Since the early 1800s, the public has been deluged with “sure-to-work” diets. The following is a chronological list, ranging from the ridiculous to sensible, courtesy of the American Dietetic Association.

1820 — Vinegar and Water Diet (Used by the ancient Egyptians).

1825 — Low-Carbohydrate Diet (Now considered a dietary truism).

1830 — Reverend Sylvester Graham's Diet (Creator of the Graham Cracker).

1917 — Calorie Counting Diet (Had a 1,200-calorie limit and advocated chewing each bite 32 times).

1925 — The Cigarette Diet (“Reach for a Lucky instead of a sweet”).

1930 — Dr. Stoll's Liquid Diet (On sale in beauty parlors).

1934 — Bananas and Skim Milk Diet (Backed by United Fruit Co., which had a lot of bananas to sell).

1950 — Cabbage Soup Diet (Intestinal gas was the main result).

1950 — Grapefruit Diet (Required in the high-protein diet).

1960 — Zen Macobistic Diet (Created by a Japanese philosopher; promoted organic foods).

1964 — Drinking Man's Diet (Era of alcohol-friendly low-carb regimens).

1970 — Sleeping Beauty Diet (Individuals were heavily sedated for several days).

1972 — The Atkins Diet (Dr. Robert Atkins advocates plenty of meat and fat; carbohydrates are limited).

1978 — The Scarsdale Diet (A high-protein diet, limited to just 700 calories daily).

1981 — The Beverly Hills Diet (Includes large quantities of pineapples, mangoes and papayas).

1986 — Rotation Diet (Rotating number of calories consumed from week to week).

1996 — Eat Right for Your Type Diet (Based on blood type).

2003 — The South Beach Diet (A sensible, moderate diet that avoids extremes).

2004 — Coconut Diet (Dietary fats replaced with coconut oil).

2005 — “Reward Diet” (Cheating is required on the weekends; many nutritionists snort at this idea).

2006 — Maple Syrup Diet (Features a syrup-lemon drink).