Friday 21 May 2010

Auntie Beehive's Fad Diets


Like many women of her era, my Auntie Beehive was a relentless dieter. She was naturally slender so I think it was more of a control thing with her than a weight thing. But also, women were just expected to diet in those days. It was part of being a socially acceptable female. [Editor's note: have things really changed since then?]

Auntie Beehive was always experimenting with one fad diet or another. I think she tried them all over the years. The strangest one I remember her following was the Oranges-and-Metamucil diet. For weeks, if not months, Auntie Beehive lived exclusively on navel oranges and Metamucil fibre supplement. Does anyone else remember this weird diet? It can't have been very healthy.

Nowadays you can actually buy orange-flavoured Metamucil. Of course, you know who it reminds me of every time I see it in stores.

14 comments:

mxtodis123 said...

I don't remember this one. Actually, I was really quite slim, too slim, until I got into my 40's. I had the peanut butter diet to gain weight. LOL!!!
Mary

Wendy said...

That's pretty funny, Mary about the peanut butter, I can relate...

Debra, god bless auntie and all of us women who think we're not good enough, pretty enough, etc...and try the grapefruit diet, the protein diet, and the latest the "cookie" diet which are actually cookies that help you supposedly to lose weight, oi vey! I don't know if it will ever end these crazy, stupid diets, but hopefully women will be appreciated more and more for all the shapes and sizes we come in :)

Auntie sezzzzzz... said...

Have things changed, in regard to it being *necessary* for women to work on being slender? Nope.

But at least, back in 'Auntie Beehive's' day, the *ideal* wasn't as horribly thin, as it is today. -sigh-

>^_^<
.

BugginWord said...

Blech. Orange metamucil. I used to take that swill every morning. We affectionately called it "Citrus Colon Blow."

brandi said...

~the thought makes my tummy turn...my dad used to drink metamucil...i was oh so curious when i was little i snuck some he didn't finish...yuck! i l♥ve food far to much to give up all for simply that and oranges...what a lady! warm wishes and brightest blessings~

jaz@octoberfarm said...

auntie beehive was the female billy bob thornton...he only eats orange food. i bet auntie beehive did not stray far from the loo!!!

Bridgett said...

Sounds...awful. LOL

yellowdoggranny said...

sigh* i can remember when i could eat anything and i was still skinny as a rail..now? i gain wait watching chocolate commercials..
although i do remember being on a grapefuit diet..holyshit..ick

L said...

My mother use to take metamucil, and always on diets. Possibly from the same era as Auntie Beehive(mum's in her 60's) where women looked after their figures. I think alot has changed since then. There weren't many morbidly obese people in those days, and like you say, not many underweight people either. I reckon the women from that era had gorgeous figures: very shapely and healthy.

Dancing With Fey said...

Wow. I knew that diets could be weird, but not THAT weird!

The orange one couldn't have worked for me, because I get cankersores if I have too many of them. I think it's a problem with the citric acid.

Suzie Ridler said...

I remember that product! I can't drink Metamucil, ugh. I take fiber pills instead, LOL.

The wood really didn't do much for the salmon, to be honest. I don't know if you drink wine but you can get the Naked Grape Chardonnay which is not made in oak barrels. It's lovely and I cook with it all the time! Just thought I would mention it.

Sarah Sullivan said...

LOL I do remember that one. I have never been a fad dieter..and have always been facinated by them...like the cabbage diet..I love cabbage..but for a month LOL..not so much!!
Whoot so glad you got your package!! So thrilled you like them...took soooo long to get there...geesh!! But thrilled they have arrived hon!!
Hugs and love, Sarah

Anonymous said...

Personally, I've never heard of the oranges and Metamucil diet, but I'll tell you one thing for sure; a glass of Metamucil mix before bed, and I guarantee you the next morning, you'll feel like you've lost 5 pounds after visiting the restroom! BAaaawooooosh!!! A total evacuation. Sorry to be gross, but that stuff is a real blowout!

Blueberry said...

Ugh! Came across an even weirder diet last week. You tape little silver balls behind your ears (for acupressure) and the diet is like 2 days nothing but milk and 2 days of fruits/veg, then back on the milk. You pay someone $150 a month to move your little balls around. Not making this up.