# Your favorite fad diet **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 17, 2009, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-fad-diet/500089 "2009-06-17T17:12:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-fad-diet/500089/1 "2009-06-17T17:12:41Z")
My doc wants me to lose 20 lbs (actually, it is closer to 15 now hooray me!) Anyway, a friend has (I think mostly in jest) sent me some fad diets. My favorite is the Ben And Jerry’s diet. It allows you to eat a whole pint of Ben And Jerry’s each day - but ONLY THAT! It turns out that would limit your caloric intake (if you got no calories from your liquid intake) to around 1200 calories a day. Actually I don’t know that I enjoy ice cream enough to eat only that each day. The Cabbage Soup one does not sound good, but she swears the soup is quite tasty. _Please note: I am not on a fad diet, I am not recommending a fad diet and I am well aware that they are not healthy for you - further, weight loss should be gradual if you want it to be permanent._ Anyway, what is \*your \*favorite? ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-fad-diet/500089/2 "2009-06-17T17:14:54Z")
The snow crab and wheat beer diet. Considering that it includes butter and lemons, all four food groups are represented. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-fad-diet/500089/3 "2009-06-17T17:18:00Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > The snow crab and wheat beer diet. Considering that it includes butter and lemons, all four food groups are represented. Is that a real one? I can’t imagine losing weight on a diet that has beer in it, even if that were all you had. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-fad-diet/500089/4 "2009-06-17T17:23:41Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > Is that a real one? No. But substitute corn on the cob for the beer, add in a salad, and it could be. The main drawbacks would be the expense and the possibility of gout. A real fad diet? I’d have to go with Atkins. I’m on something not dissimilar to that right now. ---
**Author:** ![Emily\_Litella](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emily_litella/32/3370_2.png) [@Emily\_Litella](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emily_Litella)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2009, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-fad-diet/500089/5 "2009-06-18T17:51:03Z")
The shrimp diet. Just shrimp and cocktail sauce, with some Shrimp Scampi for a change of pace once in awhile. When I die I want to come back as a whale so I can eat all the shrimp I want. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2009, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-fad-diet/500089/6 "2009-06-18T18:08:17Z")
> [@Emily\_Litella](#): > > The shrimp diet. Just shrimp and cocktail sauce, with some Shrimp Scampi for a change of pace once in awhile. When I die I want to come back as a whale so I can eat all the shrimp I want. I could see that working. A pound of shrimp has less than 1000 calories. ---
**Author:** ![Kingspades](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecae2f/32.png) [@Kingspades](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kingspades)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2009, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-fad-diet/500089/7 "2009-06-18T18:56:57Z")
I think the OP is asking for ridiculous fad diets, but in all honesty I had a lot of success with South Beach. Lost over forty pounds back in 2004 and kept it off until this past winter when emotional junk and a leg injury conspired against me. Now that I want to lose weight again, I’m right back on it. Finishing up week two as we speak. Er, type. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2009, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-fad-diet/500089/8 "2009-06-18T18:57:47Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > I could see that working. A pound of shrimp has less than 1000 calories. But a ton of cholesterol. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2009, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-fad-diet/500089/9 "2009-06-18T19:03:53Z")
> [@Kingspades](#): > > I think the OP is asking for ridiculous fad diets, but in all honesty I had a lot of success with South Beach. Lost over forty pounds back in 2004 and kept it off until this past winter when emotional junk and a leg injury conspired against me. Now that I want to lose weight again, I’m right back on it. Finishing up week two as we speak. Er, type. Yeah, I was kinda looking for the weird and the fun. The ice cream diet made me laugh. I suppose people do it, but it seems out there. I _know_ people who have done the cabbage soup diet and swear by it, but that one seems out there too. ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2009, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-fad-diet/500089/10 "2009-06-18T19:17:23Z")
My favorite stupid example that I trot out when discussing weird weightloss systems is my famous “Butter Diet”. You have a tasty stick of butter for breakfast, then another stick of butter for lunch, and then a sensible dinner of water before bedtime. About 1600 calories per day. Watch the pounds just disappear, especially with all the exercise I recommend. And say hi to the ER doctors when you wind up in the hospital 😃 ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2009, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-fad-diet/500089/11 "2009-06-18T19:17:52Z")
My BIL says he is going to write a book called The Four Bean Diet. Pretty much lose all the weight you want by eating four kinds of beans. There is absolutely no science to back it up, but that won’t stop many people from trying it anyway. ---
**Author:** ![MoodIndigo1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@MoodIndigo1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoodIndigo1)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2009, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-fad-diet/500089/12 "2009-06-18T19:47:11Z")
My sister-in-law believes in the water diet. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2009, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-fad-diet/500089/13 "2009-06-18T20:02:56Z")
> [@MoodIndigo1](#): > > My sister-in-law believes in the water diet. Only drink water? I suppose that would work… or is there more to it? ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2009, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-fad-diet/500089/14 "2009-06-18T20:26:21Z")
I’d lose a lot of weight on the cabbage soup diet. Because I’d skip the cabbage soup and just fast. Yech! ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2009, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-fad-diet/500089/15 "2009-06-18T20:29:40Z")
My favorite one I saw on TV. Probably one of those, “It’s so amazingly true you won’t believe it.” type shows on one of those channels that air those types of shows. This elderly lady was a Breatharian. She sustained her self soley on proper breathing and sunlight. Everyonce in a while she would indulge herself with water. Linky to breatharianism. > **[Inedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inedia)** > > Reportedly haunted locations: > Inedia (Latin for 'fasting') or breatharianism (/brɛˈθɛəriənɪzəm/) is the claimed ability for a person to live without consuming food, and in some cases water. It is a pseudoscientific practice and several adherents of these practices have died from starvation or dehydration as not having followed security guidelines (especially forcing change too fast). A good basic health is one of the pre-requisites taught by experts in the field. Multiple cases where this prac... My favorite is probably Atkins.\* Yes you can eat 50lbs of bacon a day and lose 20lbs a week. If there is a heavin one of the buffets will only serve bacon. Also there’s the one diet\*\* where you only drink water with a squeeze of lemon, some red pepper flakes and honey in it. _I don’t really know much of anything about the diet except you can eat a lot of meat._\*\* \*\*I’m totally going on memory and I haven’t had my 50lbs of bacon today so I don’t have the energy to go looking it up. \*\*\*and even that might be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2009, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-fad-diet/500089/16 "2009-06-18T20:44:34Z")
The concentration camp diet. This one is good because it gives you lots of choices. Pick a concentration camp from history and research what rations the prisoners were given. Asian ones are the best for extreme weight loss while German POW camps are more moderate unless you pick a Jewish one. Build yourself an enclosure in your house or in your yard made of razor wire. Get friends of family to give you your rations at weird intervals. This is one of the harder diets but it is almost impossible not to follow it and weight loss is assured which is why it is so appealing. See also the dessert island diet. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2009, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-fad-diet/500089/17 "2009-06-18T20:58:07Z")
Mmm, Dessert Island! ---
**Author:** ![dactylic\_hexameter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d26b3c/32.png) [@dactylic\_hexameter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dactylic_hexameter)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2009, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-fad-diet/500089/18 "2009-06-18T21:48:12Z")
The Amish diet: eat whatever the fuck you want, then go plow the back 40 by hand. ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2009, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-fad-diet/500089/19 "2009-06-18T22:40:43Z")
> [@Tahssa](#): > > [Inedia - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inedia) Wow, I think you’ve won the thread. It’s sometimes hard for me to believe just how crazy human beings can be. How crazy and/or stupid does someone have to be in order to convince themselves they don’t need to eat…and even take it far enough to die of starvation like some of those people did? ---
**Author:** ![Marlitharn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@Marlitharn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marlitharn)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2009, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-fad-diet/500089/20 "2009-06-19T14:16:38Z")
[The grapefruit diet.](http://www.idiet4u.com/diets/fruitjuicediet.html) Somehow the combination of bacon and grapefruit juice turbo-charges your metabolism or something and you lose weight. “The more you eat the more weight you will lose.” Riiiight. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-fad-diet/500089.md?page=2)