History of Diets and Weight Loss Programs

The History of Weight Loss - Diets Review

Maple Syrup Diet

Jan 1, 2006

Celebrities are touting the maple syrup diet, which is a type of detox diet that is also known as the Master Cleanse diet, or the lemonade diet. Essentially, you drink a mixture of water, maple syrup, lemon juice and cayenne pepper (a very small amount) for about 10 days. Without getting into the sticky issue of whether or not you are really cleansing your body, if you even need to, the diet is a way to drop a few pounds quickly, for better or worse. It works because you take in relatively few calories and a lot of liquids.

All in all, it seems to result in a relatively quick weight loss of a few pounds, but certainly neither a long term solution nor a substitute for a more traditionally healthy diet. It is great for the sales of maple syrup, though, since some stores are reporting that their sales have more than doubled in the past few months.

Cheater's Diet

Nov 15, 2005

Cheating on the weekend is required.

Popularized by Dr. Paul Rivas, the "cheater's diet" is not about whether you cheat on your diet, but how and when you do it. Regular weekend cheating sets up a chain of events that tricks your body into permanent weight loss because your metabolism doesnt get used to a certain low-calorie set point. Increasing your caloric intake over the weekend revs your metabolism so that when you go back to your regular weekday eating program, youre burning optimal calories. So go ahead and: Eat chocolate . . . but make it Dove bars (dark chocolate is healthy, milk chocolate is not) Eat sweets . . . but make it cinnamon buns (cinnamon improves blood sugar metabolism) Drink wine . . . but only cabernet and inot noir (the resevertol in these grapes is an anti-oxidant and anti-inflamatory). Forget the guilt! It's a program, it's scientific and it works.

Coconut Diet

Jan 4, 2005

Fats replaced with coconut oil

Cherie Calbom offers this diet based on groundbreaking research that proves coconut oil promotes weight loss.

Low-carb diets like Atkins and South Beach are the hottest weight loss programs on the market, but they could work faster and more effectively with the addition of one ingredient: coconut oil. Not only does it boost metabolism and speed weight loss, there is evidence that suggests that adding a small amount of coconut oil into ones daily diet can help lower cholesterol; improve conditions such as diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome, IBS, Crohns, and other digestive disorders; enhance thyroid production; and increase overall energy. The Coconut Diet offers a 21-day weight loss program and includes a four-week cleansing regimen for people wanting more benefits. This includes meal plans and many recipes with nutritional facts, tips for preparation, ingredient explanation, storage suggestions, and many other details.

High Protein, Low Carb Diet

Jan 1, 2001

1994 diet updated

The high-protein low-carb diet was popular in the 1970's, before saturated fat and heart disease became closely associated. Now, high-protein low-carb diets are once again popular due to the faster initial weight loss they can achieve. However, many dietitians retain doubts about the long term health effects of these carb-restricted weight loss plans.

That said, recent (albeit small-scale) studies suggest that high-protein low-carb diets may be less harmful and more beneficial than supposed. A futher long-term study is underway.

The Good Protein Chart: Protein can help you shed those unwanted pounds and keep your belly full. But it's important to eat the right amount and the right kind of protein to get the health benefits.

Fish & Seafood: Seafood is one of the best sources of protein because it's usually low in fat. Fish such as salmon is a little higher in fat but it is the heart-healthy kind: omega-3 fatty acids.

White-Meat Poultry: The white meat of poultry has excellent, lean protein. Dark meat is higher in fat. Skin is loaded with saturated fat, so remove skin before cooking.

Milk, Cheese Yogurt: Not only are dairy foods excellent sources of protein but they also contain valuable calcium. Choose skim or low fat dairy to keep bones and teeth strong, prevent osteoporosis and enhance weight loss.

Eggs: Eggs are one of the least expensive forms of protein. The American Heart Association says normal healthy adults can safely enjoy an egg a day.

Beans : One-half cup of beans contains as much protein as 3 ounces of broiled steak. Beans are loaded with fiber to keep you feeling full for hours.

Pork Tenderloin: This great and versatile white meat is 31% leaner than 20 years ago.

Soy: Twenty five grams of soy protein daily can lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. Combine soy protein like tofu with a low fat diet.

Lean Beef: Lean beef has only one more gram of saturated fat than a skinless chicken breast. Lean beef is also an excellent source of zinc, iron and vitamin B12.

Protein on the Go: Use a meal replacement drink, cereal or energy bar. Check labels to ensure the product has at least 6 grams of protein, and is low in sugar and fat.

Raw Foods Diet

Jan 1, 2000

The raw food diet has become popular recently, thanks to high-profile adherents like actor Woody Harrelson, model Carol Alt, designer Donna Karan, and Chicago-based celebrity chef Charlie Trotter.

The raw food diet is based on unprocessed and uncooked plant foods, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, sprouts, seeds, nuts, grains, beans, nuts, dried fruit, and seaweed.

Heating food above 116 degrees F is believed to destroy enzymes in food that can assist in the digestion and absorption of food. Cooking is also thought to diminish the nutritional value and "life force" of food.

At least 75 percent of the diet must be living or raw.

Proponents of the raw food diet believe it has numerous health benefits;

• increased energy

• improved skin appearance

• better digestion

• weight loss

• reduced risk of heart disease

The raw food diet contains little or no saturated fat and trans fats. It is also low in sodium, high in potassium, magnesium, folate, fiber, and health-promoting plant chemicals called phytochemicals.

These properties are associated with a reduced risk of diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. For example, a study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that consumption of a raw food diet lowered plasma total cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations.

Juice, Fasting and Detoxification

Jan 1, 1999

Perennial dieting favorites reappear in combination

Juice fasting: Juice fasting is a type of detox method. It involves the short-term intake of raw vegetable and fruit juices only. Proponents of juice fasting use juices because they are rich in vitamins and antioxidants.

Detoxification: Detox is primarily thought of as a treatment for alcohol or drug dependence, but term is also used to refer to diets, herbs, and other methods of removing environmental and dietary toxins from the body for general health.

Generally, a detox diet is a short-term diet that: * minimizes the amount of chemicals ingested (e.g. by choosing organic food) * emphasizes foods that provide the vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants that the body needs for detoxification * contains foods that draw out and eliminate toxins by increasing bowel movements and urination (such as high fiber foods and water)

Eat Right for Your Type

Jan 1, 1996

Diet based on blood type

According to the diet, people with type A are naturally vegetarians. They should eat lots of fruits and vegetables as they are high in carbs and low in fat. This is based on the idea that their blood is thicker than that of other blood types. They should refrain from consuming dairy products, animal fats, and meats. Type B people should have a diet that is balanced between plant and animal proteins. Type O people are carnivores. High protein foods such as red meats, fruits, and vegetables should make up the bulk of their diet.

Sugar Busters Diet

Jan 1, 1995

The main premise of the Sugar Buster's Diet is that sugar produces insulin which stops people from losing weight. Hence too much sugar in a diet can be detrimental to any weight loss goals. The diet is about 30% protein, 40% fat, and 30% carbohydrates, lasts for 14 days, and if followed correctly, should end in weight loss.

Atkins' High Protein, Low Carb Diet

Jan 1, 1994

The first two weeks of the Atkins diet is termed the "induction" period. During this time, dieters are permitted to eat no more than 20 grams of carbohydrates per day. This translates into a diet consisting of nearly unlimited meats, poultry, seafood, eggs, cheeses, oils, butter, margarine, bacon, and sausages. The 20 gram carb limit is generally derived from trace amounts of carbs in sauces, dressings, cheeses and a couple cups of lettuce greens or vegetables daily. During these two weeks, participants are not allowed to have any milk, fruits, grains, cereals, breads or "high glycemic index" vegetables such as potatoes, peas, corn and carrots. After the first two weeks, dieters can begin adding about 5 more grams of carbohydrates to their diet weekly. Generally, a diet consisting of no more than 40-90 grams of carbohydrates is what dieters must stick to long term, in the "maintenance" phase. Even this is a scant amount of carbohydrate compared to what health experts and major health organizations recommend.

Cabbage Soup Diet

Jan 1, 1990 Diet from 1950s resurfaces on the Web

The Cabbage Soup is an all-you-can-eat-cabbage-soup diet which claims that the more cabbage soup you eat, the more weight you'll lose. The diet's so-called fat burning soup contains negligible calories so you don't have to worry about gaining weight. The Cabbage Soup Diet states that by adhering to the Cabbage Soup Diet for 7 days will result in immediate weight loss.

How Does the Cabbage Soup Diet work? On the Cabbage Soup Diet, individuals are encouraged to eat as much Cabbage soup and consume as much water as they want. Other foods are involved as well but their intake is severely restricted. The cabbage soup can be eaten as many times but it is not recommended that you eat soup only as it can result in malnourishment. Drinking 7-8 glasses of water a day is also recommended. The Cabbage Soup Diet's 7-Day plan is easy to follow, however dieters are asked to consult their doctor before following this 7-day meal plan:

The Cabbage Soup Diet

• Day 1: Cabbage soup, plus any fruit (except bananas). Drink unsweetened tea, black coffee, cranberry juice and water.

• Day 2: Cabbage soup, plus other vegetables (raw, boiled or steamed) and avoid dry beans, peas and corn. For dinner, eat a baked potato with butter.

• Day 3: Cabbage soup, plus other fruits and vegetables.

• Day 4: Cabbage soup, plus up to 8 bananas and fat-free milk.

• Day 5: Cabbage soup, plus 6 tomatoes and up to 450 grams of meat or fish.

• Day 6: Cabbage soup, plus meat and vegetables.

• Day 7: Cabbage soup, plus brown rice, pure fruit juice and vegetables.

Scarsdale Diet

Jan 1, 1987

The Scarsdale Diet was a famous diet in the 1970s that was developed by Herman Tarnower. Its secret is to divide carbohydrates, proteins, and fats into certain percentages. The diet lasts for 14 days and does allows fruit substitutes for certain foods. The Scarsdale Diet is 43% protein, 22.5% fat, and 34.5% carbohydrates.

What's on the Scarsdale Diet Menu? Breakfast is generally the same every day. You have half a grapefruit, a slice of protein bread, and coffee or tea. Many of the lunches insist that you have assorted cold cuts, but you are restricted to certain meats. Dinner often involves animal protein or seafood.

Rotation Diet

Jan 1, 1986

The Rotation Diet, written by Martin Katahn, works on the basis that weight loss is best achieved by rotating or varying the amount of calories we eat. Dieters vary the number of calories they consume during a three week period (the rotation for women is 600/900/1200 calories; for men, 1200/1500/1800) for 3 weeks. The theory behind the Rotation Diet is that many diets become boring, so by rotating calories one can increase the variety and amounts of food. In addition, the author claims that the Rotation diet will prevent the body's metabolism from gradually slowing down and causing a weight loss plateau.

Caveman Diet

Jan 1, 1985

Also known as the Paleolithic Diet

The rules of the Paleolithic Diet are simple: Only eat what was available to the early hunter-gatherers. Foods which are edible raw. All other foods should be avoided. In effect this is the factory specified diet.

Do Eat: Meats and Fish, Fruits, Vegetables, Nuts, and Berries. Do Not Eat: Grains, Beans, Potatoes, Dairy, Sugar.

On this diet you don't count calories or carbs. You eat when you're hungry and stop when you're full. Any food of any kind from the "Do Eat" list is OK. All foods from the "Do Not Eat" category are strictly forbidden-no exceptions!

Here's a website that lists all the information regarding this diet:

Fit for Life

Jan 1, 1985

The concept of "Fit for Life" originated in the 1980s in a book by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond. These two were firm believers in food combining. Food combining claims that, when mixed, certain foods are very hard to digest. The intestinal tract has problems absorbing certain mixes. Hence the food just becomes fat.

While on the Fit for Life Diet, you should eat fruit from wake up until noon. This helps the system purify itself. You are not allowed to mix the fruit with any other types of food however. You have a choice as to what you can eat for lunch or dinner. One meal could be an all carb meal including grains, beans and veggies. You may also have a protein meal with some vegetables. However, you should never mix the vegetables and the carbohydrates.

Beverly Hills Diet

Jan 1, 1981

The Beverly Hills Diet is a combination diet that relies on certain chemical reactions within the body. Nuts and fruits are main ingredients. According to this diet, certain fruits create specific reactions in your body: papaya softens fat, pineapple burns it off, and watermelon flushes it out the body.

For the most part you eat fruit by itself and never mix it with proteins. This way the food is properly digested. For the first 10 days, only fruit is permitted. Then on day 11, you can only have carbohydrates. Not until day 19 can you actually eat protein.

Celebrity followers Jodie Foster, Maria Shriver

Liquid Protein Diets

Jan 1, 1970 The liquid protein diet, also known as the very-low-calorie diet, were highly popular between the late 1970s to late 1980s. Sales of these liquid proteins grew to $5 billion a year during that time.

In 1976, the Food and Drug Administration pulled the old "liquid protein diet" products from the market because they were linked with as many as 60 deaths. The old formulas lacked essential complex proteins and amino acids.

Sleeping Beauty Diet

Jan 1, 1970 Individuals heavily sedated for several days Drinking Man's Diet

Jan 1, 1964 Era of alcohol-friendly low-carb regimens, such as The Drinking Man's Diet and Martinis and Whipped Cream. Harvard School of Public Health declared these unhealthful. Calories Don't Count Diet

Jan 1, 1961 FDA filed charges regarding diet's claims

Dr. Herman Taller, an obstetrician, claimed you could eat as much as you want of a high protein diet, provided that you washed it down with three ounces of polyunsaturated vegetable oil, delivered in a pill he provided. The doctor was eventually convicted of mail fraud for peddling safflower oil capsules, said to be essential to his diet but of doubious still, his "Calories Don't Count" book sold more than 2 million copies.

Zen Macrobiotic Diet

Jan 1, 1960 Dr. Ishizuka is the originator of the Zen Macrobiotic diet. He suffered both kidney and skin disease, so to restore his health conducted extensive research which was compiled into two books-Chemical Theory of Longevity, published in 1896, and Diet For Health, published in 1898.

His great successor Yukikazu Sakurazawa integrated the theory with elements of eastern and western philosophy and gave the diet it's name.

The Macrobiotic philosophy is based on the Asian principles that everything in creation is made up of two antagonistic but complementary forces-yin (passive, silent, cold and dark) and yang (active, hot and heavy).

Consequently, they categorized all foodstuffs as ‘yin' and ‘yang', or combinations of them both. They believe that the ideal diet is one that can help balance these two forces in the body.

According to Mr. Ohsawa's yin & yang guidelines for the Zen Macrobiotic diet:

• Cereals must always be a meal's basis. The most ideal is whole, brown rice.

• Vegetables can supplement cereals, but in lesser quantities and less frequently. Eggplant and tomatoes must be avoided, as they are extremely yin.

• Fresh fish can be used occasionally. Animal and dairy products and fruits are to be used in minute amounts.

• All fluids should be taken as infrequently as possible, since they are very yin, especially tea, coffee, colas and sweetened juices. Tea made from fresh herbs, and spring water are thought to be the most balanced and acceptable beverages. Mr. Ohsawa gave a special recipe for such a tea.

Ohsawa himself defined macrobiotics as a dietetic medicine-philosophy, while his successors simply call it "a sensible way of eating".

There is no macrobiotic diet per se, just general principles.

Tapeworm Diet

Jan 1, 1954 Reportedly, a pill existed that allowed a very rich person to ingest the same parasite that a very poor person would suffer from by eating uncooked meat.

As the tapeworm fed off your innards, you lost weight, and you could supposedly take another pill to keep you from dieting into an early grave.

According to urban legend, obese opera star Maria Callas lost 65 pounds with the help of the tapeworm diet. But historians say the stout soprano's fondness for raw steak and raw liver may have accounted for an unwelcome guest residing in her intestines.

A few years after Callas lost all that weight, she left her husband and began dating famed shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis. Of course, he ultimately left her for former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, only proving that losing weight doesn't always bring happiness.

Grapefruit Diet

Jan 1, 1950

High-protein diet requires you to eat a lot of bacon - yep - plus a half grapefruit daily, but prohibited carbohydrates and limited coffee.

Cabbage Soup Diet

Jan 1, 1950 Eat-all-you-want diet; flatulence was the main result, with any weight loss due to the soup's lack of calories.

Bananas and Skim Milk Diet

Jan 1, 1934

Backed by the United Fruit Co., which had a lot of bananas to sell.

Dr. Stoll's Diet Aid

Jan 1, 1930

First of the liquid diet drinks, this "meal substitute" slimming powder goes on sale in beauty parlors.

Hay Diet

Jan 1, 1930

Dr. William Hay developed his diet philosophy to cope with his own high blood pressure. The diet was the first to promote the virtues of separating your food, arguing that the human body couldn't adequately cope with combinations of proteins and starches at the same time, and warned of "digestive explosion."

Hay advised patients to consume fruit, meat and dairy at separate meals, separate from bread and potatoes, and also recommended enemas several times a week, if not daily.

Inuit Meat-and-Fat Diet

Jan 1, 1928 After living among the Inuit in the frozen tundra of the north, Vilhjalmur Stefansson raved about the salubrious effects of an all meat-and-fat diet. The Inuit still amaze anthropologists by their ability to live on a diet consisting of caribou, raw fish and whale blubber, with less than 2 percent of their diet coming from fruit, vegetables and other carbs.

To prove his point, Stefansson checked himself into New York's Bellevue Hospital in 1928, where doctors monitored his health for several months, and he claimed to have finished the year on his special diet.

While doctors still chew over the results, legions of protein proponents would sing his praise. Another pre-Atkins meat advocate, New York cardiologist Blake Donaldson advocated Inuit-style diets well into the 1960s, advising some patients to go to their butchers and ask for fat - preferably kidney fat. His appropriately titled dietary tome was called "Strong Medicine."

Cigarette Diet

Jan 1, 1925 In the age before tobacco advertising restrictions, several cigarette companies hailed the appetite-suppressing qualities of their products. One ad for Lucky Strikes urged smokers to "Reach for a Lucky instead of a sweet."

Calorie Counting

Jan 1, 1917

By the early 20th century, kitchen scales became commonplace, and Lulu Hunt Peters accurately predicted that "Instead of saying ‘one slice of bread' or ‘a piece of pie,' you will say ‘100 calories of bread,' ‘350 calories of pie.' "

Peter's landmark book, "Diet and Health, With Key to the Calories," sold more than 2 million copies, promoting a 1,200-calorie-a-day regime. Horace Fletcher promotes "Fletcherizing"

Jan 1, 1903 San Francisco art dealer Horace Fletcher is better known in the fad diet world as "The Great Masticator" for advocating a weight-loss technique that involved incessant chewing but absolutely no swallowing.

In 1898, after being denied health insurance because of his girth, Fletcher claimed that he slimmed down from 205 pounds to a svelte 163 by chewing each morsel 32 times - once for each tooth - and spitting out the remains. By his way of thinking, your body would absorb the nutrients it needed, and you'd get to enjoy the flavor of the meal without gaining weight.

Fletcher became a celebrated author, and spittoon sales must have skyrocketed, although you could hardly be surprised if he didn't receive many dinner invitations. Among his famous followers who wore their jaws out singing his praise and following his advice were novelist Henry James (whose dense writing is hard to digest) and oil baron John D. Rockefeller (whose business tactics some considered unpalatable).

Another proponent of "Fletcherizing" was John Harvey Kellogg, better known as the father of the corn flake. He ran a sanitarium in Battle Creek, Mich. (where cereal eaters would one day send box tops), and to inspire patients to Fletcherize, he wrote a "Chew Chew" song.

It was Kellogg's younger brother who added sugar to breakfast cereal, causing sales to explode, along with a few waistlines.

Banting's Low Carbohydrate Diet

Jan 1, 1863

The floodgates for diet-book publishing opened when the first popular diet book was written by William Banting, a rotund English casket maker who was so fat he had trouble tying his own shoe and had to ease himself down steps by going backward.

Banting's "Letter on Corpulence" documented how the 5-foot-5 author shed 50 pounds on a diet of lean meats, dry toast, unsweetened fruit and green vegetables. Early editions of the book sold 58,000 copies and, for decades after, English dieters referred to the battle of the belt buckle as "Banting."

Graham's Diet

Jan 1, 1830 One of America's first avowed vegetarians is Presbyterian minister Sylvester Graham, who is best remembered as the namesake of the graham cracker.

At his health retreats, Graham preached the virtues of a bland, meat-free diet. He urged his followers to swear off coffee, tea, tobacco and alcohol, and to eat plenty of whole-grain breads and crackers.

Perhaps it was Graham's preaching that inspired the practice of leaving crackers by the Christmas tree. It might be our subconscious way of saying, "Hey, Santa, maybe you ought to think about lightening the reindeers' load."

Low Carbohydrate Diet

Jan 1, 1825 First appeared in "The Physiology of Taste" by Jean

Brillat-Savarin Vinegar and Water Diet

Jan 1, 1820 Made popular by Lord Byron, but there's anecdotal evidence diluted vinegar was used by ancient Egyptians. Scientists say the acetic acid in vinegar may help the body but it won't "burn off" weight.