1970s Vogue Magazine Diet

Mar 30

4 min read

An old Vogue diet , recently shared frequently on social media, has resurfaced:

The "Wine and Egg Diet" from 1977 .

Many people are curious about this diet, and some question whether it's effective in the short term.

The purpose of this article is neither to defend nor criticize the diet; it is to examine it objectively from a scientific perspective.

Without delving into fashion trends, historical context, or why people turn to such diets, we will only address the physiological, biochemical, and nutritional facts.

Diet

Published in Vogue magazine in 1977 , this plan was promoted as a 3-day rapid weight loss diet. The original menu was as follows:

Breakfast: 1 boiled egg, 1 glass of white wine, plain coffee.
Lunch: 2 hard-boiled eggs (poached is also acceptable, but hard-boiled is preferred), 2 glasses of white wine, plain coffee.
Evening: 150g steak, the remainder of the wine bottle (1 bottle per day), plain coffee.

Eggs (3 pieces) – 210 kcal
Steak (150 g) – 300 kcal
White wine (5 glasses, ~700 mL) – 490 kcal
Coffee (unsweetened) – 0 kcal
Total ≈ 1000 kcal/day

This plan totals approximately 800–1000 kcal per day — a very low-calorie diet for both sexes, considering the average daily energy requirement is 2000 kcal for women and 2500 kcal for men .

Protein: Appears sufficient but is insufficient.

Macros

The strongest aspect of this diet appears to be the protein from eggs and beef. In total, approximately 60–70 grams of protein are consumed daily, which translates to around 240–280 kcal of energy. While this amount may seem sufficient on the surface, the energy deficit is so high that the body begins to use this protein for energy production rather than muscle building. In other words, a significant portion of the protein consumed is used as fuel and cannot be used for muscle synthesis.

Alcohol is also known to suppress the mTOR signaling pathway. This slows muscle protein synthesis and accelerates muscle breakdown. As a result, although a person may appear to lose weight in the short term, they actually experience muscle loss .

Oil: The Main Source of Energy, But Unbalanced.

The total amount of fat from eggs and steak is approximately 45–50 grams per day . This provides 400–450 kcal of energy. However, even though fat is the main source of energy in the diet, it is not the first to be used as energy. The body first uses the toxic ethanol from wine, thus delaying the oxidation of fat.

Carbohydrates: Almost none

The carbohydrate content of the diet is negligible; apart from the naturally occurring amounts in eggs and meat, there is only a small contribution from wine . Dry white wine contains approximately 1 gram of carbohydrates per 100 mL , meaning that 4–5 glasses of wine would provide a maximum of 6 grams of carbohydrates per day. This is insignificant in terms of energy (approximately 25 kcal).

Alcohol: The Most Controversial Macronutrient in the Diet

The most striking aspect of this diet is that almost half of the total calories come from alcohol . Consuming approximately 4–5 glasses of white wine per day translates to 50–60 grams of ethanol . Ethanol provides 7 kcal of energy per gram; thus contributing 350–400 kcal to the diet.

However, this calorie is a metabolically “empty” energy source — it provides neither vitamins, minerals, nor amino acids. Furthermore, NADH accumulates in the liver during alcohol metabolism. This disrupts the balance of energy production.

Fat oxidation is suppressed (fat cannot be burned)
Glucose production is inhibited (blood sugar levels decrease)
Lactic acid builds up (causing burning and fatigue in the muscles)

Therefore, the person experiences both a low-energy diet and a complete blockage of fat burning. Except for a short-term "stimulating" feeling, there is a serious metabolic energy crisis.

Physiological Consequences: Loss of Water, Muscle, and Balance.

In these types of extremely low-calorie and macro-unbalanced diets, the body first uses its carbohydrate stores, then its proteins. Fat loss takes a backseat because the liver prioritizes alcohol detoxification. During this process:

Energy is obtained from muscle proteins ( muscle loss )
Water bound to glycogen is lost ( false weight loss )
Electrolyte balance is disrupted ( headache, fatigue, palpitations )
The burden on the liver increases (due to acetaldehyde accumulation from alcohol metabolism ).

From a metabolic perspective, this can be described as an energy crisis, not an energy deficit .

This diet has a chance of reducing your weight on the scale within 3 days. Because glycogen stores are depleted due to very low calorie intake, and the water they hold is also lost, all weight loss comes from water loss, and weight is regained when glycogen stores begin to replenish. Since alcohol consumption will also be high, the maximum amount of fat that can be burned in 3 days is negligible.

Evaluation

Modern nutritional science reveals that this diet contains serious imbalances at both the macro and micro levels:

The energy deficit is excessive: diets below 1000 kcal slow down basal metabolism.
Alcohol is the primary energy source: It stops fat burning and increases the risk of hypoglycemia.
Protein may seem sufficient, but it's ineffective: Alcohol suppresses the mTOR pathway, reducing muscle synthesis.
Micronutrient deficiencies are evident: Fiber, vitamin, and electrolyte deficiencies occur.
Unsustainable: Applying it for more than 3 days is physiologically risky.

This diet can lead to serious health problems in both short-term and long-term use, and it is definitely not endorsed by Vogue today.

Conclusion: It's not about cutting calories, it's about establishing balance.

The "Wine and Egg Diet," while seemingly offering quick results at first glance, is a system that biochemically halts fat burning, triggers muscle loss, and puts a strain on the liver . The weight loss seen on the scale is temporary; what is primarily lost is water and muscle mass.

Modern nutritional science clearly shows that such diets disrupt the body's balance and make weight control more difficult in the long term. Healthy weight loss is based on metabolic balance and muscle preservation, not calorie restriction .

While Vogue's "wine and egg diet" was an interesting trend for a while, it's not a scientifically valid method for lasting weight loss or metabolic health. True sustainability lies not in deceiving the body, but in understanding and balancing it.

References:

Levitt DE, Luk HY, Vingren JL. Alcohol, Resistance Exercise, and mTOR Pathway Signaling: An Evidence-Based Narrative Review. biomolecules 2022 Dec 20;13(1):2. doi: 10.3390/biom13010002. PMID: 36671386; PMCID: PMC9855961.

Traversy G, Chaput JP. Alcohol Consumption and Obesity: An Update. Curr Obes Rep. 2015 Mar;4(1):122-30. doi: 10.1007/s13679-014-0129-4. PMID: 25741455; PMCID: PMC4338356.