Dieting practices of women in the 1950s & '40s?

[Foofoogal]

I personally believe that salt in todays food, especially fast foods has a way bigger negative side affect then the fat in todays food.
Look at a box sometimes, even kids cookies. Pitiful.

 

[Shirin]

my sister in law swears by natural food as a way of life. Her motto is "keep it close to nature". She is 5'3" and thin, but she wasn't always so thin. She adopted that way of life, I dunno, like 10 years ago and has stuck with it ever since. I find it really inspiring. In fact, when we visit her, if we stay for a week, I almost always lose a few pounds because they only keep natural,healthy food in their house. Lots of veggies, fruits and lean meat, and bread for her husband. She doesn't eat sweets and not much salt. She said you would be surprised at how little the body needs to survive. She snacks on small small portions throughout the day (half a banana for example) and only on holidays will sit for a "meal".

 

[kamikat]

She said you would be surprised at how little the body needs to survive. She snacks on small small portions throughout the day (half a banana for example) and only on holidays will sit for a "meal".

Are you sure she isn't anorectic? Natural food isn't a cure-all and anything below 900 calories is a starvation diet, whether those calories come from fruits and veggies or from french fries. My house is completely natural, too. We are a vegan household and one child has celiac disease, which means we're also a wheat/gluten free household. Eating natural hasn't changed my weight at all, in fact I've gained weight since going all natural/vegan because 2500 calories is 2500 calories whether it's from eating 10 bananas or eating a greasy hamburger. The only truth to dieting is "calories in, calories out". If you consume more calories than you burn, you gain weight. If you consume less calories than you burn, you lose weight. I've lost weight by eating one chocolate bar a day and nothing else. I gained weight while eating nothing but vegetables. There's no trick, just be aware of how many calories are in the foods you eat.

 

[Shirin]

she's not anorexic, she doesn't eat until she gets "full", only satisfied or not hungry.
I think what she meant by that statement was its not really necessary to eat more than your body really needs.

 

[Shirin]

The only truth to dieting is "calories in, calories out". If you consume more calories than you burn, you gain weight. If you consume less calories than you burn, you lose weight..

This I completely agree on, there is no other way unless there's something wrong hormonally.

 

[GlamourDoll]

Are you sure she isn't anorectic? Natural food isn't a cure-all and anything below 900 calories is a starvation diet, whether those calories come from fruits and veggies or from french fries. My house is completely natural, too. We are a vegan household and one child has celiac disease, which means we're also a wheat/gluten free household. Eating natural hasn't changed my weight at all, in fact I've gained weight since going all natural/vegan because 2500 calories is 2500 calories whether it's from eating 10 bananas or eating a greasy hamburger. The only truth to dieting is "calories in, calories out". If you consume more calories than you burn, you gain weight. If you consume less calories than you burn, you lose weight. I've lost weight by eating one chocolate bar a day and nothing else. I gained weight while eating nothing but vegetables. There's no trick, just be aware of how many calories are in the foods you eat.

I agree with Kamikat. But at the same time the counting calories thing doesn't work. I tried it and I just gained weight. So more recently I started this diet of just cutting out all surgar, salt, and bread...drinking almost a gallon of watter a day...and eatting foods that were high in protein.

It's seems to be working cuz I already lost about 10lbs. But I'm also very active considering I work in a fast paced doctors office. So yes, If you consume less calories than you burn, you lose weight.

 

[MissAmelina]

I agree with Kamikat. But at the same time the counting calories thing doesn't work. I tried it and I just gained weight. So more recently I started this diet of just cutting out all surgar, salt, and bread...drinking almost a gallon of watter a day...and eatting foods that were high in protein.

It's seems to be working cuz I already lost about 10lbs. But I'm also very active considering I work in a fast paced doctors office. So yes, If you consume less calories than you burn, you lose weight.

fftopic: It does depend on the *quality* of calories you are eating. If you eat 1500 calories that have more than 30% from fat (ie. french fries, cheese, or even olive oil and avocados) then you will gain weight, compared to 1500 calories of whole grains, lean meats, fruits and vegetables with very little fat. Reduce the fat and increase the quality of protein and carb calories.

Also, it depends what your body mass or weight is.....a person who weighs over 200 pounds is not eating enough if they stick to a 1200 calorie diet. That would be starvation mode. They might lose some weight for awhile, but it would mess with their metabolism and then their body would cling to every little thing they ate. I think a 200 pound person needs to eat over 2000 calories a day to lose 1 or 2 pounds a week. And losing any more than that per week is muscle mass or water...once again, starvation mode.

I love reading thru the old diet manuals (I want to get my hands on Madame Sylvia's)--their info is so outdated. I believe someone mentioned the DuBarry Success Course....evidently that was a diet of oranges and mineral oil. Eww!!!

Jack LaLanne is NINETY-FOUR and still going strong, by the way. Crazy. I totally did his first show workout that I listed earlier. His motto is "If man made it, don't eat it. If it tastes too good, spit it out." lol

Kamikat---I hear ya. A buddy of mine is vegan and she is having a heck of a time losing weight. But she eats things like those yummy Trader Joe's veggie chips all the time and they are *loaded* with fat and processed gunk.
I know it is off topic, but as a vegan household with a child that has dietary issues, what does a normal day of eating look like to you guys?

 

[HoneysuckleRose]

I’d be interested to know what sort of advice these old publications give to help thin women put on weight, that’s not something I can imagine magazines today having articles on!

I definitely agree with the comments made about the quantity of sugar and salt we unwittingly consume, for instance I read today that some iced coffees available on the high street contain as many calories as a hot dinner.

I also think metabolism can have a lot to do with weight. There are a few members of my family, myself included, who have very fast metabolisms and are therefore thin, I was so self conscious about it as a teenager as I used to get ‘anorexic’ comments. It affected my confidence hugely. It would seem though that as I’ve grown older my metabolism is slowing down a little and I’m gradually looking slightly less thin than I did back then. Though I did get a pretty insensitive comment from a guy at work the other day which knocked me a bit, not something I’d expect from a guy in his 40’s.

I would love to ask the people who thought it was acceptable to comment on my weight to my face back then whether they’d feel it was acceptable to make comments to the face of someone who was very overweight. I suspect they’d be less likely to, though I know it happens.

Oh well, hope you don’t mind me getting that off my chest! I was a bit nervous about posting this as I rarely talk about this issue as I know a lot of women have real problems with their weight and I often feel I have no right to moan and should keep my mouth shut and try and look at it positively. Maybe if I hadn’t had all the negative comments I would do, but there you go!

Will keep my posts shorter in future!

 

[kamikat]

.
I know it is off topic, but as a vegan household with a child that has dietary issues, what does a normal day of eating look like to you guys?

For me personally or for the kids? I generally start off the day with an onion bagel, dry and a banana. Lunch is usually homemade veggie soup and some crackers. Midafternoon snack is homemade applesauce or a homemade muffin. Dinner is generally a curry or stirfry over rice. I'm allergic to soy, so we don't have tofu. I also have IBS and Colitis, so I don't eat raw fruits (except bananas) or raw veggies and have to severely limit any high fiber foods, like whole grains, brown rice or beans and legumes and can not eat anything with more than 20% fat. Since switching to this diet, I have been able to control all my GI symptoms and cut out all but one medication, but have gained 50lbs.

 

[kamikat]

. Though I did get a pretty insensitive comment from a guy at work the other day which knocked me a bit, not something I’d expect from a guy in his 40’s.

I would love to ask the people who thought it was acceptable to comment on my weight to my face back then whether they’d feel it was acceptable to make comments to the face of someone who was very overweight. I suspect they’d be less likely to, though I know it happens.
!

Is it possible he was just concerned for your well being?
As for people making comments, yes, that happens on a regular basis. I get the "you have such a beautiful face, you'd be stunning if you lost weight" on a somewhat regular basis. I also get a lot of pity because I lost a ton of weight on a doctor-controlled liquid diet, then gained it all back (I had to take a ton of GI related meds to stay on the liquid diet). People constantly ask me if I'm doing all right, "are you sure you aren't depressed?" "you shouldn't eat when you're upset".

 

[ShoreRoadLady]

I just picked up some McCall's Needlework magazines (which have a lot of knitwear fashion spreads, believe it or not!), and in the 1954 Spring/Summer issue there's an ad for Kelpidine Chewing Gum. Chewing it was supposed to help you lose up to 5 lbs. a week, but it doesn't say how it worked. Maybe you were supposed to chew it to keep from eating and eating? Maybe it had an appetite supressant?

I would love to ask the people who thought it was acceptable to comment on my weight to my face back then whether they’d feel it was acceptable to make comments to the face of someone who was very overweight. I suspect they’d be less likely to, though I know it happens.

fftopic: Ironically, I'm now trying to lose weight, but I used to be very thin without any effort whatsoever. I'd get comments in the "Oh, you're so thin! And I'm so fat! I'm so jealous!" vein, and it really does get tiring. And I'd like to declare a moratorium on any "You look great! I hate you!" half-joking comments. Ugh. I have a hunch that people think beautiful (in this case, thin) people are open to attack simply because of the way they look.

 

[kamikat]

fftopic: Ironically, I'm now trying to lose weight, but I used to be very thin without any effort whatsoever. I'd get comments in the "Oh, you're so thin! And I'm so fat! I'm so jealous!" vein, and it really does get tiring. And I'd like to declare a moratorium on any "You look great! I hate you!" half-joking comments. Ugh. I have a hunch that people think beautiful (in this case, thin) people are open to attack simply because of the way they look.

I used to be very jealous of naturally slim women until I went shopping with a new girlfriend, about 3 years ago. She had just as much trouble finding fashionable clothes to fit as I did. She could find casual clothes in the juniors and girls' departments, but nothing proper for the office. Also, the idea that she could eat whatever she wanted and not gain weight led to cholesterol and blood pressure problems at 40yrs old.

 

[Paisley]

Body for Life

Those who want to gain or lose weight might be interested in Body for Life. Basically, it's a balance of protein, carbohydrates and vegetables and an exercise plan of three weight training workouts and three cardio workouts per week. (It's about 3.5 hours of workouts per week.) There's nothing to join, no special food you have to buy, and you can do the exercises with free weights at home. You can get the book by the same name and get started. I've been on Body for Life for six years and really like it.

 

[Paisley]

Comments

I don't have weight issues, but I generally don't like comments on my appearance, either. Somebody once asked me to dance, saying, "You're too pretty to sit there alone." I guess if I weren't pretty, I'd deserve to be ignored.

 

[MissAmelina]

People constantly ask me if I'm doing all right, "are you sure you aren't depressed?" "you shouldn't eat when you're upset".

Oh my gosh....if someone said that to me, I think I would take the whole cake and shove my face around in it just to make them uncomfortable. You know what I mean??
BTW, my mom suffers from some of the same things and has one heck of a time....so I sympathize with you. So glad you can control your symptoms with diet.

And Paisley...totally. what does that even MEAN, ya know? People, man. People.
And Yes, Body For Life is pretty cool. That's great that it works for you. I tried it for awhile and really toned up. HOWEVER (and this is just me) I am not big on lifting weights, so i got a little bored. Now I am doing NIA, yoga, and walking and it makes me feel great.

 

[HoneysuckleRose]

Is it possible he was just concerned for your well being?

I'd like to think he was but he definitely wasn't. I think I was just about to shoot off for lunch and he made a snide comment in a bitchy tone about how I was probably just going to have a leaf of lettuce or something. I really didn't know what to say as his comment came out of the blue, I just mumbled something about how he'd be surprised how much I ate but he just stood there with a 'Yeah RIGHT' expression on his face. I thought maybe I was reading too much into it but a girl there commented to me later on how out of order she thought he was.

I used to be very jealous of naturally slim women until I went shopping with a new girlfriend, about 3 years ago. She had just as much trouble finding fashionable clothes to fit as I did. She could find casual clothes in the juniors and girls' departments, but nothing proper for the office. Also, the idea that she could eat whatever she wanted and not gain weight led to cholesterol and blood pressure problems at 40yrs old.

I had exactly the same problem when I was a teenager, it was so hard to find clothes but it doesn't seem quite so bad now though I suspect clothing sizes are getting smaller.

fftopic: Ironically, I'm now trying to lose weight, but I used to be very thin without any effort whatsoever. I'd get comments in the "Oh, you're so thin! And I'm so fat! I'm so jealous!" vein, and it really does get tiring. And I'd like to declare a moratorium on any "You look great! I hate you!" half-joking comments. Ugh. I have a hunch that people think beautiful (in this case, thin) people are open to attack simply because of the way they look.

That is so so true ShoreRoadLady, those are exactly the sort of comments I have received. I'm so fed up with having to justify the way I look to someone stood there with an undisguised look of sheer disbelief/amusement on their face. But then I'm not the first person to feel this way and I know I won't be the last. People eh?

 

[ladybrettashley]

Ugh, i just hate how obnoxious people are about others' bodies. I have friends who are overweight and underweight and it is just as much what their bodies do naturally as my fairly average weight is. I don't know why people can't simply understand that and let it be.

But, then, i think people really ought to let go of the obsession with weight altogether, and maybe start thinking about their health instead - they're not the same thing! I was hanging out with a friend of a friend the other day who was talking about her new diet, which she was on because "being fat is unhealthy." I had to bite my tongue, because it was clear when she explained it that the diet was far worse for her health than some extra weight would be. *sigh*

Oh, and those weird backhanded compliments ("you look great, i hate you!")? I believe the phrase "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all" includes immediately qualifying your nice statements with rude ones! I would also like to add "I wish i had your ____(hair is the one i get, but the list goes on)" to the list of bizarre twists on compliments.

Perhaps we all ought to practice simply saying "you look great today" and "i love your ____" and leaving it at that!

Sorry, i'll step off my soapbox now

 

[MissAmelina]

I get those backhanded compliments too, though not as often as I used to. tee-hee.

Try to remember that when a person says something like that, they have issues and insecurities of their own. And it is a wonderful time to be compassionate toward that person. We all have our hang-ups.

It's not like they *really* hate you...they just feel bad about themselves. So it is a great time to be supportive.

 

[kamikat]

But, then, i think people really ought to let go of the obsession with weight altogether, and maybe start thinking about their health instead - they're not the same thing! I was hanging out with a friend of a friend the other day who was talking about her new diet, which she was on because "being fat is unhealthy." I had to bite my tongue, because it was clear when she explained it that the diet was far worse for her health than some extra weight would be. *sigh*

This is soooo true. I recently had a physical and my (new) doctor couldn't believe my test results. She kept looking at me, then looking at her computer. It's almost as if she couldn't believe that a fat person could have good cholesterol numbers, normal blood sugar, normal blood pressure. While I don't think all-natural/organic, ect is the magic bullet for weightloss, I do believe it's the magic bullet for health.

 

[Shirin]

I like positive comments on my appearance, as long as they're sincere. You can tell from tone and body language if a compliment is sincere.
I've many a times, told women I think they're beautiful. I hope I haven't secretly offended any of them. Once at (I hate to say this) Krispy Kreme (Hey, I love their coffee!) there was a woman by herself, dressed up very nice-sort of vintage inspired- and before I walked out the door, I told her I thought she looked "very lovely today". She was so thankful and remarked that she hadn't heard that in such a long time. So I guess we are just taking a chance when we compliment somebody, and hoping we don't unknowingly offend them?