IF YOU NEED TO REDUCE WEIGHT
Too many sincere but misguided friends and relatives give incorrect and even dangerous advice about reducing and reducing diets. Here are a few of the things you may want to know about them.
Should one take drugs and medicines in order to reduce?
A very straightforward answer: without a doctor’s prescription, never.
Can exercise reduce weight?
For many years, the role of exercise in weight control was minimized. Regular exercise is now considered highly important, not only for good health but as a valuable part of a carefully regulated diet. Regular and moderate exercise burns up a measurable number of calories. Besides, it has a beneficial effect on the cholesterol level and helps to prevent heart disease.
If your goal is substantial weight loss, the combination of diet and exercise should be carried out under a doctor’s supervision. Because exercise stimulates the appetite, the doctor may decide to use an anti-appetite pill precisely when it is most needed.
Can unsightly fat be removed surgically?
Operations have been performed to trim layers of fat from the ankles, abdomen, and Rips. This is very difficult and by no means always effective. The operation is very rarely undertaken just to improve the appearance. But if obesity has made a woman’s breasts pendulous and painful, a plastic surgeon would probably consider removing some of the fatty tissue.
Can massage reduce weight?
No. But massage may tone up the skin and muscles and help the body to adjust to its new, slimmer contours.
Can sweating or hot baths reduce weight?
Only temporarily. These methods remove water, which a person tends to regain almost immediately in order to satisfy thirst. Not only do they accomplish nothing permanent; they may also put a dangerous strain on the heart and circulation. Sauna baths may sometimes be dangerous to a person who is unaccustomed to them. In a sauna, the body is exposed to high temperatures to induce violent perspiration. This is such a shock to the body that the pulse rate may double.
How about ‘new’ reducing diets?
The main danger I see in many of these diets is that they tend to encourage people to reduce at a rate that is too rapid for safety. Some diets are too expensive or too difficult to be practical, while others are based on theories that have not yet been scientifically proved. From time to time, a patient has shown me a current fad diet, saying she could stick to it far more easily than she could follow any general instructions. ‘Everything’s written down,’ she explains. ‘I don’t have to count calories or consult charts; and best of all, I don’t have to make any decisions.’ If you feel the way she does, take any diet that you find congenial to your doctor, and let him approve or modify it.
Is a doctor necessary for supervision of loss of weight?
Your doctor has learnt many helpful things by studying various people who have been on reducing diets. Individual preferences vary tremendously, and it helps a great deal if you can have your diet adjusted to your taste. Some people are miserable if they are deprived of a bedtime snack; some want a substantial dinner at night and are willing to cut down on lunch in order to have it.
Faddists and quacks who advocate reducing diets do not follow correct, medically exact rules for dieting. Stay away from them.
Can you ever reduce on your own?
Although I see no reason why you should not at least mention it to your physician, it is not actually necessary to visit him in order to lose five or ten pounds over a period of a few months. However, report to him immediately if you notice any untoward symptoms, such as constipation, diarrhoea, dizziness, or fainting.
Let us assume that you were in excellent condition at your last checkup just before going on your vacation, and that in spite of all your resolutions, you put on five pounds. If you are sensible, you can get rid of them without danger. Be sure to maintain an adequate diet as described earlier in this chapter and in the entries diet and reducing in the encyclopaedia section.
Get rid of your excess weight at the rate of one half to one pound a week by exercising self-control. Cut out eating between meals, except for low calorie fruit. Go easy on high calorie foods at mealtime, substituting low calorie ones whenever possible. Avoid alcoholic beverages and soft drinks, and resign yourself to getting up from the table without feeling really full. In a month or two, your appestat will be back where it belongs. Of course, this takes self-control.
*28\68\2*
Leave a comment
You need to log in to comment.