VINEGAR DIET
Byron was keen to keep skinny, because at university he was severely overweight
ALAMY X3, GETTY X9
It was Lord Byron, the waifish Romantic poet, who popularised this grim-tasting fad. In 1820, he noted down in his diary that he maintained his slim figure by drinking a mixture of vinegar and water. According to him, the acid quenched his appetite, so he ate only one meal a day. His female fans followed suit, after he made the claim that women “should never be seen eating or drinking, unless it be lobster salad and champagne, the only truly feminine and becoming viands”. '