The Weirdest Diets

Over the years some truly bizarre, totally weird and downright disgusting diets have hit the market. This is a list of the weirdest diets of the past and present.

Apple Cider Vinegar Diet

Heidi Klum and Fergie have been linked to this strange diet plan, according to Allure magazine. Before each meal you drink three teaspoons of apple cider vinegar to curb cravings and cut fat. Medical experts say there's no science behind it, but that you may lose weight because it ruins your appetite. There are apple cider vinegar diet pills that doctors strictly warn against, saying the concentrated acidic formula could burn your esophagus and stomach lining.

Shangri-la Diet

The Shangri-La Diet by psychology professor Seth Roberts came out in 2006 and advised a new way of beating hunger. Based on studies of rats, Roberts theorized that individuals have a weight "set point" or average weight, which can be lowered by eating certain bland foods. He suggests drinking olive oil about an hour before each meal to suppress the appetite.

Cotton Balls Diet

Weight-loss expert David Edelson, M.D., says some models and dancers have eaten cotton balls in an attempt to feel full and not overeat. Cotton is not digestible, so the "risk is huge," he says. The cotton balls will wreak havoc on your system and can do serious harm. Nutritionists advise eating high-fiber foods to get the same effect without causing damage to your body.

Tapeworms Diet

In the early 1920s vendors were selling dieters pills with tapeworms in them. The theory was that the worm would attach to the stomach lining and eat some of your food, so you would lose weight without trying. It may sound good in theory, but in practice the parasites take necessary nutrients, cause digestive problems and may reproduce in your system. Doctors say tapeworms are a no-no, and hopefully no one is still trying this.

The Master Cleanser Diet

Celebrities like Béyoncé made this weird diet fashionable. Followers take laxatives in the morning and evening, and drink a mix of lemon juice, syrup and cayenne pepper in water whenever hungry. Experts say this cleanse is abrasive and excessive. Edelson does not endorse laxatives and says cleanses should only last three to seven days, as opposed to the 10 or more this cleanse suggests.

Breatharianism Diet

Almost a religion, followers of Breatharianism believe that food and water are unnecessary and that people can subsist on spirituality and sunlight alone. Basically it is a prolonged fast. Practitioner Wiley Brooks founded a Breatharianism institute in the U.S. but has been spotted by the press drinking soda and eating junk food. Others have claimed to only live on sunlight, but scientists have not confirmed it. Medical experts say prolonged fasting will lead to starvation.

The Freegan Diet

Those who call themselves Freegans try to reduce society's waste by using only second-hand products and discarded goods. They adopt a vegan diet (no animal products) and only eat food they can find for free. They "Dumpster dive" to find food in the trash, eat people's leftovers and forage wild plants. Doctors say there's nothing inherently unhealthy about this lifestyle--it's just kind of gross.

Fletcherism Diet

Horace Fletcher became known as "The Great Masticator" in the early 1900s for his weird diet. He proposed that people "Fletcherize" their food, meaning that they chew about 100 times per minute and only consume its liquids. Meals would consist of the juices that trickled down the throat, but anything solid left over was spit out. Even though his diet was extreme, weight-loss experts do advise that you eat slowly to curb overeating.

The Last-Chance Diet

Robert Linn, M.D., created one of the weirdest diets of all time in the mid-1970s. On his program, people ate nothing except a liquid protein elixir called Prolinn a few times a day. The blend was pre-digested animal hides, tendons and slaughterhouse byproducts combined with sweeteners and artificial flavors. The FDA stepped in after several last-chance dieters died.

The HCG Diet

A truly bizarre diet plan, practitioners inject themselves with a hormone that is naturally produced by the placenta of a pregnant woman, which is supposed to burn fat. The dieters are advised to only eat about 500 calories a day and are promised a weight loss of one pound per day. Doctors suggest you stay away from this one, as the calorie counts are too low, and hormone injections can be dangerous.

Japanese Banana Diet

This diet from Japan emerged about two years ago. Adherents to the Japanese Banana Diet ate only bananas and room-temperature water for breakfast, and claimed that this jump-started weight loss, regardless of what they consumed for the rest of the day. Really? Anything I want? Well, they did say no dessert, but other than that, anything was fair game. Other variations on the banana diet say eat 2 bananas before each meal, then whatever you want after that. Proponents of this diet do say that weight loss isn’t fast, possibly because constipation is a side effect of eating so many bananas….

Lunch Box Diet

Popular in the United Kingdom, this diet invented by a fitness trainer is simple: buy a lunch box, fill it with vegetables, proteins and fats, and graze on the contents of your lunch box all day long. You’re supposed to be eating healthy foods all day long, in order to satisfy your hunger without bingeing. The creator will sell you the diet plan for $21 USD, or you can go to Walmart, buy a cheap lunch box and fill it with food on your own. If you can adhere to the plan, this one makes a little bit of sense.

Baby Food Diet

This one’s been in the news lately as a celebrity favorite. None other than Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston and Madonna have tried this diet, created by celebrity trainer Tracy Anderson. A book is expected to be released soon so that the general public can follow it if desired, but what it really boils down to is, eating jars of baby food. Most baby food is free of additives, preservatives and fillers, and much of it is organic, which might be why the idea became so appealing and trendy among celebs.

Man Juice Diet

No, this isn’t just a ploy by men to get women to give them blow jobs. In 2002, a porn star named Kim Kelly became famous for publicizing the fact that she planned to eat nothing but “man juice” (aka semen) for 30 days. She planned to have six servings of man juice per day, and had more than 1000 men offering to donate “meals” for her to ingest. Because she could not “raise” enough funding to keep the diet going, Kelly only was able to attempt it for 8 days. The idea is so appealing to the providers of “man juice,” however, that it will probably rear its ugly head again one day.

http://www.forbes.com/2010/07/08/diet-weight-loss-health-forbes-woman-well-being-women_slide_11.html

http://www.worldoffemale.com/top-10-weirdest-diet-crazes/

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