1

Unlike the people of the West, we Indians are not physique-conscious or figure-conscious; and this is true of either sex. If we would gradually form the habit of ‘en masse’ going sea-bathing or arrange frequent physique competitions for boys and girls as also men and women of all ages, we could certainly raise our figure-consciousness. The hitch is, however, that social taboos and conventions preclude the possibility of even a decent exposure of female physique in public.

Our typical Indian dresses are also inconducive to developing this physique-consciousness. An obese woman is able to hide conveniently her ugly abdominal fat under a sari; and the corpulent man can conceal his ‘spare tyre’ around the waist underneath a loose ‘kafni’ or shirt.

In bigger cities like Mumbai and Delhi there certainly is a class of intelligent men and women who take care of their physical proportions, but their number is small. By and large, we just do not care what shape we are in.

Actually, gross overweight is a rare condition ;a majority of over- weight persons have only minor figure-faults, which are comparatively easy to correct. This monograph will be found useful by either group; the grossly overweight and the faulty-figured. Experts would not concern themselves too much about over-weight ‘per se’, but for the fact that it is often a harbinger of disease. If obesity were merely a laughing matter - and harsh though it may seem to the victims, most of us are guilty at times of laughing at the fat person’s expanse - we would not mind this physical abnormality too much. But as things are, obesity is a disease in itself, and it predisposes to several other diseases. No corpulent person enjoys true health; if he or she thinks "there is nothing the matter with me except this blubber", it is a delusion. Overweight destroys not only beauty and proportions, but also, to an extent, fitness and health. It is not merely an uncomely and uncomfortable condition.

Now let us understand at the outset that some fat is absolutely necessary in the body; about 20% of our body -weight should consist of fatty tissue. The fat under the skin gives us the desirable well-filled appearance which ‘human scare-crows’ or ‘walking skeletons’ lack. It also insulates us from atmospheric colds. Then there is the visceral fat between stomach, intestines, liver and other organs which helps to keep these organs in their place. Again, there is the fat inside of certain organs, such as liver, which should consist of 5 per cent fatty tissue by its own weight. It is obvious then that some fat is necessary for the health and beauty of the human body. It is only when the fatty tissue exceeds the natural limits that the condition is termed pathological, and is a cause for concern.

The physiological or desirable fat is formed out of either the fat in our food, or the starch and sugar that we eat. Pathological fat is also created from the same sources. Whether it is excess consumption of starch, sugar or fat, itmetabolism is upset, the body can store these food-constituents as fatty tissue.

Chemically speaking, our bodily fat is a combination of oleic,palmitic or stearic acid with glycerol. It is believed that out of the three acids, oleic tends to form a more loose type of fat which results in pendulous roly-poly areas on chest, abdomen and back. The fat resulting from palmitic and stearic acids is more firm, is more difficult to rid, and is generally formed out of starch in food.

Before we delve deep in to the relation of food to adiposity, let us take a glimpse at calorie theory.

2

Food calori is the unit of heat energy. It stands for the amount of heat required to raise by one degree Centrigrade the temperature of water which weighs one kilogram. The ordinary physical calorie is a unit that is a thousand times smaller.

It is generally conceded that the obese person has stored-up calories in his store-house of fat. Hence, the ordinary standards of calorie requirement - 2400 for a sedentary Indian man, and 2000 calories for a sedentary Indian woman - do not apply to the corpulent. The fatso can do with 50 per cent or less of these standard desiderata.

Now, a layman does not know that some doctors, mainly Naturopaths, do not have much faith in the calorie theory. This is because this theory holds only a partial clue to our understanding of food requirement for the human body. This theory has no answer for the improvement in health and cure of disease which is effected by patients who fast for a number of days on water only, or follow a diet which gives next to no nourishment. In spite of this obvious drawback of calorie theory, we shall make frequent mention of calories in this manual, more for the reader’s convenience than any other reason. A lay person who has read other books on the subject will not be at a loss to understand what is said herein.

We may recall having studied in schools that there are five food- constituents : vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats and carbohydrates, the last group consisting of starches and sugars. Vitamins and minerals do not supply us with any calories and yet they are very important constituents. Each gram of protein and each gram of starch and sugar supplies us with about four calories, whereas each gram of fat supplies more than twice as many calories, 9.3 to be precise. From this it can be said that fatty foods are more than twice as fattening as carbohydrates. It is note-worthy, however, that few obese persons indulge much in fatty foods ; their weakness generally carbohydrates. I know some overweight persons who hardly use any oil, ghee or butter, take no milk or milk-products, nor any nuts, and yet they are overweight because they cannot wean themselves away from starches and sweet dishes.

In passing it may be said here that for an average non-obese person it is desirable that some fat is taken daily in food. 7 to 12 per cent of daily food intake can be of fat foods; one advantage of having fat in daily dietary is that it is digested slowly, which curbs undue and frequent desire for food. There is a longer lasting feeling of satiation.

3

Now let us study the disadvantages of corpulence.

There is no limit to how obese a person can become. An American, Robert Earl Hughes, died in 1958 at the age of 32 weighing 1,062 lbs.; perhaps his weight is an all-time record in the history of corpulent persons.

Leaving aside such man-mountains, let us consider only the average overweight persons. Such will accumulate from one to six inches of subcutaneous fat; with this, some fat may infiltrate into the tissues of the heart, pancreas and other organs where it would impede the smooth functioning of these organs. When vital organs are enveloped, or permeated by pathological fat, the person complains of loss of vim, vigour and vitality.

It should be clear then, why obesity is not merely an unsightly and uncomfortable condition ; it is actually a disease which predisposes to many other complications.

Chief among the diseases attributed to obesity are diabetes and certain heart and blood-vessel disorders. As per one report, of diabetic men, 78 per cent were obese, and of the diabetic women 83 per cent were corpulent.

The obese also suffer from rheumatic complaints, arthiritis, varicose veins and ulcers. Statistics show that even deaths from accidents are more frequent in the obese. The overweight woman is more prone to menstrual disorders, difficulties in months of pregnancy and during child-birth. Premature cessation of menses not attributed to pregnancy, is often due to too much fat inside the abdomen ; so also sterility - where other factors are ruled out. Even the fashionable ‘slipped disc’ trouble is often encountered in the corpulent, and is cured merely by scientific slimming in quite a few cases.

The larger your waist line, the shorter your life-line! Statistically speaking, if you are 10 lbs. overweight, your mortality rate goes up by 8 per cent; if 20 lbs. overweight, by 18 percent ; and so on, till at 50 lbs. overweight, life is cut short by more than half the expected longevity. These, of course, are average figures.

Surgeons consider obese persons poor risks, and except in an emergency, do not operate on the grossly overweight. Compared to slim person, death rates from kidney disease, pneumonia, liver and gall-bladder disease and appendicitis are also higher in fat persons.

Dr. Thomas Cureton opines thus about extra fat in abdomen : " Condition of the abdomen is a key sign of physical fitness. A soft and pendulous abdomen is usually associated with splanchnic pooling and poor circulation of the blood; the blood-pressure usually drops in changing from laying to standing ; the organic endurance is exceedingly poor ... Excess fat puts a terrific overload upon the heart, as every pound requires about 4500 feet of blood vessels, with much more blood going to the fat rather than to nervous or muscles and vital organs."

A protruding paunch is also often a cause of such sexual or psycho -sexual troubles as frigidity, premature ejaculation and poor quality of semen. So if you have the notion that paunch is a harmless ‘status symbol’ or sign of prosperity, better shed away this delusion quickly.

4

The onset of corpulence is often slow and surreptitious. Some persons are so careless about their figures that before they know what is happening they have piled up a dozen pounds avoirdupois or unnecessary fat. That is why such persons should form the habit of regularly weighing themselves.

Apart from the use of scales, however, there should be the habit of studying one’s own physique as revealed by a mirror. Getting oneself measured with a tape every fortnight is an addition and necessary precaution for those who gain undue weight easily. Often the scales do not show the presence of fat, whereas the measure-tape does.

We all have probably seen tables of height and weight as compiled by Insurance Companies. These are useful, no doubt, but their utility is limited. Even where they give weights according to different skeletal structures - usually light, medium and heavy - against varying heights, they cannot be a completely reliable guide. The reason is that even if a person is of statistically ideal weight, he may have a disproportionate physique.

Rather than refer to any tables, a better course for the obese is to consult an expert and get the ideal weight and girths determined. With this in mind, height-weight tables are kept out of this manual. Skeletal structure is an important factor in determination of ideal weight. As Naturopath John H.G. Wood puts it ; "The person intended by Nature to be of the ‘bull-dog breed’ cannot expect to attain and maintain the lines of a greyhound, and, of course, vice versa. In this connection, it is of no help to consult weight -tables, because these give only average weights for heights and ages. In striking the average, the extremes of weights, both high and low, are included. Therefore, although you may be 5’7" in height, and aged 30, you need not necessarily be nine-and-a-half stones in weight. If you are of the greyhound type, you probably should weigh not more than eight-and-a-half stones to possess optimum health. On the other hand you may have to weigh a healthful ten-and-a-half stones if you are of the bull-dog type."

5

Now let us analyse the causes of corpulence.

Scientific findings put the cause in three categories. I. Exogenous or external, II. Endogenous or internal and III. Psychological. These classifications are only academical ; actually in a majority of chronic cases two or all three group of causes coexist simultaneously.

In the first, exogenous, group can be included more than 90 per cent of the corpulent persons. Exogenous causes include (a) Wrong food habits, (b) Lack of physical activity and (c) Use of certain drugs.

Wrong Food Habits :
We know that the intake and output of calories is unbalanced in the obese, whose income exceeds the expenditure of energy. We also know that only fats and carbohydrates in excess can cause corpulence; but there is a little-known fact that there are several foodless foods which upset metabolism and digestive processes, thus contributing to obesity in an indirect manner. Highly spiced, fried, refined and processed foods are such culprits. Tea, coffee, and cocoa, also harm similarly, because of their alkaloids theine, caffine, theobromine, etc. So, it is not only the universal ‘crime’ (overeating) that causes corpulence, but also the habitual taking of little or much - the quantity does not matter - of wrong types of food. What type of food we eat is as important as what quantity we eat, if we would reduce. When the vital elements are missing from the diet, ‘vital statistics’ suffer; more of this later however.

Sedentary Habits :
A large majority of corpulents also come under this classification. Industrialization has softened our physical fibre and so has mechanisation. As Dr. S.E. Bilik of Bellevue Hospital, New York, remarks: " Within one man’s lifetime (mine for one), our mode of living has passed from ‘in the sweat of your brow’ to mechanisation and ‘push- button era’ leading to revolutionary changes, definitely advantageous overall, but also conducive to rapid deterioration of the physique and vitality ... ‘The cultivation of the mind alone is destructive of the body’ has come true with a vengenance."

Hundreds of experiments in U.K. and U.S.A. prove conclusively that, unless there is lack of sufficient physical work as a factor co-existent with over-consumption of a faulty diet, no corpulence can result.

There are nearly 700 muscles in the human body, of which barely a hundred may be used by the ease-loving person in any one day and these only slightly. Machines that save our labour are good and perhaps necessary in the age we live; but there is no reason why we should become slaves to them. If at all feasible, they should dispensed with at all opportunities, and some physical work put in instead. This is particularly true of lifts, elevators and escalators, as also trams, trains, buses and cars which should never be used for short journeys especially when we are not in a great hurry to reach our destination.

Nature’s principle is ‘Use or Lose.’ We lose the efficiency of our muscles if we stop using them; one scientist predicts we may lose the muscles themselves after a few millennia, just as we lost the tail when we left off the arboreal existence. Especially it is important for us to exercise our legs, because the health of heart, lungs and digestive apparatus is largely governed by the amount of work we give to our lower extremities.

I know from experience that without changing bad food habits, merely by doing regular exercise, one can slim down ; this shows how important exercise is for regaining and retaining a good figure. However, this is certainly not the sensible course to follow, because, unless food habits are also changed, health suffers. Proportionate physique is not a sure critertion of abounding health. Even well-developed atheletes can be diseased. Hence the need to pay heed to all aspects of physical culture, including proper and moderate nutrition.

Sometimes, enforced rest as prescribed in diseases like consumption and heart disease also result in a person getting fat. This condition need not arise however, if some movement is practised even lying in bed, with the help of an assistant, if necessary. We can never afford to forget this truism : "Exercise is a master conditioner for the healthy , and a major therapy for the ill."

It has been my observation that the habit of laziness or taking-things- easy is ingrained in a majority of obese people . Some of them will not get up and walk a few steps even to lower the volume of a loud radio; they will not stop readily to pick up fallen things, nor raise their hands overhead to sweep away overhanging cobwebs. They will prefer to use lifts not only for climbing up but also for going down. These despicable habits must be given up if one wants to retain a good figure all through life. The obese must seek all opportunities to walk, run, bend, twist, climb , - in one word, move. If no opportunities exist, some must be created ! Indolence, ease and lethargy must be replaced by activity, work and exercise. Especially, one must rediscover the legs.

Drug Habits :
I am surprised to note that no book on the corpulent’s problem ever incriminates the prevalence of certain drugs as an etiological factor. Some doctors believe that the fat a patient puts on while recovering from typhoid is as much due to the nourishing food the patient is given, as to the heavy doses of chloromycetin he has been administered. ACTH, Cortisone, Ovocylin, Testosterone and a host of other drugs, hormones, etc. can upset glandular function and metabolism ,thereby contributing to adiposity. It is my belief that some fat persons have reached that stage of over-development as much due to over-eating and under-exercising , as to using certain drugs more or less regularly. We noted previously that the corpulent suffers the most from diabetes ; but it will surprise many to learn that diabetes also contributes to overweight. Actually the harm is done by insulin. The greater the use of insulin, the lower the level of blood-sugar, and greater the appetite. Consequent over-eating would take its toll. Thus, directly or indirectly, several drugs contribute to adiposity.

6

Endogenous Causes :
Very few fat persons canbe put under this classi- fication exclusively, though many blame their glands. In a large majority, to quote Dr. Victor Lindlahr, " the inefficient glands do not cause obesity; obesity results in glandular malfunction. " Only a few cases of obesity are purely glandular; and yet in a great many more, endogenous causes are at the root of trouble, combined with the exogenous.

Now, lest the reader be kept wondering what we mean by glands, here is a brief explanation. Our body contains numerous glands, small and big. Some throw their secertions outside the body, some into the digestive canal, and a few pour secretions, known as hormones, directly in the blood stream. The last group is known as endocrine glands or ductless glands. Pituitary which is situated at the base of the brain, thyroid in front of the neck, adrenals on the kidneys, ovaries in the women and testes in men, are all endocrine glands. Their disorders sometimes result in a person getting fat, due to upset metabolism. Underactive gonads or thyroids can cause adiposity ; whereas over-activity of adrenals also does the same harm.

Localisation of fat deposits is often - not always - suggestive of endocrine disorders. Hypothyroidism is indicated by fatty areas in the region of face, neck and shoulders ; sometimes wrist and ankles as well.

Hypogonadism can be assumed from fat on buttocks and thighs. Hyper- adrenocorticism can be guessed from fat around waist and trunk. Pituitary is often involved with one or the other of the above glands. Some experts are of the opinion that soft fat distributed all over the body indicates derangement of thyroid gland, and hard fat is indicative of pituitary gland inefficiency.

In women there are three important phases of life from biological view-point ; 1. Puberty, when the ovaries start functioning ; 2. Pregnancy, when they change their function for a few months ; and 3. Menopause, when they finally stop functioning . Especially in the last two phases, a number of women turn fat.

It is interesting to note that evenin the mixed or pure glandular cases, curative exercises , diet and other measures suggested in this book are found beneficial.

7

Psychological Causes :
At the root of most adiposity cases of a chronic and stubborn nature, is some psychological disturbance. Over-indulgence in food may be restored to by persons who, rightly or wrongly, feel frustrated, lonely or uncared-for. IN some, who want to avoid contacts with society or be normal extroverts, over-eating conduces to the desired introversion. As a result of neurosis also, some people take to dietetic indiscretions.

The unloved husband or wife often seeks an escape in food indulgence. Problem children are also noticed at times to quench their irascibility and frustration by hungerless eating. In all such cases, underlying psychological traits and tensions have to be corrected before the gluttony can be checked and the consequent adiposity eradicated.

Nature Cure believes in going to the root of all troubles, not merely tinker with the symptoms. A greater number of frustrated persons take to eating than to drinking. Certain foods can intoxicate as well as an alcoholic drink can, though in a different manner, i.e., by auto-intoxication. ‘Sunday, Graphic’ of England once published an amusing yet apt verse pertaining to this, of which a few lines run as follows :

They say with whispers or with winks,

"Poor Smith! The trouble is he drinks."

But doctors worry more for Brown

Whose gluttony has got him down.

They know, as some of us do not.

The plate is as deadly as the pot.

All neurotic and emotional cases have to be dealt with from the psychological angle; they have to be taught the art of living. Merely correcting their food habits or teaching them exercises is of no lasting good.

We noticed previously that obesity can result in sterility ; on the other hand, sterility can also result in obesity ! As one doctor puts it, "It is quite likely that the sterile woman is comforting herself for her disappointment at not having a baby simply by feeding herself. One of the ways in which men and women over-come disappointments of all kinds is by spoiling themselves, which is often literally reflected in their silhouettes as they increase both in girth and weight. "

8

Now that we know the various factors that cause corpulence, we shall study the remedies.

It is obvious that the diet needs to be controlled, which does not mean, however, that one has to starve, though many an obese person thinks of any dietetic change as starvation ! It is of course difficult to change food habits and customs, some of which are life-long, but man is a creature of habits; and good habits can be formed as well as bad ones.

Except exceptionally, I am not in favour of fasting. Fasting - which does not mean starvation - can cure most acute illnesses, and is an excellent therapeutic measure when judiciously used ; but a majority of obese people can reduce by eating two or three times a day of right foods. This is a safe and scientific mode of slimming which a patient can follow on his or her own, even without medical supervision, so long as there are no complications concurrent with corpulence. Therapeutic fasting may require constant supervision by an experienced Naturopath. There are low-calorie foods which can be eaten to the point of satiation and still be weight-reducing. Dr. Lindlahr terms these foods ‘catabolic’ because they accelerate the breaking down process of adipose tissue.

I, personally, favour a vegetarian dietary because, from humanitarian, scientific and medical viewpoints it is superior to non-vegetarian fare. A balanced vegetarian diet can reduce weight satisfactorily; a mixed diet also can help, but a large intake of fish and mutton is harmful. The non-vegetarian who cannot give up his habit , may continue with a moderate intake of fish, fowl, mutton and eggs. But only one of these may be taken in any one meal of the day. He must reserve some space in his stomach for the oft-omitted vegetables and fruits. Moreover, he should certainly refrain from lard, suet or fatty meat. Fish liver oils are also prohibited, being highly calorific.

For a vegetarian, cooked vegetables and raw vegetable salad should dominate the meals, so that at least 50 per cent of total daily food intake consists of these. Another 20 to 25 per cent should be reserved for fresh fruits ; and the rest may consist of rice, dals, curry, bread, etc., and milk and primary milk products.

If possible, raw vegetable salad should be taken as much as the cooked vegetables. Tomato, cucumber, carrot, lettuce, spinach, radish, onion, ‘kothmir’, and cabbage can be eaten in an uncooked state. No mayonnaise, salt, vinegar or tamarind is to be added to the vegetable salad. If desired, a few drops of lemon, or a couple of tablespoons of curds can be mixed with the grated salad.

For cooked vegetables, steam-cooking is the best method, but not pressure-cooking. Boiling also can be depended on, if the water in which vegetable is boiled is not thrown away, and the cooking is done in a vessel with tight-fitting lid. Cooking directly on the stove in an open vessel, with or without ‘vaghar’ , is not a very good method. Frying is strictly forbidden. If some oil is required in the diet, it can be added after the vegetable is cooked.

All the leafy greens such as ‘palak’, ‘cholai’, and cabbage , as also cauliflower, cucumber, tomato, carrot, gourd, pumpkin, brinjals, ‘turai’, and ‘padval’ are slimming foods. ‘Bhindi’, ‘guvar’ , ‘giloda’, ‘karela’, french beans and drumstick also help. All other beans and green peas require caution. The starchy vegetables such as sweet potato (carbohydrate 31%), ordinary yam or ‘ratalu’ (27%), potato (23%), elephant yam or ‘suran’ (18%), and beet root (13%) can be fattening.

9

All fats, whether derived from milk, ghee or vegetable oils are fattening. Some scientists opine that a daily intake of unsaturated fats, e.g., vegetable oils such ‘til oil, helps in getting rid of systemic fat. Whether this is finally proved or not, it can be said from the point of general health and fitness that the use of unsaturated fats which are ordinarily liquid at room temperatures, is to be preferred over the solid fats. As a prophylactic against heart disease also, some doctors give the same advice. Use of ‘vanaspati’, as a cooking medium is even worse that the use of ‘ghee’ or butter.

All cereals and pulses can be fattening; their use should be minimal. Refined flour and polished rice should be avoided ; only whole-wheat flour and hand-pounded rice should be used. This is suggested not because ‘maida’ is more fattening than ‘atta’ - for it is not - but because in refining , the pulverised whole wheat is deprived of its germ and bran which contain several vitamins and minerals. Refined foods are good for no one; neither fat, nor slim, nor one who is in between. On the same grounds, the use of ‘gur’ is to be preferred to refined crystaline sugar which is chemically 99.99% pure sugar , but from the nutritional view point a worthless, demineralised, devitaminsed, foodless food. Of course, this again is said from the angle of health ; for the corpulent, all sweetening agents, be they ‘gur’, crude sugar, refined sugar, or honey, are fattening.

The obese is allowed, however, a little of the wholesome kind of starches and sugars, mentioned here.

Jams, jellies, sweets, sweet-meats, custard, ice-cream, cakes, biscuits and bread, all being normally made of refined carbohydrates, are un- healthy for all persons; and both deleterious and fattening for the corpulent.

Fried things are similarly harmful to all, because the particles of any food that is fried, are enveloped by an impregnbale film of fat. The digestive juices cannot penetrate this layer of fat; hence the food remains almost undigested. For the obese the harm is two-fold ; the food can cause indigestion as well as fatten. Since most fried vegetarian foods are starchy -such as ‘bhajiya’, or ‘puri’ - the harm is aggravated still further. Strong spices such as chillies, pepper and mustard upset metabolism when used as generally used, for a long time. They also endanger over- eating because of an increased palatability of spicy foods. The obese should stick to a comparatively bland - which does not mean tasteless -diet,using a little ginger, garlic, cardamom, ‘kothmir’, ‘dhania’, ‘jiroo’, and ‘haladh.’ Lemon can be used at each meal.

All of us consume more salt than necessary. Excess salt can be a cause of many diseases of heart, digestive system, kidney and liver ; it can even cause cancer ! Most of us can afford to cut down on our salt intake by atleast half. Salt is destructive of vitamin C and certain enzymes ; hence should never be taken with fresh fruits and uncooked vegetables.

In case of the obese, salt is particularly to be restricted because it is hygroscopic, that is, it has a tendency to hold water. In the human body, one ounce of salt can hold as much as six pounds of water. Water, of course, is not fat, but the weight of water contributes to the body-weight. The salt we eat is sodium chloride, and in the diet suggested in this manual , there is enough sodium chloride to meet our daily bodily needs.

A typical preliminary program for a fat vegetarian is given below :

Morning : Half a glass of water with few drops of lemon and a teaspoon of honey for taste. No tea.

Breakfast : Preferably nothing; but if accustomed, take a cup of skimmed milk or curd made thereof with a little fresh fruit.

Lunch : Either 1. a medium size potato or 2. one small ‘chapati’, or 3. a little rice + ample of cooked vegetables + raw vegetable salad.

Afternoon:
No tea. If desired, 1. a cup of clear vegetable soup, or 2. a cup of carrot, tomato, mosumbi or melon juice. or 3. a glass of tender coconut water.

Dinner :
Either 1. Fresh fruits + half a pound skimmed milk or buttermilk, or 2. Fresh fruits + cooked vegetables or 3. Cooked vegetables + cooked sprouted pulses such as ‘mung’ + raw salad or fresh fruits. No ‘roti’ or rice is to be taken with dinner. If preferred, the lunch and dinner can be interchanged. This diet plan is given only as a suggestion; actually all diet schedules have to be arranged individually, taking into consideration the person’s habits and needs ; likes and dislikes. It may have to be further reduced in some cases, so that the person gets no starch in any form.

10

Some important pointers for Health and Fitness :

Drink as little water as possible. Your body’s requirement for water is easily met with the frutis and vegetables you eat. Carrots are more than three-fourths water. While you eat cucumber, you are practically drinking water, so high is the percentage of water in it. Most fruits, including banana, are 60 to 80 per cent water. Therefore, the kind of diet prescribed here necessiates little drinking of water as such. Much of our thirst, like much of our hunger, is artificial - not genuine. Spices are conducive to over-eating as well as over-drinking of water, because of their irritating property.

In order to facilitate digestion, absorption and assimilation of food, drink no water with meals. Water can be taken half an hour before, or two hours after, a meal.

"Many dishes, many diseases." Restrict yourself to two dishes per meal.

Between meal snacks should be avoided.

Those taking eggs, fish, etc. should cook these foods light ; for example, fish may be steam-cooked, and eggs half-boiled or poached.

All dry fruits that are sweet are fattening because of their concentrated sugar. It is better to restrict the intake of sogar to that derived from fresh fruits.

Nuts because of their fat or oils should be completely eschewed. Those who count calories may reason along these lines : Even a single dry fig or one date or one cashew nut contains 20 to 25 calories. One four-inch-long and quite thick carrot also contains as many calories. If we could eat a pound of carrots, we would get about 150 calories only and yet feel satisfied, whereas half a pound of cashew kernels will supply nearly thousand calories - with an attack of indigestion as a bonus ! Coconut when fresh is not as fattening as some other nuts, and can be used a little even regularly. Peanuts are better avoided since each small nut contains five calories.

Sweet carbonated drinks supply about 90 calories per bottle ; better to eat a 60-calories sweet-lime or orange - which is often a cheaper, and always a better, substitute, because it quenches thirst without dosing you with artificial sugar or saccharin.

All alcoholic drinks are highly fattening, because they are nothing but ‘fuel’, full of calories. Even an ounce of whisky gives you 100 calories. Some people use saccharin instead of sugar because saccharin has no calories. But saccharin is a harmful derivative of coal-tar. Crystallised fruits should be avoided because of their sugar. Soups to which flour has been added are fattening. All kinds of cheese are fattening except cottage cheese made from defatted milk.

Eggs and chicken, even when not cooked with fat, are fattening by themselves.

By removing cream from milk, you reduce the calories by 40%. This skimmed milk can be used as such or made into curds or ‘buttermilk.’. To eat a whole fruit is better for reducing than taking its juice. Toasted bread is more fattening than untoasted because toasting evaporates water and increases the concentration of starch. Same thing happens in case of dry fruits. Four ounces of fresh figs may not have even 100 calories, but four ounces of dry figs will contain nearly 390 ; the drying process lessens the moisture and increases the sugar content. Practically all fresh fruits, in spite of their sugar content, help in slimming because they supply the body with necessary vitamins and minerals. Apples, pears, peaches, oranges, apricots, grapes, pomegranates, papayas, are all good foods for the obese. Even the much-maligned banana is 61% water and a six-inch-long fruit will supply only 90 calories. Steamed vegetables are still better because they supply vitamins and minerals just like fruits but not the sugar. Most vegetables are also non-starchy. And so far as potatoes are concerned, in spite of their high starch content (23%) , they are not as fattening as bread.

It will not be out of place here to point out that appetite-killing drugs are pernicious. They harm the stomach, heart and nerves. Developent of will-power - or won’t power’, as somebody has aptly put it - is a safe appetite-controller. Other is exercise.

11

"Why not fast and be done with fat quickly, rather than suffer the tortures of dieting ?" This is an oft-asked question. Even some of the M.D.s of the West have started putting their patients on fasts. Recently, a Pennsylvania doctor fasted a 63 years old woman weighing 300 lbs., for ten days and reduced her by 77 lbs. Many Naturopaths have cured hundreds of cases of obesity by fasting. I, however, do not have faith in long fasts for the average obese person. By continuing to eat reducing foods, strength to cope with daily chores is maintained and one is able to take walks and do other exercises, - which is something impossible in many of the fasting cases.

Besides, as Dr. Victor Lindlahr explains in his ‘Eat and Reduce ‘ , you lose weight quicker by eating catabolic foods than by fasting. His explanation of this apparent paradox is this : Suppose there are 17 calories contained in 4 ozs . of spinach. Now, suppose, the chewing, swallowing, digesting , absorbing and assimilating of this spinach entails an expenditure of 25 calories by the body. It is apparent, then, that the body loses in this transaction to the tune of eight calories, which will have to come from stored-up fat. This is what happens with ‘catabolic’ foods. From the foregoing it is apparent that one can eat one’s fill of the right things and yet reduce. Quantity is not as important as quality ; even so, one has to be a moderate eater. A distended stomach, dyspepsia and flatulence can be caused even on vegetables and fruits, if they are over-eaten. Another reason why it is better to eat and reduce, rather than reduce by famishing, is that the fat person is often overfed and under-nourished. We need to nourish him on a diet majoring in vitamins and minerals, with just enough of proteins, carbohydrates and fats. We cannot do this on absolute fasting.

12

Apart from the exercise of caution and good judgement, something else that the obese has to exercise is , of course,his own body. Naturopaths believe that all persons, young and old man and woman, should exercise every day regularly. If we must eat every day, we must also exercise every day. Naturopaths have exercises for all chronic sufferers from most diseases, and even for the bed-ridden. Only in acute conditions is exercise contra-indicated, and absolute rest enforced. For obese person, physical activity is all the more necessary, because lack of it is usually a factor in bring about his trouble.

It is beyond the scope of this small book to enlarge on the virtues of exercise, or to explain various exercises for different parts of the body. Any exercise programme to be really effective should be formed to fit the individual’s needs. It is best to consult an expert or join a reputable gymnasium. Gymnasium provides the ideal atmosphere for work-outs because one gets there the company of others exercising for their figure- faults. It is to be deplored, however, that scientifically -run gymnasium are rare in this country ; rare even in big cities. When a person prefers to exercise in the privacy of his own home, he must better get a partner to work with him, lest his enthusiasm should wane, and he starts cheating himself!

As I said, a detailed explanation of exercises is beyond the scope of this book ; a few useful hints are given below.

If the fat is not evenly distributed all over the body, one must exercise only the fatty regions for a month or so. Thereafter the programme can be rounded out to cover all the major muscle-groups of the body. Upper abdominal is worked by repeatedly getting up from a horizontal lying position ; leg-raising from the same supine-lying position is good for the lower abdomen and paunch. Standing toe-touching is practically useless for the abdomen though many do it. For the thighs and hips, deep-knee-bends are effective. For the chest, upper back and arms, straight push-ups from the floor (or ‘dips’ as they are sometimes called), and ‘chinning’ or ‘pull-ups’ hanging from a bar are excellent. There are hundreds of exercises that a kinesiotherapy expert knows, but the obese needs to do only ten or twelve.

Yoga Asanas are good for toning up muscles and improving glandular function. But I prefer them to be done as exercises rather than as static postures. Rather than assume a pose and hold it for a few seconds or minutes, the obese should break the pose soon after assuming it, then hold it again, break again, like that doing a number of repetitions. IN fact, all exercises for slimming are best done from 20 to 50 times. A generally accepted rule in Physical Culture is that a weight-gainer must work with more resistance and do fewer repetitions, whereas the obese must work with light resistance and do more repetitions.

The obese who does not suffer from any serious impediment to vigorous work-outs, such as heart or arterial disease, should always include a little running, jumping or rope-skipping in his programme. If he prefers, however, he may go out for regular long walks at a fast pace. Walking done as exercise means fast walking, for then only does the respiratory rate go up, the heart is benefited , and fat reduced. A few eminent cardiologists of U.S.A. advise even heart cases to indulge in regular walks.

13

There are voices against sanity.

No one can doubt or question the benefits of exercise. And yet there are a few ease-loving ‘experts’ who opine that exercise is of no use for the corpulent. They argue that the more one exercises the more one feels hungry, and hence the more one is likely to eat, thus nullifying the expenditure of calories by exercise.

Let it be admitted that this is correct reasoning, but it is not true of all cases. A number of my reducing patients have declared that they find exercise a best appetite-killer. As frequently as exercise induces greater hunger, it also creates an actual loathing for food,so much so that appetite-killing drugs can be dispensed with.

Dr.Jean Mayer, a nutritional scientist, has come to the conclusion that in the normal range of activity "appetite and exercise are attuned." He says, " Above the normal range is the exhaustion range, where an increase in activity is no longer followed by an increase in appetite, but by a decrease. This is obviously an unstable situation which cannot be endured indefinitely. Neither the sedentary nor the exhaustion range represent a normal mode of life ... IN the central zone, that of normal activity, appetite reveals itself as a sensitive and reliable mechanism for equating energy intake to energy expenditure. "

Some other ‘experts’ are in the habit of referring to Dr. Steinhaus’ experiments done about fifteen years ago. They argue that to rid the body of even one pound of fat, one needs to walk 140 miles or run 43 miles or perform similar stunts which are impossible not only for the obese but also for the non-obese.

Here again, to quote Dr. Mayer, " The enemies of exercise visualise any given wearying performance as being accomplished in a single uninterrupted stretch. The energy expenditure accompanying physical activity takes place, however, whether the activity is performed in a day or a decade. Splitting wood for seven consecutive hours ( to slough off one pound of fat) would be difficult for any one other than a Paul Bunyan ‘ but splitting wood for half an hour a day - in no way an impossible assignment for a healthy man - will add up the desired seven hours in a fortnight. If this thirty-minute lumbering operation represent a regular practice; it would be, according to the very reasoning of the foes of physical activity, calorically equivalent to 26 pounds of body fat a year." Similarly, the 43 miles running can be done at the rate of one-and-a-half mile a day over a period of one month , and thus a pound of fat removed. Supposing the person does a few more exercises regularly as recommended here before, the total monthly loss of fat by exercise alone, will be, say, five pounds a month. The diet part of the reducing programme will contribute further to the reduction, say, another ten pounds a month. Thus, the overall loss of weight will be fifteen pounds p.m.

At the same time that the exercise burns up fat, it also firms the muscular tissue, tones up the skin, improves all systems of the body (respiratory, circulatory, digestive, etc.) and normalises the glands. The obese who reduces without exercise may suffer from loss of muscular tone,scars on the skin, and ptosis or displacement of stomach, intestines , uterus, etc.

14

The obese often wonders how fast he should reduce.

There was time when medicos considered it dangerous to reduce by more than 5 lbs. a month. Now we know that this is not true. A carefully planned programme of diet and exercise can be expected to reduce a person by about two to five pounds a week in the first month. The greater the body weight to start with the more the initial reduction. In a few cases weighing over 200 lbs., I have noted a reduction of 5 lbs. in just two days. Gradually, however, in all cases the reduction rate slows down, and may finally be as low as one pound a week. This is natural and tobe as expected and need not dishearten the reducer in his quest for slimness. In any case, he has to depend little on the weighing-scale; much more on the measure-tape. The following records will bring out the point .

A man weighing 191 lbs. reduced by one pound in the first 24-hours; on this mere pound of reduction, however, his waist was reduced by 1/2" and abdomen by 1". A lady weighing over 210 lbs. initially, came down to 187 lbs , then to 184 lbs.. Between the last two weights, whereas she had gone down by only three pounds, her tape measures showed a reduction of 1-1/2" each in three girths; chest, abdomen and hips. Sometimes even when the scale shows only half a pound reduction , the tape gives an agreeable surprise. A man weighing 168 -1/2 lbs. was amazed to find the following changes in his girths, although he had reduced only by half a pound. His waist lost 1/2", his abdomen 1", paunch 1/4", hips 1/2", right thigh 3/8", and left 1/4". Science has still to find the complete answer to this enigma. What is known, however, is this :

1. Sometimes, simultaneous with the reduction of fat, - because of exercise, - muscles are built up. This particularly happens in men. Now, volume for volume, muscles weigh more than fat. This is one reason why the mirror and tape are surer guides to slimming than the scales.
2. All fat finally disintegrates to form water. Now, each pound of body fat yields 1.07 lbs. of water on oxidation. If this water is not rapidly eliminated, the weighing -scale will again disappoint. Salt, we have noted, is a great culprit in holding the unwanted water.
3. Even as regards the measure-tape, it should be noted that in grossly obese persons, sometimes there is an increase in girth of abdomen in spite of weight reduction, as well as reduction in other measurements, if there has been no exercise to form the tissues. To give an example, a gentleman weighing 265 lbs. reduced by 15 lbs. in a month’s time. His chest measure came down from 47" to 45.1/4", arms from 16-5/8" to 15-3/8", waist 42" to 41" ; thighs 28-1/2" to 28" ; hips 60 -1/2" to 58"; but the abdomen , because it sagged due to lack of exercise, increased from 47" to 49", and the paunch from 56-1/4" to 57". This , incidentally, provides another reason why exercise is a must for reducer.