Everyone loves food, who doesn’t? Food fulfils us emotionally, socially, and most importantly, nutritionally. On the contrary, our obsession with being slim and dieting is nothing new. With the constant pressure to look good, some fad diets that were introduced in the early ages include eating soap for its laxative effects and Lord Byron’s followers drank vinegar to stay slim.

Dr Louise Foxcroft, author of Calories and Corsets: A History of Dieting mentioned that, “The real tipping point for dieting came with the arrival of newspapers and magazines. It was the mass media that created the diet culture we see today.” 

Tummy Tuck Earliest Forms Occurred in 19th Century

Cellulite is not the result of excessive fat, instead it is caused by weakened connective tissues. Losing weight may make cellulite less noticeable, but it will not go away completely. While you lose weight healthily, opt for strength training exercises that focus on building muscle and toning the body so that cellulite appearance may be less visible.

Diet Crazes of the 1930s

Deemed as the most interesting diet of the era — Dr. William Hay introduced a diet that divides all foods into alkaline (carbohydrates & starches), acid (meats & other proteins) or neutral. For this diet to work, dieters should not combine acid and alkaline as the body is unable to digest them. This diet was also known to give birth to many diets of today, including the Beverly Hills, Acid Ash, Body Ph and the Alkaline Diets.

Another popular diet that came out in the 1930s is the Hollywood Grapefruit diet. It is a plan that promises quick weight loss by eating grapefruit or drinking its juice with every meal. Supporters of the diet claim grapefruit can help burn fat, quickly leading to weight loss in as few as 12 days.

Another fad diet in which you consume only bananas and skim milk also dates from the 1930s.

The Corset

Once the war came to an end, women have demanded an hour-glass figure with a tiny waist. Popular stars, such as Marilyn Monroe were full-busted and had tiny waists.

The corset is a garment with a rigid, boned bodice that is laced together to shape the torso. It helped to shape the body into distinctive silhouettes, from the hourglass shape popular in 1800s to the “S” figure in 1900s. With its controversial history, discussions about the corset were seen detrimental to women’s health, when its popularity was at its peak. Instead of relying on a garment, women started opting for diets, exercises and plastic surgeries to shape their bodies and trim their waists.

“Jazzercise”

Research has shown that dieting itself could cause overweight as it permanently lowers the body’s metabolic rate. In the 1980s, “Jazzercise” — a combination of aerobic exercise and dance was invented by Judi Sheppard Misset. As a result of this fitness craze, athleisure fashion and jogging outfits came in style. 

The Food Pyramid

The food pyramid was introduced in the US back in 1992, whereby the bottom consists of carbohydrates (eg: bread & grain) with the advice to eat 8-11 servings a day, followed by fruits and vegetables with a recommendation of 2-4 servings for fruits and 3-4 servings for vegetables. Next in the tier consists of dairy and meat, with a recommended 2-3 servings a day. Fats and oils were at the top with the advice for sparingly intakes. 

Bizarre Products

Subsequently, more bizarre products for weight loss are invented. Such inventions include high-tech leg wear that heats the skin and slims your legs by inches; fat-burning lip balm, aroma products designed to relax you and thereby suppress your food cravings, and ear staples that supposedly work like acupuncture to curb the appetite.

New Workouts & Digital Technology

In the 2000s, exercises such as yoga, pilates, Zumba, spinning and ballet barre became very popular. Not only health clubs and community centers are offering the classes, but an increase of boutique gyms was observed. 

Digital also entered the fitness world in the form of apps, websites and wearable electronic devices that monitor calorie, carb and protein intake, sleep patterns, and calories burned during exercise.

Brave Future of Dieting

In 2015, juice cleanses gained notable popularity. Dieters only drink fruit and/or green juices for 24-hour up to a week to detoxify their body system. Joining the parade of endless fad diets, the Baby Food Diet, the Clean Diet, Five-Bite, Werewolf, Alkaline and Cotton ball were introduced in 2010s. 

So, in this complicated world of ideal body shapes, fad diets and tempting treats, will we ever reach the point where we are satisfied with our body shape or where dieting does not exist?

Well, fad diets will always popularise by itself and there will always be new plans created to address people’s desire to lose weight quickly. One should strive for an effective weight loss diet that is balanced and healthy. You should be able to enjoy a variety of foods in moderation and also be controlling your daily calories intake without obsessively counting calories.

Modern technologies may also help you to burn more fat cells for weight-loss without any changes in your daily routine:

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