When Adele took the stage to host Saturday Night Live last night and walked out in a short-sleeved black top and black tights, she looked transformed: Slim, strong, fit, with flowing long blond hair, signature gorgeous cheekbones, and enormous playful eyes. But the crowd couldn't help but notice her new body, since, having lost about 100 pounds, Adele hadn't made a major public appearance, other than posting to her social media since she lost the weight and became a new, slimmer version of her former self.

"I know I look really really different since you last saw me," she told the crowd. "Actually because of all the COVID restrictions and travel bans, I had to travel light, and I  could only bring half of me, and this is the half I chose!" And then she playfully curtseyed, arms floating wide and the studio audience of health care workers and first responders whooped and cheered. She seemed to love her "big reveal" moment, without dwelling on it any longer.

How to Do Adele's Diet: The Sirtfood Diet of Plant-Based Foods High in Sirtuins

Back in January Adele showed up in Instagram posts from her vacation as a transformed slimmed-down version of herself, and soon it was reported that she had lost the weight on the Sirtfood Diet, and The Beet covered exactly how to do it. Sirtfoods are foods high in sirtuins, a protein found mostly in greens, and by sipping green juice in the morning and following a low-calorie regimen of meals and juices high in sirtfoods for the first week, you jumpstart weight loss.

The diet requires you to eat just 1,000 calories for the first three days and then allows 1,500 calories a day after that, but it does include both dark chocolate and red wine. (We tried it and the foods were no problem, but the calorie restriction was tough.)

Adele also combined dieting with strength training combined with other workouts, and her trainer told reporters that Adele put in the hard work to get fit and lose weight over a healthy period of months. In October Adele posted a picture of herself on IG that said, "I used to cry but now I sweat." Her Pilates Instructor also shared the moves Adele used to tone up as she slimmed down.

Adele's legions of fans grappled with their feelings of watching one of their favorite singers move away from a body type that many people had applauded as inclusive and womanly, but over time the critics have quieted down since it is clear that Adele worked on herself during a time when she was splitting from her husband and she has shared snippets of her thinking that she did this for herself, to get healthy and be a happier person and more energetic mom.

Meanwhile, her fans came around and posted in support of the singer, who seems happy with her new-found health and fitness regimen. The New York Post reported that others are inspired by Adele to follow her lead and lose weight on the Sirtfood Diet at they documented several women who have succeeded.

"Getting skinny was never the goal", says Pete Geracimo, Adele's former trainer who moved from London to Canada but when they were working out together he encouraged her to try the Sirtfood Diet, according to the Post. Geracimo told Access Hollywood that Adele's body transformation was not for attention, press purposes, or album sales. It was simply for herself. "This metamorphosis is not for album sales, publicity or to be a role model. She is doing it for herself and her son Angelo," he explained. He added weight loss can be "massively empowering: and "a truly personal thing."

What Are Sirtfoods And How Do They Work to Help You Lose Weight

Sirtfoods help signal the body that it should rev up your metabolism and increase muscle mass while you burn fat. Also known as superfoods, the top 20 sirtfoods include the list below. Note that everyone gets excited about the wine and chocolate but your body is actually consistently eating more fiber, more antioxidants, and nutrient-dense foods.

What you can eat:

  • Kale
  • Red wine
  • Strawberries
  • Onions
  • Garlic
  • Soy
  • Parsley
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Dark chocolate (85% cocoa)
  • Matcha green tea
  • Buckwheat
  • Turmeric
  • Walnuts
  • Arugula (rocket)
  • Bird’s eye chili (peppers)
  • Lovage (herb)
  • Medjool dates
  • Red chicory
  • Blueberries
  • Capers
  • Coffee

When you combine these foods, the body naturally works to speed up metabolism and burn faster, according to the book by Aidan Goggins and Glen Matten, co-authors of “The Sirtfood Diet” who also call this plan the "skinny gene" diet since it turns on your body's natural fat-burning by keeping blood sugar lose and staying away from sugar, junk food, and focusing on plant-based foods that are better for you and promote weight loss.

Like all plant-rich diets, these whole foods also contain the most polyphenols. When first researching the diet, Goggins and Matten went looking for the foods with the most polyphenols and came up with their list of the top 20 foods to eat on repeat. They claim these "mimic the effects of fasting and exercise through activating our sirtuin (aka ‘skinny’) genes" and the media up that claim, calling the Sirtfood Diet the "skinny gene" diet.

At The Beet we believe that a healthy diet should consist of mostly plant-based foods and not require you to eat so few calories that you feel weak, which is what happened to our editors (one had to take a nap midway through the day). So while we are happy for Adele and her success, losing weight is a personal decision and choosing a diet that is sustainable, healthy and energizing is the best way to maintain a healthy weight long-term.

 

 

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