SubscribeHow Fat Jane Became Slim Jane
The 1920s was the age of the flapper - short skirts and bobbed haircuts were all the rage - as were quick weight loss remedies.
One enterprising marketeer managed to sell Jad Salts as a weight loss cure.
Check out this cartoon: Fat Jane becomes Slim Jane.
According to an old document from the New Haven Department of Health - JAD salts were made from the following:
Contains sodium phosphate, sodium and potassium bicarbonates, citric and tartaric acids with a small amount of hexamethylene tetramine. (Wiley's 1001 Tests).
All one had to do was "take a spoonful of ordinary Jad salts in a glass of water before breakfast every morning and make two small changes in diet".
What exactly those "two small changes" were is up for debate. Although one source believes the secret was this: 1) eat anything you desire so long as it isn't blue, 2) regurgitate it immediately.
More like this in Weird · Mar 6, 2008
Bulimia for weight loss, if the second assumption on dietary changes is true. Nice. *note extreme sarcasm* There really seems to have been absolutely no government regulation of crap in the 1920s.
Reply"A FEW WEEKS LATER"?! Egad.
ReplyIt`s crazy what some people will put themselves thru to look thin it`s got to be a sickness in the brain throwing up and the likes , I guess a little therapy and a good exercise program would go good together.
ReplyWhat is the effect of those chemicals? Is it a saline laxative?
ReplyDo the JAD salts assist you in the regurgitation progress? Sort of like how some bulimics abuse ipecac syrup? My husband once (after drinking several beers) said "Hey, is it true that it's impossible to eat a spoonful of plain salt?" and I told him that if he DID eat a spoonful of salt, he'd throw up. He of course didn't believe me and ate the salt anyway. About 10 minutes later, he threw up and said "Hey, you were right. I'm never doing that again!" So maybe these JAD salts were the same sort of thing.
On another note: Are there really any naturally occurring blue foods out there? All I can think of is blueberries, but I doubt those are making most people fat.
ReplyDo blue corn chips count as naturally occurring?
ReplyI suppose it depends on the actual corn they use. There are several varieties of blue corn...
ReplyI don't believe there are. That's why one piece of dieting advice I've heard is to eat your food off of a blue plate. The color blue makes you less hungry because there are practically no foods that are naturally blue.
This makes me wonder if there was some kind of blue junk food fad in the '20s.
ReplyFrom what I found with a little googling, I didn't find any hint that it would encourage throwing up or serve as a laxative - but I didn't know that about salt. It seems to have been mainly advertised to help with people who had troubles with urination. It sounds like a crock.
Is the dude picking up Jane the same guy who was escorting Jane's confidante? He looks like the guy who later modeled as the weak beach guy getting sand kicked into his face.
Blue food - um, blue corn chips, bluish potatoes and sweet potatoes, plums with a bluish tint. Some fish look blue to me...
ReplyKailash gets it... from The Popular Practice of Fraud by Thomas Swann Harding, Ayer Publishing (1976), p131:
ReplyOh man, if it's got enough sodium phosphate in it to "purge" your system, it's probably a lot like that phospho-soda drink they give you before abdominal surgery or a colonoscopy. That stuff will park you on the toilet forever.
ReplyDon't tomatoes come in basically every color ever yet seen?
ReplyWell there is a variety of tomato called Russian black which is dark bluish-purpley-black... but i think the list of exceptions is proving the rule. I mean, if we had to list all the red or green foods we'd be here all day (that is not a challenge people lol)
ReplySpectra's story made me laugh pretty hard, I think I may have burned a few calories. LOL.
ReplyLook at her in the last photo! She's about to break in half, she's so weak. He has to hold her up.
ReplyI agree with you. And losing that much weight in a few weeks????!!! That is sad.
ReplyThey just didn't understand much about nutrition back then. I wonder just how many 1920s women were bulimic.
ReplyProbably a fair number, since that's when modern bulimia appeared.
ReplyWhat sorts of things were popular before that, for instance when ladies of the "scarlett o'hara" era had 18 inch waists and were laced into those tight dresses? I don't think the corsets were the only reason they were so tiny in the middle. They must have had some bad tricks up their sleeves even then.
Replywell number one, throwing up is not the way to go. i am a restrictive anorexic but tried throwing up and after awhile all is does is make you throw up blood.
Replyi need help though. i am 5'1 and 1/2 and weigh 110 i feel so obese. i finally started eating again but i feel as if i can't stop.
do laxatives really work?
please help!!!
Kek!
ReplyYou are right in asking for help! You are going down a very dangerous road. You need to find professional help that can help you face to face. I'm sure it's very hard, but there are many nurses or mental health counselors out there who really care and would be there for you. Find someone like that, don't be afraid, you can do it.
i have had help off and on, but my mom took me out of counseling. i have gained weight and i found it out this weekend, it is now tuesday and i have not eaten since saturday. i cannot handle gaining weight. i used to weigh 160 pounds and worked my butt off to loose it the healthy way. im not going to cut calories and work out all the time and have to wait to loose it, i just want it gone and fast.
Replykek, you need to continue seeing the counselor.
and please, stop weighing yourself. do your pants close? so you haven't gained weight and don't need to starve. not eating for days is not "losing weight the healthy way", it is starvation.
ReplyAbusing laxatives is not only NOT effective, it can be very dangerous. Your body can get used to them and eventually you become dependant on them. They can also screw up your electrolyte balance and can possibly cause damage to your colon. Not to mention they have very negative side effects like cramps and uncontrolled bowel movements. You definitely don't want to try them...like Dr. J said, you need to get some help. You aren't overweight, hun. You need to learn to love your body and take care of it.
ReplyI couldn't get how come eating salts can shed off extra pounds? :-S
Reply