Celebrity Chatter: Weight Loss Secrets Of Stars Revealed

From Surgery To Colon Cleansing, It's All About Looking Good

It's tough being a celebrity and being in the public eye. And what happens when you become an overnight celebrity like Sharon Osbourne?

Sure her famous husband was known for his outragerous antics for years before their hit television show, but now Sharon's the one making the rounds on television talk shows and being scrutinized for her every move.

Now that the spotlight is on Mrs. Osbourne, she says she's more conscious about her looks than ever before, especially her weight.

US magazine recently featured a special report on the fact that Hollywood has made slimming down into an extreme sport.

Radical procedures from liposuction to bypass surgery are now commonplace.

Osbourne turned to one surgical procedure to help get rid of her years of partying pounds.

The magazine reports that Osbourne had the same procedure that "Today" show weatherman Al Roker used to trim his bulging tummy. Reportedly, Roker and Osbourne both had surgery to implant a gastric band to lose weight. The procedure places a band made of silicon and filled with saline around the top part of the stomach. This restricts the amount of food a person can eat before feeling full. Cost? About $30,000.

Osbourne told Us that if she didn't have the help of the band, she'd weigh over 500 pounds and "be in a wheelchair." She once weighed 224 pounds, but now weighs about 130, she says.

Other radical celebrity diets, although they are nothing new, are typical starvation diets, which we've heard about for years. But there are modern twists on the old tried-and-trues. Some of the latest Hollywood fads include the lemon juice and paprika fast, which is meant to cleanse the body over a few days. Nothing but lemon juice laced with paprika is consumed for days.

Some stars are escaping to spas that offer something called colonic irrigation. Us reports that stars Ben Affleck, Courney Love, Andie Macdowell, Janet Jackson, Cindy Crawford, Alicia Silverstone, and Liv Tyler have visited a colonic center. One of the most popular escapes for celebrities who want to cleanse their colons is the We Care Holistic Health Centre in Palm Springs, Calif. With a price tag of at least $2,500 a week, the spa offers cleansing during three-, five- or eight-day retreats where participants consume only liquid. Then, daily colonic irrigation ensures maximum weight loss. It's a quick way to lose weight, one regular (no pun intended) said, and not a bad "weekend getaway."

Some of the latest prescription weight loss pills have helped celebrities shed pounds. Tom Arnold reportedly lost his excess flab by reducing what he ate and taking the diet aid Xenical.

Probably the most radical weight loss was the highly publicized surgery that slimmed Carnie Wilson from 300 pounds to 150 pounds. Roseanne, too, has said that she was tired of being overweight and tipping the scale at 240 pounds. After gastric bypass surgery, the same procedure Wilson had, Roseanne slimmed down to about 160 pounds.

All of this costs money, and no matter how much we'd like to look like Hollywood stars, the truth of the matter is that most celebrities have personal trainers and personal chefs on the payroll.

Speaking of training, I couldn't get over how absolutely buff Matt Damon looked in "Bourne Identity," so I went searching to find out exactly what he did to get in shape for that role.

Turns out Damon used boxing to get in shape. He'd box for almost two hours every day and lift weights. He also studied a martial arts technique called Kali for two hours each day. That'll get you in shape. No colon cleansing for this hunk.

Angelina Single?

The made-in-Hollywood romance between Angelina Jolie and Billy Bob Thornton could be one for the history books.

E! Online is reporting that Jolie, 26, is living in a hotel in Beverly Hills since she moved out of the home she shares with Thornton, 46.

The actress will begin filming the next installment of "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" beginning Aug. 26. Jolie and Thornton adopted a 9-month old Cambodian baby who they named Maddox.

After a two-month wait, the baby was allowed to enter the United States in May.

Jolie said she wants the baby to be allowed on the set of the filming of her movie and has requested child-care facilities.

The new movie is called "Lara Croft and The Cradle of Life."

Go figure.

Product Placement Out Of Hand

There is so much product placement in the movie "Minority Report," you'll be surprised that they didn't slap a logo on Tom Cruise's head!

Variety reports that using the advertisement in the movie could've reduced the cost of making the film $25 million.

You'll see blatant commercials for American Express, Aquafina, Ben and Jerry's ice cream, Bulgari, Burger King, Century 21, Fox, The Gap, Guinness, Lexus, Nokia, Pepsi, Reebok, Revo and USA Today.

Variety reports that most of the brands are seen as video billboards in the background, while other logos appear on stores in one scene that takes place in a mall.

Get ready for more product placement "Men In Black II," which will prominently feature Mercedes and Rockport shoes, and of course Ray Ban sunglasses.

Michelle Solomon's gossip column, Celebrity Chatter, appears each Monday. Got a question about a celebrity? E-mail us (please include your first name, city and state) and we'll find you the answer. Michelle Solomon@Celebrity Chatter.

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