The Ayds Diet Pill
Thanks to the proliferation of Internet video a number of commercials from the early 1980s have made a reappearance - one of which is for the unfortunately named "AYDS".
The AYDS diet pill is neither a hoax or an urban myth.
The pill was an appetite suppressant in the form of a candy. Flavors such as peanut butter, chocolate, or caramel were available.
While popular in the 1970s, the emergence of the AIDS virus in the early 80s soon led to a slump in sales. No surprise given that the sales pitch included lines like "Why take diet pills when you can enjoy Ayds?"
The NY Times (1982) reported that the active ingredient in AYDS was phenylpropanolamine - a substance the FDA has now ruled "not recognized as safe".
See the original commercial here on YouTube - and be ready for some cringe-worthy material. (via Starling)
WOW! I thought I had been dreaming those. My mom always had a box of these around and I remember begging her to share the "candy" with me. I also remember being so very upset when she would not give me any. When I was older, after they had dissapeared I always wondered if any kid had gotten sick from eating them.
ReplyLOL, I saw this on WebJunk 20 on VH1! It's hilarious. I remember my mom telling me she tried them back in the day and said they didn't really work so she stopped buying them. She also told me that there wasn't any connotation back then to any disease, so no one thought the name was all that hilarious back then.
ReplyI heard many children at this stuff up like candy well it was candy.
A scientific study found an increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke in women who used phenylpropanolamine.
ReplyMy mom kept a box of these in the bathroom cupboard. I was an excellent "sneak eater" so I used to use the bathroom a LOT! I would sneak these little munchies into my pocket to enjoy later. There were no sweets allowed in the house, so to me these things were delicious. Yep. They were just candy.
ReplyYeah, I blogged about this before!
This advert is soooo funny!
ReplyI'm showing my age now, but I used these - they were just like little lumps of chewy fudge, very tasty! You were just meant to have one when you were hungry. They contained some sort of "filler" so you did not feel hungry, and were sweet, so that your sweet tooth was satiated.
Looking back, I guess a glass of water would have had the same effect, but been a lot healthier for you!
ReplyI was always overweight as a child and I remember my mom bought these for me. It was before I went to Weight Watchers at the age of 12 so I must have been around 10 years old or so. I had no idea they had phenopropanolamine in them!!
I just remember they were little squares of what was supposed to taste like chocolate individually wrapped in tiny wax paper wrappers. Personally I remember they tasted gross, and on top of that they didn't work. :P
ReplyHEY THOSE THINGS WERE GOOD WE ALWAYS HAD THEM AT MY HOUSE, BUT EVERYONE IN THE HOUSE WAS FAT, SO..............THEY DID NOT WORK FOR US..BUT THEN AGAIN OUR WHOLE LIFESTYLE WAS BASED ON FOOD AND EATING, I HAVE NO IDEA WHY WE EVEN HAD THOSE SITTING THERE NEXT TO THE HOMADE CHEESECAKE AND HOT MILK CAKES AND HOMADE SAUSAGE, FUDGE AND DUMPLINGS.
ReplyMy mom and I both took these things sometime in the late 60s or early 70s. I was too young to understand why we would eat these awful tasting cubes instead of a good old Hershey bar from the corner store. And I could only have one a day? Forget that!
ReplyI must be young because I have never heard of this type of candy but it would be nice if it really worked. I love chocolate and would most likely full in love with it if I new it would help my appetite.
Replywhen i was a kid my aunt and i ate a whole box of these and then went out to dinner!
ReplyWhat about these natural hunger surpressient, like peanut butter, protein, or lean grass fed meats? This pill is unsafe. Period.
I think it's better to go on an atkins diet than to do this. Eat fish. But don't take this frankinpill.
ReplyYep, I remember Ayds. I remember taking them. You were supposed to consume two with a cup of hot water, about 20 minutes before a meal. I don't recall that they did anything for me at all, weight-loss-wise.
Find anything on Metrecal? An early "slimfast" type drink. There were also Metrecal cookies . . .
ReplyOh my goodness, I remember this product. I never did try it. At least I don't think I did. lol
ReplyIs this product still on the market to be purchased. It really worked for me, and I was wondering whatever happend to it.
Replywhere do you purchase these. they worked for me always
ReplyOH MY...These worked, they really WORKED. The name is rather politically in-correct but they really worked.
The company that made them, Dep Corporation was creating them up until 1988 in Europe. They were going to market them under a new name in the USA...anyone know about that?
ReplyI love the Internet. I, too, had been wondering if I had merely dreamed that there was some weird diet candy when I was a kid named AIDS. Well, it's AYDS, but here are all of these other people that remember, too. *wave* We used to sneak a few too, but it clearly wasn't Real Candy....mmm, candy.....
ReplyHonestly, I think people should just stop trying to take the easy way out of losing weight and just exercise.
ReplyUm, what about people who are physically unable to exercise?
ReplyI found Ayds filling with a cup of hot tea... I would cut them in little pieces and would take each piece with a sip of tea........ It sure filled the craving for a snack in the evening or a sweet through the day. I looked for them forever. Now with a hot tea...I cut up my chocolate caltrate lol and pretend it is the same and it does fill up the craving for sweets. lol If I could buy them again...I would. I love the chocolate mint ones.
ReplyI used Ayds in 1979, I was 19 and I found them to work well. I ate one or two with a cup of black coffee before my meal and they were satisfying and filling. I ate less and lost 20lbs in less than a month and did not feel deprived. I think the others did not follow directions and eat Ayds with something hot. I would love to be able to buy Ayds again. Better than any diet.
ReplyI used these in the 1970`s and yes they did work. I had put on 4 yes 4 stone during my pregnancy as I wasn`t allowed to do any housework due to previous miscarriages. I lost all the weight within 6 weeks and felt as fit as a fiddle. Shame about the name but if they were around now I would definately use them!!
Replyi got into my grandmother's stash when i was a kid.
Replythey worked alright. that's why i stopped eating them.
as they said on MONTY PYTHON............
"what's the sport in that?"
Steeling from your grandmother? Don't tell me.
ReplyI remember reading the Ayds ads in American Girl magazine in the early 70's. They would include before and after photos of the young woman who had used Ayds and how their lives had changed with the weight loss. I remember one line in an ad, "I quit riding my bike when the neighbor kids would hoot when they saw 155 pounds of fat riding down the street." Later, I tried an Ayds at a friend's house and was disappointed, just a rather dreary caramel and they didn't seem to be working for my friend. Those ads were great though, I enjoyed reading them.
ReplyI used them and I lost 140 pounds in about 7 months and a girl friend I worked with took them also and lost 120 pounds. Chocolate mint was my favorite I had two with coffee 15 minutes before each meal and it curbed my appetite. I also worked out a lot to stop my skin from sagging it worked back then I was young LOL now I still work out but gravity has kicked in.I wish they still sold them today.
Replyhow do i purchase ayds?
Replyis ayds still on the market?
ReplyI used these after I had my first son and I lost all the weight I gained while expecting. I took one with a cup of hot tea 30 minutes before a meal. If I was hungry I had a cup of tea and an aydes. I would love to get them.
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