Chapter 6-How to Count the Calories

Overweight Is a Hidden Disease | Diet for Health, as Well as For Beauty | Is Overweight Due to “Glandular Trouble”? | What Causes Overweight? | Nervousness Is a Primary Cause of Overweight | A Feeling of Failure Can Lead to Overweight | Bad Food Habits a Second Main Cause of Overweight | Too Much Weight Can Strain Your Heart, Rob You of Energy | Most People Today Don’t Have Heavy Demands Made on Their Physical Energy | Just What Is a Calorie? | How to Determine the Number of Calories You Need | Maintaining Your Proper Weight by a Regular Calorie Count | There is Only One Healthy Way to Reduce | Seven Rules for Getting Your Weight Down and Keeping It Down | Drugs Are Not the Answer | Calorie Counts of Foods Listed Alphabetically

If 20 million Americans were to appear on the streets tomorrow, each with a cement block weigh­ing between 20 and 40 pounds permanently attached to his per­son, 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 legisla­tion 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.

Think what that means. Our own generation will lose a com­bined 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 in­creased 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 im­proved 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 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 over­weight. 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, con­stantly and regularly relieve their anxiety by the elemental satis­faction 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 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 suc­cessful business. An only son, he was to be "groomed" as his father's successor in the running of the extensive family fac­tories. Each day at work was one of frustration for him as he struggled to learn a business in which he basically had no in­terest. 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 entire 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 a sense of some security and the feeling of overcoming his grow­ing worries. A subsequent chapter discusses more fully some ways to combat these tensions. Many of these more severe prob­lems 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 at­tention. 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 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 expendi­ture, 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 calo­ries a day. Figures published by the American Heart Associa­tion 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.

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:

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 cal­culations based on detailed knowledge of your metabolism, body frame, hereditary and constitutional factors, specific energy ex­penditure each day, climatic conditions, emotional state, diges­tive 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, 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, green 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 76—84. 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 activi­ties 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 impera­tive 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 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 necessary 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 upyour 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.

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

Drugs Are Not the Answer

Unless they are needed for other reasons, I always counsel my patients against them. Taking thyroid extract, for example, when it is not indicated from a medical point of view, can damage the heart. A number of other commercial preparations now on the market, used for dulling the appetite, have the undesirable side effects of overstimulating the nervous system or, in some cases, of interfering with the body's metabolism.

In the game of reducing, there are no "wild" cards, and there is no way to cheat. You will win or lose, depending upon how well you follow the rules and play your hand. Remember that the amount of money you spend for food is not half so important as the way you spend it. Whether your income is $3,000 a year or $50,000, the proper food in the proper amount is within your reach.

Not only is such a program wise and helpful for you, but think how many years of good health and happiness you can offer your children. A survey made not long ago revealed that of almost three-fourths of the nation's children studied, not a single one rated top health grades in strict medical examinations! Such a deplorable and widespread epidemic of malnutrition can easily be corrected if you will bring to the vital subject of nutrition the same dedicated parental care that you do to other phases of your children's lives.

You have nothing to lose, and precious years of life to gain.

Calorie Counts of Foods Listed Alphabetically*

Abbreviations
tbsp.—tablespoon                    4 oz.—1/2 cup or glass approximately
tsp.—teaspoon                         8 oz.—1/2 pt. or 1 glass or cup approx.
oz.—ounce                               16 oz. (454 grams-1 lb.)

* These calorie calculations are approximate figures. Various sources differ slightly. We have endeavored to use average figures.