The dumbest diet you ever tried?

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tsikkz
tsikkz Posts: 404 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
When I was in highschool I tried some pretty terrible diets, here are a few of my worst:

Celebrity slim, a two meal replacement shake diet, I ended up just gorging myself for dinner every night to compensate for how STARVING I was during the day. I still get emails from them asking me to sign up again to this day. Oh yeah, and I totally had to buy EVERYTHING to use the program; the books, the shaker cups, every flavor they carried, the special "plateau" breaker shakes.. I facepalm every time I think about how much money I wasted.

The jello diet, I don't think this one really needs an explanation, but to this day I can't stand the stuff!

The lollypop diet, I actually read this one in a teen magazine, eat nothing but fat free lollipops during the day and a light dinner of carrot sticks and celery. Oh man.

Intermittent fasting, I woke up freezing cold and drenched in sweat every night for like 6 months, I know its been successful for some people but you'd think I would have realized it wasn't good for me a little sooner.

None of these worked, who'd have thought healthy eating and exercise was the answer hmm?

What are your dumb diet experiences?
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Replies

  • curleegirl68
    curleegirl68 Posts: 53 Member
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    Before I got married I tried the miracle soup diet. It worked but I got hives, not sure if it was because of the tomatoes or if I was nervous.

    Vegetable soup every day for seven days, one day I remember I could have all the bananas.
  • b3kah5
    b3kah5 Posts: 280 Member
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    A couple of years ago I did the HCG diet. I had to inject myself daily with HCG and eat 500 calories a day. I lost a couple of pounds and I believe it wrecked my metabolism. It should be banned.
  • Lupercalia
    Lupercalia Posts: 1,857 Member
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    Uh, I made up my own very low fat/very low carb diet. It is now known as the Faileo diet, because that's what it was. Epic fail! I lost weight, but I was absolutely miserable--total ***** to be around.
  • meeper123
    meeper123 Posts: 3,347 Member
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    I ate only beans for a month yeah it worked but it wasnt pretty
  • squindles
    squindles Posts: 350 Member
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    Lipotrim.......thought I was going to die :huh: lost 13lbs in 5 days.........put on 18lbs in 14 days :noway: :embarassed:
  • dorthymcconnel
    dorthymcconnel Posts: 237 Member
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    I have tried the cabbage soup diet, which lasted all of two days, and back in the 90s was totally happy to listen to Susan Powter and her "fat makes you fat" mantra, which led to buying fat free this and fat free that. I gained weight on that. I bought her program as well. Tried butter busters and learned that I can't stand fake butter.

    About the only one I've tried was Change One, which was from Readers' Digest a few years back (They now have a different program). I still have the Change One book because it worked the first time. I pay no heed to the "use fat free this and diet soda that" because it does not work for me. I don't drink soda at all, but I pay attention to what the book says about serving sizes and "how to" s of eating each meal, including meals out and holidays.
  • aakaakaak
    aakaakaak Posts: 1,240 Member
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    I failed miserably at atkins. It was a great meal plan, but I didn't lose any weight.
  • BeckyAnne4
    BeckyAnne4 Posts: 143 Member
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    About 10 years ago I did a one of the "Hollywood" diets. Nothing but their special "juice" (and use the word "juice" *very* loosely) for 48 hours. I'm sure I lost a lot of water weight, which of course came right back within days. All I had wanted was to look cuter in a dress that I had bought to wear on a date to a concert, but all I suceeded in doing was giving myself diarrhea and the shakes. Awesome. The date went fine, and the dress fit just the same as it would had I done nothing, I'm sure. Literally money down the toilet.
  • abbyandajsmom
    abbyandajsmom Posts: 7 Member
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    More like which one haven't I tried? Grapefruit, B12 shots, cabbage, liquid....not to mention all the pills I have tried! Finally at age 41, I realize there is no fix but me, eating better and excersise.
  • oomalmal
    oomalmal Posts: 219 Member
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    I failed miserably at atkins. It was a great meal plan, but I didn't lose any weight.

    ^^^^This. I was never satisfied. I love my carbs.


    Also when I lost a bunch of weight a few years ago, I went extremely low fat. I lost 20 pounds, and I think half of that was from my hair falling out. Then I found MFP, learned about good fat and lost another 80. Then I stopped exercising and gained 80 back, and here I am again.

    But this time I'm keeping my hair.
  • lua_
    lua_ Posts: 258 Member
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    The Russian Gymnast Diet (from the pro-ana websites, but I was/am not pro-ana)

    Breakfast: Glass of fruit juice
    Lunch: Green apple
    Dinner: Fruit salad

    I lost a LOT of weight very quickly, but my stomach (and mind) was very unhappy for those 20 days.
  • M______
    M______ Posts: 288 Member
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    Probably the chocolate and takeaway diet I spent 10 years working hard on :)
  • phumzilesiboza7
    phumzilesiboza7 Posts: 14 Member
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    the 13 day "danish" diet!!! lost 10kgs but a year later(exactly) i had gained 11kgs! lol
  • BigBrunette
    BigBrunette Posts: 1,543 Member
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    Worst diet: eating whatever the hell I want in whatever amount I want. That's what got me here. :)
  • IslandDreamer64
    IslandDreamer64 Posts: 258 Member
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    I made up my own diet when I was in high school (and wasn't really overweight). Every day for lunch I had a few lettuce leaves, 5 Saltine crackers, and a scoop of tuna with a small amount of mayo. I don't remember but I think I still ate regular breakfast (cereal) and whatever my mom cooked for dinner. I lost 10 pounds or so.
  • x_JT_x
    x_JT_x Posts: 364
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    The 1,200 calorie diet. Worked great initially. Lost weight, had lots of energy. Figured all these 'experts' on MFP were wrong and it really was the answer. I was pretty proud of myself for being able to sustain such a low calorie intake. I wasn't hungry. My body got used to subsisting on such a low calorie count that hunger really wasn't an issue for me. Then reality set in. I got tired and cranky. My workouts suffered to the point that what I was accomplishing was little more than going through the motions. My weight loss stalled. I couldn't possibly eat any less than I was and had no energy to workout any more than I was. I was eating between 800 - 1200 calories a day and not losing. Couldn't figure out where I'd gone wrong. So I started researching. Started paying attention to posts from some of the long term members on MFP who've had success themselves. Turns out, they really do know what they're talking about. Go figure.
  • hungryhobbit1
    hungryhobbit1 Posts: 259 Member
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    Some time in the mid-90s my husband and I met Judy Mazel (the Beverly Hills Diet lady) when he was doing some work for her. She was.... an interesting character. Anyway, we went on the diet on a lark, because she gave us the book and it was such a strange diet plan. That was the craziest diet I've ever been on. One day eat nothing but grapes, the next day papaya (yeah, not very seasonal) then on day 10 you have the choice of steak or lobster. (Super affordable) Her theory was that it's not how much we eat that is the problem but how we combine different foods. (LOL, yeah. Science!)

    We stayed on it for about 10 days, most of which I spent running around trying to find whatever weird ingredient was The Food for that day. I don't think we lost any weight, if we did it came right back.
  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
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    I tried the grape fruit diet and the soup diet, but the dumbest one for me was Atkins. Of course I was one of those people with lots of weight to lose who did the induction phase for 3 months instead of the two weeks called for. I love bread, I bake bread and keep a sourdough starter active in my fridge or on my counter....how I ever thought I could give up carbs like that I'll never know.
  • UhOhItsKylie
    UhOhItsKylie Posts: 92 Member
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    It wasn't a diet, per se, but a 48 hour lemon juice-cheyenne pepper water "cleanse". I told myself that it wasn't to lose weight, just to jumpstart finally getting back in the gym for the first time since high school.

    Probably the most miserable 48 hours ever. I was a total bear to be around. It tasted awful. Plus, I ended up gorging myself on anything and everything fast food and fried for 2 days after so I was right back where I started, if not worse. Ha!

    Edited to say: also fell prey to the HydroxyCut commercials a few years ago. As someone who has heart issues and two former heart surgeries, this was a terrible idea.
  • lisahewitt22
    lisahewitt22 Posts: 102
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    I tried eating around 500-900 calories a day without exercise, lost a lot of weight, and then thought I could just go back to eating normally without a problem, gained everything back and then some. Terrible idea.

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