this is "nightline" -- >> tonight a 30-day diet that could change your life? >> this woman lost 50 pound. you better be ready to say no. >> no extra stuff. no sugar. no preservatives. >> could you say yes to the whole 30 diet? plus, floating your problems away. we head into a tank to see if resting in water can really alter your mental state. with the extreme escape, just get inside. >> from the intense -- to the infamous -- barbara walters' latest exclusive, a fabulous farewell to our own living legend. >> thank you, barbara, i am so

touched. barbara -- i have loved doing you. >> but first the "nightline" 5 -- >> fighting constipation, not getting relief? try duch dulcolax, predictable overnight relief you can count on. >> it made a difference. about hearing about it and being there. our best protection. a smooth, comfortable fit. number one in just 60 a pediatrician.ds of a . art surgery.ng advances in heart surgery. and these are developing groundbreaking treatments for cancer. they're the hands of the nation's top doctors. kaiser permanente doctors. and though they are all different, they work together on a single mission: saving lives.

discover how we are advancing medicine at kp.org join us, and thrive. good evening. how much are you willing to give

up to lose weight fast? well there is a controversial new 30-day diet out there that some say can fundamentally change your relationship with food and lead to a healthier lifestyle. but, only if you are willing to say a lot of noes. here is my "nightline" co-anchor juju chang. >> julie says she never felt better in her life. >> it feels amazing. i feel like i am living in the body that i was meant to live in. >> reporter: she has tons of energy and claims getting sick as a thing of the past. >> i don't get sick. i don't have seasonal allergies anymore. >> reporter: all this in 30 days. her secret -- the whole 30 diet. >> all righty. >> reporter: she says transformed her relationship with food. and rebooted her lifestyle. >> it is more than diet and exercise. it is about the life that you are given on the other side of it. >> reporter: it starts out with extreme restrictions. a lot of no-noes.

no carbs, no beans, no dairy, no eggs. like the paleo diet you eliminate all food that can't be hunted or gathered. so just protein and fruits and vegetables. >> 30 days, no wiggle room, no gray area. >> reporter: those committed enough to tough it out swear by the results. >> push through your heels. >> reporter: something julie's trainer saw firsthand. >> she is much happier. when we talk to her. when she comes in. she will be happier with the kids. all kinds of things like that. transform not only in the gym but you take it outside all abut attitude. >> reporter: for julie. day five was the hardest. >> day five was at my kids' soccer game feeling absolutely miserable, from, from probably sugar detox. feeling low energy. but i kept plugging on knowing that -- from other people's results that on the other side was going to be some great -- great life changes. >> reporter: she says once she got past the initial pain there was no going back.

>> i have conquered a life team of bad habits in 30 days. >> reporter: she lost 50 pound going from this to this. >> there is never going to be any great time to try this. there is not going to be a perfect day. jump in. give it a go. >> reporter: the diet was profiled in the best-selling book "it starts with food" and fueled by #whole30 which is burning up the internet with more than quarter million snaps on instagram. >> it is a short term nutritional reset to help people learn what foods affect them and how. >> reporter: the diet is the brain child of certified sports nutritionist, dallas and melissa hartwig. >> we have developed so many habits. we use food as comfort, love, reward, punishment, we have cravings, we feel like we are not in control of the foods that we eat. we have built rules into the whole 30 to help people break their cravings but also re-establish a healthy connection with the food that they're eating. >> reporter: in addition to cutting out grains like rice or

wheat, there is of course, no processed sugar or alcohol. >> so a lot of the foods contain different types of protein structure that can be a problemen the human body. we are not adapted to eat a lot of the foods. >> reporter: one surprising no-no. the bathroom scale. >> so many people are so obsessed with that number on the scale. it sccan make or break your day. the scale will blind you to amazing progress you can make and improvement you can see, energy levels, sleep quality, athletic performance, recovery, improvements in your medical condition. >> that's yummy? >> reporter: like countless devotees, ashley follows the diet on social media. snapping photos of her meals to share with friend and collect encouragement. like julie, the beginning was a challenge. >> the first day it is exciting. frying something new. this is fun. a couple days after it wears on you. you miss your diet coke. you want to run through the

drive through and grab some things. roim th >> reporter: then she said something miraculous happens. >> once everything is out of your system. probably for me it was about, day eight or nine. that's just when my energy just kicked up. i could totally tell a difference. and i just felt amazing. >> reporter: the key to the whole 30 is slowly reintroducing food types like gluten or dairy or sugar. one by one. to see how your body reacts. for julie halama, results were startling. >> sugar cravings came back with a vengeance. and it only took, you know, one bit of sugar to, to be, craving sugar kind of all day long. but, dairy, i feel like, i have some joint pain, some old injuries that kind of come back and just skacause me discomfort eating dairy. >> reporter: the popular diet is not without its naysayers. awe off it takes a lot of meal planning. you need to have a lot of time. money. i don't think the whole 30 diet

is a realistic diet plan. it will encourage rapid weight loss which is something that we all may love. but in fact, dieters may regain the weight that they have lost once they start reintroducing their favorite foods back into their diet. >> the larger concerns, say critics, is poor nutrition. >> when you start eliminating food groups like dairy, legumes, whole gra whole grains you miss out on calcium, vitamin d, b vitamins, fiber, anti-ox dantz important for overall health. >> reporter: the diet's inven inventers defend it. >> there is nothing you are macing from food you are om omitting for 30 days that you can't get from the healthy food on the plate. you are not missing anything. minerals, vitamins, calcium. fiber. >> now julie is on maintenance running from herb kids to her company. grabbing healthy lunches. >> you are quite healthy.

>> thank you. >> reporter: and feeling good too. >> it feels great when i get up and i worked really hard. my husband thinks he has a new wife. >> reporter: for "nightline," juju chang in new york. >> next, could bloating enter your mental state and help you get away from it all. we take a dip in an isolation tank. than anyone else in the world. 12 brands. more hotels so wherever you want to be, whatever you want to do, chances are we're already there. save up to 25% and earn bonus points when you book at wyndhamrewards.com. but sometimes, i still struggled to get going, even get through the day. so i was honest with my doctor. i told him i'd been feeling stuck for a long time. he said that for some people, an antidepressant alone only helps so much and suggested we add abilify (aripiprazole). he said that by taking both, some people had symptom improvement

as early as 1 to 2 weeks. i wish i'd talked to my doctor sooner. [ female announcer ] abilify is not for everyone. call your doctor if your depression worsens or you have unusual changes in behavior, or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens and young adults. elderly dementia patients taking abilify have an increased risk of death or stroke. call your doctor if you have high fever, stiff muscles and confusion to address a possible life-threatening condition. or if you have uncontrollable muscle movements, as these could become permanent. high blood sugar has been reported with abilify and medicines like it and in extreme cases can lead to coma or death. other risks include increased cholesterol, weight gain, decreases in white blood cells, which can be serious, dizziness on standing, seizures, trouble swallowing and impaired judgment or motor skills. [ terri ] since adding abilify, i feel better. abilify and my antidepressant make a pretty good team. [ female announcer ] ask your doctor about a free trial of abilify and go to addabilify.com.

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what if we told you that you could have a totally trippy, mind altering, possibly even life changing experience and all you need is water and salt?

fans of the hot new trend are spending time in isolation tanks where they say a dip can help ease your physical problems and maybe even mental ones. here's abc's reporter. >> reporter: life seemed more hectic and stressful, and your brain is constantly spinning -- "nightline" is about to take you on a journey to a strange alternate world on the other side of this hatch. >> this is a unique opportunity for -- for stillness and rest and privacy. >> sean mccormack is in the sensory deprivation business. >> one foot in. other foot in. pull this over you as you crouch down. >> here at float seattle customers are offered a chance to get away from it all by floating in a closed box. filled with 10 inches of water, loaded with 1,000 pound of epsom

salt. there is no light. no sound. no distractions. all you do is float. it can be harder than it looks. and for some people, they end ear deep meditation. even hallucinate. >> sensory deprivation, telling nothing. the outlet to unplug. even turning your phone off for an hour is a big deal for people. here it is not only your phone but you are shutting out the world. >> scum with me. i will show you. >> sean is no long-time guru or life coach, a former raidy ad salesman. but he has been medicating since he was 12 and became obsessed with floating in a friend's make shift tank. >> my experience was fantastic. and kempt thinking about it. >> reporter: the impact was so deep he recently changed careers and opened his own business. >> you are all set to go.

have a good float. >> thank you. thank you. >> you step in. your head is going to go at this side. >> it's really warm. >> i felt like the only way to truly understand was to try it. >> this is a really unique opportunity to be away from things. >> i am never away. >> this is it. your bed and your brain have been waiting for this, opportunity, for true stillness. >> i had heard that some people freak out, we rigged my tank with a night vision camera. as i closed the door and set noold wa tled into the warm water. i had no idea that my day was about to change. the idea of sensory deprivation tanks and floating isn't new. john lily first developed them in the 1950s to discover the effects of total isolation on the brain. in his case, some times while

using drugs. a practice made famous and terrifying by the 1980 science fiction move vie, william hurt a scientist whoing prores to a murdero murderous. and it has showed up from fringe to the simpsons where even lisa and homer took a trip. >> how am i supposed to hallucinate with these swirling colors distracting me. >> meanwhile inside my strange little world. i see a few flashes of light. not unlook what you might see when you close your eyes. i am relaxed bought ware that i am doing a story on all of this. my brain wasn't going anywhere strange so far. it turns out scientists first thought the brain would shut down without incessant input. what researchers found is just the opposite. it enters a state similar to

meditation. but by eliminating graph tef through floating it goes deeper. >> there has been quite a few really good studies showing, overall reduction in pain. overall improved mood, understanding, awareness of their body. >> this doctor is a physical therapist whur studied flotation and offers tight help some of his patients. >> i was blown away, they came out. physically. mentally, cognitively relaxed. we see people come out of the tank. their muscles are functioning better from an anecdotal standpoint. >> for some it can be life changing. a cardiac care nurse, stopped smoking and drinking after she beef can floating and seeing thingsen a whole new light. >> that immediate impact. you walked out the door from a float. and you said no. >> i couldn't dupe it. i was, very taken aback.

i hallucinated before. i had out-of-body experiences. it's been insightful. learned more about myself. i feel like i have my whole life. >> reporter: the profound reaction is the reason that sean stays all people coming through his door. >> who wants to float? >> a lot of people who were working day in day out really hard and need a break. planning the rest of your life. the day, what you are going to do, get done. what you mav to do that quiets down. >> you can't seep it in my face. some way around the halfway point of my hour inside. i goechl some where. and it isn't at all like a dream. when the music comes on. signaling the end of my float. i don't want to leave. >> it was my childhood. i was touring every room of my childhood home in detail. crazy detail.

>> i couldn't shake it. i wasn't asleep. yet visions were crystal clear like the flashback you see in the movies. >> definitely completely left my normal life. i wasn't thinking abut work. i was thinking about, everyday stuff. it just popped in there. i don't know how much, it just popped in there. the kitchen table, right, the bedroom. other, you know -- brother's and sister's room. the family dog. >> reporter: certainly not everyone reacts the same. but for me it may not be altered states. but a trip, far, far away from the hustle and bustle of reality. and deep inside your own mind. nechlt il karlinski for "nightline" in seattle. >> some of the greatest moments in television history with a woman who made television

history. the one-and-only barbara walters! >> announcer: abc news "nightline" -- brought to you by progressive. it's so beautiful! man: should we call security? no, this is just getting good. the name your price tool, still only from progressive. you've reached the age where you know how things work. this is the age of knowing what needs to be done. so why let erectile dysfunction get in your way? talk to your doctor about viagra. 20 million men already have. ask your doctor if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take viagra if you take nitrates for chest pain; it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. side effects include headache, flushing, upset stomach, and abnormal vision. to avoid long- term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. stop taking viagra and call your doctor right away if you experience a sudden decrease or loss in vision or hearing. this is the age of taking action.

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it is almost impossible to imagine what tv news would be like without barbara walters. who changed the game from the inside. well, tonight we are celebrating some of her greatest moments and they're not over yet. >> the amazing barbara walters! >> it was her last show on "the view." capping a week filled with memories. >> how are you feeling? >> including some of her boldest questions to heads of state. >> when you see how americans distrust their leaders don't you feel responsible? >> do you feel fun neap cro fun the bay of pigs with an american? >> why are you so unpopular? >> how important is it for the president to be a role model? >> in our country we read that you are unstable.

>> to the celebrities who fascinated us? >> do you believe in total fidelity? >> do i believe in what? >> in september, ten years. >> we will be married forever. >> how do you snow. >> you don't know that. but we want to be. >> what makes marriage work? >> lack of imagination. >> separate baths. >> that's what makes a good marriage? >> that gives you a chance. >> reporter: there was all way that signature moment without which no barbara walters interview was complete. >> are you proud? >> oh, jesus. >> i made people cry. every time i did an interview. somebody would say you are not going to make me cry? >> do you know who your parents are? >> did you go into comedy because you couldn't make it as an actor? >> you cry on this program -- you promised me you wouldn't

cry. >> i couldn't make it as an actor. i remember doing hamlet, going, "to be --" line. >> is any one ever really happy when they make it through an interview without crying? >> yes, halle berry. >> thank you, halle. >> thank you. >> no tears! >> you almost did. >> in her last show. >> please welcome hillary clinton. >> trying to uncover news. >> the question i want to ask is are you going to run? >> i am running around the park. >> reporter: even finding a way to poke fun at herself. >> when you first started "the view" did you have any idea that it would turn into the juggernaut success that it would become? >> yes, i did. and i take complete credit. >> reporter: the legacy she leaves behind. >> you have been a trail blazer in broadcast, shattering the

glass ceiling for so many women and so many yet to come. >> generations of female newscasters came to send her off. >> please welcome, diane sawyer. robin roberts. lara spencer. elizabeth vargas. deborah roberts. juju chang. >> these are my legacy. i thank you all! >> and so she retired, at least, until her next big get. thank you for watching abc news. and tunen to "good morning