A Brief History of Weight Loss

Eating, dieting and fast diets have been around almost as long as people. Once mankind and civilization developed enough so that large numbers of people didn’t have to worry about where the next meal was coming from, cultural forms of diet foods, fast diets and diets to lose weight appeared. The ancient Romans institutionalized gorging and purging which is today regarded as a serious medical/psychological condition that ranges far beyond merely being a fast way to lose weight. Gorging and purging are serious conditions requiring medical treatment.

Beginning of Fad Diets

In western cultures the first appearance of diets to lose weight was in the early 1800’s in Europe. One of the earliest fast diets was the vinegar and water diet of the 1820’s. It was not uncommon for men to weigh themselves publicly on scales kept on street corners.
During the 1830’s there was a "graham cracker diet" devised by the inventor of the Graham cracker. This was one of those diets to lose weight that featured one particular food…the Graham cracker…which provided a very bland lose weight diet. It didn’t last long, probably because eating mostly Graham crackers left people weak and listless.

Throughout the development of western civilization, there have been many other weight loss tips. During the early part of the twentieth century, one writer developed a method that required chewing food exactly thirty five times before swallowing. There was also an eight hundred calorie diet that involved grapefruit and coffee in extreme amounts. This diet was an example of some very poor weight loss meal plans indeed.

Lose weight tips and fast diets have come and gone from those early beginnings. There have been many weight loss meal plans, such as the high protein Adkins Diet, the more balanced approach of The South Beach Diet and many others. Some have provided healthy snack recipes to fend of hunger, and some have included the use of weight loss patches.

Losing Weight: There is No Short Cut

Over the years since fast diets first appeared, several facts have become established. There really is not any healthy fast way to lose weight. While careful use of diet foods and strict following of weight loss meal plans will enable people to lose weight, the only way to really lose weight is to take in fewer calories than you normally burn. Following fast diets coupled by regular moderate exercise is the safest of dieting tips.
The best method to lose weight and keep it off is to learn how your eating habits impact you body.  You need to learn how what you eat and how much you eat impacts your weight and metabolism.  Starving yourself is not the answer to losing weight.  The answer to losing weight is to blend exercise, healthy foods, and portion control.  You can lose weight without exercising but it will take longer and you may not be successful.  Use an online metabolism calculator to find out how many calories you need to consume on a daily basis based on your height and weight.  Then you can tailor your diet to have less calories than your daily metabolic burn.  Throw some exercise on top and you will come out ahead of the game.