Fad diets through the ages: the facts

January is the time when most of us vow to go on a diet. February is the time when most of us have long abandoned it. Over the years all sorts of strange new diets have come and gone claiming to shift the pounds in a faster and easier way than the last. But what was the F Plan? Is the Atkins diet really healthy? And has the cabbage soup diet ever really been advisable? Find out more about the pros, the cons and what Myprotein nutritionist Laurent Bannock (who has worked with both Sting and Madonna) thinks of each in this special round-up of the most popular fad diets of the last 60 years.

50s: The Cabbage Soup Diet

What is it? A radical, if short-term, weight loss regime designed around heavy consumption of a low-calorie cabbage soup over the course of a week. There are numerous variations of The Cabbage Soup diet, including The Spokane Heart Diet, The Cleveland Clinic Diet and The Miami Heart Institute Diet.

Who came up with it? It has been linked with the Sacred Heart Memorial Hospital, which was said to put overweight patients on the diet prior to surgery. Most institutions associated with the cabbage soup diet have denied links with it.

Pros: Rapid weight loss, though it is claimed that most of the weight lost is water and not fat, and therefore not permanent.

Cons: Excessive flatulence. Weakness and light-headedness. Nausea when smelling the cabbage soup (especially towards the end of the week).

What Laurent says: "This diet provides the body with very little (if any) protein, helping to ensure a loss of muscle mass rather than body fat. The low fat and low protein also make it very unsatisfying. The result is likely to be poor compliance and re-bound weight-gain due to overeating and increased fat storage stimulus of the body post-diet."

60s: Calories Don't Count Diet

What is it? The Calories Don't Count diet book, published in 1961, claimed that followers could eat as many calories as they liked without gaining weight, providing that supplemented their diet with polysunsaturated safflower oil capsules, which were marketed in conjunction with his book under the brand name CDC.

Who came up with it? Dr. Herman Taller was a Romanian-born American who specialised in natural childbirth. He was a yo-yo dieter himself, his weight once reaching 265 lbs on a 5 foot 10 inch frame.

Pros: The idea that one might be able to stuff one's face with thousands of calories per day and actually lose weight by popping a capsule or two is clearly appealing.

Cons: The Food and Drug Administration were unimpressed by the fact that Taller was publishing an unsupported diet theory while simultaneously marketing a capsule and filed charges against him. A judge found him and his business associates guilty of drug violations, postal fraud and conspiracy. Despite this, the book went on to sell more than 2 million copies.

What Laurent says: "Whilst it's true that not all calories are the same (i.e. 1000 calories of celery is not the same as 1000 calories of chocolate), this diet encourages people to eat proteins and fats (including foods that are deep fried) without restriction whilst avoiding ‘low carb' fruit, vegetables, grains etc. Whilst is seems sensible to avoid sugars and refined grains etc, high levels of saturated fats can lead to weight gain and health problems."

70s: The Scarsdale Diet

What is it? This famous low-calorie, low-fat and low-carbohydrate diet from the 1970s drew on The Grapefruit diet of the 1930s, specifying that a grapefruit should be eaten for breakfast each day in order to supply the enzymes necessary for burning calories. .

Who came up with it? New York physician Herman Tarnover wrote The Complete Medical Diet plus Dr Tarnower's Lifetime Keep-Slim Program in 1978. The book was given in a boost in 1980 when Tarnover was murdered by his long-term lover Jean Harris, the headmistress of The Madeira School for girls in Virginia.

Pros: Quick results.

Cons: The rapid weight loss is said to be water rather than fat and thus easily re-gained. The limited calorie intake can cause light-headedness and extreme hunger.

What Laurent says: "A diet that is this restricted is never going to work in terms of most people's compliance. The rapid loss of muscle mass and body water does indeed make the scales look good. However, thanks to the negative impact on the metabolism, the dieter will most likely gain more weight post-diet as a rebound effect, making it a surefire of gaining more body fat in the long term."

80s: The F Plan

What is it? The F Plan diet works by restricting the daily intake of calories to less than 1,500 whilst consuming well-above the recommended level of dietary fibre.

Who came up with it? British auther Audrey Eyton, founder of Slimming Magazine. The F-Plan Diet book was based on the work of Denis Burkitt and was in the top ten best selling books in America and April and May of 1983.

Pros: Fibre makes the dieter feel 'full' for much longer than normal, reducing the urge to overeat and promoting a healthy digestive system

Cons: Excessive flatulence. Some people also express a dislike of the texture of such a high fibre diet

What Laurent says: "This is another diet that has a poor compliance level with dieters due to the significant wind and boring nature of the diet. Other concerns relate to the lack of quality protein and essential fats in a diet where so much fibre is being eaten at each meal. It may well result in temporary weight loss, but most people give up on this type of diet after a while thanks to the gas and lack of tasty food."

90s: The Atkins Diet

What is it? A low-carbohydrate diet which suggests that, by restricting intake of carbohydrates, but allowing high consumption of fat and protein, followers of The Atkins diet can switch their body's metabolism from burning glucose as fuel to burning stored body fat.

Who came up with it? American physician and cardiologist Dr. Robert Atkins first advocated this in 1972. It has a resurgence of popularity in the 90s when his book, The New Diet Revolution was published and has attracted many celebrity followers.

Pros: Steak, butter and cream galore and the diet is relatively easy to follow.

Cons: Halitosis, constipation and dehydration are reported side-effects. The high fat content of this diet, particularly if followed long-term, has been said to lead to coronary heart disease and liver problems.

What Laurent says: "The Atkins diet is popular as it's easy to comply with and appeals to most people's taste-buds. Once trashed by the scientific and medical community, research is now showing that Robert Atkins was on the right tracks. If the intake of saturated fasts (i.e. red meat, cream, cheese) is moderated and some wholegrains (i..e Quinoa, brown rice), healthy fruits and starches (i.e. yams/sweet potatoes) are allowed, this makes a pretty good diet for weight loss and overall health.

00s: The Special K Diet

What is it? Involves eating a bowl (45g) of Special K with ½ cup of low fat milk for breakfast then another for lunch OR dinner for two weeks.

Who created it? The cereal company Kellogs.

Pros: An easy diet to follow. Stick to it for the recommended two weeks and the results will be apparent.

Cons: It's a gimmicky marketing ploy by Kellogs to sell more Special K. The high carbohydrate intake can make some followers of this diet feel lethargic.

What Laurent says: "A joke diet! Does not work, and in fact promotes intake of excessive carbs which can make you gain body-fat. As a significant percentage of the daily nutrition intake is just from milk and Special K, there is a significant lack of protein, essential fats, vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients etc. This will cause problems for people that may include infections, fatigue, skin problems, and significant rebound weight gain.

Emily Jenkinson

6th January 2010