Elle Macpherson under fire for suggesting meal skipping to lose weight

One of Elle's tricks was to swap her dinner for a protein shake. Photo / Getty Images

Women have been encouraged to skip meals in order to get "beach body ready" in a This Morning segment branded "ridiculous" by viewers.

Supermodel Elle Macpherson, 54, presented the guide on the ITV show on Wednesday, during which she revealed her tips for losing weight to look better in swimwear.

According to the Daily Mail, one of the mother-of-two's tricks was to swap her dinner for a protein shake and to remove "anything white" from her diet.

However, viewers criticised the show for implying that women needed to lose weight to look good on the beach, with one saying: "Shame on you!"

Despite being one of the world's most famous supermodels, Elle said she was starting to worry about staying in shape.

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@ellemacphersonbody "Net" in khaki

A post shared by Elle Macpherson (@ellemacphersonofficial) on Jan 3, 2018 at 2:07pm PST

She explained: "Summer's coming up and I too am getting ready for a summer body. I know it sounds really corny but we all think about that."

She then went on to reveal that drinking a protein shake made of fruits and vegetables helps her lose weight quickly.

Elle said: "Sometimes I'll use it as a meal replacement in the evenings. If I've had a really strong breakfast or a strong lunch I can get away with having a protein shake for dinner.

"For a short period of time obviously, it's not for an extended period, but if it's leading up to summer and you want to drop a few pounds that's the way I do it and I find it really, really helpful."

She also said she cuts out rice, bread, cream and 'anything white' from her diet to drop unwanted weight quickly.

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A post shared by Elle Macpherson (@ellemacphersonofficial) on Apr 4, 2018 at 5:10am PDT

Viewers took to Twitter to slam the advice, saying beach bodies don't have to be a certain weight or clothes size.

One tweeted: "SORRY, but maybe you should tell people that they don't need to change their body just because it's summer?! What a ridiculous section."

Another said: "Why are This Morning promoting ''beach body ready'' with Elle Macpherson talking about how she sometimes replaces dinner with a protein shake? NO. The only way to be beach body ready is by putting on sun cream and a swimsuit."

"Not sure getting beach body ready tips from a super model is a positive move?" a third said.

Another agreed: "how to get beach body ready aka advocating skipping meals and increasing the pressure on women to worry even more about their appearance this summer. Fantastic. How about just go as u r?! interesting there's no reference to her plastic surgeon either."

MailOnline has contacted This Morning and Elle Macpherson and is awaiting comment.