My mom had a little book in the late 60s: A New Figure in 30 Days. She bought it at the grocery checkout & followed the advice, including a cute little 10 or 15 minute "exercise" routine (which I loved because we exercised together, arm circles and bicycle legs, things like that). I always remembered that book & bought a copy from eBay last summer.
Reading it, I realized why 60s diet advice doesn't work now. Women's lives were different then, less sitting & more daily activity like hanging laundry on the outdoor clothesline (albeit few women in gyms). Most processed foods didn't exist. And most women didn't want to have muscle, so no exercise and 1000 calories a day seemed appropriate.
I would like to have a new figure in 30 days, for Vacation Location, but given that I've had a net loss of One. Half. Pound. after 3 months, I probably won't. But I do see some results from all of the efforts. I'm recapturing some muscle strength and firmness. Going back to my former eating habits will probably work, seeing as how it worked 3 years ago. And getting more sleep. And waiting it out. 30 days isn't enough.