I like to think of myself as a body positivity activist. Having been through many ups and downs with my body, through a modelling career in my early teen years that fed into some pretty toxic ideas and, to now, being a healthy, plus size model — I’m proud of how far I’ve come.
Beyond my own experiences, I just love talking about our bodies, how they work and how understanding them can help us to have a better relationship with ourselves. It’s something I’m really passionate about.
Which is why I really can’t get behind this TikTok revenge body / weight loss trend that keeps popping up on my feed. Honestly, I don’t know how it got there. Clearly, my algorithm doesn’t understand me.
The trend sees people who were essentially body shamed by their ex —claiming they said things like “you’ll never wear a bikini” or that they broke up with them because they were “too fat” — sharing their now-bodies, achieved through regularly drinking a #coffeelemondiet concoction.
They claim that the dramatic weight loss comes from drinking a combination of fresh lemon juice, instant coffee and warm water, to be consumed in the morning on an empty stomach.
I immediately have alarm bells going off in my brain as I watch these videos. They’re pretty triggering, to be honest. There are layers as to why this kind of content is so unbelievably toxic, so let’s tackle them one at a time.
First, let’s talk about this lemon and coffee concoction.
According to Healthline, the caffeine in coffee is great for boosting your energy, especially related to physical performance, so it helps you move for longer. It also acts as an antioxidant and can help prevent certain cancers.
Fresh lemons, on the other hand, are known for their high level of vitamin C, and also act as an antioxidant and can help keep your immune system strong to fight infections and illnesses.
Independently, these both sound like great things to have in your diet. But what happens when you mix them together? Do they create this magic “stomach-flattening” drink?
Medical professionals say no.
“The only way to get rid of unwanted fat is by consuming fewer calories or burning more of them,” Healthline writes.
“Recent research has found that caffeine may stimulate brown adipose tissue (BAT), a type of metabolically active fatty tissue that decreases with age and can metabolise carbs and fats.
“That said, the potential weight loss effect may be due to the caffeine in coffee, not the mixture of coffee with lemon.”
This scientific information makes videos like the below even more problematic.
Complimenting the trending videos, here we see a “doctor” (we’re not sure of his credentials, but he’s wearing scrubs, so people seem to assume he knows his sh*t), reacting to this user’s weight loss and claiming that the #coffeelemondiet is “real” and “works”.
In short, there is no proof the coffee and lemon drink going viral on TikTok is a tool for weight loss. There’s not even any clarity around whether these videos are actually real. When I really look at some of them, they could be different people from the first video, to the last. Plus, most of the profiles kinda look like bots.
But regardless of whether or not any of this is real (because who can ever be sure?), it doesn’t stop these videos from infiltrating the feeds of innocent, naive and (probably) insecure young people. It really goes without saying, that content like this — especially when it’s being seemingly backed-up by medical professionals — is damaging.
However, as far as I can tell, from an actual scientific angle, this drink doesn’t “work”. So, that’s that. But then we’re left with other elements of this trend that deeply worry me.
First, the fact that a “weight loss trend” is even a trend at all? Diet culture that advertises and encourages extreme weight loss is really unhealthy for our bodies. Often, it includes taking things away that we need, in order to achieve a desired result; which isn’t sustainable. But even more importantly, it creates this narrative around thinness, and that being thinner means being happier.
This directly feeds into the most toxic element of this trend: the “revenge body” angle. Many users who trying this viral weight loss drink are doing it because someone made them feel bad about their body. It’s this toxic cycle of “I must be the problem” or “if I was skinnier, I’d be more attractive and therefore easier to love” which is just plain FALSE. And really troubling.
We’re trying to get away from those conversations. The media I want to consume — and if I ever have kids, that I want my kids to consume — is content and stories that positively reinforce being uniquely you. If someone is body-shaming you, you should be the one leaving them; not the other way around. It is never okay to judge or comment on the way someone looks, let alone use it as some kind of control tactic.
Can you tell I feel passionately? Sorry, there’s just a lot to unpack.
We should not be teaching and encouraging others to lose weight to make someone regret leaving us. If you feel as though working on making your body feel healthy and fit is something you want to do — then that’s fab, but do it for you. And find a healthy way to do it!
Having close friends and family members who have suffered from almost fatal eating disorders, I can absolutely guarantee that anything that “helps” you “lose weight fast” is dangerous and unsustainable.
Okay, rant over. My main takeaway from all of this is that we need to love our bodies harder than ever before. Listen to some Meghan Trainor and dance around the house in your undies and drink a glass of wine and only allow people into your space who worship you.
Oh, and don’t believe everything you see on TikTok.
