7 Of the oddest weight-loss schemes of the past were also unhealthy
Here are seven of the strangest — and often unhealthy — strategies for getting thin. 1. Smoking instead of snacking. A 1928 advertisement for Lucky Strike cigarettes said, “Reach for a Lucky instead of a sweet,” until the confection industry threatened legal action. In 1930, the ad was rewritten to say, “We do not represent that smoking Lucky Strike Cigarettes will bring modern figures or cause the reduction of flesh. 2. Speed pills to suppress your appetite. Amphetamines were first prescribed after World War II. They generally were discontinued in 1979 when addiction and the potential for abuse became better known. Amphetamines were used on the battlefields during the war to help sleep-deprived soldiers stay awake and alert. 3. A diet ‘candy’ with an unfortunate name. Then there was Ayds, a fudgelike candy that was designed to be taken before meals as an appetite suppressant. First introduced in the 1950s, Ayds grew in popularity for the next 20 years. 4. All junk food,