Few people claim that the first days on a reducing diet are happy ones. Some individuals find it easier to adjust than others, but all agree that the period of discomfort does not last too long if they persevere. They also claim that a wonderful feeling of physical vigor and liberation follows as they lose weight. The ability to bend down again with ease, the disappearance of unsightly bulges, and the pleasure of buying smaller sizes in clothes are among the things which amply compensate for any early discomfort.
The Body’s Need for Exercise
Every healthy person needs some exercise. Daily physical exertion is good for muscle tone and circulation. It also helps to relieve the tension many people pile up in the course of a day’s work.
Regular exercise, if not carried to the point of increasing hunger, can help in a reducing program, because the more active a person is, the more calories he needs to burn. But for the overweight individual, exercise can never replace eating less. A person would have to walk about five miles to use up the calories in one chocolate sundae. He would have to saw wood for an hour or so to offset a piece of apple pie, or walk about a mile to work off two graham crackers. Obviously, it is simpler to avoid eating the sundae, the pie, or the crackers than to try to exercise them off.
The decision about exercising while losing weight should be left to the physician supervising the reducing program. The kind and amount of extra physical activity which he advises will depend on age, physical condition, and previous habits. For children and young patients he will probably advise lots of exercise and active sports. For older people he may not prescribe anything more strenuous than walking. For people with heart or circulatory conditions, he may caution against any exercise. The necessity for tailoring the treatment to the individual in this way is one of the reasons why a reducing program should be undertaken only under medical supervision.
What About Short Cuts?
No one who has taken on the job of losing weight will say that the self-denial involved is pleasant. It is only natural to wonder if there isn’t an easier way: What about drugs, steam baths, massage, or other quick methods?
Any drug which can increase the body’s rate of burning calories enough to effect weight reduction without dieting is dangerous. One drug, released in the early 1930’s without medical sanction, “worked”; but it also caused deafness, blindness, and paralysis before it was withdrawn from the market. Even if drugs are prescribed by a physician, they will be used in addition to—not in place of—a diet.
Many people wonder about steam baths and massage as a short cut. Steam baths are often a delusion. The profuse sweating which a steam bath induces is apt to cause a sudden drop in weight because of water loss. Thirst soon makes the average person replace the lost water, and his weight is usually exactly what it was before.
Swedish massage is a relaxing luxury for those who can afford it. It is good for the circulation, and helps to keep tissues in firm condition. However, it will not take off pounds nor allow additions to the diet.