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PAGE What Is Desirable Weight? 3 Overweight and Its Dangers 5 What Makes a Person Fat? 5 Why Do People Overeat? 6 How to Lose Weight 7 The Body's Need for Food 8 The Body's Need for Exercise 11 What About Short Cuts? 12 How Many Calories? 13 On Keeping a Record 19 Special Problems 19 Underweight and Its Dangers 22 What Causes Underweight? 22 How to Gain Weight 23 Adding Extra Calories 24 Saving Energy 24 Calorie Tables 25

Edition of January 1953 COPYRIGHT 1950, METROPOLITAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY.

P.F.M.--PRINTED IN U.S.A.-- 380 L. W.

Because no two people are alike, weight tables cannot show with complete accuracy exactly what every individual should weigh. The tables shown here are given as a guide rather than as a rigid standard to which everyone should conform. They show desirable weights for men and women at age 25 and over. After a person is full grown and has reached his best weight, he should not gain or lose much for the rest of his life. It used to be considered inevitable and normal for people to get heavier toward middle age. We know now that it is not a normal part of getting older, not healthy, and not necessary.

Life is much easier in many ways for people who are not too fat or too thin. They usually feel and look better. They are apt to live longer. They are less likely to suffer from backaches, foot troubles, constant fatigue, and a host of daily discomforts. They have more fun buying clothes. Normal weight is worth any effort it takes to reach and keep--worth it in terms of everyday comfort and of a healthier, longer life.

OVERWEIGHT AND ITS DANGERS

Overweight is a danger signal, particularly for those over 40. Studies of life insurance figures show that overweight people develop diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and other life-shortening conditions earlier, and are apt to die younger, than people whose weight is normal. They are poor surgical risks and have less resistance to infection. Stout women are more likely to develop complications in pregnancy.

Most people are fat simply because they eat too much. This does not necessarily mean that they stuff themselves with large quantities of food. It does mean that they take in more calories than their bodies can use. This is often surprisingly easy to do, particularly for a person who has poor eating habits.

What many people do not realize, however, is that the body's energy requirements usually change after age 30 or 40. As a person gets older, metabolism slows down, and fewer calories are needed to maintain weight. The trouble is that eating habits usually stay exactly the same, while physical activity often decreases.

Heredity is often claimed as a cause of overweight. Careful studies do not bear this out. Heredity does determine the type of body build a person has, but when people from overweight families change their eating habits it has been proved that they, too, can lose weight.

Actually, most overweight people readily admit that their excess poundage comes from overeating. They say they just don't seem to be able to stop. Knowing why a thing is hard to do sometimes makes it easier to change.

Many people eat more than they need for reasons that have little to do with hunger. Habit is one of them. Eating habits are set in patterns which have often been followed for years. Such patterns are not always easy to change, but with persistence and determination they can be altered.

Some people develop the habit of overeating because good food and plenty of it is a family tradition. Some fall into the habit because of sociability. They eat more frequently and so consume greater amounts of food than they need. Some people consider food as a symbol of success or social standing, and so eating rich food and too much of it becomes a custom. Not infrequently the habit is established in pregnancy, in convalescence from some illness, or in other situations when extra food may be required.

Other common reasons have their roots in the emotions. Some people eat constantly because they are bored, and eating is something pleasant to do. Others because they are lonely, or feel unloved, or suffer from discontent about money, job, family relationships, or social standing. People who overeat for such reasons usually find it necessary to do something about their emotional problems before they are able to tackle their eating habits successfully.

Physical condition, degree of overweight, and individual living habits must all be carefully evaluated before an effective, safe reducing plan can be worked out. No one can do all this for himself. Only a physician has the necessary skill and equipment to decide how much, how fast, and with what treatment a person should lose weight. What benefits one may harm another. Therefore, a reducing program should be undertaken only under medical supervision.

Anyone who really wants to get rid of excess poundage can do it. Lots of people have, with determination and persistence. Desire and will power are "musts" in any reducing program.

Everyone knows that self-denial is not easy and that changing long-established habits taxes the strongest will. Therefore, a person who is trying to do this difficult job deserves the help and support of his family and friends. Few people are able to persist in any course of action in the face of commiseration, indifference, ridicule, or opposition from those they love and respect.

To be worth anything, a loss of weight must be permanent. Therefore, anyone who wants to benefit from a weight-reduction program must make up his mind that he is changing his eating habits for life. Going back to old patterns will only pile up the pounds all over again. Unless this fact is accepted, reducing efforts will probably be wasted.

Awake or asleep, the body needs energy for every breath, every heartbeat, every activity of living. Food supplies this energy which is measured in units called calories.

Foods vary in the number of calories they contain. As most people know, fats of all kinds have the most calories. One tablespoon of butter, for example, has in it about as many calories as a good slice of lean roast beef, or a cup of beets, or a quarter of a pound of cod steak. Sugars, alcohol, and starches are the next richest source of calories. Starches include cereals, flour and everything made with flour, potatoes, peas, beans, and corn. When calories must be cut down to make the body use stored fat, alcoholic drinks and foods rich in fats, sugars, and starches are the first to be restricted.

However, no one can lose weight safely by counting calories alone. In the 1920's, when a slim, boyish figure was in style, many girls and women made themselves seriously ill by reducing their weight without regard to the kinds of food they ate.

For good health, food must supply everyone--young and old alike--with more than calories. The body is constantly repairing and renewing itself. New cells are always growing to replace those worn out in doing their work. In babies, children, and young people, cell-making is going on at top speed, because actual growth is taking place. As in any building process, the right materials are needed. The body's most essential building and maintenance materials are found in proteins. Foods richest in proteins include milk, meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and cheese.

Two other elements necessary for health are vitamins and minerals. Some of these are found in the same foods which are rich in protein. Others are found in grain products, fruits, vegetables, and fats.

People who are not overweight can add what they like to this list in the way of other foods and second helpings, to make up their caloric requirements. People who want to lose weight can add little or nothing. That is the only real difference between a well-balanced normal diet and a well-balanced reducing diet. Because this difference often means restrictions on cakes, pastries, extra butter, rich sauces, cocktails, beer, soft drinks, and other high-calorie favorites, it is a hard one for many people to accept. Nevertheless, it must be accepted by everyone who wants to lose weight.

Few people claim that the first days on a reducing diet are happy ones. Some individuals find it easier to adjust than others, but all agree that the period of discomfort does not last too long if they persevere. They also claim that a wonderful feeling of physical vigor and liberation follows as they lose weight. The ability to bend down again with ease, the disappearance of unsightly bulges, and the pleasure of buying smaller sizes in clothes are among the things which amply compensate for any early discomfort.

Every healthy person needs some exercise. Daily physical exertion is good for muscle tone and circulation. It also helps to relieve the tension many people pile up in the course of a day's work.

Regular exercise, if not carried to the point of increasing hunger, can help in a reducing program, because the more active a person is, the more calories he needs to burn. But for the overweight individual, exercise can never replace eating less. A person would have to walk about five miles to use up the calories in one chocolate sundae. He would have to saw wood for an hour or so to offset a piece of apple pie, or walk about a mile to work off two graham crackers. Obviously, it is simpler to avoid eating the sundae, the pie, or the crackers than to try to exercise them off.

The decision about exercising while losing weight should be left to the physician supervising the reducing program. The kind and amount of extra physical activity which he advises will depend on age, physical condition, and previous habits. For children and young patients he will probably advise lots of exercise and active sports. For older people he may not prescribe anything more strenuous than walking. For people with heart or circulatory conditions, he may caution against any exercise. The necessity for tailoring the treatment to the individual in this way is one of the reasons why a reducing program should be undertaken only under medical supervision.

No one who has taken on the job of losing weight will say that the self-denial involved is pleasant. It is only natural to wonder if there isn't an easier way: What about drugs, steam baths, massage, or other quick methods?

Any drug which can increase the body's rate of burning calories enough to effect weight reduction without dieting is dangerous. One drug, released in the early 1930's without medical sanction, "worked"; but it also caused deafness, blindness, and paralysis before it was withdrawn from the market. Even if drugs are prescribed by a physician, they will be used in addition to--not in place of--a diet.

Many people wonder about steam baths and massage as a short cut. Steam baths are often a delusion. The profuse sweating which a steam bath induces is apt to cause a sudden drop in weight because of water loss. Thirst soon makes the average person replace the lost water, and his weight is usually exactly what it was before.

Swedish massage is a relaxing luxury for those who can afford it. It is good for the circulation, and helps to keep tissues in firm condition. However, it will not take off pounds nor allow additions to the diet.

Nobody likes to believe unpleasant truths. Therefore, the search for short cuts goes on. Ten-day wonder diets; special foods; spot-reducing gadgets--many of these fads are harmless, though expensive and ineffective. Some suggest, in small print, that special low-calorie diets should be followed, thus acknowledging the disagreeable truth--that there is no way to reduce safely without eating less. It all boils down to this: No easy way is safe; no safe way is easy.

In planning the day's food, it should be decided into which meals the essential foods will go, and their calories should be computed first. Choice may then dictate the selection of the foods to make up the rest of the day's allowance. All foods and most beverages supply calories; therefore, it is important to know the calorie content of the usual portions of different foods. Tables which list the calories in common foods and beverages begin on page 25.

One of the most frequently selected diets for healthy adults who need to reduce is a three-meal-a-day schedule allowing, in all, 1,200 calories. Some people, however, cannot lose weight satisfactorily on a 1,200-calorie diet. The doctor may cut their daily calorie allowance to 1,000 if their progress is too slow, or increase it to 1,500 if they are losing too rapidly. Examples of 1,000-, 1,200-, and 1,500-calorie diets are given on pages 16-17. Diets which fall below 1,000 calories require very close medical supervision and are usually used only in cases where a rapid loss of weight is required for serious conditions.

Vitamin and mineral supplements are often prescribed for people on a reducing diet, especially if it allows less than 1,200 calories. This is to make doubly sure that the body gets all the vitamins and minerals it needs. The use of such supplements is never intended to take the place of eating the essential foods.

Some people, when they first see their reducing diet, are firmly convinced that they have never eaten as much as their present diet allows them to. They are judging the caloric value of their food by its looks. The calories hidden in butter, sugar, and cream used for cooking and in beverages are invisible.

Unfortunately, it is easy to make a 1,000-calorie diet, for example, add up to about 2,000 merely by adding 4 tablespoons of butter to the vegetables, sugar and cream to 3 cups of coffee or tea, a tablespoon of French dressing on the salad, and substituting 3 halves of canned peaches with sirup for the 1/2 cup of fresh fruit at lunch.

Few people stop to think that their hidden calories may be in the cocktail, the glass of beer, or the soda pop which they love. Liquids go down so quickly and easily that it is often hard to realize that they can contribute to overweight. A glance at the calorie tables on pages 25 -32 will show why they are to be avoided by anyone who is trying to lose weight.

Cake--especially with icing Cookies Cream Candy Salad oil Fatty meat Fried foods Nuts Olives Chocolate Coconut More butter than is allowed on the diet Gravy Pastries Avocados Jelly and jam Honey Marmalade Sirups Sugar Puddings Sweetened beverages

HELPFUL HINTS

breakfast Fresh fruit or juice 1 serving-- 1/2 cup Egg--cooked without fat 1 Bread or cereal 1 slice of bread or small serving of cereal Butter or margarine 1 level teaspoon Skim milk or buttermilk 1 glass--8 ounces Clear coffee or tea dinner Lean meat, fish, or poultry 3 ounces Vegetables 1/2 cup Group I and 1/2 cup Group II Skim milk or buttermilk 1 glass--8 ounces Fruit--raw, or cooked or 1 serving-- 1/2 cup canned without sugar lunch or supper Cottage cheese, meat, or 1/2 cup of cheese, 2 ounces of eggs meat, or 2 eggs Vegetables 1/2 cup Group I and 1/2 cup Group II Skim milk or buttermilk 1 glass--8 ounces Fruit--raw, or cooked or 1 serving-- 1/2 cup canned without sugar

breakfast Fresh fruit or juice 1 serving-- 1/2 cup Egg--cooked without fat 1 Bread or cereal 1 slice of bread or small serving of cereal Butter or margarine 1 level teaspoon Milk 1 glass--8 ounces Clear coffee or tea dinner Lean meat, fish, or poultry 3 ounces Vegetables 1/2 cup Group I Potato or bread 1 small potato or 1 slice of bread Butter or margarine 1 level teaspoon Milk 1 glass--8 ounces Fruit--raw, or cooked or 1 serving-- 1/2 cup canned without sugar lunch or supper Cottage cheese, meat, or 1/2 cup of cheese, 2 ounces of eggs meat, or 2 eggs Vegetables 1/2 cup raw Group I and 1/2 cup Group II Milk 1 glass--8 ounces Fruit--raw, or cooked or 1 serving-- 1/2 cup canned without sugar

breakfast Fresh fruit of juice 1 serving-- 1/2 cup Egg--cooked without fat 1 Bread or cereal 1 slice of bread or a serving of cereal Butter or margarine 1 level teaspoon Milk 1 glass--8 ounces Coffee or tea Cream 1 tablespoon dinner Lean meat, fish, or poultry 3 ounces Vegetables 1/2 cup Group I and 1/2 cup Group II Potato 1 small Butter or margarine 1 level teaspoon Milk 1 glass--8 ounces Fruit--raw, or cooked or 1 serving-- 1/2 cup canned without sugar lunch or supper Cottage cheese, meat, or 1/2 cup of cheese, 2 ounces of eggs meat, or 2 eggs Vegetables 1/2 cup Group I and 1/2 cup Group II Bread 1 slice Butter or margarine 1 level teaspoon Milk 1 glass--8 ounces Fruit, plain custard, or 1/2 cup of fruit or custard, or plain cookies 2 cookies

Vegetables are listed below in two groups, according to their carbohydrate content. Those in Group I have no more than 3 percent carbohydrate, and those in Group II have no more than 9 percent. It is simpler to choose the vegetables according to the listings than to count the calories for each vegetable in the day's meals.

Where the diets on pages 16-17 call for fruits, these may be chosen from the lower-calorie fruits listed below.

GROUP I Asparagus Beet greens Broccoli Cabbage Cauliflower Celery Chard Chicory Chinese Cabbage Cucumber Endive Escarole Lettuce Mushrooms Mustard greens Radishes Sauerkraut Spinach Summer squash Tomato Juice Tomatoes Turnip tops Watercress

GROUP II Artichokes Beans, green Beans, wax Beets Brussels sprouts Carrots Collards Dandelion greens Eggplant Kale Kohlrabi Lambsquarters Okra Onions Peppers Pumpkin Rutabagas Squash, winter Turnips

Apples Apricots Blackberries Blueberries Cherries Cranberries Currants Gooseberries Grapefruit Grapefruit juice Lemons Limes Loganberries Melons Cantaloupe Casaba Honeydew Spanish Watermelon Oranges Orange juice Peaches Pears Pineapple Pineapple juice Plums Raspberries Rhubarb Strawberries Tangerines

Most people find it helpful to keep a record of their progress. Weight should be recorded once a week only. To show progress accurately, the same scales should be used at the same time of the day.

It is also helpful to make weekly notes of body measurements. Sometimes a person gets discouraged because, after a period of satisfactory loss, the scales show no drop for a week or more. But during these periods body measurements often continue to decrease. To know that another half inch has melted off the waistline is encouraging at such times. It stiffens resistance to the common temptation of saying, "Oh, what's the use?" and stopping when success is in sight. Weight loss begins again if the diet is faithfully followed.

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