When it comes to dieting, history has no shortage of strange ideas. Over the centuries, people have been willing to try just about anything in the name of slimming down. From cigarettes to mummies, the following old-timey diet trends are so ridiculous they almost sound made up. They’re not.

Here’s a look at some of the weirdest diet fads from the past. Enjoy the read, and please, please, leave these ones in the history books.

The Cigarette Diet of the 1920s

In the roaring 1920s, cigarette companies didn’t just sell tobacco. They sold the idea of cigarettes as appetite suppressants. One popular slogan from the time urged dieters to "Reach for a Lucky instead of a sweet."

Yes, this was an actual marketing campaign. The logic? Smoking would curb your appetite, help you stay thin, and make you glamorous in the process. Of course, the public wasn’t yet aware of the serious health risks associated with cigarettes, making this one of the most dangerous diet trends of the early 20th century.

The Chewing Diet of the "Great Masticator"

Horace Fletcher, known as the "Great Masticator," believed that chewing your food thoroughly could help you lose weight and improve your health. But Fletcher didn’t mean 20 or 30 chews. He recommended chewing each bite at least 100 times until it was liquefied. 

He said that people should chew their food until it “swallowed itself,” and spit out anything that wouldn’t liquify. This method, known as "Fletcherism," became surprisingly popular from the 1890s through the early 1910s. Devotees, including Thomas Edison and Mark Twain, claimed it helped them eat less and improved digestion. 

The downside, aside from turning meals into marathons, was that people weren’t getting essential nutrients from their over-chewed food. 

The Arsenic Diet

Arsenic has been a popular poison for thousands of years because it’s odorless, tasteless, and cheap. In fact, arsenic was known as “La Poudre de Succession,” or "Inheritance Powder,” in 17th century France because it so often helped women rid themselves of unwanted husbands. 

Despite this, arsenic was featured in some of the first over the counter weight loss pills of the 19th century. It was believed that small doses of arsenic would speed up the metabolism and promote a slimmer figure. 

In reality, arsenic is a poison. And as one might expect, this diet came with some unfortunate side effects, including nausea, organ failure, and death. The fact that arsenic pills were ever sold for dieting is as baffling as it is terrifying.

The "Move Away From the Swamp" Diet

In his 1727 book, “Causes and Effects of Corpulence,” Thomas Short suggested that obesity was linked to proximity to swamps. The idea was that swampy air and "miasmas" contributed to sluggishness and weight gain.

The solution was simple: just move to higher, drier ground. This became known as the "Move Away From the Swamp" diet. No calorie counting required—just pack up and relocate. 

"La Vita Sobra" (The Sober Life) 

In 1558, Italian nobleman Luigi Cornaro published Discorsi della vita sobria ("Discourses on the Sober Life"), which promoted extreme dietary restriction as a path to health and longevity.

Cornaro reportedly limited himself to 12 ounces of food and 14 ounces of wine per day. He credited this extreme restriction for his vitality well into old age. 

While his exact birthdate is unclear—he likely exaggerated his age to promote his diet—sources suggest he was between 90 and 102 at his death, an impressive lifespan for the 16th century. It goes without saying that modern nutrition would not endorse such a plan.

Mummies as a Drug

From the 12th through the 19th centuries, Europeans believed that ingesting powdered mummy could provide health benefits. Known as mumia, this gruesome "supplement" was made by grinding up the remains of Egyptian mummies and selling the powder as a remedy for various ailments.

While the goal wasn’t specifically weight loss, mumia was sometimes used for appetite control and other dubious purposes, making it one of the most bizarre additions to this list of historical diets. 

Food for Thought

History is full of strange ideas about how to lose weight. From cigarettes to arsenic to powdered mummies, people have gone to incredible (and dangerous) lengths in pursuit of the perfect body.

Thankfully, these fads have faded into the past where they belong. They serve as a reminder that when it comes to wellness, a little skepticism and a lot of common sense goes a long way.