Overweight and Underweight

Part 1

OVERWEIGHT AND UNDERWEIGHT

METROPOLITAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY HOME OFFICE: NEW YORK Pacific Coast Head Office: San Francisco Canadian Head Office: Ottawa

CONTENTS

PAGE What Is Desirable Weight? 3 Overweight and Its Dangers 5 What Makes a Person Fat? 5 Why Do People Overeat? 6 How to Lose Weight 7 The Body’s Need for Food 8 The Body’s Need for Exercise 11 What About Short Cuts? 12 How Many Calories? 13 On Keeping a Record 19 Special Problems 19 Underweight and Its Dangers 22 What Causes Underweight? 22 How to Gain Weight 23 Adding Extra Calories 24 Saving Energy 24 Calorie Tables 25

Edition of January 1953 COPYRIGHT 1950, METROPOLITAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY.

P.F.M.—PRINTED IN U.S.A.—(u) 380 L. W. (Edition Jan. 1953)

What Is Desirable Weight?

Desirable weight is a very individual thing. It may be described as the weight at which a person both looks and feels his best. Height, bone structure, and muscular development must all be taken into account.

Because no two people are alike, weight tables cannot show with complete accuracy exactly what every individual should weigh. The tables shown here are given as a guide rather than as a rigid standard to which everyone should conform. They show desirable weights for men and women at age 25 and over. After a person is full grown and has reached his best weight, he should not gain or lose much for the rest of his life. It used to be considered inevitable and normal for people to get heavier toward middle age. We know now that it is not a normal part of getting older, not healthy, and not necessary.

Life is much easier in many ways for people who are not too fat or too thin. They usually feel and look better. They are apt to live longer. They are less likely to suffer from backaches, foot troubles, constant fatigue, and a host of daily discomforts. They have more fun buying clothes. Normal weight is worth any effort it takes to reach and keep—worth it in terms of everyday comfort and of a healthier, longer life.

DESIRABLE WEIGHTS FOR MEN AND WOMEN OF AGES 25 AND OVER Weight in Pounds According to Frame (as Ordinarily Dressed) men HEIGHT SMALL FRAME MEDIUM FRAME LARGE FRAME (with shoes on) Feet Inches

5 2 116-125 124-133 131-142 5 3 119-128 127-136 133-144 5 4 122-132 130-140 137-149 5 5 126-136 134-144 141-153 5 6 129-139 137-147 145-157 5 7 133-143 141-151 149-162 5 8 136-147 145-156 153-166 5 9 140-151 149-160 157-170 5 10 144-155 153-164 161-175 5 11 148-159 157-168 165-180 6 0 152-164 161-173 169-185 6 1 157-169 166-178 174-190 6 2 163-175 171-184 179-196 6 3 168-180 176-189 184-202

women HEIGHT SMALL FRAME MEDIUM FRAME LARGE FRAME (with shoes on) Feet Inches

4 11 104-111 110-118 117-127 5 0 105-113 112-120 119-129 5 1 107-115 114-122 121-131 5 2 110-118 117-125 124-135 5 3 113-121 120-128 127-138 5 4 116-125 124-132 131-142 5 5 119-128 127-135 133-145 5 6 123-132 130-140 138-150 5 7 126-136 134-144 142-154 5 8 129-139 137-147 145-158 5 9 133-143 141-151 149-162 5 10 136-147 145-155 152-166 5 11 139-150 148-158 155-169

OVERWEIGHT AND ITS DANGERS

Anyone who is 15 or more pounds heavier than his desirable weight is considered overweight. For those still in their 20’s or younger a little extra weight does no harm. For people over 30 it is not good.

Overweight is a danger signal, particularly for those over 40. Studies of life insurance figures show that overweight people develop diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and other life-shortening conditions earlier, and are apt to die younger, than people whose weight is normal. They are poor surgical risks and have less resistance to infection. Stout women are more likely to develop complications in pregnancy.

What Makes a Person Fat?

Most people are fat simply because they eat too much. This does not necessarily mean that they stuff themselves with large quantities of food. It does mean that they take in more calories than their bodies can use. This is often surprisingly easy to do, particularly for a person who has poor eating habits.

Some people blame their overweight on metabolism (the rate at which their bodies use energy) and on the glands which regulate metabolism. In a very few cases, poorly functioning glands may contribute to overweight. Even then, the overweight patient who is under a physician’s treatment for glandular disorders is able to lose weight when his food intake is regulated.

What many people do not realize, however, is that the body’s energy requirements usually change after age 30 or 40. As a person gets older, metabolism slows down, and fewer calories are needed to maintain weight. The trouble is that eating habits usually stay exactly the same, while physical activity often decreases.

Heredity is often claimed as a cause of overweight. Careful studies do not bear this out. Heredity does determine the type of body build a person has, but when people from overweight families change their eating habits it has been proved that they, too, can lose weight.

Actually, most overweight people readily admit that their excess poundage comes from overeating. They say they just don’t seem to be able to stop. Knowing why a thing is hard to do sometimes makes it easier to change.

Why Do People Overeat?

Many people eat more than they need for reasons that have little to do with hunger. Habit is one of them. Eating habits are set in patterns which have often been followed for years. Such patterns are not always easy to change, but with persistence and determination they can be altered.

Some people develop the habit of overeating because good food and plenty of it is a family tradition. Some fall into the habit because of sociability. They eat more frequently and so consume greater amounts of food than they need. Some people consider food as a symbol of success or social standing, and so eating rich food and too much of it becomes a custom. Not infrequently the habit is established in pregnancy, in convalescence from some illness, or in other situations when extra food may be required.

Other common reasons have their roots in the emotions. Some people eat constantly because they are bored, and eating is something pleasant to do. Others because they are lonely, or feel unloved, or suffer from discontent about money, job, family relationships, or social standing. People who overeat for such reasons usually find it necessary to do something about their emotional problems before they are able to tackle their eating habits successfully.

How to Lose Weight

Part 2

Physical condition, degree of overweight, and individual living habits must all be carefully evaluated before an effective, safe reducing plan can be worked out. No one can do all this for himself. Only a physician has the necessary skill and equipment to decide how much, how fast, and with what treatment a person should lose weight. What benefits one may harm another. Therefore, a reducing program should be undertaken only under medical supervision.

Anyone who really wants to get rid of excess poundage can do it. Lots of people have, with determination and persistence. Desire and will power are “musts” in any reducing program.

Everyone knows that self-denial is not easy and that changing long-established habits taxes the strongest will. Therefore, a person who is trying to do this difficult job deserves the help and support of his family and friends. Few people are able to persist in any course of action in the face of commiseration, indifference, ridicule, or opposition from those they love and respect.

To be worth anything, a loss of weight must be permanent. Therefore, anyone who wants to benefit from a weight-reduction program must make up his mind that he is changing his eating habits for life. Going back to old patterns will only pile up the pounds all over again. Unless this fact is accepted, reducing efforts will probably be wasted.

The Body’s Need for Food

Awake or asleep, the body needs energy for every breath, every heartbeat, every activity of living. Food supplies this energy which is measured in units called calories.

When a person eats only enough to supply the energy he uses, his weight stays the same. If he takes in more calories than he needs, the excess is stored as fat. If his food adds up to fewer calories than he needs, his body takes the extra energy out of its storehouse of fat, and a loss in weight occurs. Reducing diets are based on this simple principle: taking in fewer calories than needed to force the body to use its stored fat.

Foods vary in the number of calories they contain. As most people know, fats of all kinds have the most calories. One tablespoon of butter, for example, has in it about as many calories as a good slice of lean roast beef, or a cup of beets, or a quarter of a pound of cod steak. Sugars, alcohol, and starches are the next richest source of calories. Starches include cereals, flour and everything made with flour, potatoes, peas, beans, and corn. When calories must be cut down to make the body use stored fat, alcoholic drinks and foods rich in fats, sugars, and starches are the first to be restricted.

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