4. Sleep. Resistance is markedly lowered by a lack of sufficient sleep. Have a rest period during the day if possible. Do not sleep longer than eight hours. For every hour you are in bed over that time the fat piles on or else you are losing flesh.
5. Avoid unnecessary exertion. Don't talk too much. Delete the details. Never talk about your ailments except to your physician. You pay him to listen (or should).
6. Avoid tea, coffee and nicotine and other stimulants.
7. Masticate your food thoroughly and leave your troubles behind when you go to the table.
8. EAT. Stretch your stomach and train it to take care of more food. You must eat three meals each day at regular intervals. They must consist of what your system requires and not just what tastes good on your palate. Never eat between meals. Give your digestive apparatus a chance to function as it should, three times daily, at the same time each day, always giving it an opportunity to rest as well.
9. EAT. Eat whether you enjoy it or not. You will enjoy it later. Don't heed the advice that you should not eat as a matter of duty. You should.
10. EAT. But no second helpings.
I have seen printed advice never to eat unless you enjoy your food and to avoid eating as a mere duty. I tell you to discard that advice. Do eat whether you enjoy it or not, and do eat as a matter of duty.
Once the food is in your system, whether you like it or not, a large part of it will be assimilated. Perhaps not so well nor so readily, for we know that the enjoyment of food adds to the efficiency of the digestive juices.
There is a small bird called the ortolan, which is highly esteemed by the Italian gourmands. When it is fat it is very delicious, but as it feeds normally only once a day, when the sun rises, it naturally has no fat on it. So the Italians confine these birds in a darkened room and succeed in getting them to eat four or five times a day in the following manner: