1. 1087: The Alcohol-Only Diet

2. 1820: The Vinegar and Water Diet

3. 1829: The Graham Diet

4. 1864: Low-Carb Enters the Scene

In 1864 William Banting published his Letter on Corpulence about how going low-carb helped him lose 50 pounds. Banting's sample meal plan:
For breakfast, at 9.00 A.M., I take five to six ounces of either beef mutton, kidneys, broiled fish, bacon, or cold meat of any kind except pork or veal; a large cup of tea or coffee (without milk or sugar), a little biscuit, or one ounce of dry toast; making together six ounces solid, nine liquid.
For dinner, at 2.00 P.M., Five or six ounces of any fish except salmon, herrings, or eels, any meat except pork or veal, any vegetable except potato, parsnip, beetroot, turnip, or carrot, one ounce of dry toast, fruit out of a pudding not sweetened any kind of poultry or game, and two or three glasses of good claret, sherry, or Madeira — Champagne, port, and beer forbidden; making together ten to twelve ounces solid, and ten liquid.
For tea, at 6.00 P.M., Two or three ounces of cooked fruit, a rusk or two, and a cup of tea without milk or sugar; making two to four ounces solid, nine liquid.
For supper, at 9.00 P.M. Three or four ounces of meat or fish, similar to dinner, with a glass or two of claret or sherry and water; making four ounces solid and seven liquid.
5. Early 1900s: The Tapeworm Diet


6. 1930s: Grapefruit (or "Hollywood") Diet Emerges

7. 1940: Bile Beans

8. 1950s: More Weight Loss Supplements Emerge

9. And cleverly packaged canned fruit.

10. 1960s: Cigarettes

11. 1961: The 'Calories Don't Count' Diet

12. 1971: Sugar Touted as Diet Suppressant

13. 1972: Atkins Diet Becomes a Thing

14. 1981: The Beverly Hills Diet


15. 1990ish: Cabbage Soup Diet

16. 2010: Baby Food Diet

17. 2012: Gluten-Free Eating Becomes a Huge Fad
