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Oh, dieting.

Though we're all smart enough to realize that the only real way lose weight is simply to decrease calorie intake and increase calorie burn, many of us have fallen prey to diet fads at one point or another. But they're called fads for a reason -- they don't work!

We've rounded up 15 totally nasty diets, and encourage you to leave your own in the comments below. After checking it out, cheer yourself up with some fries from McDonald's. Just order a small, please.


Grossest Diets

    Beverly Hills Diet: A bestseller in 1981 by Judy Mazel (aptly titled The Beverly Hills Diet, this six-week long diet instructed followers to only eat fruit the first ten days of their program. Not surprisingly, a piece in the Journal of the American Medical Association quickly dismissed the diet as unhealthy.

    Flickr, mralan

    Cabbage Soup Diet: A fad diet (which basically just means quick weight loss with no follow through), this insanely unhealthy and gross diet asks you to eat only cabbage soup for seven days. While the diet claimed to help you lose 10 pounds in one week, much of that was probably do to water loss. And, you know, you throwing up because you're eating disgusting cabbage soup 24/7.

    Flickr, protoflux

    Master Cleanse: Oh, Master Cleanse (or Lemon Cleanse, or Maple Syrup Diet...) You're truly disgusting. Created by Stanley Burroughs in 1941, the diet is seen as both a way towards weight loss and a way to cleanse the body of toxins. Still wildly popular today (and promoted through Hollywood stick figures), the cleanse is supposed to last around ten days. And though you're sure to lose weight, you're also sure to gain it right back when you start eating, uh, food again.

    Flickr, skampy

    Cookie Diet: Ah, so one of those diets that sounds like an awesome idea but that you actually know deep down is a tad bit crazy. There are a few around, among them Dr. Siegal's Cookie Diet, Smart for Life and Hollywood Cookie Diet. They all recommend eating 4-6 cookies a day (that come from them, so stop your Thin Mint fantasies) plus one real meal. You know better, ladies.

    Flickr, monsieur paradis

    Hollywood Diet: The Grapefruit Diet! There are different versions here, but the basic gist is to eat a grapefruit, or half of one, for every meal you eat while also watching your calorie intake. The thought is that grapefruit has a fat-burning enzyme, which may or may not be true. Either way, uh-uh.

    Flickr, trekkyandy

    LighterLife: In 1996, Bar Hewlett, Sally Rettig and Jackie Cox created this program for the clinically obese. Nevermind that the weirdo diet includes motivation counseling and cognitive behavioural therapy techniques; a British woman died in 2008 after drinking four litres of water in under two hours for her LighterLife diet. Note to self: no one cares that you're skinny in your coffin.

    Flickr, Klearchos Kapoutsis

    Raw Food Diet: More of a lifestyle change than a diet, raw foodism involves eating only uncooked, unprocessed foods and can be done as a vegan diet or with raw meats. That may be how Samantha landed Smith Jerrod, but um, no thanks.

    Flickr, Geoff604

    The Martha's Vineyard Diet Detox: 21 pounds in 21 days just sounds unhealthy. The only right way to lose weight is slowly over time with healthier foods and regular exercise. Plus, the diet package costs $214! And you'd think Martha would know better. For shame!

    http://www.celebritydietdoctor.com

    Rhubarb Diet : Popular in Western Europe, the Rhubarb diet includes eating boiled rhubarb with dairy products twice a day, plus one extra "normal" meal at night. The iron is supposed to help, along with the fact that rhubarb is basically a laxative. We'll leave it Lily Allen.

    Flickr, The Shopping Sherpa

    Subway Diet: Pretty simple setup: replace two meals a deal with a Subway sandwich. But while Jared sure does look great, didn't mom say that too much of a good thing is never a grand idea?

    Flickr, williamhartz