These Celebs All Tried the Keto Diet — But Who Loved It, and Who Hated It?

Unless you've been under a rock, you've likely heard of the Ketogenic diet by now — and celebrities on Keto are helping to amplify the message big time. Boldface names like Jenna Jameson credit the trending diet to extreme weight loss — and we'll get to that. 

But first, let's review what the diet actually is. Initially developed to treat neurological issues such as epilepsy, the plan involves replacing high-carb foods with items that are high in fat and protein so that your body burns fat instead of carbs.

So, yes, regular folks and celebrities on Keto are everywhere these days — but is this healthy? Is it even safe? Well, that's been debated.

Nutritionist Dana James recently told The Feast that the Keo diet entails breaking your diet down into these components: 60 percent fat, 35 percent protein, and five percent carbs. "If you follow these ratios strictly you won’t have enough plant fiber or phytonutrients for regular bowel movements — you’ll be constipated — your skin will lose its vibrancy, and you’ll disrupt the gut micro-biome, which feeds off the plant fiber, and this will have an adverse impact on your mood and thyroid,” James says. “Of course, none of this shows up straight away, but it will.” 

And, for the record, Andy Cohen ribbed his recent Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen guest Savannah Guthrie for following the plan, calling it "dumb." (Watch the clip above!) 

So, there might be some downsides to following this celeb-adored diet. But speaking of celebrities, here are some famous famous who have been willing to give it a go. 

Perhaps the diet's biggest — or at least most publicly vocal — proponent, Jameson famously shed 60 pounds by sticking to its tenets. "I think #keto cracks the code to get rid of belly fat," she once wrote. And now that she's at her 125-pound goal weight, the mom isn't exactly skimping on snacks. "Yesterday I ate a HUGE siracha burger with jalapeños done protein style," she recently shared. "I ate salmon and a big Caesar salad for dinner and had my usual three eggs and cheese for breakfast. My scale is reflecting and staying put."

Couric gave the diet a try, and quickly discovered one of its less lovely side effects. "So I've been doing the Keto diet for a week now and I actually do feel better," she posted on Instagram Stories. "The fourth or fifth day, I felt a little shaky and headachy, but I feel much better." By the way? That feeling the journalist referred to is a known condition called "The Keto flu," and it can happen when your body goes into a state of ketosis. But, there's also this: "I'm eating mostly protein and some cheese," Couric wrote. "And I'm putting half-and-half in my iced coffee, and I gotta tell ya, it's damn good."

As we mentioned, the Today co-host also dabbled in the diet earlier this year. Let's just say: She wasn't as blown away as Jameson. When she appeared on WWHL in September, Guthrie said that she'd been Keto-ing (yes, we made up a verb) for seven weeks. "It's not even doing anything," she admitted. "I haven't lost anything! I haven't lost a thing, but you know what? I've eaten a lot of bacon and I like it."

Nutritionist and cookbook author Joy Bauer was also in the clubhouse that night, and jumped in to say: "It's super high in fat and it's ridiculously low in protein and carbs, so it's very difficult to stick with and really, it makes me so sad to think a diet would omit so many fruits and vegetables." 

If there are aspects of the diet that sound good to you — and others that, well, don't — this is one Keto success story that will be right up your alley. Bravo's Top Chef alum Chris Scott has said that he shed 20 pounds by only "sort of" doing the diet. "No carbs, minimal sugar. Eating primarily vegetables and animal proteins only," he wrote on Instagram back in August. "Don't sleep, I still slide a bowl of ice cream in the mix..... but certainly not like before. I'm only human."

Lean workout machine Tamra Judge is interested in anything healthy-living related. So like the rest of us, The Real Housewives of Orange County fitness buff wasn't interested in giving the Keto diet a go. Back in August, she announced on Instagram that she was curious to see if the diet really works. She hasn't said much about it since then, but crushing reps at the gym pretty much is Tamra's daily diet, so it seems like she's doing just fine! 

Hungry for more celebrities on Keto? Behold everyone who's weighed in on the buzziest diet du jour: