recent picture of her slim figure shared on her weightloss account and right, when she was a dress size 16

Holly reveals this full exercise and diet plan in her 'Body Bible' book but it is the latest Lose 5 Pounds in One Week tome that has come under fire.

This plan was designed in conjunction with personal trainer Ashley, who according to the book's website, 'has worked with hundreds of clients whose goal is to drop weight and fast for a special event, such as a wedding, party or holiday and he's well used to helping each one of them achieve that goal.'

It adds: 'In addition, Ashley has competed as a fitness model, so stripping fat from his own body in the final days before a competition is vital.'

Max Bridger who co-founded the company LDN Muscle to promote healthy eating and working out to budding gym goers, said they don't recommend such drastic measures.

He said it is better for those looking to lose weight to do so over time as otherwise, they could quickly regain the weight and damage their immune system.

He explains: 'Diets aimed at or promising rapid weight loss are not going to be sustainable long term. In order to lose weight you need to be in a calorific deficit. However, you need a baseline level of food (energy) for your body and its metabolic processes to function properly, and this shouldn’t be surpassed in order to drop weight at a faster rate.

'Once you fall below this amount of calories required for your body to run properly your immune system will suffer, you may become chronically fatigued, could commonly suffer from migraines, constipation, nausea, diarrhoea, iron and various other deficiencies, have mood swings and in serious cases amenorrhea (absence of a period) and anaemia. Health should always be prioritised over results.'

He added: 'A healthy diet should not totally eliminate a macronutrient - carbohydrates, protein and/or fats - and shouldn't be so restricting that it causes (micro)nutrient deficiencies. With low calorie diets that are below 1,200 to 1,500 calories per day foods should be varied to avoid any minor or major deficiencies, so it would be extremely hard for a sub-800 calorie diet to be sufficient in even the majority of essential nutrients and minerals.'