Now We Know the World's First Celebrity Diet (And Why it Was So Clueless)

Kim Kardashian lost so much weight on the Sunfare Optimal Cleanse, she worried her Met Gala dress wouldn't fit. Jersey Shore's Vinnie Guadagnino is now calling himself the "keto guido" after losing 50 pounds on that popular diet. And Lisa Rinna is attempting an oldie-but-goodie celebrity diet, Oprah's 21-day cleanse. But before all of this — and so very many more approaches — what was the very first celebrity diet trend of them all?

Popular Science claims to have unearthed the answer — or at least a likely answer based on historical research. "While it’s impossible to know for sure, my research led me to Lord Byron, an English poet who lived from 1788 to 1824," wrote the reporter Claire Maldarelli. "The writer attended Cambridge University, and during his time at school, historians claim that Byron was extremely vain. With a crushing fear of becoming overweight, Byron subsisted on a combination of soda water and biscuits. For a little variety, he’d occasionally eat potatoes covered in vinegar."

To summarize: The world's first celebrity diet may have been, basically, salt and vinegar chips. And that, as we all well know in our carb-phobic modern culture, certainly cannot work. Duh.

In case you're skeptical, PopSci offers this reality check: "Carbs drenched in vinegar do not a nutritious diet make... Vinegar has few, if any, health benefits. And while potatoes are a healthier food than low-carb trends might have you believe, you’d have to eat a lot of them to get all the vitamins and nutrients you need to stay well."

So alas, if you're looking to Lord Byron for dieting tips — first of all, wow. Second of all... keep looking.