REALISTIC WEIGHT CONTROL

In 1970 he and his family moved to Scotland and settled in Troon where he set up a residential clinic. He also has clinics in Newcastle, Edinburgh and London. He lectures throughout the world and is a regular broadcaster on BBC radio. His books have sold over a quarter of a million copies to date.

Later on in life, as a practitioner, I saw how a lot of money was spent in our residential clinics with a view to controlling excess weight. Faced with this huge demand for courses of dieting, fasting, and sometimes hammering one’s body to get this extra weight off, I often wondered why this should be so; during the war I had seen people dying of hunger and I myself, at the age of ten, weighed only two and a half stones. The answer soon became clear and it is something we all have to realise: only by overeating can one expect this problem of excess weight. In today’s society, particularly in view of all the convenience foods people are using, the naturopathic view — a realistic approach to dieting — has become of great importance.

It goes beyond description how I battle daily with this problem of obesity with my patients, and how much better they feel when they lose their excess weight. The mind is sharper, the body feels better; yet despite this they can easily fall into the trap of overeating again, and then torture themselves with methods which perhaps might be unhealthy, in an effort to try and lose the excess weight yet again. Despite all the efforts of slimming clinics, slimming diets, and even some more irresponsible methods, patients persistently damage their own health. When there is no balance between protein, carbohydrates and fats, people become victims of certain illnesses and diseases.

In this book we will go through a number of different and responsible methods of slimming. Having dealt with this problem for almost thirty years, I have seen the side-effects caused by irresponsible methods. Therefore, when people turn to our slimming department for help, we try, in a logical way, to bring their weight under control. It is a wonderful thing when a patient who was previously four or five stones overweight comes to you and, having successfully lost this weight, tells you that life has a new meaning for her. She feels so much happier, so much more beautiful and, having lost her corpulence, feels a part of society again. So many fall by the wayside, and that is where the greatest problems arise. It is a matter of continuing the treatment, which, as we have worked it out, is really not complicated. The results will not be visible overnight, but the ultimate reward, mentally and physically, is of the greatest importance.

The simple methods described in this book will be of the greatest assistance in what, for so many people, is a great battle. Just think of the words of Robert the Bruce, when, alone and dejected, he was hiding from his enemies in a cave and observed the perseverance of a spider in its attempts to build a web. When it finally reached its goal, he said: “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again!”

Many people go through life “playing” at diets. One week it’s the 1,000-calorie diet; the week after that sees the start of the vegetarian diet . . . followed by the low-calorie diet and then the very low-calorie diet. Eventually comes the water fast. Unfortunately, at the end of all this dieting, the dieter finds that nothing has worked. The life of a “playing at diets” dieter proceeds as follows:

After a lunch of lettuce, cottage cheese and perhaps a tomato, Mrs X continues with her daily work, but something is not quite right. Perhaps a cup of tea with a little digestive biscuit might help. Yes, much better. But maybe another digestive biscuit, because, after all, not much has been eaten today.

After several more digestive biscuits, Mrs X comes to the conclusion that the diet has failed again. Come teatime, everything in sight is eaten. After tea, settling down to a nice cosy evening by the television with the usual drinks, nuts, crisps and sweets, Mrs X looks back over her day. She finds she hasn’t done badly. After all, she managed up until about two o’clock. Oh well, it’s too late now to start this week. Next Monday we’ll do better!

Some people just think they want to be slim, but deep down they feel that being slim will give them responsibilities which they do not have to bear now. Perhaps they find it difficult to accompany their partner on social occasions. Perhaps being looked at with admiration is too much for them. Even the thought of having a different physical appearance is frightening for some people. Therefore, it’s easier to just pretend to diet, to say you’re dieting, even believe you’re dieting. You may even manage to persuade yourself that you want to diet, that you want to be slim, but, alas, experience has taught you that you were meant to be fat and that your metabolism is different from everybody else’s — in spite of what the doctor says, yours goes at a much slower rate than the norm.

So it follows that your lot in life is to be fat, not to be attractive, not to be so lucky as some people and have an attractive figure . . . and go places . . . and do things. The world is geared towards self-confident, slim people — not towards fatties like you!

This is the way that many people with a weight problem think. They forget their beautiful hair, their lovely eyes, their fine skin or their high intelligence. All they can see is this great fat mound of flesh. Whether it be half a stone or several stones, it is still a problem.

Some dieters think that their friend’s half a stone of excess weight is nothing. They’ll tell her, “I wouldn’t worry if I were you. If I were like that, I’d be happy.” Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like this. Half a stone is just as distressing as several stones. It is still excess weight, it is unattractive, it is confidence undermining and it should not be there.

Laying aside for the moment the physical discomforts which accompany being overweight, just think of the mental ones: this feeling of having to apologise for one’s existence, this feeling of inferiority, of self-consciousness. These attitudes really do undermine everything that an overweight person does.

Without losing an ounce, you can do a lot to help yourself. Stand up straight. There, you’ve already lost half a stone. Think about what you’re wearing. Dress to flatter your figure — big can be beautiful. Look the whole world in the face. Why should you be self-conscious? You’re you. Why should you feel inferior? You’re not. Don’t be arrogant or defensive. There is no reason for arrogance, nor is there any reason for defensiveness. Be friendly and be obliging and you’ll find that however you react to the world will be reflected in its attitude towards you.

Now, let’s get back to this question: do you really want to lose weight?

Medical science has proved that people who constantly lose and gain weight are not doing their body any good. It is healthier to maintain a constant weight, even if it is too much. Remember, whatever weight you are, you’re you. Your character remains the same; your faults and failures remain the same, and so do your strengths. The only difference is that you look and feel healthier. Don’t think that your personality will change or that all your troubles will disappear because you’ve lost weight. Admittedly, that feeling of depression will almost certainly go, leaving you feeling much happier, but basically you will still be the same person.

Having weighed up the pros and cons of losing or not losing weight, and having made your decision, abide by it. Should you have decided not to lose weight, then don’t dwell upon it — forget your weight. Instead, concentrate on your strong points. Concentrate on being attractive. Think “big is beautiful”. It can be, you know. Remember, though, it is also a health hazard: if you are more than 20 per cent overweight, then your health may be at risk.

Obesity tends to occur more frequently in women than in men, and more so in middle-aged women than in young women. It can cause, among other things, diabetes, nephritis, pneumonia, miocardial failure, degenerative arthritis of the back of the knees, foot trouble, varicose veins and leg ulcers — to say nothing of the possible complications which might arise during surgery.

The risk of dying between the ages of forty-five and fifty is 8 per cent higher than average for people who are ten pounds overweight. This rises to 18 per cent for those who are twenty pounds and 28 per cent for those who are thirty pounds overweight. Finally, if you are fifty pounds overweight, the chance of your dying before you reach the age of fifty is an alarming 56 per cent higher than if you were of normal weight. Perhaps if your own vital statistics have not succeeded in persuading you to lose weight, then these will.

Sometimes obesity is familial, that is, every member of a family will be overweight — some more, some less, but overweight nevertheless. The reason for this is not as might be expected, slow metabolism, but usually bad eating habits. Mother cooks large meals which are duly consumed and appreciated by her family. Then the children get married. Daughters, anxious to impress new husbands, cook huge meals which are also duly appreciated . . . and so it goes on . . . generation after generation of portly family members.

When the younger generation complain about being overweight, then they are consoled by the older ones who say, “Oh well, look at the stock you come from. You can’t expect to be thin. We were born fat. We were always fat. We are just built this way.” And so, the young person consoles herself with yet another packet of crisps, and philosophically sits back to ensure an unhappy and fat adulthood.

Whatever the reason for obesity, the cause is always the same: too much food. Some people can consume a great amount of food and not gain weight. Others consume very little and still seem to put on weight. However, without eating too much, for you personally, you will not gain weight.

You might say, “Look at my neighbour. She eats the whole day long and she’s not in the least bit fat.” Indeed, look at your neighbour. She is perhaps a lot thinner than you are — but look, too, at her lifestyle. Is she very active? Does she run around the whole day while you sit? Does she go to gymnastics and aerobics classes or go swimming while you sit around watching the television or reading a book?

Recently, while dining out, I have been secretly observing other diners. Some were fat, some were thin, some were of average weight. However, I noticed a marked difference in their eating habits. The thinner people tended to do a lot of talking and not quite so much eating. They put their fork down between each mouthful, savouring and enjoying what they were eating. Their larger companions, on the other hand, shovelled in the food as quickly as they could and were finished long before their thin companions.

I also noticed a difference in their choices from the menu. The more corpulent people enjoyed thick soups, rich sauces and creamy desserts, while their thinner companions tended to choose consommé to start with, followed by a salad and then fresh fruit or fresh fruit salad. Both parties were consuming the same number of courses. Both parties had full plates. However, the total number of calories on one plate was very different to that on the other.

Many slim people will tell you that they have great appetites — that they are constantly eating. Yet I have noticed with such people that they tend to prefer the sort of food that will not give them an obese figure. Their preference tends towards vegetables, fruit, brown bread, baked potatoes, very little fat, and lean meat.

These people are lucky. Their natural choice of food is non-addictive and non-fattening. They will not overeat because, although they enjoy what they are eating, it is not the sort of food that one does over-indulge in. Also, it is the sort of food that one eats sitting at a table during mealtimes. These types also tend not to nibble between meals. A cup of coffee is sufficient, or a cup of tea, and nothing else is necessary.

Often these habits have been laid down during childhood. If a child is discouraged from eating rubbish, then he or she will grow up to be an adult who prefers good food.

I am frequently consulted by a lady accompanied by a child, where the lady is very overweight but the child is of normal weight. Nevertheless the child will arrive in the consulting-room with a packet of crisps or sweets. If I remark upon this, then the lady will say, “Oh, he has nothing to worry about. Look how thin he is.” She is then very surprised when I reply, “Yes, he’s thin now, but actually by encouraging your child to eat this sort of food, you are storing up for him a fat future and the same sort of misery as you are now going through yourself.” The usual reaction to this is sheer disbelief. The lady very often becomes indignant at the very thought that she might be teaching her child bad habits.

Children who are given food as a reward frequently grow up to be tubby teenagers and fat adults. Habits acquired in childhood can be life-long, but they need not be so. Such habits have been made and therefore they can be unmade, or broken.

Most young mothers are surprised at the manner in which their young babies consume food. A very young child or baby will not overeat: it knows when it has had enough and no amount of coaxing by adults will persuade it to allow one more drop of milk in its mouth than is necessary. This can cause alarm in adults because some children can survive on very little and yet remain completely healthy.

As time progresses, the child learns to enjoy treats. These are given by the parents, fond aunties and even fonder grandparents. The types of food given as treats are usually addictive. Crisps and sweets can be eaten in any amount and very often a child comes to prefer these non-nutritious foods to the food presented at the table — food that is nourishing and essential for a young, growing body.