Rapper Curtis James (aka 50 cent) has shocked fans by losing a tremendous amount of weight:  a whopping 54 pounds in only 9 weeks.

50 cent began making a concerted commitment to gain excess for the upcoming movie “Things Fall Apart”, in which he plays a football player dying of cancer.   To prepare, he went on a liquid diet and spent 3 hours a day on the treadmill.

Although his reasoning for going on such a restricted diet and harsh exercise plan is understandable, Food Consumer urges readers to take a more “balanced “ approach to weight loss, as losing weight in a hurry can throw the body into a tail spin.  In 1982, singer Karen Carpenter died from heart failure because of her radical weight fluctuation over the years, due to anorexia.

In addition to being hard on the body systemically, rapid weight loss often comes back as rapidly, and sometimes more so, as it came off, which was illustrated by Oprah Winfrey’s attempt to lose weight by putting herself on a liquid diet several years ago. 

The talk show icon now emphasizes the importance of a healthy diet and a doable exercise program to maintain a healthy weight.