If you saw last weekend's papers, you may have noticed that Collingwood president Eddie McGuire has shed a few pounds.

Viewers of Fox's telecast of Friday night's clash between Sydney and Essendon were the first to notice a much trimmer McGuire, who on Sunday credited the transformation to virtually starving himself for three weeks.

Under the guidance of Sydney-based Dr Shuquan Liu, McGuire ingested only herbal tonic for two weeks, followed by small amounts of cucumber and chicken in week three.

McGuire's reliance on fasting to shed 15 kilograms in such a short time frame is worrisome on several fronts.