Brides-to-be using feeding tubes to shed pounds fast: the K-E diet

Some brides-to-be have turned to an extreme wedding-countdown measure: a feeding tube inserted through the nose for up to 10 days, delivering a constant drip of protein and fat with zero carbohydrates \u2014 800 calories a day \u2014 in hopes of shedding 10 to 20 pounds before the ceremony.

The K-E diet, as ABC News reported in April 2012, was the brainchild of Dr. Oliver Di Pietro of Bay Harbor Islands, Florida, who charged $1,500 for the 10-day program. Patients carry the nutrition solution in a bag at their side and keep the tube in place around the clock; the doctor argued the approach burned body fat through ketosis while leaving muscle intact, and said hunger faded within hours. He also said the side effects were mostly bad breath and constipation, and warned that people with kidney problems should not attempt it.

One patient, 41-year-old Jessica Schnaider of Surfside, Florida, told ABC she pulled the tube after eight days, having already lost the 10 pounds she wanted \u2014 though she admitted the experience was emotionally difficult and that strangers asked whether she was sick.

Medical critics, for their part, warned that losing weight this fast can be dangerous and rarely lasts \u2014 and that the pressure on brides to look perfect on their wedding day is what makes such crash measures tempting in the first place. As psychoanalyst Bethany Marshall put it at the time, when the weight comes off too quickly, "your mind is not going to be able to catch up with a newer, skinnier you."

The story illustrates something that hasn't changed: extreme crash diets promise speed at the cost of safety and sustainability. For sustainable approaches to healthy weight, doctors generally recommend gradual change \u2014 sensible food, regular movement, and medical supervision when a condition warrants intervention.

This item was updated during our 2026 editorial audit and rewritten to replace the original syndicated wire copy. Note: a contextual backlink to swastik.fit could not be added because the site did not respond at audit time.

Brides-to-be looking to shed that final 10, 15 or 20 pounds in order to fit into their dream wedding gown have taken a controversial approach to crash dieting that involves inserting a feeding tube into their noses for up to 10 days for a quick fix to rapid weight loss.

The K-E diet, which boasts promises of shedding 20 pounds in 10 days, is an increasingly popular alternative to ordinary calorie-counting programs. The program has dieters inserting a feeding tube into their nose that runs to the stomach. They're fed a constant slow drip of protein and fat, mixed with water, which contains zero carbohydrates and totals 800 calories a day. Body fat is burned off through a process called ketosis, which leaves muscle intact, Dr. Oliver Di Pietro of Bay Harbor Islands, Fla., said.

"It is a hunger-free, effective way of dieting," Di Pietro said. "Within a few hours and your hunger and appetite go away completely, so patients are actually not hungry at all for the whole 10 days. That's

what is so amazing about this diet."

Di Pietro says patients are under a doctor's supervision, although they're not hospitalized during the dieting process. Instead, they carry the food solution with them, in a bag, like a purse, keeping the tube in their nose for 10 days straight. Di Pietro says there are few side effects.

"The main side effects are bad breath; there is some constipation because there is no fiber in the food," he said.

Slipping into a wedding gown for a dream wedding is a moment of truth for most brides, but as many say that there is a real fear that it will not quite fit. That's how 41-year-old Jessica Schnaider of Surfside, Fla., says she felt with a June wedding approaching and 10 pounds she says she couldn't lose. She was desperate for a quick fix.

"I don't have all of the time on the planet just to focus an hour and a half a day to exercise so I came to the doctor, I saw the diet, and I said, 'You know what? Why not? Let me try it. So I decided to go ahead and give it a shot," she said.

Schnaider said she was never hungry throughout the 10 days she was on the K-E diet, but admits that it still wasn't easy.

"It was emotionally difficult, the 10 days of not eating," Schnaider said. "And sometimes I had to give excuses to people who were asking are you sick? And I was like, 'No, I'm not sick, I'm not dying, I'm fine.'

"I was tired. I didn't feel like exercising. The doctor told me that if you can compliment with walking for a half an hour on the beach, that would be great, but I didn't feel like doing that. I'm a very energetic person, but those days I was a little tired."

Although the K-E diet is new to the United States, it has been around for years in Europe. Dr. Di Pietro charges $1,500 for the 10-day plan, and says the before-and-after pictures sell themselves.

But critics warn that losing too much weight too fast can be dangerous, and it ultimately won't last. Di Pietro warns that people with kidney issues should avoid the diet.

Many doctors also say that with so much pressure on brides to be perfect, it's easy to understand why this kind of rapid weight loss might seem appealing, but might not be healthy.

"If you lose the weight too quickly your mind is not going to be able to catch up with a newer, skinnier you," psychoanalyst Bethany Marshall of Beverly Hills, Calif. said.

Schnaider says that in her case she actually only kept her tube in for eight of the 10 days, skipping the last two because she'd already lost the 10 pounds she wanted.

She has kept it off so far, saying she is looking forward to her big day this summer.

Source @abcnews.go.com/