TikTokers Claim This 'Skinny Girl Shot' Helps You Lose Weight & Here's What It Really Does
"Please, don’t do it!"
A TikToker making the "skinny girl shots." Right: A TikToker drinking a "skinny girl shot."
Anything that claims quick weight loss results is bound to be intriguing to a lot of people, including the latest trend circling TikTok.
Many TikTokers are drinking what's been dubbed "skinny girl shots" to help them slim down and get "snatched" for the summer.
In their videos, people are showing themselves mixing together the drink before taking a shot of the concoction and by the looks of it, the experience looks rather unpleasant.
In a TikTok, Mattie Tridico shares the recipe for the skinny girl shots and it's now been viewed over 3 million times.
Tridico combines one cup of water with one cup of apple cider vinegar, one lemon, some honey, two teaspoons of cayenne pepper, two teaspoons of turmeric and some black pepper.
"Skinny girl shots to get snatched for summer & so good for immunity," the caption reads.
@mtrid Skinny girl shots to get snatched for summer & so good for immunity 🙌🏼
The video clearly has people excited about the possibility of losing weight quickly and many have recreated the recipe in their own videos.
TikToker @elyseterziann shared a clip of herself making the drink after seeing it online.
"I'm a girl and I'm trying to be skinny so let's do it," she says before making the shots.
Based on the ingredients, you may assume there's nothing wrong with drinking these skinny girl shots. However, anything that promises such quick results is bound to have a catch, right?
We asked an expert for her advice on the new TikTok trend and here's what you should know about it if you're contemplating giving it a shot.
What is a skinny girl shot?
@elyseterziann SKINNY. GIRL. SHOTS. #skinnny #hotgirlsummer #remedy #shots
Skinny girl shots are a combination of apple cider vinegar, water, lemon, honey and then some spices like cayenne pepper, turmeric and black pepper.
The main claim behind them on TikTok is that it will help you get "snatched," or in more simple terms: magically lose a lot of weight very quickly.
Abbey Sharp, a registered dietitian and YouTuber based in Toronto, says the skinny girl shots are not anything new and variations of the recipe have been around for ages.
Nevertheless, Sharp is advising against trying this TikTok trend because it can actually do more harm than good.
"The combination of taking a shot of vinegar, plus lemon juice, plus cayenne pepper would likely cause so much GI [gastrointestinal] distress it would cause you to just be on the toilet all day, or feel very sick," she explained.
Sharp also made her own TikTok video about the trend and urges people "please, don't do it" in her caption before explaining why.
Do the skinny girl shots help you lose weight?
The short answer? No, not in the long term.
Sharp says in order to see "clinically significant weight loss" there needs to be a calorie deficit.
The dietitian does, however, note that people who drink the shots may experience some temporary weight loss but it will happen in a very uncomfortable way.
"It is true that apple cider vinegar has been shown to help reduce the glycemic response," she told Narcity and added that the capsaicin in cayenne pepper also has some appetite suppressant properties, along with "the kind of very, very mild transient uptake in metabolism."
"It [the apple cider vinegar] may reduce our appetite and as a result, it can support weight loss, but it's ironically actually been shown or suggested that one of the main ways that this basically happens is because you feel so nauseous that you don't want to eat."
The dietitian says if you do lose weight from the shots, it's going to be "short-term water weight" from diarrhea and a temporary lack of appetite.
Are the skinny girl shots harmful to your health?
@abbeyskitchen You’ve probably seen the Skïnnÿ girl shot making its way through the darkside of tiktok but please, don’t do it! Here’s why 😮 #applecidervinegardrink #weightlossdrink #acvdetox #summerbody #lemonweightloss
As mentioned by Sharp, the skinny girl shots may cause severe diarrhea and a loss of appetite so that in itself isn't great for your health.
That's not the only downside.
The dietitian notes that the skinny girl shots are also really bad for your teeth enamel.
"Dentists all over are saying please do not do this. We're seeing people wreck their teeth and we just can't get that [enamel] back," she told Narcity.
What is the harm in these types of TikTok trends?
This isn't the first food-related health trend we've seen come up on TikTok.
Months ago it was the lion diet that was blowing up on the social media platform and more recently it was berberine supplements that many claimed were a natural form of Ozempic.
Sharp says it is concerning to see so many people turning to TikTok for help in achieving certain things like weight loss.
"They become so obsessed with this small little piece of truth that's grounded, a sliver of truth, and then they extrapolate it into being some kind of magic pill," she noted.
"When the reality is there is no magic bullet when it comes to weight loss."
Sharp adds that it's important for people to understand that losing weight does not have a quick-fix solution.
"I always worry when I see these trends happen that people become so obsessed with these little rituals that it can and very well does often take over their life in small ways," she said.
"It takes away from us being able to just eat normally and to have regular social meals or kind of be spontaneous in our eating because we have to always follow these very strict rigid rules or routines."
What is a safer and more effective way to lose weight in the long term?
When it comes to losing weight, Sharp says it's important to do it in an "enjoyable and sustainable" way.
That requires choosing foods that are satiating.
Sharp recommends her "hunger-crushing combo" to anyone wanting to shed a few pounds. The combo combines fibre, protein and healthy fats in meals and snacks that will help you feel fuller for longer.
She also notes that there are better ways to incorporate ingredients like apple cider vinegar that's used in the skinny girl shots.
"We do have evidence that it can be beneficial for blood sugar management," she said.
The Toronto-based dietitian recommends making a big fibre-rich salad with some lean protein, healthy fats, nuts and seeds and topping it all off with a dressing made of apple cider vinegar, olive oil and some spices of your choosing.
"There are way more enjoyable ways than taking a shot of something every morning that's going to make you feel off for the rest of the day," Sharp said.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.