IF 20 MILLION AMERICANS WERE TO
appear on the streets tomorrow, each with a cement block weigh-
ing between 20 and 40 pounds permanently attached to his per-
son, it would create a tremendous stir. How, you would ask,
can they carry a load like that for the rest of their lives? They
would command the sympathy of the entire nation. It is quite
likely that our Congress itself would enact some kind of legisla-
tion to aid them. Fantastic? Not at all. As a matter of fact,
such a situation does prevail right at this moment. The only
difference is that the weights those 20 million Americans are
carrying consist of fat rather than cement. And the burdens are
less conspicuous because they are distributed over the body.
But from the standpoint of health and the added work load
placed on the heart, it makes no difference whether the cargo
is cement or adipose tissue. The cost to the individual—in poor
health, loss of energy, and in most cases, a shorter lifespan —
is the same.
Overweight is a hidden disease. About the only people
who seem to take this seriously are physicians and insurance
actuaries. At least they are the only ones concerned in terms of
health and longevity. They know that overweight is a "hidden
disease," responsible for shortening the life of every average
American adult by almost five and one-half years.
101
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HOW TO COUNT THE CALORIES
Think what that means. Our own generation will lose a com-
bined 108 million years of life because of overweight! This
figure represents many times the number of adult years lost by
the premature deaths of young men killed in World Wars I and
II. Only in the past few years has the public become even dimly
aware of the critical and dangerous results of being a nation of
"fat cats." It's time we all began to sit up and take notice. If we
learn how to count the calories, we will learn also how to count
on more years of vibrant, healthful life. The tables of calorie
values given in this chapter can become your easy-to-use weapon
for fighting overweight and the bodily and emotional illnesses
it brings on.
Dr. Louis D. Dublin and Herbert H. Marks of the Metropolitan
Life Insurance Company were among the first to point to in-
creased death rates attributable to excessive fat. In consequence,
there have been a number of campaigns aimed at persuading
people to reduce their weights to the normal or even the ideal
figure.
Diet for health, not for beauty. Unfortunately, people are
intensely human and, to give a new twist to an old maxim, the
spirit is willing but the flesh is strong. The result has been a
widespread practice of "stop-and-go" dieting aimed not at im-
proved health, but at a more fashionable silhouette.
Nothing could be worse than that kind of up-and-down-the-
scales program. In the first place, you benefit from reduced
weight only if the normal weight is maintained from that time on.
Taking it off and then putting it on again is worse than remaining
overweight, because it is in the process of becoming fat that a
large part of the damage is done. This damage occurs in the
blood vessels, liver, and heart—all critical sites of the body.
Although the process of becoming fat is more detrimental than
being fat, carrying around an over-upholstered frame is also a
way to shorten the period of your sojourn on earth. As you put
on excessive fat, movement of the blood throughout the body is
slowed. The heart has to work harder to keep the circulation
HOW TO COUNT THE CALORIES
103
going. And the added weight places a greater burden upon your
joints, which may develop trouble as a consequence.
Is overweight due to "glandular trouble"? You may
often hear laymen express the view that some people are fat
because of "glandular trouble." Such cases actually are very
few. The reason most people are fat is simply because they eat
more food than they actually need for their activities. The only
way to cut down on weight is to cut down on eating, to reduce
the number of calories in your daily diet.
What causes overweight? There are many causes for over-
weight. Most people, however, are overweight simply because
they overeat. A very small percentage of people are obese due
to some endocrine or glandular disorder. Some cases possibly
are due to an error in the individual's metabolism. And still
another small percentage of cases result from an inherited or
constitutional trait that runs in families and is passed on from
one generation to another like coloring, or facial and bodily
structure.
But the causes of obesity in over 95 per cent of the victims are:
(1) nervousness, and (2) bad eating habits.
Nervousness is a primary cause of overweight. People
overeat from nervousness, either conscious or subconscious, for
a variety of reasons. Some people, when they feel anxious, con-
stantly and regularly relieve their anxiety by the elemental satis-
faction of eating. As they become more and more anxious, they
require more and more food and become more and more fat!
A vicious cycle.
One of my patients, Judy S., aged 15, is very obese because of
the lack of love and appreciation from her mother, who gives
all her love and centers all her attention on her 2 -year old,
sickly little brother.
Another patient, Mr. F., a 38-year old sales manager, is fat
because he can't seem to stop eating in between meals and all
during the evening as he sits by the television. He has been in
danger of losing his job because his sales quotas continue to fall
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HOW TO COUNT THE CALORIES
off and he feels certain that he will eventually lose his job. But
still he eats. The more nervous he gets, the more he eats.
Some people are so habituated to living under constant tension
in their work or at home that the glands in their nervous and
glandular systems constantly drive their blood sugars to low
levels. As a result they feel continuously hungry, weak, tired,
and tense. Food momentarily raises their blood sugars to normal
levels. By eating continuously or at least frequently in between
meals, they are able to have the strength and concentration to
complete their tasks at work or in the home.
A feeling of failure can lead to overeating. Many other
obese individuals eat out of sheer frustration or a feeling of
failure. One patient of mine, a 28-year old man, is a brilliant
mathematician. He wanted badly to become a physicist and
scholar, especially since he was of a quiet, shy nature. Instead,
he was prevailed upon to enter his father's large and very suc -
cessful business. An only son, he was to be "groomed" as his
father's successor in the running of the extensive family fac -
tories. Each day at work was one of frustration for him as he
struggled to learn a business in which he basically had no in -
terest. Probably most frustrating of all was the problem of coping
with a hard-driving, dynamic father who dominated him and
virtually threatened to crush his ent ire personality. Result?
Every hour or so found him in the company cafeteria for a
"breather," and the coffee breaks were easier to extend when
some donuts, candy, or biscuits went along for the ride. At
meal-hours, getting "oral" gratification from large meals with
second helpings seemed to stave off the time for getting back to
work during the day and seemed to make life tolerable. This
man ate to ward off his constant frustration at his work and
his domineering father. But his "solution" far from solved his
basic problem; it created a new one on top of it.
We all know that the eating of food is man's most primitive
necessity for survival. And in order to survive the frustrations,
tensions, anxieties, and loneliness that seem to grow worse with
time, man often returns to his primitive behavior to give him
HOW TO COUNT THE CALORIES
105
a sense of some security and the feeling of overcoming his grow-
ing worries. A subsequent chapter discusses more fully some
ways to combat these tensions. Many of these more severe prob-
lems require the care and guidance of experts especially trained
in the treatment of emotional disturbances.
Bad food habits a second main cause of overweight. It
is remarkable to find how many people eat out of boredom,
sheer habit, or to the accompaniment of a newspaper, a book,
or a heated business discussion. Many succumb to the habit of
eating at a "minute" diner or lunch counter, gulping their food
and running a "hoof and mouth" race with Father Time. (He
always wins.)
Others are trained from childhood to stuff themselves—"finish
your plate." An old relic of primitive days when food scarcities
or the uncertainties of a next meal or a next day were constantly
present. Some call this "scavenger eating;" many children
acquire this habit by imitating their parents who may have been
raised under food scarcity circumstances.
Many men and women are the victims of monotony or plain
poor cooking in their meals. They rarely vary the selection and
choice of foods out of sheer inertia, indifference, or lack of at-
tention. So they try to make up in quantity what they lack in
quality, seeking satisfaction from calories instead of from quality
and contrast.
Too much weight can strain your heart, rob you of
energy. Dr. Arthur Master, in a study of a group of patients
not suffering from heart disease, found that a significant loss of
weight was followed by an average 35 per cent reduction in the
work the heart has to do. The lesson to you is clear: Even
though your heart is strong, overweight taxes it with work and
strain beyond its normal capacity. A healthy heart is gradually
weakened by the extra stress imposed on it by 20, 30 or 40
pounds of unnecessary fat. Your energy reserves are depleted;
you feel tired too soon and too often, even when doing simple
things like walking and swimming, things that the person of
normal weight can handle with ease and pleasure. Don't let
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HOW TO COUNT THE CALORIES
too much weight rob you of a strong heart and the vibrant energy
that you need to enjoy a full, healthy life. Learn to count your
calories and you can count on more years of healthy, happy
living.
Most people today don't have heavy demands made on
their physical energy. We must remember that in the past 50
years there has been a considerable reduction in energy expendi-
ture, because of a more mechanized way of life. People today
don't have to go out to the barn and hitch up a horse or team
when they are ready to go somewhere. They merely step into
their car, which is as close to the front door as they can manage
it, and then drive to their destination, again parking as near the
entrance as possible.
The introduction of countless labor-saving devices in our
home, factories, and offices has also robbed us of most of the
physical exertion our grandparents knew. In fact, when it comes
to conserving energy, we seem to have approached about as near
as we can get to a vegetable existence.
It was formerly believed that the average adult who engaged
in moderate physical activity required from 2500 to 3500 calo-
ries a day. Figures published by the American Heart Associa-
tion today place the figures much lower.
One of the reasons overweight is a problem with so many
persons is that it has a way of sneaking up on you. You may
gain only two or three pounds a year and not notice it. But in
10 years, this means an excess of 20 or 30 pounds. For example,
a pound of body weight equals about 3500 calories. Just one
extra pat of butter each day (85 to 100 calories) will add eight
to ten pounds a year to your weight! Similarly, a piece of pie
(250 calories) eaten just once a week, will add over three pounds
of body weight in a year's time.
Just what is a calorie? A calorie is a unit of heat and
energy, created by the body "burning up" the food we eat. This
calorie or measurement of heat unit is the basis for determining
what our weight should be and what our diet should be.
HOW TO COUNT THE CALORIES
107
In determining how many calories you actually need, scientists
use the term "basal caloric requirements" to indicate how many
calories you need just to stay alive, keep your heart going, and
your temperature normal.
We need approximately a calorie each minute, simply to
keep living.
Even while you are asleep you "burn up" an average of 500
calories.
Most men and women need from 1000 to 1500 calories as
their basal caloric requirement.
However, when you work or think you burn up additional
calories. Here is a list of activities with the approximate number
of calories that these cost you, as an adult:
(1) Mental Work ................ 10 Calories Each
Hour
(2) Sitting at Rest ...................
20
"
"
"
(3) Standing .............................
25
"
"
"
(4) Dressing ...........................
35
"
"
"
(5) Walking (easy) .................
100-125
"
"
"
(6) Light Housework ................
70
"
"
"
(7) Light Exercise ...................
75-150
"
"
"
(8) Strenuous Exercise ............
200-500
"
"
"
(9) Golf ...................................
200
"
"
"
(10) Swimming .........................
200
"
"
"
How to determine the number of calories you need. To
determine the number of calories you require each day from
your food, it is necessary to make very exact mathematical cal-
culations based on detailed knowledge of your metabolism, body
frame, hereditary and constitutional factors, specific energy ex-
penditure each day, climatic conditions, emotional state, diges-
tive tract structure, physiology, and still other variable factors.
Since this is an impossible or impractical method for those
who want to reduce, I recommend for the average person the
following simple "rule of thumb" method:
For: MARKED OVERWEIGHTS
A person who is markedly overweight is one who is 30 per cent
or more above his normal weight. This means that if, for
example, you weigh 180 lbs. but should, according to our table,
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HOW TO COUNT THE CALORIES
weigh 135 lbs., then you are 45 lbs, overweight. In that case you
should reduce your weight by using the 800 calorie diet menus
shown in the center, green section of this book.
For: MODERATE OVERWEIGHTS
If you are moderately overweight (i.e. 15-30 per cent; you
are, say, 20 to 45 lbs. over and weigh from 155 to 180 lbs. but
should weigh 135 lbs.), use the diet menus for the 1000 calorie
daily food intake shown in the green section in the middle of
the book.
For: MILD OVERWEIGHTS
If you are only mildly overweight (5 to 15 per cent above
your normal weight; let us say you are 7 to 20 lbs. over and
weigh from 142 to 155 lbs., whereas you should weigh 135 lbs.)
then follow the 1200 calorie diet described in the center, gr een
section.
After you have lost an average of 2 lbs. each week and have
achieved your normal weight, you should then follow the low-fat
maintenance diets shown in pages 71—88. These diets range
from approximately 1500 calories to 2200 calories. They are
recommended for the average individual who does light work
with a moderate expenditure of calories in average daily activi -
ties such as housework, office work, light factory employment,
sales work, driving of cars, or a moderate degree of walking.
Maintaining your proper weight by a regular calorie
count. However, since individuals vary so widely, it is impera-
tive that you watch your weight carefully by your household
scale. If you find that you are gaining a little or a moderate
amount of poundage (say 1 or 2 lbs. each week) then you must
subtract 200 to 500 calories from your daily menus. You can
then reduce a pound a week and stay on this "maintenance"
diet to keep your weight on an even level.
This may mean that your maintenance diets require only a
daily food intake of 1200 or 1500 calories every day from
HOW TO COUNT THE CALORIES
109
then on. Perhaps the elimination of one or two slices of bread and
jam, or cutting down on sugar, may be all that is necessary to take
200 or 300 calories off your daily menus. To eliminate the
required 500 calories from your daily meals, it may be neces -
ary to omit in addition some potatoes, or to avoid completely
sugar and starch foods. In any case, the calorie counter in
this chapter will guide you on which food items you should
eliminate from your diet. Once you have decided to do so, it
is simple to follow the menus. It does take a few minutes of your
time to look at these calories, but you will be giving yourself
a reward of years added to your life. That's the biggest health
bargain in modern history!
There is only one healthy way to reduce. Our bookstores
and newstands bristle with literature full of spectacular claims
and quack formulas, all shouting, "Lose those extra pounds the
fast, easy way." But the truth is (unless you like to be fooled
at the expense of your own health) that there is only one safe
and effective way to achieve the correct poundage and to keep
it at that figure. That way is to follow a correct nutritional
program, and to follow it consistently, one might almost say
religiously. To do that means taking over a lifetime job of
vigilance and self-discipline. But first you have to make up your
mind that you want to do it, and then do it. And then stick
to it.
Seven rules for getting your weight down and keeping
it down. Once you have given yourself a powerful incentive,
and have decided, "I will get my weight down and keep it down,"
then the following rules will help you:
1. Follow the menus and dietary supplements suggested in this
book as closely as possible.
2. As an appetite curb, nibble a few low-fat hors d'oeuvres a
little while before mealtime. (This raises the blood sugar
level and takes the edge off your appetite.)
3. Eat a substantial breakfast and a small lunch as provided
in the menus given in this book.
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HOW TO COUNT THE CALORIES
4. Try to have small servings of the food you eat.
5. Avoid second helpings.
6. Forego dessert if it is high in calories or fats.
7. To know exactly where you stand each day, be a calorie
counter, but a serious one. Use the table of foods and
caloric values at the end of this chapter.
By glancing at the following table that shows the total number
of calories needed daily for a man (or woman) of average
weight and height at various ages, you will be surprised to see
how much you really overeat. You will observe also that the
caloric requirement declines with age. Thus a man who is
5 feet 10 inches tall and has the normal weight of 150 pounds,
requires 2020 calories between the ages of 14 and 15, but only
1600 when he is 60.
Similarly, a woman of average height (5 feet, 2 inches) and
weight (125 pounds) requires 1600 calories when she is 14, but
only 1260 calories when she is 60.
OBESITY AND HEART DISEASE
RELATIONSHIP OF AGE TO CALORIC REQUIREMENTS
Basal
Weight
Calories
Sex
(Pounds)
Age
24 Hours
MALE
150
14-15
2020
16-17
1890
18-19
1800
20-29
1730
30-39
1730
40-49
1690
50-59
1650
60-69
1600
70-79
1560
FEMALE
5'2"
125
14-15
1600