(Abstract:) This light-hearted historical account of dieting is devoted to explaning the cultural fit between shared fictions about the body and the reducing methods of the era. Discussions are as follows: dieting and history ; ritual and romance of dieting ; men, women and fat ; thin body and the Jacksonians ; buoyant body (obese) in Victorian America ; the balanced body at century's turn ; regulated body (fasting, slow chewing of foods, calorie counting, and thyroid pills) ; measured body (calorie controlled) ; physiological effects of obesity and body types ; dieting and marketing profits ; overweight children and dieting ; and a weightless body. Bibliographical notes are included.