What's the most popular diet around at the moment

A.� The nation has been obsessed with the idea of dieting since the early 20th century. Then it was called "Banting" after the obese William Banting was put on a weight loss regime by his doctor. Since then the weight conscious have put themselves on countless diets from the complicated to painfully obvious to the absolutely ridiculous.

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The Hay Diet

Dr William Hay invented the concept of "food combining" at the beginning of the last century. He believed that diseases were caused by toxins in the body, and the way to avoid this was not to eat "foods that fight" - for example, proteins and carbohydrates - so no sandwiches, spag bol, potatoes with meat. Some suggest this diet only works because it severely restricts what can be eaten. Nonetheless, it has been reinvented again and again.

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The grapefruit diet

In the late 1970s, some people believed that grapefruit eaten for breakfast and before each meal would promote weight loss. One theory was that the acidic taste would make the main meal less appetising. Not only did this diet have very limited success, some claimed they had experienced the burning mouth syndrome from all the citric acid.

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The Atkins diet

This high-fat, high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet was devised by Dr Robert Atkins and published in his Dr Atkins' New Diet Revolution in 1981. The high fat intake supposedly leads to a reduction of the body's insulin and to increased ketosis, the production of the ketone bodies that replace glucose in the blood when carbohydrate intake is low. This then leads to a decreased appetite.

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The Beverly Hills diet

Devised for the refined Rodeo Drive palate by Judy Mazel in 1981. The enzymes in cominations of fruit - specifically, pineapples and papaya - could apparently break down food more effectively if eaten before meals.

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The Cambridge Diet

Launched in 1981, this was a 320-calorie-a-day liquid diet. Sachet and shake diets were first conceived as space-age foods in the wake of the first moon landing. The diet soon went the way of the space race when the public realised real food was more fun.

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The Montignac diet

The "diet for gastronomes" was devised by Michel Montignac in the early Eighties. The diet avoids carbohydrates with a high glycaemic index. Theoretically, these encourage the body to produce insulin, which encourages cells to store fat.� Potatoes, pasta, sugar and caffeine are all off limits, whereas as dark chocolate, steak, red wine and foie gras are on. It was rediscovered recently when Kylie Minogue said she was a follower of the principles.

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F-Plan diet

Audrey Eyton has sold more than 1 million copies of The F-Plan diet since its publication in 1982. The book suggested eating 1,000 calories a day, choosing food with a high fibre content. The premise was that the fibre would fill you up, resulting in decreased appetite and weight loss.This was one of the more sensible diets that usually achieved success.

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The cabbage soup diet

This was developed in the mid-Nineties to help people recover from surgery - it was espoused by celebrities like Joanna Lumley. It promised weight loss of up to a stone in a week, but most of this is water and unfortunate side effects can include boredom and nausea.

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The Kensington diet

In 1998 Princess Diana's masseur Stephen Twigg published this diet, another food combining regime. Princess Di and Koo Stark were once celebrity exponents.

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The Nigel Lawson diet

The country was aghast when the once portly former Chancellor of the Exchequer Lord Lawson, lost five stone in 10 months in 1996. The secret was a diet devised by his wife Therese, which she published in 1998. The diet involved, among other things, abstaining from stilton and alcohol and replacing butter with lemon juice.

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For advice and help with weight loss, log on now to www.realslimmers.com

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By Katharine MacColl