In today's $60billion diet industry, it's hard to stand out from the fierce competition but these nostalgic adverts appear to have the secret - just make some incredibly outrageous promises to the despairing dieter.
The products on these vintage posters offer a range of solutions to shift those extra pounds - from the electric spot reducer which guaranteed to jiggle away excess bulk to soap which would 'melt' fat while you bathed.
Few gimmicks have stood the test of time but companies like WeightWatchers which promote balanced diet and exercise are still going strong.
The Spot Reducer 'guarantees' to target problem areas of weight gain by jiggling the fat away with its unique scientific method in 1955
La Mar Reducing Soap from the 1920s promised to 'wash away fat and years of age' to the gullible consumer
Obesity and its related diseases have now reached epidemic proportions in the U.S. More than a third of American adults (35.7 per cent) are obese along with 17 per cent (or 12.5 million) children and teenagers.
In 12 states - Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia - around 40 per cent of people are obese.
The U.S. diet market was valued at $59.7 billion in 2010. Due to the prevalence of America's weight problems, the Food & Drug Administration has been approving more new obesity drugs. Phentermine, an appetite suppressant, is the most commonly prescribed diet pill, accounting for half of the market.
The campaign for Kellogg's All-Bran in 1933 promoted a healthy diet for weight loss over a quick fix
This poster for Professor F.J. Kellogg's weight loss remedy gets straight to the point
Black and white magazine advert for Ryebisk slimming biscuits from around 1928 promised 'a slim silhouette'
WeightWatchers is one of the few solutions for being overweight that has stood the test of time and takes a large chunk of American's $60 billion diet industry
The Slimmers Glove System told dieters in 1975 that all they need to lose fatty deposits is a good old scrub in the tub
