How To Avoid Obesity

Obesity, or overweight, is a state of the body in which excessive fat is stored in the tissues. This is one of the most common disorders to which the human race is subject.

Prevention and treatment of obesity is important, not only for the sake of appearance, but also because overweight decreases human efficiency, shortens life, and predisposes the subject to many chronic disorders.

The fundamental cause of obesity is the absorption of a greater calorific value of food than is necessary for the energy expended by the body. It is true, while two persons may eat the same amount of food, one may gain and the other loses weight.

This difference is due to factors regulating the amount of energy expended.

One who gains weight and who does not apparently eat to excess (such as person eats more than he realizes or admits) is usually phlegmatic, reacts slowly to outside stimuli, is not easily worried, dislikes exercises or expenditure of energy in any form, sleeps longer and more soundly, and relaxes more completely than either the thin person or the person of normal weight.

Some persons who fall in the over-weight group have disturbances of their endocrine glands, especially the thyroid or pituitary or both. But the explanation of most obesity is the one factor of simple liking to eat large qualities of fattening food-carbohydrates, starches, and fats.

 Marked obesity can cause shortness of breath and fatigue on slight exertion.

It also seems to predispose to other diseases or accentuate their symptoms. An overweight person with heart diseases may develop heart failure sooner than a thin person with same degree of cardiac disease.

Arthritics having pain in the legs or back notice considerable improvement in their symptoms, as a rule, with a reduction in weight. Because of obesity, the kidneys, pancreas, and liver carry an extra burden. Pneumonia at times is more serious in the obese. Treatment of obesity lies along two lines. First, the amount of food must be reduced and at the same time a balanced diet adhered to. The rapid loss of weight by radical diets is harmful and actually in some cases may cause death. Second, there must be an increase in regular exercise. Those who suffer glandular troubles must also be treated for these disorders.

  The most active gland in obesity is the salivary gland.

  One recipe for long life- never exceeds the feed limit.

  Obesity is called the red light of health.

  The best type of exercise is to push away from the table at the right time.

A note of warning- Many and varied slimming diets are valuable. High protein and so called crash diets are not recommended for continue use. They do not contain a well- balanced total diet. The main object in slimming is lose weight in a gradual and sustained way. No one can do this for you. It may mean a complete change of eating habits; in time of today, type of food and quantities eaten. It may mean a complete change in your activities in your spare time. It is up to you yourself to follow the advice of trained people in this special field of health as you aim for a slim line.

FOOD AND DRINKS ALLOWED

Cheese, eggs, health food protein -4oz. daily.

Vegetables. Globe artichokes, asparagus, French beans and runner beans, broccoli tops, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, endive, chicory, cucumber, lettuce, marrow, mushrooms, mustard and cress, radishes, spring onions, spinarch, spring green, tomatoes, watercress, aubergine, red and green peppers.

Fruit. Blackberries, damsons, gooseberries, red and black currants, rhubarb (stewed, no sugar), yellow and cantaloupe melons, lemons, grapefruit.

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 Drinks. Marmite, Lemco consommés, thin vegetables soups, PLJ lemon juice sugarless fruit squash.

FOODS TO AVOID WHILE TAKING OFF EXCESS WEIGHT

You must be careful of foods made any sort of flour; cereals and food containing sugar.

Do not eat any of the following unless your doctor permits them part of your diet: Sugar, sweets, chocolate, jam, honey, syrup, glucose, and other preserves.

Dried and crystallized fruit, nuts, tinned fruits, cakes, pastries, biscuits and any other foods made with flour or corn flour.

Ice cream, cream.

Alcohol drinks, mineral waters, milk puddings and cereal foods, e.g. Rice, creamed soups, thickened or sweetened sauces, salad cream.

TEN RULES TO AVOID OBESITY AND GET SLIM

(1) EAT REGULARLY THREE SMALL MEALS DAILY

It is important to mention that many who are overweight feel that if they reduce their meals to one or two a day, they may lose weight. It is proven fact that you can easily in one meal of high calorie foods, take in as much as 3,000 calories without feeling over stuffed. It is a very important thing then; to reduce the size of the meals to some degree; for even if you eat some bulky food, such as low calories green vegetables and thereby keep the volume intake up, you still need to reduce the size of the stomach itself.  Really shrink the stomach so that you can be satisfied with less than you are used to. Drink water between meals and not at meals.

(2) NEVER TAKE A BIG MEAL

The second rule follows the first inevitably. If you have lost weight over a week or two, you must never allow yourself to feel that you now deserve a reward and so be tempted to eat a big high calories meal with a lot of sweets, fats, starch, tasty gravy or spiced sauce. If you do, the whole system will feel so satisfied with that big meal it will want to have another one the next day also. It will be very difficult to cut down the craving for still another hearty meal. Try hard to form the habit of eating only regular small meals and after three or four days the stomach will not crave for big meals and you will find the hunger has disappeared.

(3) GET PLENTY OF VITAMINS AND MINERALS

Following this rule will help you to keep up the volume of food intake, for it will mean eating plenty of vegetables (especially green leaves and roots also fresh fruits salads avoid dried fruits and highly sweet fruits such as grapes, or starchy fruits such as bananas). Choose such fruits as citrus fruits, apples, pears, plums and berries.

In high calorie concentrated food we often get insignificant amounts of vitamins and minerals. May be our extra appetite is created by refined canned foods and concentrates like sugar, fats, white flour, sweets and cakes. These have a high calories count, but they are called empty don’t contain a corresponding value in vitamins minerals.

(4) CHEW YOUR FOOD MORE THOROUGHLY

 If you choose to eat some raw fruits and vegetables you have to chew them well. It is a good idea to eat them as a relish, for in chewing you use up a lot of saliva from the glands of the mouth; you also get tired from masticating and soon feel you have had enough. The intake of calories, however, is still very low. Try, therefore, to eat food that needs chewing, such as crisp bread or crackers, raw fruits and vegetables, baked potatoes in their skins, bran, etc. Masticate slowly and thoroughly so that you get tired of eating before you have consumed too much.

(5) NEVER EAT BETWEEN MEALS

 This seems to be a very difficult one because it is very easy to  find an  excuse to take a glass of milk, an apple or a piece of toast with a coffee,( cream and sugar too, if you should like it), but these snacks are really dangerous as you can easily take 200 or 300 calories without realizing it. If you cannot get your meal at the time (which is important) the only thing you should allow yourself to take is a glass of fruit juice. This will carry you over to the next meal. Please stay away from preparing menus, talking about, smelling, and looking at food, because it is very easy to fall into temptation if you have anything to do with it. For a housewife this seems nearly impossible. If at all possible, the one who needs reducing should be released from preparing meals for the whole family. Such a person should not be in the profession of food preparation, because overweight is really a professional illness in many causes.

(6) WHAT TO AVOID

Avoid too much salt which holds the water in the body. Only the cook should salt the food. Also void spices, coffee, tea, sugar, cream and cigarettes as these increase the appetite. Avoid beer, wine, gin and whisky, as alcohol has high calorie content. One  gram of alcohol produces 7 calories (energy), One gram of fat produces 9 calories, one  gram of protein produces 4.4 calories and one gram of carbohydrate produces 4.1 calories.

(7) DO NOT TRUST SLIMMING DRUGS

 Medicine alone will not do it. Very few cases really need medicine to reduce. In such cases there is the so-called endocrine fatness due to the disturbance of the hormonal balance in the body. This may be caused by low function of the pituitary or thyroid gland, or by reduced hormonal production after the menopause in both men and women. After the hormonal test or metabolism test, you can trust the medicine prescribed by the medical doctor. The drugs that curb the appetite are amphetamine and dexadrine and they are dangerous because they can make you an addict. They might be prescribed, however, for a person going to a great social function who needs help in controlling his appetite.

In the case of constipation use a bulk formatting product without calories value, but try to avoid cathartics or laxatives. You may use one tablespoon of mineral oil at bedtime as a neutral lubricant.

(8) DO NOT LOSE TOO FAST

To build determination to lose within three or four weeks all we have gained in three or four years is ridiculous and dangerous. Reducing weight fast should be performed under the supervision of the doctor, who will allow you to lose between 3 and 5 pounds a week. Losing even one pound is really much more sensible. Weigh yourself at the same time of the day.

(9) EXERCISE- BUT DO NOT EXHAUST YOURSELF

Moderate exercise is very good, but do not allow yourself to become exhausted for then you lose control over yourself. Always get your meal on time; portion the servings and never take a second helping. Self control is important. Sometimes you need it in order to avoid the company of people who are hearty eaters, because it is easy to fall into temptation in good company. I heartily suggest exercise such as pushing yourself back from the dining room table in time and throwing your head from left to right when potatoes and gravy are passed. You must, however, develop and scientiously follow a regular physical fitness programme tailored to your individual need.

(10) GET AN APPETITE FOR OTHER THINGS

Try to get an appetite for other things than food. We must admit that fat people are very social minded. They love parties or small gatherings where tempting delicious food is in abundance. They like card playing, TV, cars- they love to listen to music and enter into conversation, but you never see them out hiking or golfing or playing tennis. They do not frequent the places where body energy is needed. People need to get appetite for other things, such as hard work, athletics, cycling and attendance at health clubs. Take a walk every day- at least a mile, preferably four – or one hour`s good walking.

CONCLUSION

Make these changes permanent and effective in harmony with, and with the support of the other members of your family.