Craziest Diets of All Time

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below1. THE CANDY DIET
Word to the wise: If diet pills look like a box of chocolates, they're likely too good to be true—as was the case with Ayds Appetite Suppressant Candy. Ayds (pronounced "aids") was popular in the 1970s and early '80s and came in a variety of decadent flavors. Once the AIDS epidemic entered the public psyche in mid-1981, however, the unfortunately named diet candy experienced a rapid drop in sales. Eventually, Ayds was withdrawn from the market entirely, which was probably for the best: The active appetite-suppressing ingredient in the product was phenylpropanolamine (PPA), which is now available only by prescription because of its potential to cause stroke in women.
More From ELLE 2. THE MASTER CLEANSE
Given Hollywood's pressure to be thin, celebrities turn to this diet time and time again. For Beyoncé Knowles, however, once was enough: Though the star admitted on Ellen that she did the Master Cleanse to drop 20 pounds for Dreamgirls, she said it also made her "evil." So what exactly does the Master Cleanse entail? Also known as the Lemonade Diet, the Master Cleanse is a liquid diet of water, lemon or lime juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper. Promoted by Stanley Burroughs in his book The Master Cleanser in 1976, the diet involves drinking the "lemonade" six to 12 times a day. Made popular again in 2004 with Peter Glickman's Lose Weight, Have More Energy & Be Happier in 10 Days, the cleanse may help you drop the pounds—but not without sacrificing your health, your sanity, and, yes, sending you on quite a few trips to the loo. Photo: Retna
3. THE GRAPEFRUIT DIET
Also known as the Hollywood Diet and the 18-Day Diet, this fruity weight-loss plan first gained fame in the 1920s. The basic premise: Lunch and dinner consists of grapefruit, lean meat, and vegetables. (A cup of coffee is allowed with each meal, but no snacking is allowed in between.) The Grapefruit Diet experienced renewed popularity in 2004, when a study by the Scripps Clinic concluded that the enzymes in grapefruit help reduce insulin levels and encourage weight loss (incidentally, the study was sponsored by the Florida Department of Citrus). But although grapefruit is healthful, a diet based on the fruit—and a mere 800 calories per day—is not. Moreover, the large quantities of grapefruit required for the diet can react badly with certain medications. Photo: Retna
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